Hi, I'm Hendrik
I’m an AWS Cloud Architect and Consultant from Germany. As an AWS Ambassador, AWS Community Builder, official AWS Trainer, and AWS Golden Jacket holder, I feel completely at home in the AWS ecosystem. I’m passionate about everything related to the cloud and love sharing ideas and knowledge through teaching, blogging, or public speaking. My main focus areas within the cloud are Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and CloudOps.
How I Got Here
My professional journey as a tech enthusiast began during my Master’s thesis at Daimler Buses. My task was to analyze and evaluate the operational factors influencing the service life of traction batteries in electric buses using Machine Learning. This was the first time I came into contact with data analytics, machine learning, and the principles of data-driven decision-making.
This experience inspired me to pursue my first role in the data domain as a Data Analytics and Business Intelligence consultant. In this role, I gained valuable experience building data analytics and business intelligence solutions for customers. Helping clients collect, analyze, and evaluate their data to uncover valuable insights was an absolute pleasure, and I loved every second of it. During this time, I also encountered the Cloud, specifically AWS. As clients were collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data, leveraging the power of the cloud became essential to ensure the reliability, scalability, and flexibility of their data solutions.
While I still enjoyed working with data, I became completely hooked on AWS and its possibilities. I decided to fully immerse myself in AWS and transitioned from the data domain to the cloud landscape as an AWS Solution Architect and Cloud Consultant. Building enterprise-ready AWS platforms and cloud solutions as a Cloud Architect required a broad skill set and deep knowledge across multiple IT domains. This led me to develop expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and DevOps. During this time, I discovered two new passions: Cybersecurity and CloudOps.
As I dived deeper into AWS, I quickly discovered the concept of Infrastructure as Code (IaC). I was amazed by the ability to define reusable infrastructure modules as code and deploy cloud solutions within seconds. Terraform was the first IaC tool I worked with, and I immediately integrated it into my daily workflow. I quickly recognized the benefits of abstracting infrastructure and applying DevOps practices, which had already proven successful in software development. Automating everything became a personal challenge, and from that point on, I have aimed to integrate the principles of DevOps and CloudOps wherever possible.
My passion for Cybersecurity grew while working on projects for large enterprise customers. Security was always the top concern, and I quickly internalized the intricacies of designing secure AWS landing zones and performing in-depth security reviews for clients. Making cloud environments secure by following zero-trust and least-privilege principles has been and continues to be an incredibly rewarding challenge. Security is an ever-evolving field that requires professionals to stay up-to-date and vigilant to maintain strong security postures for the cloud environments they manage. With my love for learning and embracing new challenges, specializing in this domain was a natural choice for me.
Over the years, I have worked with multiple companies, clients, and projects. Keeping track of everything I’ve done became a challenge, which is why I decided to start a blog. What began as a way to retain knowledge for myself and share content with AWS enthusiasts like me turned into a true passion. This journey eventually led to me becoming an AWS Ambassador and AWS Community Builder, titles awarded by AWS to technical experts who contribute to growing the AWS community by sharing knowledge. I also discovered my love for teaching and became an official AWS Trainer, sharing my knowledge and helping people new to AWS and the cloud become proficient professionals.
Even though I have had the opportunity to work on a multitude of different AWS projects, teach AWS classes as a trainer, and share knowledge through my blog, my learning never stops. I’m always excited to uncover more insights related to AWS, Data Analytics, and Cybersecurity and cloud in general. It’s both fun and challenging to find areas where knowledge is lacking and work to develop proficiency and competence in those domains. Since I haven’t even remotely mastered the areas I’m most passionate about, and there are countless domains I haven’t explored yet, I’m looking forward to the future. There will be plenty more blogs, new things to learn, and knowledge to share ahead.
My Core Values
Curiosity
Curiosity is a core part of who I am. I thrive on the process of learning and discovering new things. I’m constantly pushing myself to stay ahead in my field, embracing the opportunity to learn something new every day.
Reliability
Reliability is crucial in my work. I believe in working diligently, maintaining a strong work ethic, and delivering on promises. This is vital for building trust and fostering strong relationships with colleagues, peers, and clients.
Integrity
Integrity is non-negotiable in my role as a consultant. Being honest, trustworthy, and adhering to strong moral principles is essential for cultivating lasting, healthy relationships and ensuring the delivery of quality work.
Accountability
I take full responsibility for my actions, both positive and negative. Owning my decisions is important to ensure transparency and accountability within any project or collaboration.
Excellence
Excellence drives everything I do. It’s about setting the highest standards for myself and my clients. I aim to deliver outstanding results, not because it’s expected, but because it’s what I genuinely strive for.
Positivity
In the fast-moving cloud environment, change is inevitable. Whether managing a project or teaching, challenges are part of the process. Staying positive when faced with difficulties is crucial to navigating obstacles and achieving success.
What I Focus On
I believe that a strong security posture is essential for any business to succeed in the cloud. The technology landscape is always changing, and businesses need to evolve and adapt their security measures to tackle today’s cybersecurity challenges. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to help clients strengthen their cloud environments. Whether it’s designing secure landing zones, implementing cloud firewall concepts, or conducting in-depth security reviews of existing AWS setups, I genuinely enjoy helping businesses and enterprises become more secure.
As a former Data Analytics and Business Intelligence consultant, I’ve always had a soft spot for anything data-related. With data being collected and analyzed at an ever-increasing rate, businesses must build data-driven decision-making processes to stay competitive. The cloud is the perfect solution for meeting this growing demand for data storage and analysis. I’ve helped many clients achieve data literacy in the cloud by designing fully integrated data lakes, building reporting solutions, and implementing complex ETL pipelines. I just love working with data and unlocking its potential for businesses.
Throughout my years as an AWS Architect and Cloud Consultant, I’ve noticed the need for more streamlined ways to manage and monitor large, enterprise-grade cloud environments. To maximize efficiency and optimize performance, businesses need solid management and monitoring practices in place. That’s why I specialize in CloudOps, which is essentially DevOps extended into the cloud. Over the years, I’ve helped clients streamline their cloud operations—whether by building simple Infrastructure as Code pipelines or designing full-fledged cloud practices and frameworks for enterprises. I’m passionate about optimizing cloud environments and processes to ensure seamless scalability and robust operations.