# Octavian Helm (@dvps.at)

Profile: https://sifa.id/p/dvps.at
Headline: reason before dogma
Location: Vienna, Vienna, Austria

## About

devops practitioner, 20+ years of linux experience, automater, former pythonista, active gopher

passionate about open source, web and social

## Experience

- **Senior Platform Engineer at BearingPoint** (2025 – present)
  ▪ Internal Developer Platform design
  ▪ Team transformation
  ▪ Knowledge management
  ▪ Driving initiatives
  ▪ Product management
  ▪ Operating and evolving an Apache Kafka cluster on Kubernetes via Strimzi Operator with GitOps (ArgoCD)
- **Lead DevOps Engineer at Integrated Objectoriented Satellite Information** (2023 – 2023)
  Note: A subsidiary of SmartDigital Group
  
  DevOps Engineering
  • Managing GitLab CI pipelines
  • Optimising Docker builds
  • Maintaining Kubernetes deployments
  • Managing and evolving GCP infrastructure via Terraform/Terragrunt (IaC)
  
  Linux Server & Services Administration
  • Ubuntu Server, Proxmox
  • AI tooling (CVAT, FiftyOne, etc.)
  • Prometheus/Grafana deployment
  • FlashBlade array (data backup and migrations)
  
  Satellite Data Processing — Product Development
  • Use case development
  • Product integration
  
  
- **Head of DevOps Engineering at LEAN-CODERS** (2023 – 2023)
  ▪ DevOps Engineering — continued responsibilities from prior role
  ▪ Building and managing a small DevOps team
  ▪ Delivering Docker/Kubernetes training for external partners
- **Senior DevOps Engineer at LEAN-CODERS** (2022 – 2023)
  DevOps Engineering
  ▪ Maintaining and optimising GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines, Docker builds, and Kubernetes deployments
  
  Systems Administration (Microsoft Stack)
  ▪ Azure AD
  ▪ Microsoft 365
  ▪ Exchange administration
  
  Azure Cloud Infrastructure Management
  ▪ Codifying existing infrastructure as Terraform (IaC)
- **Senior DevOps Consultant at Consensium Processing Services** (2022 – 2023)
  Note: A subsidiary of SmartDigital Group
  
  DevOps Engineering
  
  ▪ Creating and managing GitLab CI pipelines
  ▪ Application containerisation
  ▪ Authoring and maintaining Kubernetes manifests
  ▪ Managing and evolving GCP infrastructure via Terraform (IaC)
  ▪ Developing data pipelines using ArgoCD Workflows and Events
  ▪ Monitoring via Prometheus/Grafana
  
  Software Development (Scala, Go, Python)
  
- **DevOps/Software Engineer at University of Graz** (2021 – 2022)
  DevOps Engineering
  ▪ Creating GitLab CI pipelines
  ▪ Managing Jenkins pipelines
  ▪ Application containerisation
  
  Web presence maintenance and development (TYPO3/PHP)
  
  Developing web components for the University of Graz web stack
- **Technical Assistant — Psychology Department at University of Graz** (2019 – 2022)
  ▪ IT systems administration
  ▪ Infrastructure management via SaltStack and Ansible
  ▪ Psychology Institute web presence administration
  ▪ Building and operating a human-robot interaction research lab
  ▪ Robot development (Python)
  ▪ Software development (Python, .NET/C#)
  ▪ Installing and operating an on-premises Kubernetes cluster
- **Interpreter at Styrian Regional Police Directorate** (2018 – 2020)
  ▪ Interpreter for police witness interviews and suspect interrogations
  ▪ Telephone surveillance support for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
- **Freelance Fullstack Engineer at competence.rocks** (2013 – 2020)
  ▪ Hardware and software project delivery (GPS tracking, CRM development)
  ▪ General IT support
  ▪ High-availability systems (DB clustering and replication)
  ▪ Web development
- **Full Stack Engineer at AEH Automatisierung** (2012 – 2013)
  ▪ Frontend development (mobile web)
  ▪ Backend development (Python, Node.js, Perl)
  ▪ Linux server and services deployment
  ▪ Hardware and software contract delivery
- **Lead Android Applications Developer at House of Technology** (2009 – 2011)
  ▪ Developing a location-based marketing application (Java — Android)
  ▪ Onboarding and mentoring interns
- **Technical IT Support at Inode GmbH/UPC Austria GmbH** (2006 – 2008)
  ▪ First-line support (telephone and email)
  ▪ Developing an internal router configuration simulator for training and support
- **Technical Director at SmartDigital Group** (2024 – 2024)
  ▪ Transition process analysis and planning
  ▪ Defining candidate profiles
  ▪ Interviewing candidates
  ▪ Project management
  ▪ Strategic technical roadmap and development planning
  ▪ Technical debt reduction ▪ Leading an agile team of 6 developers
  ▪ New product planning and design
  ▪ Use case development
  ▪ Requirements gathering
  ▪ Continued DevOps responsibilities from prior role at Integrated Object Oriented Satellite Information GmbH

## Education

- **HTL BULME Graz** — Electronics / Computer Engineering with a specialisation in Networking

## Skills

- Wissensmanagement
- Produktentwicklung
- Transformation
- Observability
- Confluent
- Strimzi
- Prometheus
- GitOps
- Green Software
- Unternehmensstrategie
- Teamführung
- Presales
- Verhandlungsführung
- IT-Strategie
- IT-Betrieb
- Webentwicklung
- SaltStack
- PHP
- Entwicklung von Schulungen
- Team-Building
- Teammanagement
- Microsoft Azure
- Azure AD
- GitHub
- Containerization
- Prometheus.io
- Grafana
- Go
- Infrastructure as code (IaC)
- ArgoCD
- CVAT
- Continuous Integration und Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)
- Apache Kafka
- Management des technischen Personals
- IT-Infrastruktur
- Budgetmanagement
- Kerberos
- Authentifizierung
- Problemlösung
- Shell-Scripting
- Scripting
- Analytisches Problemlösen
- IT-Projektmanagement
- Zuverlässigkeit
- Kommunikation
- Gitlab
- Hohe Verfügbarkeit
- Webservices
- Software Development
- Linux-Server
- Datacenter
- Computer-Hardware
- Electronics
- VMware
- CouchDB
- HTML5
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- Pearl
- PostgreSQL
- Docker
- Python
- Scala
- Kubernetes
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Terraform
- Vault
- HashiCorp
- MongoDB
- Python (Programmiersprache)
- Deutsch
- Rumänisch
- Englisch
- Java
- JavaScript
- Android
- DevOps
- Linux
- Node.js
- IT Operations
- Product Development
- Product Management
- IT Consulting

## Certifications

- Confluent Partner Data Streaming Platform Accreditation — Confluent (https://certificates.confluent.io/26ccb6a5-4498-4714-87e6-78a4c7d30ba6)
- Confluent Fundamentals Accreditation — Confluent (https://certificates.confluent.io/bf952b74-e57f-433e-b9a5-54e1de6fccd8)
- Confluent Apache Kafka Fundamentals Accreditation — Confluent (https://certificates.confluent.io/008a8f0d-48bc-482a-b983-9f6f26a91e37)

## Volunteering

- Board Member at Cloud Native Austria
- Organiser at Cloud Native Days Austria

## Languages

- German (native)
- Romanian (native)
- English (full_professional)

## Other profiles

- website: https://dvps.at
- github: https://github.com/devopsguy