Project planning and implementation of a 95 kWp PV system

In this ongoing project, I take on the project management role for planning, control, and implementation of an innovative infrastructure for automating business processes using Artificial Intelligence (AI). The goal is to analyze existing manual workflows, identify their automation potential, and gradually replace them with efficient, AI-powered processes. The technical foundation is a flexible n8n and database server environment that integrates seamlessly into the existing IT landscape.

My tasks and focus areas as project lead:

• Project management & coordination: Overall responsibility for project planning, resource management, and alignment with all relevant stakeholders.
• Analysis & consulting: Identifying and assessing manual workflows for their automating potential, and advising the team on AI-powered solutions.
• Infrastructure setup: Building, configuring, and continuously optimizing the n8n and database server infrastructure.
• Development & implementation: Overseeing and technically guiding the implementation and integration of AI-based workflows, including testing and gradual rollout.
• Quality assurance & change management: Ensuring quality standards and supporting organizational change through targeted communication and training.

Project management and implementation of the new firewall

Project management and implementation of the new Veeam Backup&Replication Server

Creation and maintenance of a plan to implement services, including:

• Capturing dependencies
• Capturing necessary preliminary work, including due dates
• Regular communication of project progress, showing next steps and, if needed, critical paths
• Aligning open tasks
• Monitoring and action tracking

Single point of contact, including:

• Handling topics from the client
• Answering or forwarding to relevant contacts
• Status monitoring and action tracking

Development of project structure, including:

• Creating a stakeholder plan with relevant departments, people, and contact details from both sides
• Proposing a communication matrix, including meetings, regular reports, and an escalation matrix
• Proposing and introducing a meeting structure for working-level and decision-making levels

Change management, including:

• Documenting requested changes from both parties
• Supporting offer preparation
• Discussing changes
• Obtaining client approval
• Implementing results

• As-is analysis
• Decision template for supervisory board on new cloud provider
• Project management of migration
• Reporting to management

Interim management.

Projects:

• Migration and decommissioning of the data center in Derby (UK)
• Building the new data center in Manchester (UK) and migrating the online payment system there
• Outsourcing IT operations and database department
• PCI DSS certification
• Migration to the Microsoft Azure German Cloud

Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Ensuring production stability
• Ensuring and optimizing service processes and workflows
• Coordinating staff deployment
• Managing outsourcing partners
• Planning resources and budget
• Reporting to management

Skills & Competencies:

• Communication skills
• Conflict management
• Confident decision-making in critical, especially time-sensitive situations
• Team player
• Organizational skills
• Assertiveness
• Process-oriented work
• Result-oriented
• Resilient
• Reliability
• Very fast comprehension
• Very high level of flexibility, initiative, and dedication

• Software: Tripwire, CimTrak, Windows Server 2008 R2
• Hardware: VMware ESXi 4.1
• Implementation of test system for CimTrak and Tripwire. Customized, rolled out, and connected Tripwire agents on Windows, Linux, Solaris, MS SQL, and VMware vCenter. Tested functionality according to customer requirements and created final report. Operated the test system until rollout with Tripwire.

• Software: Kemp Virtual Load Master
• Hardware: VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1
• Implemented four Kemp Virtual Load Master instances. Created documentation. Managed system operations.

• Software: VMware vSphere 5, SLES 11, Windows 7 Pro, Vizioncore vRanger 5.0, Avira Antivir Server
• Hardware: TAROX Intel servers, TAROX Intel management PCs, Lantronix SecureLinx Spider Duo, D-Link switch, APC UPS
• Planned, managed, restructured, consolidated, and implemented the entire IT server infrastructure for each branch. Provided support for operations and administration.

• Software: VMware ESXi 3.5 Server, VMware vCenter Converter 4.0, VMware Server 1.0.8 and 2.0, Veeam Backup 3.0 with File Level Restore Plugin, Veeam Monitor 3.0, gateProtect Firewall 8.1
• Hardware: Tarox Intel server
• Managed and implemented the VMware ESXi server on the new Tarox server. Migrated the following virtual servers from various VMware servers to the new VMware ESXi server using VMware vCenter Converter:
• SUSE Linux 10.x SAMBA / DNS / DHCP server
• MS Windows 2003 server with MS SQL 2005
• SLES 10 with Scalix 11.4.3 mail server
• SUSE Linux 10.x web server
• Implemented a gateProtect firewall with DMZ on VMware ESXi. Implemented Veeam Backup with File Level Restore Plugin to back up the VMware ESXi server. Implemented Veeam Monitor to monitor the VMware ESXi server. Consolidated the virtual desktops on the most powerful VMware server.

• Software: NDAS Software
• Hardware: 3 Netgear Access Points, Netgear Switch, 2 Trekstor NDAS HD's
• Implementation of the access points with encryption in repeating mode to extend the range. Implementation of the two NDAS HD's as RAID 1. Installation of NDAS software and wireless adapter on the clients.

• Software: Vizioncore esxRanger, Vizioncore esxReplicator, MS Windows XP Pro
• Hardware: Leo Intel Server, Intel NAS
• Project management and implementation of the esxRanger on a VM to back up the existing VMs of both ESX servers online to the NAS storage. Implementation of the esxReplicator on a VM to replicate the existing VMs between the two ESX servers.

• Software: VMware Server, Scalix mail server, gateProtect firewall, SUSE Linux DNS, DHCP and SAMBA server, MS Windows XP Pro, Avira AntiVir, McAfee Total Protection for Small Business
• Hardware: Leo Intel server, APC UPS
• Project management, restructuring and consolidation of the entire infrastructure through implementation of this Small Business Server solution. Preparation of documentation and customer training. Full remote support for this system.

• Software: Existing VMware ESX Server 3.0.1 with VMware VirtualCenter Server 2.0.1, MS Windows 2003 Server, Syncsort Backup Express
• Hardware: Existing HP servers with storage, existing Intel server with HP Ultrium 460 drive
• Project management and implementation of the Syncsort Backup Express master server on a virtual Windows 2003 server. Implementation of the Syncsort Backup Express device server on a Windows 2003 server with an attached HP Ultrium 460 drive. Performing backup tests and customer training.

• Software: Existing VMware ESX Server 3.0.1, MS Windows 2000 Server
• Hardware: Existing HP servers with storage
• Implementation of a virtual Windows 2000 server. Implementation of WSUS on the virtual Windows 2000 server.

• Hardware: MGE 3KV UPS, existing 3Com gigabit switches, additional 3Com switch modules
• Implementation of the new UPS to optimally distribute servers across the new and existing UPS. Restructuring of the backbone network for performance optimization and increased reliability.

• Software: existing VMware ESX Server 3.0.1, MS Windows XP
• Hardware: existing HP servers with storage, Moxa NPort serial device server (2-port)
• Implementation of the VM with Windows XP and redirection of the two serial ports to the serial device server for polling the time tracking terminals at the head office and for polling the branches via modem. Support for moving the existing time tracking system to the new VM.

• Software: VMware ESX Server 3.0, VMware Virtual Center Server 2.0, MS Windows 2003 Server, MS SQL Server 2000, Syncsort Backup Express
• Hardware: 1 HP server with storage, HP server with Ultrium 460 drive
• Project management and implementation of VMware ESX 3.0 server software on the HP server with storage. Implementation of VMware Virtual Center 2.0 management server on a virtual Windows 2003 server, connected to a virtual MS SQL 2000 server for the VC database. Implementation of Syncsort Backup Express master server on a virtual Windows 2003 server. Implementation of Syncsort Backup Express device server on an HP server with an attached HP Ultrium 460 drive. Performed backup test.

• Software: VMware ESX Server 2.5.x / 3.0 / 3.0.1, Syncsort Backup Express, SUSE Linux, Novell Linux OES
• Hardware: 2 HP servers with storage, HP autoloader, 3Com gigabit switch, Leo PC
• Consulting and planning of the entire project including hardware and software (licenses). Project management and implementation of VMware ESX Server software on the two HP servers with storage. Migration of the virtual Windows 2003 terminal server to the new VMware ESX servers from the existing VMware GSX server. Design, implementation and virtualization of a new eDirectory (NDS) on multiple virtual Novell Linux OES servers. Implementation of the new backup solution with Syncsort Backup Express on a Linux master server to back up all NetWare, Linux OES and Windows servers to an Ultrium autoloader. Upgrade of the previously implemented ESX 2.5.x servers to version 3.0 and update to version 3.0.1. Finally, training of the IT manager in administration of Backup Express and VMware ESX Server.

• Software: various
• Hardware: various
• Consulting, planning, implementation, operation, administration, service and support for the entire IT.

• Products: Novell NetWare 4.x to 5.1, see 'Projects' below.
• Planning, project management, implementation, upgrade, migration, support for operation and administration of Novell NetWare 4.x to 5.1, with the respective NDS.