Researcher, security specialist, pragmatist

This is what happens when you keep someone away from computers: He studies computer science, becomes a professor and joins the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre. Prof Dr Helmut Reiser has been deputy director here since 2017 and has now been appointed to the Executive Board of the German Research Network: a portrait.

A satisfied man: Prof Dr Helmut Reiser, Deputy Director of the LRZ and member of the Executive Board of the German Research Network. Photo: LRZ

Typical for him: For the 60th birthday of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), the initials L, R and Z were to bloom in bright colours between the buildings. Helmut Reiser looked for people to support this idea and took up the spade himself. In the summer, just in time for the celebrations, the flowers appeared in the courtyard. The deputy director of the LRZ gets involved and is respected in many places for his straightforward and open approach. Because he talks straight - gladly in Bavarian, of course - sometimes grumbles, more often laughs, often even at himself. And because he drives things forward with conviction, experience and strength: "I appreciate his pragmatic and solution-oriented approach," says Prof. Dr. Dieter Kranzlmüller, head of the LRZ. "He implements our LRZ strategies with a down-to-earth and pragmatic approach.

It's part of Reiser's job description to be dedicated, and that's something that truly characterises him. He is responsible for operations at the LRZ, but he also lives out his pragmatism as a scientist: "I always ask doctoral candidates and students what the outcome of their projects and work should be, or what they and we can gain from it," says the professor, who, like Kranzlmüller, teaches at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU). "It's important to me that research topics have practical relevance, and I've always enjoyed being able to scrutinise and improve existing applications".

Getting involved is getting informed

Reiser specialises in the development of communication networks, management systems and IT security - ka welath of knowledge and experience that he has been contributing to the LRZ since 2005, as well as volunteering in organisations such as the IT Advisory Board of the Bavarian State Museums or the Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV) Süs and, since 201409 , also in the operating committee of the Deutsches Forschungsnetz (DFN). He has just been appointed to the board of this association, which connects science and research in Germany with more than 10,250 kilometres of optical fibre: For him, it's an honour, an opportunity and a challenge all in one. "When you think about things for others, you also learn something for yourself," says the engineer, who was born in Freising. "And it's not as if you always have to be the source of ideas", he adds. Satisfying the technical needs of 356 different members - small universities, large universities, academic computing centres, research institutes such as the Max Planck or Fraunhofer Society with 76 facilities - is an achievement that earns Reiser's respect: "Networks should be universally structured and usable," he says. "And in this respect, the DFN is very, very good. It provides both small universities and universities of excellence with standard services and exclusive, customised solutions.

In addition to communications and internet services, cloud, collaboration and security tools, members can also access solutions for special requests or research projects: "It's exciting to be able to help develop the offering," Reiser says, who is also a the passionate hunter. He is now looking forward to new tasks. "And in an association structure, we can't make any rules, so the solutions have to be approved by a majority of the members". These conditions are similar to those at the LRZ. The computer centre operates the Munich Scientific Network (MWN) and offers researchers remote access to a wide range of computing resources. Technology and services must be open and available across national borders, but their use cannot be regulated by prohibitions. This is where security and its management come into play: Reiser realised during his studies in the 1990s that IT security should accompany the development of reliable networks and systems and their management.

More control and motivation for greater security

Reiser completed his doctorate on security management in 2001 at the LMU Department for Communication Systems and System Programming, where he was responsible for IT as a research assistant, before later developing security strategies and implementing measures at the LRZ. Step by step, the computer scientist built up a team that constantly monitors the LRZ's networks and systems, develops strategies to combat spam, hacking and misuse, and adapts them to new risks. In 2008, he habilitated on federated security management. Today, his toolbox also includes certificates for information security and service management, for which the LRZ will have its processes regularly audited starting in 2019. And to prove to himself, his colleagues and external auditors that the redundancy or dual strategy provides greater security in IT, or that a functioning device can immediately take over the tasks of a failed one, the passionate skier even pulls the plug: "As an IT specialist in a computing centre, you assemble complex technology, but rarely or never test these constructs in productive operation. The principle of hope prevails," observes Reiser, and not just at the LRZ. "People believe in reliability without having tested it." It is an inconsistency that he has researched and explored from a variety of perspectives, and which features prominently in the list of his publications and the dissertations he has supervised.

IT ecurity in the practical test: Reiser sometimes pulls the plug, even at the risk of many
colleagues fearing crashes, that many colleagues fear crashes. Photo: A.Podo/LRZ

Employees and colleagues appreciate Reiser's clear, respectful communication and his resistance to stress. "With Reiser," they often say, "you always know where you stand." This is partly because he is a good listener, and partly because of the way he comments on ideas in the best Bavarian manner: "Guad" means simply "good", but when he deeply convinced says "so an schmarr'n" (ehat a load of nonsense") there's no need for further discussion. His critical, short "so", and also his questioning, long "naaaa" are to be understood as an invitation to present further arguments on a topic; and a "guad, dann ist das auch geklärt" ( ("it's good that this has now been clarified“) puts an end to idle discussions about obligations. "People and a good team atmosphere are very important to me," says Reiser, describing his management principles. "Everyone should be able to develop themselves in the way the want to. It doesn't make sense to put people under pressure, the best thing is intrinsic motivation". The researcher is well aware that this is also a good basis for security and reliability.

Curiosity and fascination with networks

Researcher, professor, director of the LRZ - Reiser has gone a long way with his energy, straightforwardness and power of persuasion. He was born in Freising in 1967. "No one in our family went to grammar school," he says, "and my grades in German weren't the best." After leaving school, he trained as an administrative assistant: "They wouldn't let me use the only computer in the local tax office," Reiser says, "I was more interested than how this box worked than in the calculations and printouts it produced. If I had broken something, thousands of notices could not have been sent out". A colleague in the office, a refugee from the former Czechoslovakia who had studied, encouraged his curiosity and showed him new perspectives. "She inspired and encouraged me, the second impulse came from my civil service in a hospital, and the third impulse to do my A-levels and study came from my wife," Reiser recalls. "If I hadn't met her, I don't know if I would have had the courage to do it." His mother is also an active supporter of his studies.

After graduating from high schooll, the family man enrolled at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) to study computer science and theoretical medicine. "Back then, just like today, you had to take an application subject related to computer science," he says. "I studied quite broadly and didn't commit myself." In the 1990s, the Internet spread across Germany. Communication networks were a hype topic at the time, just like artificial intelligence (AI) is today, and this did not leave the budding computer scientist cold: "I was immediately fascinated by the question of how communication networks can be built reliably and in such a way that they are scalable, that high bandwidths and fast reaction times or responses are possible and that such huge infrastructures can be administered securely," says Reiser, and: "I'm driven by curiosity and interesting, exciting projects." However, the only person who had actually looked into the subject and tested it was Prof. Dr. Heinz-Gerd Hegering, then head of the LRZ, professor at the LMU and lecturer at the TUM, who had somewhat of a reputation among students: "He had a very strict user interface, I didn't really want to be tested by him, but I had to take part in this suicide mission," says Reiser.He didn't regret it, as ist resulted in a fruitful working relationship. The young researcher was able to analyse practical IT with Hegering, who, in turn was convinced by Reiser's arguments about the relevance of IT security, brought him into his chair and later into the computing centre, where he rose from group leader to head of department and right to the top.

Advisor and sparring partner

Since 2017, he has shared the management of the centre with Dieter Kranzlmüller. Both describe their relationship as constructive, inspiring and open. "It's good to have someone at your side to whom you can turn for advice," says Reiser, who appreciates the direct communication and clear division of tasks. Together, the two LRZ directors develop strategies and visions, but while Kranzlmüller presents the LRZ to the outside world and looks after (international) research contacts, Reiser implements the plans: "He knows incredibly well how administrative processes work, where the pitfalls lie in projects and tasks," says Kranzlmüller, "and he is an excellent sparring partner with whom I enjoy exchanging ideas".

In his role as a advisor, he is also highly regarded among students and in various initiatives: "I've known Helmut Reiser for years and appreciate his technical knowledge," says Harald Kosch, a professor at the University of Passau and head of the fledgling Digitalverbund Bayern, in which universities pursue joint IT and security strategies. "He has given me some very important advice on difficult decisions. Helmut Wünsch, head of communication systems at the Regional Computing Centre at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (RRZE), is grateful to Reiser for making his job easier and for actively supporting him with ideas. The two are currently coordinating the installation of a fast data connection between the RRZE and the LRZ, which will also serve to improve IT security and enhance the tried and tested cooperation: "I like Reiser's likeable, uncomplicated manner, he has a great sense of humour, he makes negotiations more relaxed and he works consistently towards the goals," says Wünsch.
As a member of the DFN board, Reiser wants to expand the range of services offered by the association in the coming years, as he did at the LRZ: "We are now moving from networks and technology to more services," he says. On a personal level, the family man has been here for some time: "I have already fulfilled my dream," he says with a laugh, "I am in a position where I feel very comfortable. (vs, ssc, LRZ)