MAURO SERVIENTI

Solution Architect | Distributed Systems Specialist | Technical Speaker

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Solution Architect at Particular Software with extensive expertise in distributed systems, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and message-based architectures. Former Microsoft MVP (2006-2016) with 20+ years of experience helping developers build better .NET systems. Internationally recognized technical speaker and open-source contributor specializing in microservices, UI composition, and messaging patterns.

Remote Work Excellence

With over a decade of remote work experience at Particular Software, a fully distributed organization where every team member works from a different location worldwide, I have mastered the art of effective remote collaboration. My role as a Solution Architect requires seamless coordination across multiple time zones, cultures, and continents—skills I’ve honed through years of delivering workshops, conducting customer consultations, and collaborating with distributed development teams.

Working remotely has been more than just a logistical arrangement; it’s been a testament to self-discipline, clear communication, and proactive engagement. I’ve established dedicated workspace practices, including maintaining a separate home office to ensure professional focus and work-life balance. This approach has enabled me to consistently deliver high-quality technical guidance, create educational content, and speak at international conferences while managing complex architectural projects.

My experience with distributed systems architecture has a natural parallel with distributed team collaboration—both require clear boundaries, well-defined interfaces, and asynchronous communication patterns. I’ve successfully navigated the challenges of remote work, from facilitating virtual workshops and webinars to mentoring team members through remote coaching sessions, proving that geographical distance is no barrier to building strong professional relationships and delivering exceptional results.

Whether collaborating on open-source projects on GitHub, conducting technical reviews, or providing customer support across continents, I bring the same rigor and commitment to remote work that I apply to architecting resilient distributed systems.

Mastering Self-Organization: A Systematic Approach to Getting Things Done

My approach to productivity follows a simple principle: “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.” Rather than rushing, I focus on building sustainable habits and systems that free my mind for complex problem-solving.

I’m a firm believer in checklists and templates. As I often say, “I’m lazy—I have a checklist for everything.” By offloading routine processes to well-designed workflows (using tools like Todoist and Dropbox Paper), I preserve mental bandwidth for architectural challenges and creative work. Whether preparing for international travel, deploying to production, or managing daily responsibilities, template-based systems ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

My methodology emphasizes continuous improvement through data collection and reflection. I regularly analyze time usage, identify inefficiencies, and refine processes—documenting this evolution in my “Lifehacking 101” blog series, where I’ve openly shared struggles with procrastination and the practical solutions I’ve developed.

The key insight: effective organization isn’t about doing more things faster—it’s about mastering fundamentals until they become automatic. This approach enables me to manage complex projects, coordinate across time zones in a distributed organization, and deliver consistent results without burnout. I embrace the journey over the destination, maintaining sustainable productivity while preserving energy for the next challenge.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2013 — Today: Solution Architect | Particular Software

Makers of NServiceBus

  • Design and architect distributed systems leveraging Service-Oriented Architecture principles and message-based architectures
  • Provide technical guidance and consulting to customers on building scalable .NET systems
  • Deliver workshops, webinars, and training sessions on distributed systems architecture
  • Contribute to product development and strategic initiatives
  • Create technical content, including blog posts, documentation, and educational materials
  • Perform customer support and solution architecture across multiple domains (eCommerce, financial services, logistics)

Career in Particular Software

  • Q3-2024 -> Today:
    • Head of Customer Success
    • Career Coaching and Mentoring
  • 2021 -> Q2-2024: Head of Strategy
  • 2017 -> Q4-2020: Head of Platform Development & Developer Experience
  • 2015 -> 2017: Head of Internal Collaboration & Communication
  • 2013 -> 2015: Solution Architecture and Support team

2010 — 2013: Guess Europe Sagl

  • Designed and architected distributed B2B systems to manage the global retail shop network and supply chains

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Core Competencies

  • Distributed Systems Architecture
  • Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
  • Microservices Design & Implementation
  • Message-Based Architectures
  • Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
  • Event-Driven Architecture
  • Saga Pattern & Process Management

Technologies

  • .NET / .NET Core / C#
  • NServiceBus
  • Azure (Service Bus, Storage Queues, Entra ID)
  • AWS (SQS, SNS, CloudFront, S3)
  • RabbitMQ
  • RavenDB, MySQL, SQL Server
  • XAML-based technologies (WPF, Silverlight)

Specializations

  • ViewModel Composition for Microservices
  • UI Composition Patterns
  • Eventual Consistency & Saga Orchestration
  • Dynamic Consistency Boundaries
  • Integration Testing for Distributed Systems

OPEN SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS

ServiceComposer - Creator & Maintainer

  • ViewModel Composition API Gateway for microservices
  • Contract-less composition request handlers
  • Enables UI composition across distributed services

NServiceBus Extensions

  • NServiceBus.IntegrationTesting - End-to-end testing toolkit for messaging systems
  • NServiceBus.Extensions.EndpointStarted - Lifecycle management extensions
  • Attribute-based routing and conventions for NServiceBus messages

Sample Projects & Demos

  • All Our Aggregates Are Wrong - SOA-based e-commerce shopping cart sample
  • Welcome to the (State) Machine - Saga pattern demonstrations
  • Designing a UI for Microservices - UI composition examples

SPEAKING & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Conference Presentations

  • “All Our Aggregates Are Wrong” - Exploring DDD and service boundaries
  • “Welcome to the (State) Machine” - Saga patterns and stateful processing
  • “Designing a UI for Microservices” - Composite UI architecture
  • “Services UI Composition” - Frontend architecture for distributed systems
  • Featured speaker at: Explore DDD, .NET Day Switzerland, Virtual DDD, AWS Community events

Content Creation

  • 20+ years of technical blogging (English: milestone.topics.it, Italian: blogs.ugidotnet.org/topics)
  • Regular contributor to Particular Software blog
  • 60+ presentations on SlideShare
  • Conference talks with recordings and demos available on GitHub

Topics of Expertise

  • Distributed transactions and saga patterns
  • Temporal coupling in distributed systems
  • Choreography vs orchestration
  • Service boundaries and decomposition
  • UI & ViewModel composition for microservices
  • Eventual consistency patterns

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

  • Microsoft MVP (2006-2016) - Recognized for technical expertise and community contributions
  • Active member of the distributed systems and .NET communities
  • Regular contributor to Domain-Driven Design discussions

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Communication

  • Bilingual: Italian (native), English (fluent)
  • International workshop and webinar delivery
  • Technical writing and documentation
  • Public speaking and conference presentations

Development Practices

  • Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
  • GitFlow and version control strategies
  • Cloud-native application design
  • Container-based deployment strategies
  • Unit, integration, and acceptance testing

PERSONAL INTERESTS

  • Race and gravel cycling, swimming
  • Classical dance
  • Music appreciation
  • Astronomy and physics

PHILOSOPHY

“Data Horticulturist” - Passionate about cultivating well-designed distributed systems that grow and evolve with business needs while maintaining architectural integrity and autonomy.

References and detailed project portfolios available upon request

Mauro is a Solution Architect at Particular Software, the makers of NServiceBus. He spends his time helping developers build better .NET systems by leveraging Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles and message-based architectures.

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