About
About [Work/Carrer]
SUMMARY
I have 25+ years of experience in IT computer networks, and telecommunications fields.
I designed, built, operated, and optimized numerous cutting-edge network infrastructures and services across diverse environments. This broad expertise in different roles and contexts enables me to bridge the gap between engineering teams and business executives effectively.
Currently, I lead the data center infrastructure team at a world-class high-performance computing (HPC) research center that is part of ETH Zurich. Among other systems, we have built and now operate the world’s seventh-largest supercomputer, which supports research in artificial intelligence (AI), weather and climate modeling, and many other complex simulations.
In my previous roles as network engineer and later as network solutions consultant, I have designed, implemented, and optimized a wide range of WAN, LAN, WLAN, and data center solutions across various industries. My experience spans sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, education, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, services providers, telecom operators, and more. Delivering tailored network solutions for small to midsized businesses, large international corporations, and specialised organisations.
Before this, I made significant contributions to the core, access, and edge networks of multiple regional and national Internet Service Providers in Switzerland. I was also peering manager, in charge of negotiating and managing interconnections with content and connectivity providers. Later, I played a major role in building and operating MPLS/VPN, VoIP, and IPTV platforms for service providers and telecom operators.
In addition to my professional work, I do my best to share my experiences on my independent technical blog,
I am also honored to have been selected as a member of the Cisco Insider Champions Program for five years (2019-2023).
INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS
Cisco
Meraki
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- CMNA – Certified Meraki Networking Associate
- CMNO #00177 – Certified Meraki Network Operator
Huawei
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- HCSA IP Network
Other Certifications
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- IPv6 Forum Gold Certified Network Engineer
- SonicWALL CSSA – Certified SonicWALL Security Administrator
- Novell Supervisor certified – Novell NetWare 3.11 (I agree, that was during dinosaur times…)
Obtained but replaced or discontinued Certifications
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- Cisco Network Programmability Design and Implementation Specialist – replaced by the DevNet certification program, in 2020.
- Cisco CCNP Routing & Switching – replaced by CCNP Enterprise, in 2020.
- Cisco CCDP – replaced by Cisco Certified Specialist Enterprise Design, in 2020.
- Cisco CCNA Routing & Switching – replaced by CCNA, in 2020.
- Cisco CCDA – discontinued by Cisco in 2020, with no equivalent.
- Cisco CCIP (Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional) – replaced by CCNP-SP, in 2014.
HONORS & AWARDS
Cisco
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- Cisco Champion 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 – Cisco Champions are a group of highly influential technical experts who generously enjoy sharing their knowledge, expertise, and thoughts across the social web and with Cisco. The Cisco Champion program encompasses a diverse set of areas such as Data Center, Internet of Things, Enterprise Networks, Collaboration, and Security. Cisco Champions are located all over the world.
- Cisco French Community Spotlight Award, Feb. 2022 – The Community Spotlight Awards recognizes members whose significant contributions designate leadership and commitment to their peers within their respective communities, including Cisco Community, Cisco Learning Network, and Cisco Developers Network. Spotlight awards are designed to recognize and thank individuals who help make our communities the premier online destination for Cisco enthusiasts.
- DevNet Class of 2020 – The DevNet Class of 2020 badge recognizes software and automation professionals who earn a DevNet Certification during the program’s inaugural year. Holders of the DevNet Class of 2020 badge are recognized as early adopters of automation technologies and are key influencers in the DevNet community. It is a symbol that recognizes those who lead by example and possess the drive to keep pace with technology, innovate through lifelong learning, and accelerate business transformation.
EDUCATION and WORK EXPERIENCE TIMELINE
Group Lead Data Center Infrastructure
(April 2023 – Today)
Leading a team of 23 amazing IT professionals in network, storage, compute, HPC infrastructure, virtualization, and cloud services platforms (VMware, K8, OpenStack).
Tech Lead Network and Services Data Center Infrastructure
(April 2022 – March 2023)
Tech Lead of the Network and Services group, part of the Data-Center Infrastructure team.
Sharing time between Tech Lead tasks, Network Engineering, and Network & Security Operations.
Senior Network and Security Engineer
(Feb 2019 – March 2022)
Senior Network and Security Engineer in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) engineering unit.
Sharing time between network and security operations, and network engineering for advanced and secure HPC network solutions projects.
Senior Network Consulting Engineer
(May 2014 – Jan 2019)
Senior network consulting engineer for enterprise customers on routing, switching, wireless and security solutions based on Cisco, Huawei, and Meraki products.
- Support of pre-sales, sales, and design teams for customer advice and solutions.
- Development of network architectures, technical solutions, designs, and detailed specifications on borderless networks and/or managed services for LAN, WAN (MPLS/VPN), WLAN, and security.
- Implementation of technical network solutions, system integration, and consulting for national and international enterprise customers, from the first project meeting to the final tests, ready for operation.
- Participation in the development and enhancements of Swisscom’s innovative products and services.
Head of Network Engineering & Operations
(May 2011 – Apr 2014)
Lead of network engineering and operations:
- Operation and optimization, capacity planning, documentation, and security of the national core network, broadband access, Voice, and TV over IP platforms.
- Peering manager, edge routing operation and maintenance. Main contact with upstreams and contents providers, and RIPE for IP and AS allocations.
- Projects management and R&D for new products and services.
- Top-level support for network incidents and security.
- Co-management of the servers for central network services: AAA/IAM, DHCP, DNS, NMS, etc.
- Close collaboration and training of the system engineers and the support team.
Senior Network and Systems Engineer
(Sep 2010 – May 2011)
Senior Systems and Network engineer in the HQ central IT team.
- Design, audit, changes-management, and capacity planning of the company WAN (30 sites worldwide) in close collaboration with the provider of the MPLS/VPN network.
- Network engineering, operations, improvements, and security of the branch offices and subsidiaries LANs for the entire company. Very close collaboration with the local IT teams.
- Co-management of the servers for network central services: DHCP, DNS, AAA/IAM, NMS, proxy, and content filtering servers.
- Top-level support for network incidents and security.
- Worked closely with the systems engineers and support team. I supported them in case of high demand or during peak hours.
Senior Network and Security Engineer
(Aug 2008 – Aug 2010)
Senior Network and Security Engineer in the IS/IT team.
- Lead of operations, security, and engineering of the entire wired and wireless campus network, composed of seven buildings and two data centers.
- Co-management, in collaboration with the IS team, of the servers for network central services: DHCP, DNS, AAA/IAM, NMS, etc.
- Responsible for the domain-names provisioning, reservation, and operations, including the SSL/TLS certificates operations (orders, renew, changes), and servers load-balancing.
- Mentoring a less experienced network engineer.
- Top-level support for network and security incidents.
- I also participated as a technical consultant on the SEO project with the marketing dept.
Founder, CEO, and Senior Network Consulting Engineer
(Oct 2006 – Today)
- 2006 – Creation of my independent consulting company in network solutions.
Senior Network Engineer
(Jan 2003 – Jul 2008)
Principal network engineer for operations and expansion of the national IP network composed of more than 100 points of presence and three data centers.
- Design, operations, troubleshooting, optimization, and security of the entire network: national MPLS/IP core, broadband access platforms, branch offices LANs, and multiple data centers.
- Peering manager; main contact with upstream providers, RIPE, customers, and partners for BGP peerings, edge routing, AS numbers, and IP allocations.
- Top-level support for incidents and security, on-call rotation service.
- Mentoring of less experienced network engineers and interns.
Network Engineer
(Jul 2001 – Dec 2002)
Network engineer for the French-speaking part of the country.
- Network operations and peering manager for Urbanet SA: regional CATV Internet service provider in the french part of Switzerland.
- Technical lead on the integration project of Urbanet network (AS8493) into UPC-Cablecom national network (AS8404).
- Involved in UPC-Cablecom network operations for the national MPLS/IP network expansion and maintenance.
- Top-Level support for business customers.
Network Manager
(Jan 1996 – Jun 2001)
Inception of the IP network of one of the first private internet services providers in the French part of Switzerland:
- Management, design, capacity planning, operations, and security of the entire network, including WAN, LAN, and the two data-centers.
- Peering manager; main contact with upstream providers, RIPE, customers, and partners for BGP peerings, routing, AS numbers, and IP allocations.
- On-call rotation service for incidents and security.
- Co-management of the servers for central network services: AAA, DNS, and Network Management systems.
- First, then second-level customer support.
Customer Support
(Jun 1995 – Dec 1995)
Responsible for the French customer support for Videotex CPE (Swiss terminals).
Novell NetWare Supervisor and IT infrastructure Manager Specialization
(Jan 1995 – May 1995)
- Field Of Study: IT infrastructure management, Novell NetWare installation and supervision (IPX/SPX).
- Degree: Certified Novell Supervisor, and Certified IT infrastructure manager.
Electronics Specialist for an arcade and pinball company
(Jan 1994 – Oct 1994)
Ten-month contract in a small company as a technician for arcade games and pinball machines.
Apprenticeship in Electronics
(Sept 1989 – Jun 1993)
- Field Of Study: Electronics Specialist.
- Degree: Federal diploma of vocational education and training in Electronics.
- School sports award in 1989 and 1993.