Nagios Experts in Germany

• 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

• Worked as freelance Senior DevOps Consultant on-site for IBM at a European Union Agency, operating in a highly secure, air-gapped environment managing classified systems.
• Led automation and DevOps initiatives for a large-scale OpenShift platform (>400 nodes), driving deployment efficiency, GitOps adoption, and operational automation using Ansible, Python, and Bash while ensuring compliance with security requirements.
• Spearheaded automation of release and deployment workflows in a private cloud environment hosting 400+ OpenShift nodes, significantly improving deployment speed and reliability.
• Migrated existing playbooks, roles, and templates from Ansible Tower to Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), ensuring full compliance with fully-qualified collection names (FQCN) and preparing custom Execution Environments (EE) for containerized automation.
• Implemented GitOps Agent for AAP Controller Configuration as Code, enabling automated synchronization (CRUD) of Ansible Controller objects based on repository-stored configuration definitions using GitHub webhooks.
• Designed and automated complex multi-step operational workflows including environment cleanup, Helix cluster component re-creation, Kafka topic management, and OpenShift object lifecycle management across ~100 environments.
• Achieved a reduction of multi-day manual operations to under a few hours through automation improvements spanning multiple AAP clusters and OpenShift environments.
• Integrated Ansible Automation Platform with Thycotic (Delinea) Secret Server via lookup plugin to enhance secure credential management in automated processes.
• Managed deployment tasks, platform troubleshooting, and Istio network configurations while adhering to stringent EU PSC security and compliance standards.
• Collaborated with infrastructure and application teams to refine deployment procedures, develop naming conventions, and continuously improve automation coverage in an air-gapped, classified environment.

Project: Process optimization & IT support in an insurance broker office.

Project activities:

• Analysis of processes and definition of requirements
• Consulting for the implementation of a cloud solution (soho)
• Installation and verification of new infrastructure HW
• Cloud installation & configuration
• Definition and creation of use cases
• Performing user acceptance tests (UAT)
• User training / training
• IT support (cloud, PC, server, printer, network)

Label: Insurance, infrastructure, configuration, training, support

• Technical leadership and further development of a team of 28 IT staff (internal & external) in the areas HelpDesk/HelpLine, RHEL (Red Hat), MUREX (trading system & applications), SAP basis operations
• Managing external service providers (including FI-TS for SAP basis operations)
• Personnel, resource and budget planning for the IT department and projects
• Introducing and establishing regular communication formats (weekly status meetings, team and cross-department meetings)
• Ensuring application operations in a hybrid environment (Windows/Linux with database and web/application servers)
• Supporting transformation projects to modernize the application landscape (e.g. DevOps approaches)
• Setting up and implementing a digital IT procurement for hardware & software (e.g. with DELL)
• Developing and managing the "IT Operations DOS" department based on corporate strategy
• Preparing management reports & decision papers on IT projects, optimization potential and automation opportunities
• Representing the department in the advisory boards of the Rentenbank and ensuring regulatory compliance (BaFin §44, GDPR, BSI, MaRisk)

Unified ITSM framework

• Definition of a company-wide ITSM target picture
• Introduction of a uniform service structure across all business units

SLA and OLA management

• Building a standardized SLA framework
• Definition of service classes (Business Critical, Standard, Low Priority)
• Introduction of OLAs between internal teams
• Building meaningful SLA reporting
• Definition of KPI and service dashboards for business units

Service portfolio management

• Definition of service descriptions
• If needed, preparing possible cost and service billing

Ticketing & processes

• Incident management
• Uniform ticket categories
• Standardized prioritization
• Escalation matrix
• Automations
• Self-service optimization

Request fulfillment

• Service catalog across all business units
• Approval workflows

Problem management

• Introduction of root cause analysis
• Known error database
• Problem review process

Complete asset management concept

• Hardware lifecycle management
• Software lifecycle management
• Leasing lifecycle
• Mobile device lifecycle
• Monitor lifecycle
• Phone lifecycle

Processes

• Procurement
• Goods receipt
• Inventory
• Assignment
• Return
• Disposal
• Leasing return Goal: single source of truth for all assets

CMDB design

• Definition of all configuration items:
• Workplace
• Notebooks
• Monitors
• Mobile phones
• Printers

Infrastructure

• Servers
• Firewalls
• Switches
• WLAN
• Storage
• Backup systems

Cloud

• Azure resources
• Microsoft 365
• SaaS services

Relationships

• User ↔ Asset
• Asset ↔ Service
• Service ↔ Infrastructure
• Location ↔ Asset
• Goal: make all service dependencies visible

Software asset & license management

• License management concept
• License balancing
• Compliance reporting
• Microsoft license management
• Adobe license management
• SaaS management
• Contract management
• Renewal management

Interfaces & automation Existing systems

• Workday
• Joiner
• Mover
• Leaver

TESMA

• Leasing data
• Contract data

Matrix42

• Asset synchronization
• User synchronization

Active Directory / Entra ID

• User management

Microsoft 365

• License assignment
• Group management

Dormakaba

• Access processes

• Lifecycle services

Monitoring platforms

• PRTG
• Palo Alto
• Cisco

Reporting & KPI framework

• Definition of a management dashboard
• KPIs
• Ticket volume
• SLA fulfillment
• MTTR
• First resolution rate
• Asset accuracy
• License compliance
• Change success rate
• Service availability
• Degree of automation

Network redesign support

• Governance
• Support of the network redesign from an ITSM point of view
• Definition of affected services
• Change management structure
• Communication concept

CMDB integration

• Recording of all network components
• Service mapping
• Dependency analysis

Validation of documentation and knowledge base articles

• Network documentation
• Operations documentation
• Standard changes

Monitoring & event management

• Target picture
• Central monitoring concept
• Event management process
• Alerting strategy
• Escalation model

Systems

• Cisco

• Palo Alto

• Fortinet

• Rubrik

• Veeam

• Matrix42

• Azure

• Microsoft 365 Automation

• Ticket creation from monitoring

• Escalations

• Standard actions

Audit, compliance & information security

• ISO 27001 consulting
• TISAX consulting
• NIS2 preparation - consulting
• Audit-ready processes
• Documentation structure
• Evidence tracking in Matrix42

Roadmap

• 12-month roadmap
• Prioritization of all measures
• Quick wins
• Medium-term projects
• Long-term target picture
• Documentation

• As-is assessment of the current network infrastructure and its documentation, including on-site inspections
• Independent planning of new distribution and main distribution rooms in the individual district offices (components used, rack layout, connectivity), considering the BSI IT-Grundschutz and InfoSic requirements
• Planning of new copper and fiber optic cabling, including patch panels
• Coordination with building services engineering (TGA) to ensure compliance with relevant on-site requirements
• Development of detailed execution plans and high-level concepts for the rollout of the new infrastructure
• Additional support after the components go live (hypercare phase)
• Regular communication with project management and client stakeholders

Zerobits is my vehicle for AI-powered automation and custom software development with a clear principle: AI solutions that reach production, not pilot stage. I design and build the systems myself - from first concept and architecture through implementation to deployment and operations.

My focus is on replacing repetitive, manual work with reliable automation and connecting disconnected tools and data sources into one dependable overall system.

Selected work:

• Design and implementation of LLM-based agent systems and RAG pipelines (Anthropic Claude, Mistral, MongoDB Atlas Vector Search + RAG)
• Workflow orchestration for long-running, fault-tolerant business processes using Temporal (temporal.io): saga patterns, event-driven architecture, retry and compensation logic, connecting third-party APIs and internal services into automated end-to-end processes
• Full stack product development: SaaS architecture on Kubernetes, TypeScript/React/NestJS, admin tooling with refine.dev and MUI
• AI-assisted development workflow as standard practice to deliver production software at a fraction of traditional timelines
• Full stack product development: multi-tenant SaaS architecture running on Kubernetes, backend with NestJS/Node.js and Python, frontend with TypeScript, React and Next.js, admin tooling with refine.dev and MUI, CI/CD with GitHub Actions

One of these projects is a product I own and operate - free of any NDA restrictions. I'm happy to demonstrate it end to end.

• It is like a startup within REWE, where we have to build a new forecasting system on Google Cloud Platform from the scratch. Although, officially my role is called MLOps, my actual tasks also include development of data processing pipelines (data engineering) and data scientists tasks such as feature engineering and model trainings.
• GCP: Terraform (tofu), Vertex AI (Kubeflow), Cloud Run, IAM, Google Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Artifact Registry
• Data engineering: Snowflake as the main data warehouse, Terraform, DBT for data model implementations
• CI/CD: GitLab. We have built a CI/CD pipeline that automates deployments of new releases up to production environment

• System administration of FreeBSD 11, 12 and 13.1 in a secure cloud software solution
• Administration of proxy servers for FITS and its clients, banks and state banks
• Administration of secure internet solutions
• Administration of secure mail solutions and mail gateways
• Administration of Apache 2.4 web servers
• Planning and maintenance of servers and network components in FNT Command
• Incident, change and ticket handling, especially troubleshooting network issues using Splunk and ARS
• Troubleshooting and log file analysis using Splunk Enterprise
• Monitoring with Nagios
• Ordering, provisioning and installation of certificates on Apache web servers, Nginx web servers and load balancers
• Hardware: HP ProLiant DL380 Gen 9 and 10, Cisco Catalyst
• Software: FreeBSD 11, 12 and 13.2, FNT Command, shell scripts, MySQL databases, ServiceNow, ARS, Splunk Enterprise 8.15

• Overall coordination of service providers for all infrastructure topics at a production site being set up in Baden-Württemberg
• Design and finding solutions for internet connectivity, building office communication networks, setting up WLAN in production and administration buildings, IP address management, password policies, time tracking, access control systems, backup strategies, emergency power planning, operating concepts, cost planning, event management, workplace setup including laptop/mobile phones/telephony, remote support, print servers
• Selecting suitable external service providers and planning to meet needs for spare parts, repairs, on-site service, network and workplace support including on-site system replacement by providers
• Choosing suitable external service providers for facility management and building technology (fiber optic connections, data center infrastructure, cable ducts etc.)
• Coordination with clients and service providers
• Escalation management, schedule control
• On-site presence for service meetings and managing service providers

• Analysis of technical and economic feasibility
• Creation of a detailed project plan including time and resource management
• Requesting and evaluating offers, selecting components, and managing suppliers
• Coordination of all involved trades (e.g. electricians, installation companies)
• Monitoring the construction work and ensuring deadlines, budgets, and quality standards are met
• Acceptance and commissioning of the PV system including documentation
• After project completion: optimizing monitoring and supporting grid connection

• Migrate company software to RHEL10
• Development in Bash, Python, C, Ansible

• Migration of backups and complete workloads to AWS and Azure, including setup and management of AKS & EKS clusters.
• Automation with Terraform & ArgoCD, CI/CD pipelines implemented with GitLab.
• System monitoring on OpenShift 4 (on-premise) with Grafana & Prometheus, use of CloudWatch and X-Ray for analysis and logging.
• Building and maintaining secure network infrastructures (VPCs, SGs, WAF, ACLs), integration of Azure Log Analytics.
• Close collaboration with infrastructure and development teams, maintenance of technical documentation with Confluence, ticket handling via Jira, and promoting cloud knowledge within the company.

As part of the preparation and operational support of a business succession:

• Company analysis: Analysis of the overall economic, organizational and structural situation (current state, strengths/weaknesses, risk potentials)
• Process analysis: Recording and documentation of all relevant business processes (BPMN, UML) in the areas of management, finance, procurement, sales and operations
• Process optimization: Identification of weaknesses and inefficiencies, development and operational implementation of improvement measures
• Stakeholder management: Identification and analysis of all relevant internal and external stakeholders; structured communication and coordination with previous and future owners, shareholders and employees
• Change management: Supporting the workforce and management through the handover process; building acceptance and trust among all participants
• Governance & documentation: Creation and handover of structured operation manuals, process documentation and organizational handbook for the new business owner
• Risk & vulnerability analysis: Assessment of operational and strategic risks in the handover process and development of recommended actions
• Operational support: Interim takeover of leadership tasks; ensuring business continuity during the transition phase