About Me

Introduction

I'm a Cloud Solution Architect (CSA) at Microsoft. I joined in 2019 as a Premier Field Engineer, moved through Customer Engineer and CSA-Engineering roles, and landed where I am now — helping enterprise customers run Windows at cloud scale. These days that means Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Intune and the automation that holds it all together.

I spent years before that deep in the enterprise IT trenches — Windows devices, operating-system deployment, and automation as an IT Architect. That era is what most of the archive on this site is about: MDT, OSD, "wipe-and-load" at 10k+ clients, BIOS-to-UEFI, the lot. The tools changed; the instinct to automate everything did not.

This blog is my way of "giving back" as a lot of techniques I know were taught to me by the IT community and I feel that I have a responsibility to give back. Sharing is what helps a community grow, and the current work — the kind worth writing up — now lives in the open over at endpoint-toolkit.

Before IT

I am an enthusiastic and committed Media Informatics graduate with sound experience as a freelance designer. I also have considerable history in the indie gaming industry as one of the founders of the Wing Commander Saga project (Trailer). I'd been with Wing Commander Saga since its inception back in 2002 and was its constant advocate, determined to drag it out of my dreams and into reality.

Wing Commander Saga is the product of a small and dedicated group of fans seeking to tell a compelling story in Chris Roberts' iconic Wing Commander universe. During the ten-year development process, I came to refer to Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn as a labor of love. That is truly what it has been for me. It features 55 missions in two campaigns, over 70 cutscenes, over 11,000 lines of voice work produced by 60 voice actors, and a storyline that follows the events of Wing Commander 3: The Heart of the Tiger. And best of all, it is completely free!

As mentioned above, it took me and my team ten years to build Wing Commander Saga. Through this time it evolved through a host of iterations, with sometimes frustrating twists and turns and several brick walls. It was both a satisfying and humbling experience, and I think it made me a better IT pro and a better person.

Off the clock

When I am not doing IT-related stuff, you can probably find me outside photographing all types of natural landscapes — from national parks, seashores and recreation areas to wild and scenic rivers and wildlife refuges. A self-taught photographer, I grew up in Bavaria, where the simplicity of the landscape and the directness of the people still influence my work.

You can find me on Twitter/X and GitHub. Please stay in touch!