Tom Heinrich - Network Architect for Fortinet Rollouts

Q: Where is Tom based?

Tom is based in Möhnesee, Germany .

Q: What languages does Tom speak?

Tom speaks the following languages: German (Advanced), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Tom have?

Tom has at least 23 years of experience. During this time, Tom has worked in at least 15 different roles and for 17 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 3 months . Note that Tom may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Tom's latest experience?

Tom's most recent position is Network Architect / System Engineer at Teleperformance .

Q: What companies has Tom worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Tom has worked for Teleperformance , Douglas IT , Francotyp Postalia , Metabowerke GmbH , and Infodas .

Q: Which industries is Tom most experienced in?

Tom is most experienced in industries like Information Technology , Healthcare , and Government and Administration . Tom also has some experience in Professional Services , Telecommunication , and Construction .

Q: Which business areas is Tom most experienced in?

Tom is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Project Management , and Operations . Tom also has some experience in Quality Assurance , Procurement , and Customer Service .

Q: Which industries has Tom worked in recently?

Tom has recently worked in industries like Information Technology , Professional Services , and Telecommunication .

Q: Which business areas has Tom worked in recently?

Tom has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology , Operations , and Procurement .

Recommended expert

Möhnesee, Germany

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Experience

Jan 2025 - Present

1 year 8 months

Network Architect / System Engineer

Teleperformance

Professional focus: Fortinet rollout / site standardization / cloud / ISP migration

Network analysis, design and optimization, change
ISP changes
Commissioning of service providers and decentralized IT support teams
Setting up a central management platform
Routing optimization for dynamic routing
Optimizing and creating firewall rules
AWS connection / design
MS Azure connection / design

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, Palo Alto, WAN, SDN WAN, VPN, BGP, OSFP, Fortimanager, Panorama, Meraki, Alcatel, AWS, MS Azure, Network Architecture

Apr 2024 - Dec 2024

9 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Network Engineer / Network Architect

Douglas IT

Professional focus: Fortinet rollout / site standardization

As-is assessment
Documentation
Setting up a central management platform
SD-WAN connections
Replacement of Bintec
Commissioning, mostly in the evening / at night / on weekends
Follow-up work on the local network, Cisco Meraki switches and access points
Data center move Hagen -> Düsseldorf
Replacement of the Juniper DC solution with Cisco Nexus VPC
Documentation of data center as-is / to-be

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, WAN, SD WAN, Bintec, VPN, BGP, OSFP, Fortimanager, Cisco Meraki switches and APs, VMWare, NX-OS, Netbox, Visio, Fortiswitch, FortiAP, Network Architecture, Juniper

Jan 2024 - Present

2 years 8 months

Lead Network Architect

Francotyp Postalia

Professional focus: Fortinet rollout / site standardization / DC hardware migration

Technical purchasing consulting
Network analysis, design and optimization, change
Planning / documentation
Commissioning of service providers and decentralized IT support teams
Setting up a central management platform
Routing optimization for dynamic routing
Darktrace analysis
MS Azure connection / design

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, WAN, SDN WAN, VPN, BGP, OSFP, Fortimanager, Fortiswitch, FortiAP, Juniper SRX, Darktrace, MS Azure, AWS, Network Architecture, HP Aruba

Jan 2024 - Apr 2024

4 months

Network Architect, Network Engineer

Metabowerke GmbH

Professional focus: Fortinet rollout / site standardization

Staging
Firewall migration (device + policy)
Commissioning of service providers and decentralized IT support teams
Setting up a central management platform
SD-WAN connections
Reverse engineering, hardening of firewall rules, setting security profiles
Transfer to central management, hypercare phase, possible adjustments and
AWS connection / design
Troubleshooting
Commissioning, also in the evening, on weekends and on public holidays (depending on customer request)
Follow-up work on the local network, usually Cisco Systems and HP Aruba

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, WAN, SD WAN, VPN, BGP, OSFP, Fortimanager, Fortiswitch, Checkpoint, Sonicwall, AWS, Cisco Switch, HP Aruba, Network Architecture

Jun 2023 - Sep 2023

4 months

System Engineer

Infodas

Professional focus: assessment of LAN / WAN, redesign of WAN / network

Network analysis, design and optimization
Planning / documentation

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, Cisco, VMWare, MS Azure, AWS, Fortiswitch, FortiAP, Network Architecture

Jun 2023 - Sep 2023

4 months

Network Specialist

Signal Iduna

Main focus: network separation / segmentation / zoning

Network analysis, design and optimization
Planning / documentation
Creating firewall rules
Assigning service providers

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, HP Aruba, server, network architecture

May 2023 - Apr 2024

1 year

Germany

Lead Engineer in the area of SD WAN rollout Germany

Telefonica Deutschland

Main focus: SD WAN

Customer consulting
Network analysis, design and optimization
Planning / documentation

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, WAN, SDN WAN, VPN, BGP, OSPF, Cisco / HP Aruba / Netgear / TP-link switches, network architecture

Mar 2023 - May 2023

3 months

Network / Firewall Specialist

Aunde

Project on behalf of CirC IT.

Ticket handling, mainly in the firewall area
Troubleshooting
Network analysis of the local network, mostly Fortinet
Network analysis, design and optimization
Planning / documentation

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, WAN, SDN WAN, VPN, Cisco switching, Fortiswitch, FortiAP

Nov 2022 - Mar 2023

5 months

Network Engineer

Würth Group

Project on behalf of Computacenter AG.

Rollout and implementation of around 200 Fortinet firewalls (model F601E/FG-101F) in more than 80 country companies worldwide
Initial capture of the IT infrastructure, coordination with local IT, alignment with Central IT
Coordination of customer requirements, review of the existing documentation
Preparing the local network, mostly Cisco Systems
Taking over the existing rule set using Forticonverter
Adjusting system, interface and VPN settings / rule set according to C-IT specifications
Commissioning, also in the evening, on weekends and public holidays (depending on customer request)
Segmentation in VLANs and subinterfaces, separation of services
Optimizing the firewall rule set, adjustments in coordination with global and country IT
Reverse engineering, hardening the firewall rule set, setting security profiles
Transfer to central management, hypercare phase, if needed adjustments and
troubleshooting
Follow-up work on the local network, mostly Cisco Systems
Integration into PRTG, central worldwide monitoring
Documentation
Handover to C-IT, regular operations

Technologies / tools: Fortigate, Fortimanager, Forticonverter, Fortianalyzer, WAN, SDN WAN, VPN, Cisco routing / switching, Dell server, HP server & HP switches, VMWare, MS Windows Server, Linux Server

Oct 2018 - Oct 2022

4 years 1 month

Network Architect / Consultant

NTT DATA Business Solutions

Concept development, WAN design, vendor and product selection
Design and implementation of central firewall management, Fortimanager
Design and implementation of central firewall management, Fortianalyzer
Design and classification of a global V4 IP concept, Level A – Level
Enterprise
Design of header policy
Rollout and implementation of around 80 Fortinet firewalls (model 60/100/200/600) in more than 50 countries worldwide
Expansion / redesign of LAN standards (including replacements), Cisco switches model 9500/3650/Nexus
Coordination with site managers, usually IT staff
Implementation of centralized DHCP services, certificate services, 802.1X
Introduction of 2-factor Fortitoken, Fortiautenticator
Global expansion of remote access
Global monitoring with Cisco Prime and distributed PRTG systems
Global 2nd level support, vendor escalation
Redesign of WAN connections through our own firewall systems, VPN, BGP, OSPF
Redesign of data center, 3-firewall concept (2 vendors), logical separation of data center / office
Replacement of leased MPLS, migration to VPN, SDWAN
Optimization of firewall rule set
Support for the helpdesk with tickets
Training of new employees and apprentices
Remote and on-site work worldwide

Apr 2018 - Oct 2018

7 months

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Datacenter Migration Consultant

Telefónica / O2

Project carried out on behalf of Cancom GmbH.

Move of the datacenter from Munich to Frankfurt datacenter
Preparation of quotes
Sorting the devices to be replaced into installation and staging blocks
Identifying the affected switches and importing the new switches into Command
Reviewing the setup and redesigning the environment
Control, planning, and documentation of changes in ARS
Assessing risk and complexity
Updating network documentation (network plans, etc.)
Coordination with the responsible OEs / external service providers
Creating the migration/move runbook and coordinating the teams
On-site inspection

Technologies / Tools: Cisco Routing / Switching, Checkpoint Firewalls

Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

1 year

Munich, Germany

Freelancer

Baumann TGA

Planning and implementation of a new office in Munich (cabling, servers, clients)
Antivirus concept with Worry Free Business
Storage expansion and new connection
WLAN with Unifi
Commissioning, support and operations, training and handover

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Switching, HP Server, VMWare, MS Windows Server, VEEAM, Trendmicro AV

Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

1 year

Schalksmühle, Germany

Freelancer

Spelsberg

Combined projects for 2017.

Project Spelsberg II**
Expansion of the data center (RZ III) at 2 locations
Expansion and configuration of LAN at 2 locations
In-house redesign (switches and cabling)
Heat map creation (coverage) – WLAN survey and optimization (manufacturer UNIFI / UBIQITI, Cisco Systems)
Commissioning, support and operations, training and handover
Project Spelsberg I**
New setup of the data center and infrastructure in Schalksmühle and Butttstätt
Design and setup of a firewall cluster for redundant VPN connections between the Spielberg and Schalksmühle sites
In-house redesign (switches and cabling)
Heat map creation (coverage) – WLAN survey and optimization (manufacturer UNIFI / UBIQITI)
Commissioning, support and operations, training and handover

Technologies / Tools: Cisco Routing / Switching, Network Architecture, Unifi

Jan 2016 - Dec 2016

1 year

Freelancer

Project JONA (dental practice with 14,000 patients and day clinic).

New setup of network and firewall
SSL VPN for telework
Virtualization of the server environment
Site-to-site VPN
Integration of backup solution with VEEAM
Support and operations, training and handover

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Switching, HP Server, VMWare, MS Windows Server, VEEAM, Trendmicro AV, Network Architecture

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Freelancer

New setup of network and firewall ruleset
Virtualization of the server environment
Site-to-site VPN
Integration of backup solution with VEEAM
Support and operations, training and handover

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Cisco Switching, HP Server, VMWare, MS Windows Server, VEEAM, Trendmicro AV, Network Architecture

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Switzerland

Freelancer

Weka Media

Rebuild of the Weka Media WAN, site-to-site VPN, hub and spoke
Main responsibility for the Weka Media WAN
Support of 8 firewall clusters
Redesign of the data center in Kissing
Support and operation of the data center in Kissing
Redesign, planning, and setup of 8 branches/locations: Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Fortimanager, Fortianalyzer, Cisco Routing / Switching, PRTG, Network Architecture

Jan 2014 - Dec 2014

1 year

Russian Federation

Main responsibility for the Hoffmann WAN

Hoffman GmbH München

Support of 35 firewall clusters
Support and operation of the data centers in Munich and Nuremberg
Setup of a central data center as a mirror data center
Planning and setup of 3 branches/locations: India, Russia, North America

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Fortimanager, Forticonverter, Fortianalyzer, WAN, VPN, Cisco Routing / Switching, Network Architecture

Jan 2007 - Dec 2013

7 years

Main responsibility for the Synlab network

Synlab Services GmbH

Among other things, main responsibility for the Synlab network (data center, external sites in Germany and abroad (EMEA), MPLS and internet)
Main responsibility for the (re-)certification ISO 9001 / 27001 up to Q4 each year since 2010
Project consulting / planning / implementation
Resource planning for projects
Planning and expansion of the Synlab network structure (international)
3rd level support (partly coordination of employees and, in an emergency, also on-site at external locations)

Technologies / Tools: Fortigate, Fortimanager, Forticonverter, Fortianalyzer, WAN, VPN, Cisco Routing / Switching, Network Architecture

Jan 2003 - Dec 2007

5 years

Munich, Germany

Planning the replacement of the existing FDDI backbone

Staatliche Lotterieverwaltung München

Project consulting / planning / implementation
3rd level support
Communication interface with external companies
T-Systems, SGI, German Lotto Block, external planning offices
Communication interface with specialist departments

Technologies / Tools: Cisco Routing / Switching

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Information Technology, Healthcare, Government and Administration, Professional Services, Telecommunication, and Construction.

Information Technology

Healthcare

Government and Administration

Professional Services

Telecommunication

Construction

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Customer Service.

Information Technology

Project Management

Operations

Quality Assurance

Procurement

Customer Service

Summary

For the past 20 years, I have been involved in infrastructure design and implementation of firewall systems and switching/router infrastructures to a standard. Site networking (WAN/SDWAN/BGP/OSPF/VPN) is part of my responsibilities. The manufacturers used here are Fortinet, Cisco Systems, VMware, Microsoft, and Linux systems. The Fortigates are usually managed via a central management system (Fortimanager). The individual sites are connected via SD-WAN and VPN aggregates (BGP). My strengths lie in the data center area. This includes segmentation and implementation of security policies, as well as hybrid clouds with MS Azure/AWS. My perspective on system availability requires my willingness and understanding to work on weekends and evenings. The design and conception of the infrastructure, from initial review to the IPv4 concept, LAN/WAN design, documentation, and handover to the customer, is my area of responsibility. My hourly rate is €100 + VAT (remote) – the all-inclusive daily rate is €1,000 + VAT (onsite).

Languages

German

Advanced

English

Advanced

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 19

Experience in Information Technology 10 y

Avg length 1 y 6 m

Longest experience 6 y 11 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 3 (Germany, Switzerland, Russian Federation)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Network Architect / System Engineer, Network Engineer / Network Architect, Lead Network Architect

Main industries Information Technology, Healthcare, Government and Administration

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Operations

Profile

Created

July 2025

Last Update

August 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Tom is based in Möhnesee, Germany.

Tom speaks the following languages: German (Advanced), English (Advanced).

Tom has at least 23 years of experience. During this time, Tom has worked in at least 15 different roles and for 17 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 3 months. Note that Tom may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Tom would be well-suited for roles such as: Network Architect / System Engineer, Network Engineer / Network Architect, Lead Network Architect.

Tom's most recent position is Network Architect / System Engineer at Teleperformance.

In recent years, Tom has worked for Teleperformance, Douglas IT, Francotyp Postalia, Metabowerke GmbH, and Infodas.

Tom is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Healthcare, and Government and Administration. Tom also has some experience in Professional Services, Telecommunication, and Construction.

Tom is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Operations. Tom also has some experience in Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Customer Service.

Tom has recently worked in industries like Information Technology, Professional Services, and Telecommunication.

Tom has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Operations, and Procurement.

Tom is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

Tom's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.

To hire Tom, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.

Daily Rate Distribution

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<€800 €800-960 €960-1120 €1120-1280 €1280+

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Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.

Average rates for similar positions

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Daily rate avg. 900 €

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Median rate 840 €

The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.

Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.