VAIT Experts in Cologne
to strengthen insurance IT compliance with vetted, available freelancersHire experts who design VAIT-compliant governance, prepare BaFin-ready documentation and assess cloud, outsourcing and information security controls. Get fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers for your insurance IT project.
Meet FRATCH Experts in Cologne, who have recently used VAIT
Nikolaus B.
Last position:
Information Security, IS-Governance & Crossfunctional Governance at Zürich Beteiligungs-AG (Deutschland)
- Conducted security assessments for supplier qualification, business unit onboarding, and ongoing reviews of service providers and partners (Ongoing Assurance).
- Assessed technical and organizational measures (TOMs) against GDPR and information security requirements.
- Handled security reviews and approval processes in the Global Approval Navigator (OneTrust).
- Advised business units and IT on information security, security requirements, and risk-appropriate measures.
- Supported the development of SOC/SIEM processes and tools as part of the ISMS in line with ISO/IEC 27001.
- Analyzed cyber threats and coordinated security objectives and measures to address Security Findings with the SOC team.
- Monitored and assessed current security advisories and security-related metrics (KPIs).
- Reviewed, assessed risks, and approved exception requests (Security Exceptions).
- Independently analyzed and handled Security Events and supported the handling of security incidents.
- Planned and supported awareness initiatives to strengthen security awareness.
- Created, implemented, and reviewed information security policies and standards.
- Conducted protection needs analyses and gap assessments to identify security gaps and risk deviations.
- Defined and reviewed technical and organizational risk treatment measures.
- Advised on Third Party Governance with consideration of DORA, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27005, ISO/IEC 42001, and BCM in line with ISO 22301.
Pierre G.
Last position:
Ansible Automation, Windows Third Level Support at DB InfraGO AG
- PRISMA project
- Ansible automation
- Windows third-level support for Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 2013, Windows 2016, Windows 2019
Halil O.
Last position:
Senior Cloud Operations & DevSecOps Engineer (Azure / Terraform / CI-CD) at KfW Bankengruppe
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.
Tobias P.
Last position:
IT Consultant & Support at International asset management company
- Consulting on regulatory requirements in IT governance, IT security, KAIT, KAMaRisk & KAGB, ITIL, COBIT
- Development of emergency manuals and a BCM concept according to KAIT requirements, based on the BSI IT-Grundschutz standard 200-4
- Preparation of documents for the PwC audit
- Redesign of access management and risk management according to KAIT
- Administration, user management and setup of RE-VC
- Vendor management
- Establishment of filing structure and naming convention
- Change management including communication plan
Christian G.
Last position:
Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at Gothaer Solutions GmbH
- 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
Klaus-Dieter K.
Last position:
Executive Partner at iAP-Independent Audit Professionals GmbH
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using VAIT
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
23 years (Germany: 24 years)
Position duration
3.3 years (Germany: 2.7 years)
Positions per freelancer
23 (Germany: 18)
Top business areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Audit
Top industries
Banking and Finance, Healthcare, Energy
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Audit, Operations
Bachelor's degree or higher
67% (Germany: 84%)
Master's degree or higher
67% (Germany: 42%)
Doctorate
33% (Germany: 10%)
Certifications per freelancer
13 (Germany: 8)
Most common languages
German, English, Spanish
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 98%)
Based on our profile pool as of 29 Oct 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this technology in Cologne are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Average rates of experts in Cologne using VAIT
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
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.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 29 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
VAIT experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Banking and Finance (83%)
- Healthcare (83%)
- Energy (67%)
- Insurance (67%)
- Information Technology (67%)
- Manufacturing (67%)
- Government and Administration (67%)
- Transportation (50%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
VAIT at a glance
VAIT stands for Versicherungsaufsichtliche Anforderungen an die IT. The framework, issued by BaFin, defines expectations for the governance, security and resilience of information technology in insurance companies. It covers both internal IT and important outsourced services. VAIT is not a software product. It is a regulatory framework that shapes how technology is managed, controlled and documented.
Core governance
VAIT work starts with clear responsibility. Companies need an IT strategy linked to business objectives, documented roles, risk management and effective internal controls. Professionals translate regulatory expectations into policies, operating procedures, control frameworks and evidence that can be reviewed by management, auditors or supervisory authorities.
- Define IT governance and accountability
- Map risks, controls and evidence
- Maintain policies and operating procedures
- Prepare audit and supervisory documentation
Security and resilience
The framework addresses information security, access management, change and release processes, incident handling, business continuity and disaster recovery. Strong specialists connect these topics instead of treating them as isolated documents. They help establish practical controls for identity management, logging, vulnerability handling, backup protection and recovery testing.
Cloud and outsourcing
Insurance companies often rely on external service providers, cloud infrastructure and managed applications. VAIT requires companies to understand these dependencies, assess related risks and retain appropriate oversight. Freelance experts can review contracts, service descriptions, exit plans, control reports and supplier monitoring while aligning them with the company’s own risk model.
- Assess critical outsourcing arrangements
- Review cloud governance and shared responsibilities
- Define supplier controls and escalation paths
- Document exit and continuity requirements
When experts help
External expertise is useful during a VAIT readiness review, a remediation programme, a major cloud migration or a new outsourcing arrangement. It also helps when an insurance company must consolidate fragmented evidence before an audit. In Cologne, specialists may work with regional insurance and financial-services teams on site, remotely or in a hybrid model, depending on access and collaboration needs.
Strong VAIT professionals
A capable professional combines regulatory understanding with hands-on IT risk and security experience. Useful adjacent skills include ISO 27001, ITIL, NIS2 awareness, business continuity, third-party risk, data protection, cloud controls and audit management. Look for someone who can explain findings in business language, test whether controls operate in practice and produce concise, traceable evidence rather than generic templates.
Frequently asked questions
Need clarity? These are the questions we hear most often about VAIT.
VAIT is used to define expectations for IT governance, information security, risk management and operational resilience in insurance companies. It helps firms show that important technology processes are controlled, documented and monitored. The framework also applies to relevant outsourced and cloud-based services.
Versicherungsaufsichtliche Anforderungen an die IT (VAIT) is tailored to the supervisory needs of insurance companies in Germany. ISO 27001 provides a broader information security management standard, while NIS2 focuses on cybersecurity and resilience obligations for covered entities. They can support each other, but meeting one does not automatically prove compliance with the others.
A strong VAIT specialist often understands IT risk management, ISO 27001, ITIL, business continuity, third-party risk and cloud governance. Knowledge of data protection, identity and access management, incident response and internal audit is also valuable. The right mix depends on whether the assignment focuses on governance, controls, remediation or outsourcing.
The required depth depends on the scope and risk of the assignment. A documentation review may need focused knowledge of VAIT controls, while a company-wide remediation programme calls for experience across governance, security, operations and audit evidence. Companies should assess relevant insurance IT projects and the ability to work with supervisory and audit expectations, not just time spent in the field.
Much of VAIT work can be completed remotely, including control mapping, policy reviews, evidence analysis and workshops. On-site sessions may still help with stakeholder interviews, sensitive system reviews or executive decisions. Teams in Cologne should agree early on access rules, secure document exchange, meeting language and availability for audit-related deadlines.
A VAIT freelancer may deliver a gap assessment, risk and control matrix, governance model, policy set, remediation roadmap or outsourcing review. Good deliverables identify owners, evidence, testing methods and open risks instead of repeating regulatory wording. They should fit the company’s existing processes and remain usable after the engagement ends.
Ask how the specialist would connect BaFin expectations with real systems, processes and evidence. A capable VAIT professional can explain priorities, distinguish design weaknesses from operating failures and challenge unsupported assumptions. References to comparable insurance IT work, clear sample deliverables and a practical testing approach are stronger signals than generic compliance claims.
VAIT work requires more than interpreting a framework. Professionals must coordinate business owners, IT teams, security functions, procurement, risk management and external providers while keeping evidence consistent. The challenge is turning regulatory requirements into controls that people can operate, measure and improve without creating unnecessary administrative work.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects is 130 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,038 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects, 67% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 67% hold at least a Master's degree, and 33% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects have 23 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects are German (100%), English (100%), and Spanish (17%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects are Banking and Finance (83%), Healthcare (83%), and Energy (67%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used VAIT in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Project Management (100%), and Audit (83%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used VAIT
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich 
Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg 
Dusseldorf Countries:
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
