$ cat about.md

Hi, I’m Christoph.

Senior Cloud Architect at SoftwareOne with more than 20 years in IT, fully focused on Microsoft Azure since 2019. In 2025, Microsoft awarded me the MVP for Azure Networking.

My focus areas are Azure networking, governance and Infrastructure as Code. I design and implement cloud infrastructure for enterprise customers, preferably with Bicep or Terraform: routing, DNS, firewalls, Private Endpoints, landing zones and everything in between.

And I share what I learn: here, at community events and on GitHub, where I build open-source tooling for Azure networking such as az-firewall-watch. Mostly so that future me can find it again.

Before the cloud, I spent over a decade building for the web: first web applications on the LAMP stack, then intranets on SharePoint and Microsoft 365.

Connect on LinkedIn GitHub Speaking

Selfie of Christoph Vollmann by the water, smiling into the camera

What I work on

Azure Networking

Hub & spoke, routing, DNS, Azure Firewall, ExpressRoute, Private Endpoints and outbound connectivity. Spoiler: it’s DNS.

Landing Zones & Governance

Cloud Adoption Framework, Azure Policy and cost management, for platforms that stay manageable as they grow. Because “it grew historically” is not an architecture.

Infrastructure as Code

Bicep, Terraform and Azure Verified Modules, shipped through pipelines. ClickOps is fine. Once.

Open-source tooling

Small tools for Azure networking, like az-firewall-watch. Built because I needed them, shared because you might too.

How I got here

$ git log --oneline career

2003Developer by trainingBusiness and IT school, then a three-year apprenticeship as an application developer.
2009Self-employedMy own business: web applications on the LAMP stack and SEO consulting.
2012Deep in SharePointIntranets and Microsoft 365, from developer to consultant to technical lead. Played the SharePoint game all the way through.
2019Hello, AzureFirst Azure projects, full time from 2020: governance, Infrastructure as Code and networks that have to hold up. Mostly they do.
2025Microsoft MVP, Azure NetworkingFor talks and open-source contributions to Azure Verified Modules.
nowSenior Cloud Architect at SoftwareOneBack where the Azure journey started. Not a loop, just idempotent.

Show the full logBack to the short version--verbose--oneline

$ git log --verbose career

2003 to 2005Vocational school: business and ITWirtschaftsassistent für Informationsverarbeitung, Bildungswerk R. WellingTwo years of business and IT basics before going all in on code.
2005 to 2008Apprenticeship: software developerFachinformatiker für Anwendungsentwicklung, cubeofficeThe German IT apprenticeship: software development in a real company from day one.
Aug 2009 to Jun 2012Self-employed IT consultant and developercarex studiosWeb applications on the LAMP stack and SEO consulting for creative clients.
Jul 2012 to Jan 2015Senior SharePoint ConsultantLINTRA Solutions, MagdeburgHighly customized SharePoint intranets.
Feb 2015 to Sep 2017SharePoint ConsultantCOMPAREXMicrosoft 365 and SharePoint projects. The posts from that time live on in the SharePoint archive.
Oct 2017 to Dec 2019Managing Consultant, technical team leadCOMPAREX / SoftwareOne, LeipzigTechnical lead of the Collaboration team: Microsoft 365, SharePoint, first Azure projects and presales.
Jan 2020 to Jan 2024Cloud Architect & Senior ConsultantSoftwareOneAzure full time: cloud governance, Infrastructure as Code and complex network architectures.
Feb 2024 to Nov 2025Managing Consultant, Cloud Architect & EngineerCampana & SchottService owner for Azure platform services, data and AI platforms, regulated industries, Terraform and global network architectures.
2025Microsoft MVP, Azure NetworkingMicrosoft MVP ProgramFor conference talks and open-source contributions to Azure Verified Modules, mostly around networking.
since Dec 2025Senior Cloud ArchitectSoftwareOne, againBack where the Azure journey started.