Olaf Luetkehoelter
Verified Expert in Engineering
DevOps Engineer and Developer
Crofton, MD, United States
Toptal member since September 11, 2021
Olaf is a DevOps engineer with 20+ years of experience in programming languages; database systems; and automation, monitoring, and analytics tools. His enterprise experience includes Cisco, CompuCom, IBM, BMC, and UNC, and his roles include head of software development, lead architect, team lead on consulting engagements, and client-facing solution architect in sales situations. Olaf loves developing software, especially automation solutions, and his pragmatic approach always delivers value.
Portfolio
Experience
Availability
Preferred Environment
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python, Java, Node.js, Azure, Databases, Terraform, Linux
The most amazing...
...thing I've developed recently is a SaaS platform that spins up global networks built from cloud-based network components via CI/CD with blue/green deployment.
Work Experience
Chief Software Architect
SQUID iQ, Inc.
- Built team of full stack developers, DevOps, and QA for a new clinical operations intelligence platform.
- Led Agile software development process with two-week sprints.
- Designed and implemented an automated process to update operational data stored from vendor data via APIs.
- Implemented E2E tests using Cypress.io and coached developers in its application.
- Designed and implemented automated build-out of universal device catalog system using AWS CDK. Enabled its execution via Bitbucket CI pipeline.
Head of Software Development
NetFoundry, Inc
- Built NetFoundry’s network as a service (NaaS) platform, a cloud-native set of Java-based microservices on a foundation of Spring Cloud Netflix and Activiti/Flowable workflows.
- Built a business analytics system based on Redshift, Google Data Studio, and a Python-based ETL framework.
- Implemented the Agile software development process with a two-week cadence.
- Managed 17 direct reports in development, test engineering, build automation, and SRE.
Principal Solution Architect
Cisco
- Led solution architecture and partnered with business development managers on numerous domestic and international engagements.
- Designed enhanced solution offerings for key verticals: financials, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and smart spaces (sports, entertainment, and buildings).
- Generated 85% POC success, 20+ customers, and three references. Built a qualified pipeline of 90 prospects worth $50 million.
- Provided system-level consulting expertise to design consultants, sales, and deployment teams for medium to large customers. Presented CIP and EMSP at CiscoLive (San Diego 2015 and Berlin 2016) and other industry events.
- Designed and implemented OAuth workflow in CIP to support deals that required integration of a customer's Identity Services Engine (ISE) installation to Google’s SaaS-based directory API.
Product Architect
Cisco
- Refined user stories, influenced product features, and partnered with product management and engineering teams.
- Designed a working prototype for a cloud-based version of CIP, an integration platform as a service (IPaaS), to communicate the product vision for a SaaS-based offering.
- Designed a custom cartridge for CIP deployment on Red Hat OpenShift.
Director, Cloud Services
CompuCom
- Led the integration of a cloud management platform (BMC CLM) with ITSM software (ServiceNow). Focused on the service catalog, automation of provisioning, and customization processes.
- Designed offerings and key fulfillment processes for new managed hybrid cloud services.
- Compressed a multi-week, highly labor intensive customer onboarding process to under two hours after approvals. Achieved 100% reduction in manual data entry via automation implemented with VMware vCenter Orchestrator (vCO).
- Led toolset consolidation: evaluated open-source tools (Liferay, Nagios, OpenStack, Chef, Puppet, and Ansible) and integration to public and hybrid clouds (AWS, AT&T, VMware and vCloud Air).
Senior Project Architect
BMC
- Architected, designed, and led the implementation of an SOA-based API layer for consumption of CLM services and integration of third-party middleware.
- Created a toolkit for BMC Atrium Orchestrator (BAO) to seamlessly integrate with CLM. The toolkit provides an abstraction layer to hide CLM API complexity and enforce best practices, substantially reducing CLM implementation efforts.
- Led implementations of BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions at customer sites. The solutions included private cloud implementations (IaaS), hybrid cloud (bursting to AWS and Savvis/CenturyLink), and SaaS.
Senior Consultant
BMC
- Implemented an automated provisioning process for a customer's private cloud using BMC Atrium Orchestrator and targeting VMware ESX hypervisor.
- Automated trouble-ticket processing via automated workflows triggered by Remedy incidents.
- Led multiple engagements at client sites to implement data center automation, process orchestration, IT service management (ITSM) system integration, middleware, and customization.
Product Manager
BMC
- Designed and implemented a working prototype of an application problem resolution product for a new flavor of JEE application server, which empowered the sales team to close a $16 million license transaction plus $300,000 for services.
- Redesigned the UX of a JEE product and transitioned from proprietary Java Swing technology to Eclipse RCP. Constructed a functional prototype to validate architectural decisions, prove technical feasibility, and provide a basis for effort estimates.
- Created the requirements specification document for a new release of BMC AppSight J2EE, an application problem resolution system that automates problem resolution processes during the testing and maintenance phases of the application lifecycle.
Senior IT Architect
IBM
- Architected, designed, and developed mission-critical applications in the areas of social services, retail point of sale, and pharmaceutical systems. Platforms included UNIX (Linux, AIX, and Solaris) and Windows systems.
- Led development and implementation teams through all phases of the development lifecycle.
- Mentored and provided technical guidance to junior developers on the team.
Senior Consultant
Identify Software
- Developed demo implementations to showcase software features in client environments during POC engagements.
- Performed classroom training for groups of 15-20 customer personnel to support the product implementation phase.
- Developed applications for internal use; designed, implemented, and presented customer prototypes; and provided technical assistance for software pre-sale and post-sale activities.
Application Development Project Supervisor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Reorganized a team of developers to leverage individual strengths; streamlined the development process; and introduced an iterative development cycle, daily build (ANT), automated testing (Cactus), revision control (CVS), and code reviews.
- Designed a J2EE-based application architecture (Oracle Application Server 10g, Apache Struts, EJB, Web Services, Oracle Workflow Engine, Sybase OpenServer middleware, and Oracle9i database) for a major new UNC HR platform (HRWeb Desktop).
- Designed an object-oriented API (Java Library) for an Oracle Workflow subsystem.
Database Consultant
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Designed and implemented a complex Oracle9i reporting and analysis database (3,000+ tables, views, triggers, and stored procedures) to interface with a vendor-supplied database.
- Created Java, PL/SQL, and VB/MS-Access-based tools to convert data structures and performed the initial database load (SQL*Loader).
- Developed a dimensional data model and periodic ETL jobs to populate a data warehouse. Produced OLAP Cubes and Excel spreadsheets.
- Improved the performance of a third-party-supplied data transfer utility (J2EE, JDBC, and Swing) by 900% via massive multithreading. Developed the project plan, automated testing (JUnit), and documentation (UML).
- Designed and developed a web-based (Apache, JSP, and PHP) chart generation and data export system (XML, CSV, and HTML) to expose real-time process data to authorized stakeholders throughout the organization.
- Developed database support for a legacy OS/2 SCADA application (IBM PlantWorks) through JDBC. This allowed for the continued use of the system, postponing the costs of converting to a new application.
- Developed source code generator scripts to produce Oracle tables, triggers, and PL/SQL stored procedures.
Branch Manager and Chief Software Architect
Encrease AG
- Managed project teams of 6-20 people and projects between €100,000 and €2,500,000. Coordinated development activities across three branches and four departments.
- Designed and implemented the first process to handle the creation of bank accounts at the offices of independent financial advisors and transmit electronic documents to banks.
- Developed BroadVision Interaction Manager (V6) based on a JSP and Servlet front end to HP Nimius back end. Deployed EJBs to a BEA Weblogic Server. Extended classes of the Struts application framework to interface correctly with BV wrapper classes.
- Increased the performance of a BroadVision portal-based website by 300%. Thoroughly redesigned the website architecture to utilize BroadVision caching mechanisms and optimized SQL used in Oracle8i database access.
- Reorganized BroadVision rule sets and communities and developed JSP and JavaScript code for presentation.
- Introduced XP development (pair programming and test first), reduced coding errors, and improved code quality.
- Performed code reviews and coached employees on new technologies: JSP, Servlets, Struts, and interfacing with BroadVision Interaction Manager and JavaScript.
- Maximized website performance of www.interroll.com using Vignette StoryServer, Oracle 8i, and 1000+ templates.
Partner and Managing Director, Principal Consultant
Palatina GmbH
- Managed the development of a BroadVision JavaScript framework for presentation of news content to HTML clients.
- Integrated external newsfeeds, developed the publishing interface (BroadVision Publishing Center), and integrated applications through the BroadVision portal.
- Created a prototype for the European Steel Works marketplace using BroadVision MarketMaker (based on BroadVision Business Commerce). Installed and configured the BroadVision software and web server.
- Transformed mission-critical software from a client-server to a web-based, 3-tier architecture (Oracle8i and Vignette StoryServer). Redesigned the data architecture and exchanged the application server.
- Gathered requirements (Rational RequisitePro) and designed the system architecture. Applied Rational Unified Process (RUP), gained buy-in on use cases, and produced specifications and UML diagrams for the development team.
Partner, Principal Consultant
Luetkehoelter & Weitzel Consulting
- Designed and implemented the first fully web-based B2B application (Lotus Notes and Domino) in Germany for a subsidiary of the largest German insurance company.
- Created LotusScript-based integration modules to handle messaging over X.400 transport and seamless creation of Lotus Notes documents.
- Implemented an email system (Pegasus Mail) on a Novell NetWare-based network with 50 clients.
Experience
Network as a Service
https://nfconsole.ioWe followed an Agile software development process with a two-week cadence. As I grew the team to 17 developers, covering development, test engineering, build automation, and SRE, I gradually shifted out of day-to-day development tasks but made sure to stay hands-on and on top of the new technologies introduced.
Business Analytics and Dashboards
The implementation involved creating ETL processes in Python that collect data from HubSpot, AWS, OCI, GCP, Azure, and Alibaba, and populate tables in a Redshift-based data warehouse. Several SQL scripts and stored procedures create roll-up views of the raw data. Last but not least, the dashboards are implemented using Google Data Studio. To handle the amount of data and drastically improve performance, the largest dataset gets exported to and imported into Google BigQuery.
NetFoundry ServiceNow Demo
https://netfoundry.io/resources/videos/?utm_medium=email#demosThis integration demonstrates how to implement an integration with NetFoundry's NaaS REST API using ServiceNow. Using this feature, an enterprise can seamlessly integrate zero trust access into their onboarding process for new employees.
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Science
University of Kaiserslautern - Kaiserslatuern, Germany
Certifications
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
(ISC)²
TOGAF 9
The Open Group
Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP)
Sun Microsystems
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Node.js
Tools
Terraform, Git, Jira, Ansible, BMC Atrium Orchestrator, Jenkins, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), Boto, Boto 3, Bitbucket, Amazon EKS, Helm, GitLab CI/CD, AWS IAM, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), VPN, AWS Fargate, Flyway, BMC Remedy, VMware, Nagios, Chef, Puppet, JDeveloper, IBM Rational, Lotus Notes, Lotus Domino, Novell NetWare, SaltStack, Packer, Amazon CloudWatch, Grafana, NGINX
Languages
Java, SQL, Python, JavaScript, Bash, COBOL, Bash Script, CSS, TypeScript, C, PL/pgSQL, UML, LotusScript, HTML, CICS, Python 3, PHP
Paradigms
DevOps, Agile Software Development, REST, Microservices Architecture, ETL, Scrum, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)
Platforms
Kubernetes, Amazon EC2, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Docker, Linux, Eclipse, AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), MuleSoft, OpenShift, OpenStack, JEE, IBM WebSphere, JBoss, Oracle Application Server, Oracle
Frameworks
Spring, Selenium, AWS HA, Angular, Spring Security, Hibernate, Activiti BPM, Spring MVC, Cypress, Quasar
Storage
MySQL, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Redshift, PSQL, IBM Mainframe, PostgreSQL, Redis
Other
Team Management, CI/CD Pipelines, APIs, Container Orchestration, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Scripting, Architecture, Build Automation, Back-end Development, Technical Hiring, ECS, Cloud Security, Amazon RDS, Lambda Functions, Monitoring, Shell Scripting, Containers, AWS Cloud Architecture, Networking, Networks, Quality Assurance (QA), Containerization, Security, Flowable, Web Security, Enterprise Architecture, Google BigQuery, Google Data Studio, Test Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Spring Cloud, Dashboards, Data Warehousing, ServiceNow, VMware vCenter, Liferay, GlassFish, BEA WebLogic Server, BroadVision, Vignette, Time Series, Technical Writing, SSH, Manual QA, User Experience (UX)
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