About me

Hello, nice to welcome you here on vcloudnine.de. I’m Patrick, born in 1981, originally from the Ruhr area, but now settled in the Eifel region (about 50 km away from Cologne). In the early 2000s, I completed an apprenticeship in the IT sector and later obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the FernUniversität Hagen.

I have more than two decades of experience in the IT field, and this blog was started in 2014 to document various experiences, facts, bugs, etc. Think of it as a curated notebook filled with things that have happened to me in the IT world over the years. As a father of three children, my world doesn’t revolve solely around IT. In my free time, I spend time with my family in the beautiful Eifel, take care of my garden, or go running. Feel free to follow, or get in contact with me using Mastodon or LinkedIn.

For over two decades, I’ve been involved in IT infrastructure. The products change over time. Currently, I am frequently engaged with:

  • Cloud
    • Microsoft Azure
    • Microsoft 365
  • Virtualization
    • VMware vSphere
    • Nutanix AHV
    • Containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • SAN/Storage
    • VMware vSAN
    • Nutanix AOS
    • HPE (MSA, 3PAR, Primera, StoreOnce etc.)
  • Microsoft
    • Microsoft Exchange
    • Microsoft Active Directory
    • Microsoft Windows Server
  • Backup
    • Veeam Backup & Replication
  • Linux/UNIX
    • Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, SUSE)
    • FreeBSD
  • Networks
    • Switching (Aruba, Cisco, ALE)
    • Firewalls (WatchGuard, Palo Alto, FortiNet, Sophos)
  • Security
    • Networks (Segmentation, Port Security)
    • Microsoft Active Directory (Tiering, Hardening)
    • Microsoft Windows Server (Hardening)
    • Linux/UNIX (Hardening)
  • Automation
    • PowerShell
    • Shell
    • Python
    • Terraform
    • Packer
    • Ansible

The same applies to certifications. Some of them were necessary due to partner requirements, others were just for fun. :)

  • Aruba Certified Switching Professional (ACSP)
  • Citrix Certified Professional App Delivery and Security
  • DataCore Certified Implementation Engineer
  • HP ASE FlexNetwork Integrator V1
  • HPE ASE - Hybrid IT Solutions Architect V1
  • HPE ASE Data Center Network Integrator V1
  • HPE Master ASE Storage Solutions Architect V3
  • Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Azure Administrator
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty
  • Microsoft MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure
  • Microsoft MCSE Productivity
  • Nutanix Certified Professional - Multi Cloud Infrastructure
  • Nutanix Certified Systems Engineer Core
  • VMware VCAP6-DCV Deployment
  • VMware VCP7-DTM
  • WatchGuard Network Security Essentials

And I was awarded as VMware vExpert between 2014 and 2023.