Sandro Manke

Turning XML into Stacktraces since 1999


Location

Berlin, Germany

Intro

What I am all about.

Current Focus
Cloud Transformation, Operational Excellence, Resilience, Cost Efficiency, Security, Zero Trust, Developer Productivity, Environmental Impact

What I do
Cloud & IT Transformation, Analyzing and optimizing Processes, Business transformation, Cloud Foundation, Security, Governance (aka Landingzone), Developer Experience, and how to build it reliably and maintainable with a focus on automation and software-defined infrastructure. The goal is to enable teams to self service and operate production. I am cloud-agnostic but focus mainly on GCP, AWS, and Azure or a combination also with the occasional Datacenter. I bring a strong background both in Software Development and Architecture, but also how to operate and govern all of that in different regulated environments. With that background, business and product are always the most important aspect, while all else has to make them succeed.

Experience

recently
2022/06 - now

Consulting

Cloud Architect

Germany

Smartbroker AG, Asklepios, 50 Hertz (Elia Group), Swissbit AG, Hermes International, Qodeup, ...

2021/10 - now

Better Payment (Deutsche Bank)

GCP Cloud Architect

Germany

Running a cloud migration of the PCI DSS in scope components, out of scope components, ci/cd pipelines. Creating the landing zone on GCP. Helping in maintaining compliance and passing the necessary Audit on GCP. Make sure everything runs smoothly automated with minimal effort.

2021/04 - 2022/12

Porsche AG, Volkswagen AG

AWS Cloud Architect

Germany

Help different teams to set up, migrate and improve Cloud Architecture on AWS. This is both on a system design level, down to helping to implement the DevOps practices needed to make this successful. Software Architecture Reviews for the cloud, Kubernetes, Terraform. Data Platform migration, SAP Migration, Database schema reviews, SQL vs NoSQL topics. Security and Compliance

2022/02 - 2022/08

Humanitec

Cloud Architect

Germany

Set up global client with fruit-logo with GCP and AWS for Humanitec, DevOps, K8S, etc, also support corporate setup for other companies

2022/01 - 2022/04

Lukso

Cloud Architect

Germany

Setup Mainnet forBlockchain Company, Proof of Stake, NFT, Crypto, K8s, Ethereum, buzzbuzz blah :)

2021/09 - 2022/02

Ottobock

Azure Cloud Architect

Germany

Landing zone, Compliance, and Azure Architecture in a data platform project handling health and patient data. This includes Azure DevOps, Databricks, Azure AD, etc.

2021/11 - 2022/01

Celonis via Endocode AG

GCP Cloud Architect

Germany

Make platform run on GCP too, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure AD

2020/07 - 2021/08

DoiT International

Senior Cloud Architect

Berlin, Germany

Help companies worldwide on topics like Architecture, Security, Identity, Auth, Networking, fixing their Code, production on fire, Migrations, Training and generally make the clients able to walk it on their own safely on all the cloud providers and beyond. Some clients I help(ed) directly: Revolut, Siemens, Bauhaus, Native Instruments, Redislabs, Zeit, Spiegel, VNC, Camunda, Quandoo, Livedooh, wellplayed.games, shop-apotheke, HT-Ventures, Fiskaly, XITE, Instana(now IBM), Native Instruments, Taxfix, Joblift, Ada Health, Funke, Rocketlawyer, Curv.co, Thales Group, Priint, Sportscheck, Paceup, Autotrader, Peakwork, Morressier, EToro, Smartrecruiters, Jokr, etc…

2019/11 - 2021/04

Börse Stuttgart Digital Exchange GmbH

Dev&Ops Consulting

Berlin, Germany

Kubernetes, Go, Observability, Security, Reliability, CI/CD, Infra as Code

2019/11 - 2021/01

LivingPackets AG

Cloud Architecture & Developer Productivity

Berlin, Germany
Brain

GCP, GKE, Architecture, Security, K8s, IoT, Observability, Infrastructure as Code, Go

2018/10 - 2019-10

AllCloud

Cloud Architect

Berlin, Germany
Pinky

AWS, Kubernetes, Processes, Migration, CCoE, SaaS, Cost Optimization, Performance, Reliability, Observability, Security, etc...

2018/04 - 2018/09

OSRAM Innovation Hub GmbH

IoT Cloud Platform Software Architect

Berlin, Germany
Go, Docker, Azure, Kubernetes, Keycloak, Mqtt, Nodejs:(...

Architecture, IAM, IoT, Security

2017/11 - 2018/04

Solarisbank AG

Consultant

Berlin, Germany
Go, Docker, AWS, OpenID, OAuth2, Cognito, Auth0, Hydra

Identity & Access Management, Proxy, Architecture & DevOps Topics

2016/05 - 2016/12, 2017/09 - 2018/03

Preh Car Connect, VW

Software & Solutions Architect

Go, C++, MQ, SQS, ALB, Nginx, OAuth2, HAProxy, Docker, GoCD, Kubernetes, AWS, Elastic Search, Kibana, Aurora, J2EE

Cloud & Embedded Navigation, Traffic, POI etc

2017/11 - 2018/02

Spotloq

Kickstarter

2017/10

Smart Host GmbH

Helping hand

Berlin, Germany
Google Cloud Platform, Java

2017/07 - 2017/10

IBM

Consultant

Berlin, Germany

2017/08

VISI/ONE GmbH

Coaching

Berlin, Germany
Kafka, MQTT, CoAP, AMQP, NSQ, NATS, SQS, SNS, Kinesis

Message Architecture, pitfalls and opportunities.

2017/01 - 2017/07

Telefonica Next / Geeny

Architecture / Data Engineer

Berlin, Germany
Scala, Kinesis, Kafka, Akka, Go, Rust, Consul, Docker, Kotlin

Built up the data pipeline at first, but switched to the general architecture of the IoT Platform quickly after, as more data was necessary and someone needed to help make that a reality.

2016/03 - 2016/12

Kwizzad

Kickstarter

Berlin, Germany
Android, Java, Gradle, Node.js, React, iOS, Swift, Objective-C

Prototyped and delivered Advertizement SDK for mobile, web.

2016/01 - 2016/02

Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte

Consultant

Berlin, Germany

Redesign of first API Prototype for Smart Applicances.

2013/02 - 2015/12

TVSmiles

Technical Lead Mobile

Berlin, Germany
C++, iOS, Android, Java, Objective-C, OpenGL ES

Built up working cross platform C++ application from prototype to scale.

The early years

2005 - 2015

Freelance

Germany, France, UK
Coaching, Apps, Backends, Games, Gaming Backends, Web stuff, POS Apps, AR, VR, Videostreaming, Realtime Trading, Warehousing, and other stuff

SEAT, Cisco, T-Systems, Siemens, Fidelity, SAP, Publicis, cmc markets, BMW, gkk, rmg, rms, Daimler Coca Cola, Avantgarde, Cominto, Demodern, Montblanc, Fork, ZDF, xfair, swipe, Harrods, ma design, sharif dg, cygnecode, MyTaxi, Kingart, Felder Gruppe, VISI/ONE, Smart Host … &the ones I forgot

2008 - 2011

Hypnocode GmbH

CEO, Founder, part time CTO

Dresden, Germany
patience

15-20 nerds at a time

2001 - 2005

A+S Consult GmbH

cheap labour

Dresden, Germany
C/C++, 3D, Modeling, Retouching, Html, JS, PHP, stuff

Realtime and recording renderings of structures, streets, bridges to be built in landscapes for planning and approval processes.

Recommendations

Happy times!

"If you're looking for a curious mind that can puzzle through the most difficult issues with streaming data processing pipelines, or just core system infrastructure questions, then Sandro is for sure the person you want to talk to. As a freelancer his contributions allowed us to avoid several dangerous paths, and his contributions were so valuable we tried to convince him to join us full time!" , Jeff Katz - Entrepreneur, Technologist, Engineer


"Having worked with Sandro for over 10 years now, I can say with certainty that he knows what he's doing. Proficient in a range of technologies, always up to date, he also knows when to use existing frameworks and when to write your own. You're guaranteed to get no-nonsense, rapid development and a clear vision. Look no further!" , Anatol Ulrich - Digital Wizard


"I worked with Sandro at solarisBank A.G. He is a dedicated professional, extremely well versed in different aspects needed to build a solid software system. No matter if it's "just" coding or distributed system architecture, Sandro is the guy to go to. If you are looking for someone who will deliver on all fronts, I would wholeheartedly recommend having Sandro on your team." , Armin Pašalić - Software Engineering Team Lead


"Sandro is a great guy with a lot of ideas and loads of technological knowledge. He quickly understands problems and find appropriate solutions for that without loosing focus. I would recommend him to everybody who needs a problem-solver and/or somebody to drive the projects to success." , Jan de Cooman - Staff Engineer


"I have known Sandro for some time now and last year I had the pleasure of working directly with him in our Solution Architect team here in Germany on several large projects. Sandro has what I consider to be an outstanding expertise which he has been able to apply very successfully and profitably in our daily project work. Sandro convinced and supported with these skills the most difficult project situations in the preparation phase as well as internal and external implementation - I have rarely experienced such a profound expertise in the architectural environment. The interaction with Sandro was always impeccable and professionally refreshing. Complex project scenarios could be implemented with his help, packaged in easy-to-understand work packages, to full customer satisfaction. Due to Sandro's quick perception and his distinctive analytical thinking, he was able to recognise the essentials at any time and grasped even the most difficult correlations. Sandro was always fully committed and able to convince us with his excellent motivation and extraordinary enthusiasm. In situations with a heavy workload, he always proved to be able to work under unrestricted pressure and was always available to us in word and deed. He fulfilled the planning and control of his tasks extremely quickly and in an extraordinary manner, not least because of his impressive organisational talent. He acted independently, with extreme care, concentration and flexibility. Trustworthiness and absolute reliability characterized his working style at all times. Due to his unrestrictedly friendly and balanced nature Sandro was highly appreciated by everyone. He was always helpful, courteous and, if necessary, put personal interests aside. His behaviour in the team and towards customers was without exception exemplary and always loyal. I would work with Sandro again at any time and I can say that he is missed by everyone here in the team." , Patrick Pächnatz - Principal Security Architect


"Having Sandro on my team while building new IoT solutions at Telefonica was a lifesaver. No matter what the issue or language in question, he tackled the issue by coming up with clever solutions. The definition of a great engineer. He is the first to volunteer to learn new technological advancements and apply them to make efficient software that will scale." , Karen Nemeth - Bringing the World's Wonders to VR


"I's been an amazing experience to work with Sandro in the same team. He's a really proficient guy in the technical field, and also and easy going person always willing to help. He knows his stuff and how to proceed to do things right, with high quality standards. He's also not afraid to say how things can be improved in a positive way, leading the works to get there. I've found in him a highly valuable asset when it comes to bring software development projects to a success." , Mariano Navas - Scala guy, Blockchainer, FP junkie, nerdy by nature, Monads 4 everything


"I have been working together with Sandro at Geeny. During this time, I have come to appreciate him as both an individual as well as software architect. His pragmatic approach to problem solving and efficiency of finding solutions that just work is outstanding. He is well versed with a number of technologies and follows industry trends closely to keep his skills sharp and up-to-date. His leadership style and persona makes him a very valuable addition to any team. I would always recommend him for any projects he chooses, as I believe he will have a positive impact on both the culture and development speed of any team." , Marcelo Grebois - Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Daimler Mobility Services


"Sandro is a very dedicated and 110% motivated developer and architect with a big drive and work ethics. In a discussion with Sandro, you always can count on an intelligent, straight and well analysed reply as he has a wide technological understanding and great curiosity. I greatly enjoyed working with Sandro and I miss our discussions a lot, discussions that is always held in respect of other views. I highly recommend Sando, particularly in a role as Lead Developer or CTO, he is a invaluable asset to every team." , Göran Schumacher - Scala Developer


"Sandro is one of the best software developers that I know — passionate for code, talented and with a skill level that is rarely matched. I learned a lot from him. Highly recommend working with him!" , Felix Zappe - Senior Software Developer, Freelancer


"Sandro is the man if you need solid code and app-architecture. Thanks to his vast experience you'll get a solution which will also cover crucial edge-cases that you didn't think of yet. He's exceptionally fast, has a problem-solving mindset and can always come up with advise if you're stuck." , Philipp Eckert - Product Manager

Education

2002 - 2005

HfbK Dresden

Art minor

Dresden, Germany

1999 - 2005

TU-Dresden

Master of Computer Science

Dresden, Germany

1993 - now

Demoscene

School of life

Expertise

Batman would be jealous.
01

Distributed Systems

This is where I grew up as a professional programmer. How things communicate has always been my favorite topic and inspiration here comes from all areas. It's simply fun to do this well.

02

Data

It has always been about data. Be it in the past with 3D Engines having different optimizations, but similar problems. Sometimes a lot, when you consider CUDA here. But its not just about speed.

03

Mobile / Web / Frontend

Having also wandered into the Art School in Dresden, there was no way around not also getting my hands dirty with frontends. It has been fun, not something I need to do much anymore, but it helps me a lot in other endeavors.

04

Embedded / IoT

It's a fun market. Those little things, that have hardly any power and you still need to save energy. But again, connecting them is where the fun is for me. Who wants the single master node, where your home can be hacked? Scary.

05

Architecture

Having done all kinds of things helps a lot. Finding the right tools and evolvable architectures to solve problems efficiently and maintainable is my key focus. It's fun. You can make me use UML, but I think, we can find better ways to communicate.

06

Security & Privacy

Who wouldn't want that! Freedom is good and all that, but you know the drill.

Buzzwords

Those pesky little things.

Where was my swatter...

100%

AWS

100%

GCP

80%

Azure

100%

Cloud Architecture

100%

SRE

100%

"DevSecOps" Stuff

100%

Kubernetes

100%

Server-or-less

100%

Go

80%

Rust

100%

C/C++

100%

SQL

100%

Java

75%

Python

100%

common sense

Even more buzzwords

Kotlin, Scala, Akka, Swift, Erlang, Blockchain, iOS, Android, embedded, 3D, Web x.0, Node.js, React.js, Mqtt, Security, Database Design, Agile, Kanban, Perl, Haskell, Rust, C#, php, Javascript, Lisp, Objective-C, Scrum, Lean, Design Patterns, UML, Xslt, Funge, TDD, BDD, git, hg, svn, cvs, gradle, maven, postgresql, oracle, firebird, mysql, mongodb, cassandra, dynamodb, redis, memcached, hibernate, jooq, zeromq, amqp, kafka, kinesis, gcloud, bluemix, microservices, services, spring, mvc, functional, opengl, elastic search, X86/Z80 asm, Clojure