Your Partner for Technical Support
credativ® is a vendor-neutral consulting and services company that has been providing comprehensive services and technical support for the implementation and operation of open-source software in enterprise environments since 1999. In 2021, credativ® became part of the international Instaclustr Group. In 2022, credativ® became part of NetApp along with the Instaclustr Group, and its business was integrated into NetApp Deutschland GmbH. Since March 1, 2025, the newly founded credativ GmbH has once again been an independent, owner-managed company serving the German SME sector.
Support in all Areas – at all Times
Our Open Source Support Center offers you the necessary security to leverage the numerous benefits of free software for your company. You benefit from premium support for a wide range of open source projects that play a fundamental and even strategic role in the IT structures of many companies today. Furthermore, we are committed to the principle of free software and actively support the further development of open source software.
Our support is always there for you, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Specialists in Their Field – Credativ® Support
Many of our consultants and support staff actively work on numerous open source projects. These include, for example, the Debian Linux operating system and the object-relational database PostgreSQL®, as well as many other well-known projects. Our employees are among the leading Linux specialists in Germany and enjoy the highest recognition internationally.
This combined expertise is utilized by numerous German and international companies and forms the basis for comprehensive service and support at the highest technical level.
History
In our industry, nothing is more constant than change. We continuously evolve in line with our customers’ requirements. Our company history vividly summarizes the path we have taken from our founding to becoming one of the leading companies for open source support.
- 1999
Founding
Founding of credativ GmbH and commencement of business operations at the Jülich Technology Center by Dr. Michael Meskes and Jörg Folz
- 2006
Management Expansion
Expansion of management by Sascha Heuer (Operations Management) and Michael Amstadt (Marketing and Sales)
- 2006
Open Source Support Center
Opening of the German Open Source Support Center
- 2007
Company Relocation
Relocation of the company headquarters from Jülich to its own property in Mönchengladbach
- 2007
DACH Region
Expansion of business activities throughout the DACH region
- 2013
Expansion of Executive Board
Expansion of the Executive Board by Sascha Heuer
- 2013
Credativ International GmbH
Additional founding of credativ international GmbH by Dr. Michael Meskes and Jörg Folz for the establishment and expansion of further international business activities
- 2014
PostgreSQL® Competence Center
Opening of the German PostgreSQL ® Competence Center
- 2016
New Company Headquarters
Establishment and commissioning of the new and significantly larger company headquarters in Mönchengladbach-Wickrath
- 2017
Elephant Shed
Development and release of the open-source project Elephant Shed, a high-performance PostgreSQL® database appliance
- 2021
Leading Open Source Specialist
Over 55 permanent employees nationwide and one of the leading open source specialists
- 2021
Expansion of the Open Source Environment
Since 2021, credativ® has been part of the international Instaclustr Group. This makes credativ® one of the largest players in the international open source environment.
- 2022
Acquisition of the Instaclustr Group by NetApp
In May 2022, the Instaclustr Group was acquired by NetApp.
- 2023
Business Transfer to NetApp Deutschland GmbH
In February 2023, credativ® was acquired by NetApp Deutschland GmbH. Thus, credativ® is now part of a successful international corporation, which from 2012 to 2021 was among the Fortune 500.
- 2025
Management Buyout and Independence
On March 1, 2025, the business of the original credativ was acquired from NetApp by the current management. The four partners David Brauner, Noel Köthe, Alexander Wirt, and Peter Dreuw will continue to operate the business independently with the newly founded credativ IT Services GmbH for this purpose, now renamed credativ GmbH.
- 2025
New Headquarters in Mönchengladbach’s TOP Business Zone
The new credativ GmbH will move into new business premises in April 2025 in Nordpark near the Borussia Stadium at Hennes-Weisweiler-Allee 23.
- 2025
ISO certification
Since December 2025, credativ GmbH has been certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
