Caspar C. Mierau

Berlin, Germany · ccm@s-remove-creenage.de

With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in DevOps, DevSecOps, and cloud infrastructure, bridging operations and development through automation, infrastructure as code, and security. I’ve built scalable, secure cloud architectures for startups and enterprises alike.

Experience

Over the past two decades, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects across different industries. This exposure allowed me to experience diverse company cultures, planning approaches, tech stacks, and business goals. It helped me focus on creating the ideal setup for each client while applying insights and expertise gained from previous projects. My goal is always to build the infrastructure that meets the client’s needs and desires, while also providing guidance on security, stability, automation, and cost optimization.

DEVSECOPS AUDITOR

fidentity

Conducted a comprehensive security audit for Swiss-based authentication provider fidentity. Reviewed the infrastructure stack and provided coaching to the Ops team on DevSecOps best practices. Developed a strategic plan for security enhancements, addressing both immediate needs and future objectives.

2024

SENIOR DEVOP

Gebäudeversicherung Bern

Introduced infrastructure automation at Swiss-based insurance company GVB, integrating Terraform into the existing Azure infrastructure stack. Implemented CI/CD best practices aligned with Azure DevOps guidelines, streamlining the DevOps processes and enhancing the overall developer experience.

2022-2024

DEVOPS TECH LEAD

Superlist

Supported the launch of Superlist’s team-based, highly integrated note-taking app, a successor to Wunderlist. Spearheaded the architecture of a modern Kubernetes-backed microservice infrastructure managed through a GitOps approach (Terraform, GitHub Actions).

2021-2024

SENIOR DEVOP

Researchgate

Provided external expertise to the Ops team during the transition from a Puppet-managed infrastructure to a Kubernetes/Rancher environment. Focused on sustainable services, proactive security, and a successful migration to Google GCP

2019-2024

SENIOR DEVOP

uBirch

Led the Ops team during a critical phase, supporting the multi-cloud, Kubernetes-backed microservices architecture. Played a key role in introducing Germany’s state-issued Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

2018-2024

SENIOR DEVOP

Lambdawerk

Built cost-optimized and fast infrastructure using Puppet and GitOps. Consolidated existing Puppet infrastructure, ensuring production readiness with a focus on robustness. Set up a new AWS infrastructure from scratch with CloudFormation to manage a large-scale enterprise database and connected services, ensuring HIPAA compliance through enhanced data security and encryption at rest and in transit on different layers. Additionally, trained the development team to take over infrastructure management independently.

2017-2020

TECH TEAM LEAD

moviepilot.com

Led a ten-member agile development team in creating a modern, mobile-focused entertainment page, achieving a top-ten ranking in the US. Managed the team while maintaining a widely automated infrastructure.

2015-2017

SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Software AG

Managed the operations of externally hosted content management systems for federal state organizations, ensuring robust and secure infrastructure management.

2013-2015

OPS LEAD

mbr targeting

Led the greenfield infrastructure setup for a real-time advertising platform, with a focus on automation, cost efficiency, and reducing latency.

2013-2015

SENIOR DEVOP

GoEuro

Consolidated the existing Puppet infrastructure, optimizing the server landscape to handle high traffic peaks during go-live phase, ensuring site reliability even under heavy load. Trained the team to manage infrastructure as code (IaC) independently, empowering them to maintain and scale the infrastructure efficiently.

2013-2014

SENIOR DEVOP

MTV Networks / Viacom

Enhanced the DevOps team’s efficiency by optimizing infrastructure automation and deployment processes.

2012-2013

SENIOR DEVOP

moviepilot.com

Directed the greenfield setup and ongoing operations of a major mobile entertainment platform. Early adopter of CI/CD pipelines and Docker hosting, significantly improving deployment efficiency.

2012-2015

SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER

APERTO AG

Supported the consolidation of a large number of project-specific servers using Puppet management. Assisted in the migration to a new virtual machine management infrastructure, enabling significant cost reductions through in-house hosting solutions.

2010-2012

SENIOR DEVOP

moviepilot.de

Oversaw the greenfield setup and operation of one of Germany’s leading entertainment platforms. Initially focused on cost efficiency and delivery speed, later transitioning to comprehensive operations automation.

2008-2011

Skills

While I’m comfortable working with any tech stack, as the patterns of deployment, configuration, security, and optimization often repeat, there is a set of technologies I’ve worked with extensively. The following excerpt provides insight into the tools I feel confident using, though I’m always open to exploring new setups. If you’d like to know more about my experience with a specific stack, feel free to reach out.

Cloud Provider
  • Amazon AWS
  • Cloudflare
  • Cloudinary
  • Digital Ocean
  • Google GCP
  • Microsoft Azure
  • StackIT
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Automation:
  • Ansible
  • CloudFormation
  • Puppet
  • Pulumi
  • Terraform
Containerization & Orchestration:
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Portainer
  • Rancher
CI/CD & GitOps:
  • ArgoCD
  • Azure Devops
  • BitBucket
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Jenkins
Database & Search:
  • Consul
  • Elasticsearch
  • MariaDB
  • MongoDB
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Vault
Monitoring & Search
  • Grafana
  • Graphite
  • Prometheus
  • VictoriaMetrics
Web Servers & Load Balancing:
  • Apache
  • Haproy
  • Nginx
  • Traefik

Testimonials

Throughout the years, I’ve contributed to numerous successful projects. Here’s how some of my valued clients describe our collaboration in their own words:

Frank Bewersdorff

VP of Engineering @ ResearchGate

Caspar was instrumental in several infrastructure projects, from modernizing our Puppet-managed infrastructure to guiding our transition to a Kubernetes-based system.His expertise in cloud technologies (GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, ArgoCD) and observability systems, combined with his focus on security and efficiency, significantly enhanced our operational resilience. He also drove key automation initiatives, streamlining our workflows across multiple areas.

BRIAN EGAN

CTO @ Superlist

Caspar worked with our team at Superlist to understand our needs and build a secure, cost-effective infrastructure. Thanks to his contributions, it’s easy for our team to focus on what we’re best at: building a fantastic application.

MATTHIAS JUGEL

CTO @ uBirch

»Caspar was instrumental in our transition to a modern Kubernetes stack, guiding us through cloud provider evaluation and selection. He optimized our large Elasticsearch cluster for stability and cost efficiency. When our DevOps team lead role needed urgent filling during a crucial Covid certification phase, Caspar stepped up, ensuring the project ran smoothly on a robust, fast, and secure infrastructure.«

CHRISTOPH TAVAN

CTO @ mbr targeting

»Caspar designed a highly cost-optimized and fast infrastructure for us, leveraging Puppet, GitOps and web server performance optimizations. Thanks to his expertise the company adopted Infrastructure-as-Code methodologies at a time where this wasn’t yet common in the industry, and the setup combined with Caspar’s comprehensive training of the engineering team ultimately enabled our startup to scale our infrastructure by several orders of magnitude in the years that followed.«

HANS HÜBNER

CTO @ LambdaWerk

»Caspar built a cost-optimized and robust infrastructure using Puppet and GitOps, and set up a secure Cloudformation-managed AWS environment with HIPAA-compliant data processing. His expertise in automation and security was matched by his ability to train our team to manage the infrastructure independently.”«

BEN KUBOTA

CTO @ moviepilot.com

»Caspar led the greenfield setup of a major entertainment platform, driving cost efficiency, automation, and fast delivery. He took over team leadership during a critical phase, guiding the development of a mobile-focused platform that ranked in the top ten in the US.«