Cisco Expert in Frankfurt

• User account management and creation in Active Directory
• Group management and updates in Active Directory
• Permissions management on file servers
• Exchange/Outlook support
• VPN setup
• System and product support: Windows 10, Windows 11, Office 2019, Office 365, Active Directory, TeamViewer, RSA VPN, Microsoft Teams, RSA Security Console, Deep Discovery Mail Inspector, ServiceNow, Macmon

• Delivery of various end-customer projects in server and network infrastructure on time, in quality, and within budget.
• Project 1: Firewall renewal, replacement of an ASA firewall with a Fortinet firewall at an automotive supplier.
• Project 2: Migration of file services from dedicated servers at 5 branch locations into a central managed file service, including DHCP, directory, and print services, as well as decommissioning of the old domain controllers.
• Project 3: Renewal of the network infrastructure at the headquarters and branch locations of a logistics company and transition of the LAN, WLAN, and firewall environments into a managed network service.
• Project 4: Network renewal, replacement of the core and access switches at the headquarters of a medical technology company and transition into a managed network service.
• Project 5: Firewall renewal, replacement of an ASA firewall with a Fortinet firewall for a city.
• Environment: ASA and Fortinet firewalls, Cisco network components, ITSM Heat/Ivanti, Confluence.

Europe-wide re-platforming & centralization

• Independently created the migration concept and implementation plan for the Europe-wide centralization and consolidation of IT services for around 20 European companies as part of a re-platforming program.
• Migration assessment: analysis of the existing IT, infrastructure, application, and service landscapes of the companies as the basis for the migration strategy.
• Development of the centralized target vision and target architecture based on a modern technology stack, taking platform and containerization approaches into account.
• Design of a highly available central infrastructure in an active-active model across two data centers; consideration of cloud, infrastructure, application, CMDB, and IAM services.
• Development of the migration and transformation roadmap, including defining migration waves, dependencies, requirements, and priorities for the move from decentralized services to the central platform.
• Analysis of technical and organizational dependencies, identification of migration risks, and development of a structured approach for step-by-step migration and centralization.
• Creation of target, solution, and implementation views for each service domain; design of the end-to-end join-move-leave process as a blueprint for the European rollout (Jira/Jira Asset Management).
• Alignment of migration strategy and roadmap with European companies, management, IT, providers, and other stakeholders; presentation of the 12-month roadmap to the Managing Director Europe.

• Linux server migrations: Planning and implementation of the migration with SLES Linux Deployment of VMs in VMware 8.0
• Guiding colleagues in configuring Linux VMs in vSphere Auto Deploy
• Application operations: Ensuring the smooth operation of applications on the migrated servers
• Operations manuals: Revising existing operations manuals, adding to them and creating new ones when required
• Reviewing service offerings: Adjusting and optimizing the service offering of external service providers
• Logistics SW, RedHat Linux, Ansible, Confluence / Jira

• Main point of contact for the provisioning of end devices and operating systems
• Pre-installation of software according to company guidelines and integration into the corporate network (Wi-Fi, VPN, domain)
• User support with setup, process improvements, and handling of returns (RMAs)

• Designed and specified the technical network integration of a new business critical application system (MUREX) in the capital market area in a complex interface and outsourcing environment.

• Created component specifications, catalog of measures and implementation plan.

• Ensured proper integration of developed results in accordance with the bank’s framework: IT compliance, IT security, change and release management.

• Selected and integrated a new service provider for the bank; moved critical bank applications to the provider.

• Designed, implemented and supported the new Cisco network and Fortinet security setup at the service provider data center.

• Acted as technical interface between bank, service providers and consulting partners.

• Supported and further developed the network and security infrastructure (clients, servers, networks); performed error analysis and implemented solutions within agreed service levels.

• Analyzed and diagnosed all security and network failures, glitches and malfunctions.

• Initiated continuous enhancements to guarantee efficient resource utilization and acceptable response times to users.

• Provided network support in financial service organization and operational change preparation on production banking network infrastructure for both large and small projects within strict change management discipline.

• Designed, defined, tested, governed and improved engineering standards.

• Performed role of network architect for medium-large projects involving team resources.

• Designed a network management strategy focused on NetDevOps principles and model-driven telemetry using YANG data models
• Conducted NETCONF/YANG workshops for L2VPN/L3VPN services over SRv6
• Automated configuration deployment in the testing environment with Ansible
• Developed end-to-end service measurement concepts with IPSLA and the Telegraf-Prometheus-Grafana stack
• Created the dual-stack architecture design (router + switch + firewall) including a detailed test plan; planned, executed, and documented acceptance tests for the management network
• Performed BSI IT baseline protection checks according to the IT-Grundschutz catalog (needs assessment, modeling, risk analysis, deriving measures)
• Protocols: SRv6, IPv6, MPLS, BGP, ISIS, OSPF, NETCONF/YANG, model-driven telemetry, IPSLA
• Systems: Cisco Crosswork Network Controller, SolarWinds Orion, Grafana, InfluxDB, Telegraf, Ansible, Git
• Components: Cisco NCS router series, Cisco Catalyst switch series, Cisco Firepower firewall series

Self-employed consulting, implementation, and support of IT infrastructures with a focus on IT security, network and server administration, virtualization, backup & recovery, IT documentation, asset management, and business continuity management.

• IT security consulting and implementation of technical protective measures
• Windows server and client support, patch management, user support
• M365 – Entra ID – MS Azure administration
• Planning, installation, and operation of LAN, WAN, WLAN, and VLAN infrastructures, Cisco, HP, Netgear, Sophos, Securepoint
• Support of virtual systems based on Hyper-V, VMware, and Proxmox
• Backup and recovery concepts including test recovery, documentation, and handover
• Introduction and maintenance of IT documentation, asset management, and inventory tracking
• Implementation of measures related to IT baseline protection, emergency manuals, and BCM
• On-/offboarding concepts with a focus on permissions, devices, data access, and handover processes

Security awareness and practical sensitization of users and IT staff

• Holistic responsibility for modernizing and expanding federal networks and upgrading critical data center and telecom infrastructure in the high-security agency environment of BDBOS
• Planning and management of the expansion of national BOS network infrastructure in the VS-NfD/KRITIS environment with technical decision authority at the architecture and component level (Cisco, Layer 2/3, WAN redundancy)
• Planning, tendering (EVB-IT/UVgO) and oversight of the upgrade of security-critical telecom infrastructure for emergency call 110/112 (ACD)
• Capacity planning, rack integration, structured cabling, power supply, cooling concept (CRAC/In-Row) and DCIM monitoring for data center expansion
• Building the IT department from scratch: structures, governance, processes, team recruiting, vendor selection and long-term IT strategy
• Planning and managing infrastructure and application migrations: migration strategies, batch planning, hypercare stabilization and rollback concepts
• Creating vendor-neutral specifications (telecom systems, signature solutions) according to EVB-IT and UVgO; contract award and vendor management
• Setting up a secure IT environment according to BSI basic protection, ISO 27001 and VS-NfD; developing IT security concepts and CMDB analyses
• Hands-on program leadership: decision papers for management and steering committees, risk management, reporting and change request control

• Trainer and Consultant for Project Management (Prince2/PMI)
• Project Management Lecturer at University of Halle
• Implemented standardized project management methodology (Prince2)

• GfK Data center IT Infrastructure project onsite coordinator (Equinix DC FR2/FR7) training FEs in Equinix DC Carla, FNT, Jira Confluence, ServiceNow (Change/Problem/Incident MGMT), DCIM, ITSM, ITIL
• Reporting significant incidents as the on-site technical coordinator and initial point of contact for vendor escort and smart hands
• Utilizing CMDB-GUI, NIQ-Browser, CMDB-Filtering-GUI, OSS-Radar, BigBrother, CheckMK, and TTWOS for 2nd and 3rd level troubleshooting support
• Maintaining MDF, IDF, computer rooms, and closets; coordinating with service desk, reception, and security for visitor access
• Managing asset lifecycle including operation, retirement, stocking, and destruction with proper SanDisk procedures
• Leading footprint data centre optimization and reduction in FR2/FR7; handling network, server, storage, desktop, hosting, IT security, video conferencing, and telephone operations
• Coordinating server relocations, fibre optics/copper cable preparations, CMDB updates, and stakeholder cooperation
• Implementing IT infrastructure design, maintenance, configuration, and construction following Dell/HP/Apple ESD safety precautions
• Single POC for change management network, Star Track, backup & storage, cloud, Linux, Windows, EUS teams & Software Centre installs
• Successfully completed DC Footprint Reduction Project 2021/2022 and GfK New Hardware DC Refresh Initiative
• Planning, configuring, and installing Dematic server rooms and switch configurations in Heusenstamm, Wurzburg, Kahl am Main, and Graz Austria
• Providing on-site media equipment setup for HP, hospitals, manufacturers, and laboratories
• Ensuring professional rack and cable management following best practices
• Maintaining up-to-date plant maps accessible to all teams showing technology space and spare locations
• Offering technical assistance for live events, town halls, forums, streaming, and hybrid events on and off campus
• Providing second level support for Poly video conferencing systems across multiple time zones
• Conducting frequent computer room walkthroughs, recording power, cooling, alarm, security threats, and mapping wireless environment and access points

• The replacement of the existing archive system (document management system – DMS) on a host-based platform is well advanced.

• The internal audit is meant to ensure the company's quality standards.

• GDPR

• ISO 27001 ff.

• BSI

• DORA

• Patient data regulations

• Host / Cloud / S3 / Container / highly scalable / Nuxeo

• Budget: 50,000

• Team: 1

• Support for end users by telephone and Skype
• Error diagnosis and problem solving by telephone and remote access
• Independently receiving incident reports
• Forwarding unresolved problems to the appropriate escalation level
• Reinstalling incorrectly installed software or incorrectly configured computers
• Receiving requests and incident reports by email or ticket system
• Identifying and classifying problems and requests
• Performing initial diagnostic steps and attempting solutions for frequently occurring problems
• Providing basic technical support to users in the use of hardware and software
• Forwarding complex problems and requests to 2nd or 3rd Level Support
• Documenting incidents and solutions in a ticket system
• Monitoring and escalating open tickets to ensure that problems are resolved on time
• Communicating with users to provide updates on the progress of problem resolution
• Installing, configuring and maintaining hardware and software components
• Repairing and replacing defective components
• Monitoring and optimizing system performance and network connections
• Supporting the troubleshooting and diagnosis of technical problems
• Installing and configuring operating systems and application software
• Ensuring compliance with security policies and data protection regulations
• Managing user accounts and access rights
• Performing regular backups and recovery processes
• Creating technical documentation and instructions
• Training users in the use of IT systems and applications
• Technologies/Methods: Skype, ticket system