About me

Hello, and welcome to vcloudnine.de! I’m Patrick, born in 1981, originally from the Ruhr area, but now settled in the Eifel region (about 50 km from Cologne). In the early 2000s, I completed an apprenticeship at a local IT company and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from FernUniversität Hagen.

I have more than two decades of experience in IT, and I started this blog in 2014 to document various experiences, findings, bugs, and more. Think of it as a curated notebook of things I’ve encountered in the IT world over the years. As a father of three, my world doesn’t revolve solely around IT though. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family in the beautiful Eifel, taking care of my garden, or going for a run. Feel free to follow me or get in touch via Mastodon or LinkedIn.

For more than two decades, I’ve been working in IT infrastructure. The technologies change over time, but my core focus remains on architecting, designing, and building enterprise IT infrastructure. These days, I’m most frequently working with the following technologies:

  • 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 goes for certifications. Some were required due to partner requirements, others were simply for the fun of it. :)

  • 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 2025, but I decided that I will not renew my vExpert status after the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom.