Hi! My name is Ali!!

I’m 31 years old and completed my training as an IT specialist specializing in system integration in Frankfurt am Main. Currently, I work as a network administrator.

I’m damn well a kid at heart and love tinkering with network infrastructures, always trying out new things.

… from leisure

In my spare time, I’m involved in the CosDay e. V. association as a treasurer. I’ve held this position on the board since 2018. Simultaneously, I manage our association’s IT, especially our servers, website, and automation of accounting.

When the association gives me some peace, I enjoy taking photographs, although it’s a somewhat dormant hobby.

If the professional part isn’t enough for me, I tinker around in my personal lab at home. Here, I have a virtualization host with Proxmox and several network segments, intranet, DMZ, and so on running.. :D

… professional

As a network administrator, I work with various vendors. So far, I’ve dealt with network components from vendors such as Juniper, Cisco, Extreme Networks, Fortinet, and Alcatel.
Most of the time I tinker around to get the most stable way of running infrastructure to deliver the most possible satisfaction for our colleagues and internal customers.

My favorite part of the job is actually designing network architecture within our company. I’m currently trying my hand at automating and streamlining processes. However, developing processes is not really my strong point. At the same time, I look after our security infrastructure with my colleagues. The topic of security is particularly important with regard to the BSI requirements, which makes the work very adventurous and varied. It’s hard to believe, but somehow it’s fun.

Those are the vendors and products I’ve dealt with over the years:

  • Juniper
    • SRX-Series
  • Cisco
    • ISE 2.7 or 3.0
    • WLCs
    • PRIME
    • Catalyst switches
  • Extreme Networks
    • Summit series
    • VSP series
  • Fortinet
    • FortiGates (e.g., 40F)
  • Alcatel
    • OmniSwitches

It’s actually quite fascinating when you think about it. You know, in our environment, Linux-based operating systems play a really significant role. It’s like the backbone of our network infrastructure, with everything tracing its roots back to Linux and BSD. It’s one of those interesting pieces of information that gives you a deeper appreciation for how things work behind the scenes.

Nevertheless, within the corporate landscape, Microsoft and its suite of operating systems and applications remain prevalent.

On a personal note, I’ve been exploring the Linux world outside of work. I find myself leaning towards Debian and Ubuntu. Linux often steps up where Windows falls short, provided you’re willing to invest the time and effort into it :D

… side business

Furthermore, for several years now, I’ve been running a side business with a friend. With our company v10networks - Gasteier und Keßler GbR, we provide IT services and offer consulting, especially in the area of IP networks.

At the same time, we distribute a TeamSpeak 3 Voice Plugin called SaltyChat.