Disaster Recovery Experts in Cologne

• Project: ESU Windows and SQL Server Consolidation / Configuration Management in ServiceNow
• Prepared an as-is analysis of all servers worldwide
• Prepared an as-is analysis of all SQL servers worldwide
• Conducted requirements analyses for SQL and server migrations
• Coordinated requirements with partners for migrations to Hyper-V (on-premises) or Azure Cloud
• Facilitated regular status meetings (Jour Fixe)
• Developed roadmaps and solution models for server migrations
• Set up test scenarios
• Facilitated workshops for the rollout of a global admin team
• Designed data models (CMDB) in ServiceNow
• Led workshops for the CMDB data model
• Developed solution models for the CMDB
• Created end-to-end configuration documentation and work instructions for the CMDB
• Prepared reports for license management
• Defined KPIs for data quality in ServiceNow
• Created a service catalog
• Facilitated workshops to define service requests
• Acted as interface between requirements analysis and the ServiceNow development team
• Systems used: Windows 7, Windows 10, Microsoft Office 365/2010, Windows Server 20xx, SQL Server 20xx, SharePoint, Azure Cloud, Hyper-V, ServiceNow, various tools

• Technical leadership across hardware, firmware, and software teams; scope: hardware/firmware team (4 people) and leadership group (5 people)
• Consolidated and documented a product family that had grown over more than 15 years and aligned it with CRA compliance — from the bare-metal I/O module to the cloud interface.
• Provided the most important customer product with the essential requirements and architecture documentation within two months — for a firmware landscape that had grown over more than 15 years. It now supports the customer’s modernization strategy.
• Established a monthly reporting line to the supervisory board and executive board within three months: nine meetings since 12/2025. The report itself is versioned and built from the CI pipeline; it is based on automatically collected activity and release data instead of assessments.
• Built a container-based CI/CD infrastructure from scratch: cross-compilation, host tests, and documentation builds in one continuous pipeline.
• Introduced declarative QA gates for DevOps and development artifacts — from the start using lefthook instead of pre-commit, executed in a dedicated container image.

Technologies used: arc42, req42, tpo42, docToolchain, PlantUML, ArchiMate, C4 model, ADR, C, C++ (GTest), CMake, Bare Metal (ARM Cortex-M3/M7), OCI containers, Jenkins, lefthook, Prometheus, Grafana, SBOM, CRA, OPC, SCADA, PLC integration, IPv6 migration, Zero Trust, Sociocracy 3.0, Cynefin

• PRISMA project
• Ansible automation
• Windows third-level support for Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 2013, Windows 2016, Windows 2019

• Regulated environment within a German banking group (approx. 8,500 employees, hybrid cloud strategy).

• Responsible for operating, provisioning, and continuously securing business-critical platforms – including a GenAI chat application, a big data/AI platform, and data science workspaces based on Azure Virtual Desktops and VMs. Ownership of Azure DevOps projects for ShaiHulud and React2Shell, as well as BSI alerts – Security Operations improvements across the SDLC.

• Deployment responsibility for the GenAI chat application, big data/AI platform (BDAI), and data science workspaces (AVD/VM-based) in the respective landing zones.

• Deployment & release management: end-to-end responsibility for deploying portal and service applications across multiple Azure landing zones, including technical approvals, compliance with development team deployment guidelines, and ensuring ITIL-based change and release processes via ServiceNow.

• Azure landing zones & network architecture: design, provisioning, and operation of Azure landing zones for 3-tier web applications with enhanced network segmentation, VNet peering, hub-and-spoke architectures, private endpoints, and firewall integration across separate subscriptions and tenants.

• Azure DevOps governance & operations: ownership of the Azure DevOps organization, including projects, repositories, and CI/CD pipelines; implementation of governance requirements such as branch policies, approval gates, permission models, and audit-ready operating structures.

• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform): design, implementation, and operation of a modular Terraform architecture for standardized cloud infrastructure deployment, including state management, provider versioning, reusability, and policy-as-code approaches.

• CI/CD pipeline engineering: design, operation, and optimization of complex YAML-based CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage deployments, template standardization, self-hosted agents, integrated secret management, and automated quality and security checks.

• Git migration & platform consolidation: planning and execution of repository and pipeline migration from Azure DevOps to GitLab CI/CD, including automated scripts, full Git history transfer, pipeline porting, and platform consolidation.

• Container & platform operations (AKS): operation and security assessment of containerized workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service, centralization of on-premises container registries for ACR.

• OpenShift (OCP) security reviews: security assessment of code baselines, build pipelines, and deployment processes for on-premises OpenShift clusters with critical applications, and derivation of specific hardening recommendations.

• Shift-left security & DevSecOps transformation: introduction of a company-wide shift-left approach for early security integration in development and deployment processes, enabling developers to perform self-led security checks and sustainably reduce vulnerabilities before production (IDE integrations, pre-commit hooks, local scanners).

• Software supply chain security: analysis and mitigation of supply chain risks in NPM- and Yarn-based applications through dependency audits, CI/CD pipeline hardening, token rotation, and restriction of risky build and lifecycle mechanisms.

• Frontend & framework security (React / Next.js): security assessment and coordination of critical vulnerability remediation across platform applications and web frameworks, including coordination and complementary technical mitigations with all teams following BSI alerts.

• Software composition analysis (SCA): introduction and operation of automated vulnerability scans for container images, pipelines/artifacts, and third-party dependencies, including SBOM exports within CI/CD pipelines.

• SAST/DAST integration: design and piloting of static and dynamic application security tests in close collaboration with security architecture and development teams, for continuous improvement of code and runtime security, and establishing operational acceptance tests.

• Artifact & registry consolidation: analysis and consolidation of all package and container repositories for service applications and AKS workloads, aiming for a centralized, secured registry strategy with centralized vulnerability scanning and governance.

• Dependency-Track & SBOM strategy: advising the compliance board on introducing a central SBOM and vulnerability management platform to increase enterprise-wide dependency transparency and accelerate CVE response capability.

• CI/CD pipeline hardening: security analysis and cleanup of the existing pipeline landscape by removing unused pipelines, improving secrets hygiene, implementing least-privilege principles, and isolating build agent environments.

• Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) optimization: analysis and tuning of existing Azure WAF rules (OWASP Top 10 Core Rule Set, DSR/SDC, custom rules) to defend against known vulnerabilities and exploit patterns, including reducing false positives and improving threat detection.

• Documentation & stakeholder communication: creating and maintaining technical documentation, runbooks, and architecture overviews in Jira and Confluence, as well as active knowledge transfer between operations, development, security, and compliance stakeholders.

• ISO 27001 implementation & audit readiness
• NIS2 & DORA compliance support
• Interim / fractional CISO services
• IT risk & controls (ITGC, SOX, COBIT, BAIT)
• M&A and IT due diligence for startups/ventures
• Business continuity management (BCM, ISO 22301)
• Cybersecurity framework development (NIST, ISO, BSI)
• GRC tool advisory (Archer, ServiceNow)

• Improvement of the Information Security Management System (ISMS) based on ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA, B3S, TISAX and BSI IT Baseline Protection
• Conducting comprehensive gap analyses to identify gaps and derive action plans according to the above standards and regulations; management and KPIs
• Data Loss Prevention strategy and implementation using MS Purview
• Vulnerability and patch management, security monitoring
• Risk analysis and threat modeling using the STRIDE methodology
• Development of vendor risk assessments, implementation of risk classifications, conducting supplier assessments and implementing technical monitoring solutions (e.g. Security ScoreCard)
• Securing cloud environments (AWS and Azure); expertise in CSPM/CNAPP (Wiz), cloud migration, secure CI/CD pipelines, container security and best practices in AWS, Azure and Office 365
• Application security: penetration testing, DevSecOps, OWASP, pre-commit hooks, key and secret management, IDE plugins, static source code analysis, dependency checks, container scanning, vulnerability management, CIS benchmarks and compliance
• Security assessment and hardening according to CIS benchmarks and cloud conformity in AWS, Office 365 and Azure

• Deputy lead of the 10-member information security management team in a highly regulated environment (DORA, VAIT, BAIT)
• Direct reporting lines to the CIO of the Gothaer Group and the management board of Gothaer Solutions
• Regular member of the Group Risk Committee and the Compliance Committee
• Managing and coordinating information security processes within the company and with IT service providers
• Leading task forces for handling information security incidents
• Contributing to IT emergency and business continuity management

• Developing and implementing IT architectures for business-critical applications, BCM/ITSCM, SAP, BTP and S/4HANA, Azure, interfaces and IT infrastructure according to Uniper security guidelines and compliance policies

• IT cloud infrastructure management: Requirements management and SLA definition for critical SAP and non-SAP applications and infrastructures based on the Key Production Environment algorithm; creating a conceptual target architecture; creating agile project plans for migration; risk management and vulnerability analysis; developing training content and e-learnings; establishing and optimizing risk management processes; creating action catalogs, architectures and ITSCM/emergency plans; identifying and managing internal and external partners

• Developing BCM/ITSCM concepts and IT infrastructure architectures for business-critical applications according to Azure Cloud, SAP BTP and Uniper governance frameworks; documenting and implementing ITSCM/emergency plans in line with disaster recovery patterns; creating training materials and coordinating training sessions; testing, simulating and optimizing BCM/ITSCM plans and IT architectures; ongoing training of management and staff on IT architectures, operating models, SAP BTP as well as BCM and emergency plans

• Technical lead of the SAP services team: Managing and coordinating external vendors, service owners and application managers; developing and implementing ITSM processes (incident, problem, change, SLM, IT security, provider management, ITSCM, asset and configuration management); training internal and external service providers and service managers; optimizing IT service contracts and OLAs; updating the service catalog; communicating and escalating issues; defining responsibilities and monitoring SLA criteria; conducting root cause analysis; partly acting as release manager for SAP ERP releases

• Migration: Requirements management, budget and financial planning; risk management; defining and implementing transformation and migration plans; weekly reporting to Uniper vice presidents and senior management; maintaining project plans and backlogs in Jira and Azure DevOps; managing up to 50 internal and external stakeholders; workshops and meetings; quality assurance: defining quality gateways and monitoring

• Test management: Creating and documenting test plans; evaluating test risks; identifying stakeholders for test plans; documenting test scenarios; defining error categories and quality gateways; coordinating and executing tests