Vulnerability Management Experts in Germany

• Advised the executive team on the strategy, architecture, and development of an AI-powered Product Security Operations Center (PSOC); a cybersecurity operating system for software-defined cyber physical connected systems.
• Provided strategic guidance on product vision, regulatory alignment, and market positioning, supporting capabilities across threat intelligence, vulnerability management, compliance automation, and autonomous product security.

• Creation of complete bilingual (DE/EN) security and emergency documentation: Business Continuity Plan / Disaster Recovery Plan, Incident Response Plan v2.0 with four case-specific playbooks (PICERL), Access Control Policy, Vulnerability Management Policy, Business Resilience Programme, Risk Governance Plan
• Consolidation into an integrated emergency manual (12 chapters) with immediate-action checklists for six emergency scenarios, a prioritized action table and a formal approval structure
• Review and documentation of the applicability of NIS2 and HinSchG, including the legal justification for non-applicability

• Situation: Increasing demand for privacy-compliant AI solutions for clients in the KRITIS and mid-market sector that need to analyze sensitive media content (audio, video, documents) without sending data to public cloud LLMs.

• Task: Design, deployment, and secure operation of a fully self-hosted AI infrastructure including a custom-built digital management platform for automated media analysis.

• Action: Architected and implemented a multi-tier platform on hardened Proxmox infrastructure with frontend (Nuxt 3, Vue 3, TypeScript, Tailwind 4), backend (Laravel 13, PHP 8.4, Sanctum), data storage (PostgreSQL 16, MongoDB 7), caching/queuing (Redis 7, Laravel Queue), AI workers (Python 3.11, Whisper, DeepFace, Librosa), scheduling (Laravel Scheduler/Cron), and local LLMs (Gemma, DeepSeek, Qwen, Mistral, LLaMA, Phi) via OpenWebUI with segmented network access, API hardening, and audit logging following BSI recommendations.

• Result: Fully GDPR-compliant, on-premises AI platform with zero data leakage to third parties.

• Task: Overall responsibility as an external Head of Cyber Security / CISO-as-a-Service for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of ISMS according to ISO 27001, BSI IT-Grundschutz, and NIS2.

• Action: Built and managed Cyber Defense Centers (CDC) with SOC operations, integrated SIEM solutions (Splunk, Graylog), established risk-based vulnerability management (Qualys, Nessus, OpenVAS), and conducted regular infrastructure, application, and physical penetration tests.

• Result: Audit-ready ISMS for multiple clients and a 60% reduction in critical vulnerabilities within 90 days.

• Task: Design and execution of NIS2 assessments and operational roll-out plans for KRITIS operators.

• Action: Developed an online assessment tool for automated identification of individual weakness profiles, implemented ISMS optimizations, penetration testing, awareness programs, GRC suite deployment, and delivered C-level presentations.

• Result: Accelerated the consulting process by 50% and successfully prepared multiple clients for NIS2 compliance.

• Task: Incident commander for crisis response, forensics, and business recovery in ransomware attacks and APT campaigns.

• Action: Coordinated with state and federal police (LKA, BKA), performed forensic analysis (OSForensics, Wireshark, Kali Linux), executed disaster recovery and BCM strategies, and developed BTC extortion response strategies.

• Result: 100% recovery rate within defined RTO windows and sustainable post-incident security architectures.

• Action: Planned, built, and operated a hardened multi-VM infrastructure (Proxmox, 15+ VMs) with web and mail servers, Graylog, OPNsense firewalls, CRM/ERP and LLM instances, network segmentation, DDoS mitigation, automated patch management, and backup strategies.

• Result: >99.5% uptime over 20+ years and zero compromises.

• Action: Designed coordinated phishing campaigns with five levels of difficulty, developed e-trainings and webinars in a PDCA cycle, and led red and blue teams.

• Result: Phishing click rate reduced from 35% to under 5% within three campaign cycles.

• Spearheaded the integration of a custom Transformer-based encoder into the AFFGANwriting pipeline, replacing the legacy VGG19 architecture to capture richer, high-fidelity writer-style representations.
• Boosted user-study pick-rates by 40%, demonstrating a significant leap in the perceptual quality and realism of the generated handwriting compared to the baseline model.
• Enhanced OCR performance by 20% by implementing a teacher-student framework that leveraged a TrOCR benchmark model for auxiliary training alignment

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

• Codebase Evaluation & Problem Design: Designed and stress-tested complex software engineering problems against large open-source Python codebases (including pandas), requiring deep context acquisition and architectural understanding to produce well-scoped, realistic problem statements aligned to strict correctness guidelines.
• Agent Failure Analysis: Assessed LLM coding agent solutions for correctness and completeness, identifying meaningful failures across edge case handling, dtype behaviour, and multi-column NaN propagation logic; documented findings with precision for downstream evaluation use.
• Programmatic Test Suite Development: Authored comprehensive pytest suites to programmatically verify agent-generated solutions against defined requirements, with deliberate coverage of boundary conditions and failure modes not caught by naive implementations.
• Containerised Environment Engineering: Built and debugged Docker environments for reproducible agent execution, including git-based repository provisioning, dependency pinning with npm ci, and multi-stage Dockerfile authoring across Linux-based containers.

I implemented a Zero-Trust architecture for robust, military-grade maritime container mini data centers based on VMware & Tanzu to support containerized GIS workloads for ground forces. The main focus was on securing communications, workload protection, and data access in contested electronic battle environments affected by jamming, interception, signal manipulation, and constantly changing operational conditions. I designed and architected use cases so that every element of workload, identity, and system could continue to operate independently and securely even in degraded or disrupted scenarios. In parallel, I defined the enterprise and solution security architecture with LeanIX, Bizzdesign, and HOPEX as enterprise architecture, repository, and governance platforms to maintain architecture inventory, relationships, traceability, target pictures, and security governance in complex environments. For the architectural designs, I used Sparx Enterprise Architect to describe formal architecture views, interfaces, trust boundaries, and system architecture in both IT and OT environments. IriusRisk was used for threat modeling of the solution to identify architecture-driven risks, derive security requirements, and detect countermeasures and design gaps directly from the solution models. Risk and compliance management was supported with Archer. Architecture decisions, control gaps, and operational risks were translated into controlled governance and auditable compliance measures. For documentation, collaboration, and visual design, I used Confluence to maintain Architecture Decision Records, Security Blueprints, and workflows. I used Lucidchart and draw.io to create design artifacts tailored to stakeholders. I also defined OT security concepts with support from electrical and mechanical engineers in the areas of oil, vehicle onboard systems, rail, power plants, pharma, gas turbines, and nuclear technology. I created the end-to-end OT security strategy, starting with global policy, developed into standards and procedures, and finally aligned with Bell-LaPadula, Purdue Model, SABSA, TOGAF ADM, CENELEC 50701, IEC 62443, and NIST standards. In addition, I worked with engineering team leads to identify critical KBP assets and place them under protective measures that segmented SCADA, PLC, and HMI assets. I drove collaboration between Security, IT, and OT teams to create standardized workflows and use cases for the OT security solution catalog, while integrating Defense-in-Depth and Zero-Trust principles into operational environments. A key part of my work was integrating multidisciplinary engineering, security, and operations stakeholders into a unified security blueprinting strategy and ensuring that architecture, threat modeling, governance, and documentation were technically strong and operationally practical.

• Senior program director and enterprise architect with nearly 30 years of operational experience in HR, ERP, security, risk management, finance, PLM and SLM.
• Expertise in IT program and project management, engineering, process management and organizational development.
• Experience working for the world leader in service management software, rail transportation and a leading tier 1 automotive supplier.
• Subject matter expertise in finance, automation processes, logistics, ERP and PLM and integration, including related end-to-end lifecycle data management and enterprise architecture.
• Specializes in managing large and complex engagements, programs and projects from demand, idea and strategy to operation, including stakeholder and change management.
• Expertise areas: HR, ERP, SecOps, integrated risk management, supply chain and operations, finance, SLM, product strategy, lifecycle management, shared services, IT and PLM.
• Industry experience in technology, tier 1 automotive, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, high technology and software industries, banking and insurance, and railway.
• Experience with SecOps (security incident response and vulnerability management), digital portfolio management, integrated risk management, service portfolio management and business continuity planning.
• Experience defining and designing integrated risk management including security and operations (response plans), CMDB initiatives and shared service implementations.
• Implemented integrated risk management including digital business continuity plans, disaster recovery plans, digital maturity assessments and security risk registers.
• Technology skills include SAP, HR, time and attendance, ERP, PLM, ALM, ITSM and CAD systems.
• Experience with cloud-based services and master data management.
• Familiar with TOGAF, IT4IT, SAFe and PPM.
• Project client exposure to companies such as Siemens, BMW, Daimler, BASF, Bayer, Bosch, DHL, DB Schenker, ServiceNow, Bombardier, KION, Johnson Controls, Schaeffler, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, FEMSA, CEMEX, Nestlé, Heineken, Air France/KLM, Airbus, Vodafone, Majorel, Virgin Trains, Equinor, ASML and Volvo.
• Holds a master’s degree in informatics and a bachelor’s degree in applied economics.

• Analysis of the regulatory requirements from the DORA regulation

• Structured derivation of the necessary measures for development & operations

• Setup of an organization-wide Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)

• Creation of policies, documentation, and governance processes

• Alignment with business, IT, compliance, and governance stakeholders

• Support in tool selection (including static code analysis, vulnerability management)

• Setup of a standardized, traceable process for secure software development in line with DORA requirements. The focus was on requirements analysis, policy creation, stakeholder alignment, and structured process design for two independent financial institutions.

• Methods & tools: regulations (DORA), requirements management, process design, Confluence, Jira, SharePoint, MS Office

• 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.

• Analysis of the fiber optic market with a focus on FTTH
• Advising senior management on strategy planning for the next 10 years
• Reviewing product portfolios and services
• Identifying cost-saving opportunities
• Planning restructuring measures as part of a transformation program
• Designing a program structure "Fit For Profit" to implement the planned restructuring and meet strategic objectives

• Completed 25+ hands-on labs focusing on digital forensics, incident response, and advanced threat hunting techniques.
• Earned top-tier badges in malware analysis, enterprise log analysis, and threat intelligence gathering.
• Developed specialised skills in forensic report writing and evidence collection methodologies to support incident investigations.

Enterprise & Cloud Security Architect supporting the modernization of the SDK application landscape as part of the KVNeo transformation program. Responsible for enterprise architecture, cloud governance, security architecture, and the definition of technical standards for strategic business applications.

Key responsibilities include architecture governance, target architecture development, cloud and integration architecture, security-by-design, and the translation of regulatory requirements into sustainable technical solutions across multiple business domains.

Responsibilities and achievements

• Designed and reviewed target architectures for strategic insurance applications and enterprise services.
• Developed architecture documentation based on Arc42 and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Defined governance models, architecture principles, and technical guidelines for cross-domain initiatives.
• Supported the modernization of archive, document management, and output management platforms.
• Designed integration architectures using REST APIs and event-driven communication patterns.
• Led architecture discussions with enterprise architects, development teams, product owners, and business stakeholders.
• Translated regulatory requirements such as DORA and ISO/IEC 27001 into practical architecture decisions.
• Designed security concepts covering Identity & Access Management, authorization, authentication, auditability, and logging.
• Supported SIEM integration, security monitoring, and enterprise logging concepts.
• Evaluated technical risks, technical debt, and architecture improvements while providing decision papers for architecture boards.
• Established architecture governance processes and contributed to enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.
• Supported cloud governance activities and the definition of secure cloud architecture standards.
• Facilitated architecture workshops and coordinated cross-functional stakeholders across business and IT.

Technologies & Methods Microsoft Azure • Arc42 • Architecture Decision Records (ADR) • REST APIs • Event-Driven Architecture • Microsoft Entra ID • Active Directory • IAM • SIEM • Cloud Governance • Enterprise Architecture • Security Architecture • Azure API Management • Jira • Confluence • Draw.io • DORA • ISO/IEC 27001 • Agile • Scrum

• Successful implementation of vulnerability management with DefectDojo
• Consulting and implementation of technical and process-related aspects of vulnerability management with DefectDojo
• Consulting on the implementation of a secure software development lifecycle
• Skills: Gitlab, DefectDojo, Vulnerability Management, SCA, SAST, DAST, Python, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Docker, AWS, Azure, Whitesource/Mend, Greenbone