Hamburger Hochbahn AG – Building Microsoft Azure expertise – HOCHBAHN invests in a dedicated training programme.

Since its founding in 1911, HOCHBAHN has grown into the largest transport operator within Hamburg’s public transport network (hvv). More than 6,300 employees help provide safe, reliable and future-focused mobility for over 1.3 million passengers every day, operating a network that includes around 300 underground trains and 1,100 buses. To maintain and continuously improve its services, HOCHBAHN must adapt to evolving mobility and technology while keeping its IT infrastructure up to date. An important part of that strategy is reducing dependence on external service providers and strengthening expertise within the organisation. As the company expanded its use of Microsoft Azure, employees taking on new IT roles needed to develop the expertise required to manage and further develop cloud technologies in-house. Traditional certification courses alone could not meet those requirements. Instead, HOCHBAHN needed a training approach tailored to its specific environment, enabling participants not only to acquire technical knowledge but also to apply it effectively in their own IT operations.

As part of an existing framework agreement, HOCHBAHN turned to Bechtle to deliver the training programme. Bechtle supported the organisation’s move to Microsoft Azure by designing a tailored learning path aligned with HOCHBAHN's specific requirements and IT environment. To support the development of in-house Azure expertise, Bechtle developed a comprehensive training programme for selected IT employees, enabling them to design, manage and further develop Azure architectures and technologies independently. The programme began with scoping workshops to identify learning objectives and training requirements. Based on those findings, Bechtle worked closely with HOCHBAHN’s IT stakeholders to develop a tailored curriculum covering both technical and methodological skills. The classroom-based training programme consists of ten modules and is delivered to small groups of four to five participants. With a strong emphasis on interaction and hands-on learning the modules cover everything from Azure fundamentals and specific technologies to security, design and architecture principles. The result is a learning environment that enables HOCHBAHN’s IT teams not only to build technical knowledge but also to apply and expand it directly in their day-to-day work.

• Stronger Azure expertise – A tailored training programme gave participating employees the knowledge and skills needed to work confidently with Azure technologies.
• Deeper cloud understanding – The training helped build a thorough understanding of cloud technologies, their capabilities and their role within HOCHBAHN’s IT environment.
• More efficient project delivery – With greater in-house expertise, HOCHBAHN can plan and implement cloud projects more effectively while making better use of internal resources.
• Confident day-to-day application – Employees in roles such as Solution Architect and Service Owner can actively support and guide the organisation’s ongoing IT transformation.
• Lasting skills development – The learning path enabled teams to use Azure more effectively while building expertise in solution design and architecture.