Wesley Geelhoed
Nationality – Netherlands
Date of Birth – 05-02-1991
Gender – Male
Residence – Dirksland (NL)
- vExpert Directory
- VMware Certified Design Expert #290 (VCDX-NV)
- +31611369937
- wesley@altocumulus.tech
- Highly skilled Architect in software-defined and cloud-native technologies
About me
Freelance Cloud Architect | Altocumulus Cloud Services
My name is Wesley Geelhoed, living in Dirksland (NL). To me, enjoyment is the driving force for success. I am a very driven Freelance IT Architect with my own company Altocumulus Cloud Services. I mainly specialized myself within the multi-cloud industry for the last 8-10 years, and have a overall experience of 15 years with a focus on Networking, Security, Connectivity, and Hybrid Cloud. Before I started my freelance career I worked at VMware as a Consulting Architect within the NEMEA region.
Building virtual infrastructures and contributing to IT solutions is what I love doing most. I developed myself well on different technical areas such as private cloud, public cloud and cloud migrations focused on security and connectivity. Throughout the years I gained a lot of experience with implementations, migrations and creating rock solid IT Architectures. I am VMware vExpert for seven (7) years in a row and a VMware Certified Design Expert on Network Virtualization (VCDX-NV) (number 290). VCDXes are part of an elite group holding the highest level of VMware certification. A VCDX has validated its enterprise-class skills as an Architect in VMware solution design in front of a panel of veteran VCDX panel.
With all the experience I gained throughout the years I co-authored on an IT Architect book in 2023 where leading IT Professionals describe their most challenged datacenter projects and provide insight in failures and lessons learned. IT Architect Series: Storied From The Field, Volume 2.
I also have a proven track record outside the VMware industry, with certifications as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) I can guide and help customers throughout the complete infrastructure stack.
My working method can be characterized as thorough, passionate, and explorative. Finding the most appropriate solution is my drive. I am able to work successfully individually and in teams. My added value within a team are my communication skills. A challenge gives me energy!
My Skills
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
- VCDX Panelist 2023-2024
- VCDX-NV 290
- VMware vExpert 2018-2024 NSX and Security
- Book Co-Author IT Architect Series: Stories From The Field, Vol. 2
IT CONFERENCES
- VMware Explore 2017 - 2024
- RedHat Summit 2024
Certifications & Courses
CERTIFICATIONS
- Microsoft Certified Professional | MCP
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate | MCSA - Windows Server
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert | MCSE - Windows Server
- Cisco Certified Network Associate | CCNA
- VMware Certified Professional (DCV) | VCP-DCV
- VMware Certified Professional (NV) | VCP-NV
- VMware Certified Implementation Expert (NV) | VCIX-NV
- VMware Certified Implementation Expert (DCV) | VCIX-DCV
- VMware Specialist | VMware vSAN Specialist
- VMware Specialist | VMware Validated Designs Specialist
- VMware Certified Implementation Advanced Professional - NSX-T | VCAP-NV 2020
- VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) | VCDX-NV (290)
- Find all my IT industry related certifications and badges HERE
COURSES
- Leverage Azure VMware Solution and create a hybrid cloud on proven technology (VMware & Microsoft)
- VMware Cloud Director - Install Configure & Manage (VMware)
- VMware vSAN Troubleshooting
- TOGAF Training
- Troubleshooting and Operations for VMware NSX
- AVI Load Balancing for Web Application Firewalling and Ingress Kubernetes Monitoring
- CCNA & CCNP
- ITIL Foundation v3
- MCSA & MCSE Courses
PROJECTS AND WORK EXPERIENCE
2023 (August) -
TenneT TSO
(Freelance)
Cloud infrastructure architecT
As lead Architect within TenneT I lead IT Architects to design and develop a new fit fur purpose private cloud with a GitOps driven automation and cloud-native mindset. Main technologies involved:
Microsoft Azure, (Public Cloud)
VMware Cloud Foundation (Private Cloud Virtualization)
Red Hat Openshift (Kubernetes & CI/CD)
Ansible Automation Platform, Terraform (Automation)
Red Hat Developer Hub / Backstage (IDP)
- Lead architect on new private cloud platform initiative
- Ensure standardization and automation of platforms and products (Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD)
- Ensures adherence with the business and IT strategies of the program and TenneT
- Ensures that IT investments are leveraged to their maximum by encouraging reuse of replicable solutions and ensuring the establishment of replicable solutions within the architecture
- Approves architecture deliverables of the program and projects
2024 (January - June)
ABN Amro Bank
(Freelance)
Domain Architect Private Cloud platforms
At ABN Amro Bank I was added to the Architecure & Platform Strategy team temporarily for the following tasks
- Create architecture roadmap for IDS/IPS on private cloud
- Define network automation strategy on private cloud
- Guide product teams during migration to the new private cloud
2021 (October) - 2023 (July)
VMware (NEMEA)
Consulting Architect
As a Consulting Architect within the EMEA region I am working on multidisciplinary projects, which means I am responsible for the successful delivery of a wide variety of VMware Solution products. I currently focus on Networking, Security and Cloud Mobility. As a VCDX within VMware I am recognized as someone who is skilled on both technical and soft-skill level and with the ab ility to learn new technologies very quickly I am able to adapt very quickly into new roles and projects.
- Taking ownership of business outcomes of projects, lead the technical project teams and take accountability for all deliverables within the project.
- Strategically plan with sales, pre-sales and the customer to build out a roadmap.
- Vision new services and requirements and b e a trusted advisor to technical decision makers and key stakeholders on projects.
- Defining and presenting transformational journey to customers.
- Working on project budget with Project Managers.
- Ensures the solution being deliverd in a fit for purpose manner.
- Developing VMware consulting service offerings internally with creating best-practices guides and reference designs.
- I am gathering use-cases and requirements to create high-quality architecture design based on the VCDX design methodology.
- FInd below the type of Projects I was involved with.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ( UK ) –
vmware | Lead Architect on Migration Project
This was a VCF3 to VCF4 migration/transition project. I made high-level plans and estimations in terms of effort, hours, and different roles required within the project. This project was funded internally and had therefore no margin and contingency, therefore we needed to plan very strictly and far ahead and needed to stay on top of the customer in terms of planning. This resulted in a very successful project where we migrated a VCF3 to a VCF4 platform within 5 months. Those 5 months are including the following phases: design, deployment, verification, migration planning, migration, project closure. Project Overview:
- Workload Migration (HCX)
- Network Migration (HCX + NSX-T)
- Firewall Migration (NSX-v and NSX-T)
- Operations & Monitoring Migration (Aria Suite)
- Migration Planning & Execution
Kongsberg Gruppen ASA ( NOR )
ODC-Noord (NL)
VMware | Lead Architect for Service Providers
The main driver for this project was all about Tanzu and application modernization. I was accountable for everything that we deliver from a VMware Professional Services perspective. We were working on a multi-product solution with NSX, VMware Cloud Director, NSX Advanced Load Balancer, and VMware Tanzu. I made a high-level plan and estimation in terms of effort, hours, and different roles required within the project. Project Overview:
- VMware Cloud Director Assessment | Migration Readiness
- Design for NSX-T, NSX Advanced Load Balancer and VMware Tanzu
- Deployment for NSX-T NSX Advanced Load Balancer and VMware Tanzu.
- Migration Strategy Documentation
- Knowledge Transfer Sessions
Gemeente Utrecht ( NL ) –
vmware | Architect on Multi-Cloud Business Projects
Within this project, I was assigned as an Architect to work out a strategy for the customer to migrate a part of their on-premises estate to the cloud in Azure. They were utilizing Azure VMware Solution and needed a fully hybrid cloud model. Besides utilizing VMware software in the Azure Cloud, they also wanted to start developing Cloud Native applications within AWS. A landing zone including connectivity needed to be designed. Project Overview:
- Multi-Cloud Strategy Design
- Migration Plan
- Azure Connectivity Design
- AWS Connectivity Design
2021 (January) - 2021 (October)
ITQ Consultancy ( NL )
SDDC Architect
During my time as a SDDC Architect at ITQ I was responsible for multiple projects as Architect. All projects I participated in can be find below.
KPN ( NL )
ITQ | SDDC Architect
The customer was building a new private cloud platform to offer services to the internal business. I helped had the following tasks during the design phase with describing customer requirements, and making them traceable to the different architectural designs in an overall solution requirements document used for the internal business market.
- Customer Workshops to address and discuss technical- and business related requirements.
- VMware Cloud Foundation Workload Domain Design (6 instances).
- NSX-T Design for VMware Cloud Director Tenants
- VMware vRealize Suite Integration Design
- VMware HCX Design
HMC Haaglanden ( NL ) –
ITQ | Network Architect
As an Architect at HMC Haaglanden I had the following responsibilities during the design phase.
- Creating Routing Designs for NSX-T with VCF 4.x (including Bare Metal Edge Routers and VRF configuration)
- Create prerequisites and configuration work book for VMware HCX.
- HCX Implementation
- Create workload migration process to new VFC platform
- Migration test and validation
Tesco ( UK )
ITQ | Migration Architect
As a Migration Architect at Tesco I was responsible for creating a workload migration process to the new VCF platform for all datacenters across Europe. Which was across 4 physical datacenters, 400 different networks and 15000 virtual workloads. I delivered the following tasks.
- Assess source infrastructure and networks by conducting workshops
- Create document workload migration process
- Create VMware HCX Design and Solution Specification
2020 (April) - 2020 (December)
AnylinQ ( NL )
Solutions Architect
As a Solutions Architect at AnyLinQ I am focused on the VMware portfolio my main tasks were;
- Shaping, guiding and helping on strategies for the internal VMware proposition.
- Working on Architectural Designs for customers
- Technical Pre-Sales at customers.
- Helping our recruitment finding suitable candidates with a VMware background.
- Technical Consultancy assignments within the VMware portfolio.
- Develop and create new services together with our Marketing and Sales departments.
- VMware Evangelist within the company; providing help and steering to colleagues.
I also participated as Technical Architect in several projects which can be found below.
Van Leeuwen Buizen ( NL )
AnylinQ | Lead Architect
Within this project I was the Lead Architect for the new datacenter for Van Leeuwen Buizen that will be based on VMware Cloud Foundation. I had the following responsibilites.
- Led workshops to create a conceptual design for a business case intented to inform the board about the benefits of the new software defined datacenter
- Led workshops to create a conceptual design for a business case intented to inform the board about the benefits of the new software defined datacenter
- Led the VMware Cloud Foundation technical design workshops to determine the technical requirements for the datacenter design.
- Creating the datacenter infrastructure- and security designs.
- Guided implementation Consultant during the deployment
- Creating VMware HCX Architecture Design.
- Implemented VMware HCX and integration with remote sites.
- Developed Migration Plan including Operations Guidance.
2017 - 2020
ITQ Consultancy ( NL )
SDDC Consultant
As a (Senior) Consultant at ITQ I worked on several projects throughout those three (3) years. The most outstanding projects are listed below.
- NSX-T, Network Insight and Micro-Segmentation Project at VD A B (Brussels, Belgium)
- NSX-T Design for Multi-Site at DXC Technology for UWV (The Hague, Netherlands)
- VCF on VxRail Implementation at Cancom Gm bH (Munich, Germany)
- NSX-T and Kubernetes implementation at UCB Pharma (Brussels, Belgium)
- Implementation and migration from a legacy environment to a full stack SDDC at Gemeente Haarlem (Haarlem, Netherlands)
- Design and Implemenation for Micro-Segmentation at UMCG (Groningen, Netherlands)
- Multi-Site Software-Defined Datacenter Design for Gemeente Haarlem (Haarlem, Netherlands)
- Migration of a on-premises environment, to a new environment at European Patent Office (The Hague, Netherlands)
- Migration of a on-premises environment to the IBM Cloud at Nationale Nederlanden (The Hague, Netherlands)
- Upgrade vSphere Environments and migrate from Fi bre Channel to vSAN at Peka Kroef (Odialliapeel, Netherlands)
2016 - 2017
Successfully ( NL )
Senior System Engineer
Responsible for projects, consultancy assignments, and providing third-line support to all the customers and resellers of Successfully NL.Besides this, the job also cames with full responsibility for the full cloud platform of Successfully. This cloud platform runs on several Hyper-V nodes which are managed by System Center Virtual Machine Manager. This environment had also multiple SANs running; Dell EqualLogic, Dell Compellent, and Netapp storage.
- Microsoft RDS & RD Gateway Management
- Active Directory Domain Services Management
- SAN Storage Management
- Hyper-V Management
- Office 365 Management and Implementation
- Fileserver Migrations
- Exchange Server Migrations
2016 - 2017
Inlumni ( NL )
System & Infrastructure Engineer
System administration tasks and providing third-line support to Inlumni’ IT infrastructure and customers. Writing down changes, business cases, and project initiation documents. Technologies Administration:
- VMware vSphere
- vSphere Data Protection
- VMware NSX-v
- VMware Site Recovery Manager
- vSphere Operations Manager
- VMware Storage Solutions: vVOLS & vSAN
2011 - 2016
Multiple ( NL )
First- and Secondline Support Roles (multiple)
I started my IT career in 2011 where I had several roles as service desk support engineer or 1st or 2nd line engineer. In these roles I was responsible for carrying out 1st line support physically to end users and fixing small issues in VMware en Windows Server environments. See below the roles and employers.
- IT Helpdesk at Secuall Security & Telephony (2011)
- IT Service Engineer at Wicosoft (2012)
- Self-employed at Itomatic (2012-2013)
- IT System & Support Engineer at Rotterdam World Gateway (2013-2016)
2009 - 2012
Radius College ( Breda )
Computer Science & Information Technology - IT Operations
2007 - 2009
Albeda College ( Rotterdam )
Computer Science & Information Technology - IT Support