Hi, I'm Nicolai – a Platform Engineer specializing in Kubernetes operations, GitOps, and cloud-native transformation.

I work as a Platform Engineer at DATEV eG, where I design and operate internal Kubernetes-as-a-Service platforms for highly regulated financial environments. My focus is on day-2 operations: upgrades, reliability, automation, and building self-service tools that reduce platform toil. Before Kubernetes, I spent years automating VMware vSphere operations across thousands of VMs using Ansible and Terraform.

I'm also the founder and CEO of ODIT.Services, where we deliver Kubernetes consulting, infrastructure management, and application development for SMEs. I work directly with clients from initial discovery through design, implementation, and ongoing support.

I'm passionate about sharing knowledge in the cloud-native community. I've spoken at KubeCon/CloudNativeCon, Cloud Native Rejekts, and Container Days about topics ranging from global load balancing strategies to Windows workload migration on Kubernetes.

Outside of work, I enjoy home automation, homelabbing, and riding electric motorcycles. I'm also a Ju Jutsu instructor, teaching self-defense to children and adults since 2014.