I am an advisor, not a contractor — I think in ecosystems, not in isolated solutions.

I turn complex cloud technology into clear decisions for your digital workplace. Vendor-independent and traceable.

Sofiane Salmi — IT-Strategie & Enterprise Architecture
10+ years in enterprise IT

My interest in connected systems started early — just not in IT.

What brought me to computing was a fascination with connected systems — with how hundreds of control units, sensors and bus systems in a car become one working whole. With how software and hardware have to speak a common language so that in the end someone gets in and simply drives off.

I carried that logic into IT — and found that modern cars and enterprise IT have more in common today than is visible at first glance:

I have worked in IT for more than ten years — most recently as head of IT at a well-known automotive supplier in the premium segment, where I built an ISO 27001- and TISAX-certified information security management system. Since 2020 I have worked as a solution architect at the interface between the Microsoft cloud, virtual workplaces and enterprise IT.

In that time I have built cloud adoption frameworks for consultancies, played a key part in certifying two German IT system houses as Azure Expert MSP and for the Microsoft Advanced Specialization Azure Virtual Desktop, developed sovereign cloud strategies (IONOS, STACKIT, oneclick) and taken projects from the first strategy slide through to production.

The roles that shaped the work I do today.

Since Aug 2026

Sr. Cloud Solution Architect — CSA Global Delivery Organisation

Full time · hybrid. The CSA Global Delivery Organization brings together Microsoft cloud solution architects and partner cloud solution architects to guide enterprise customers through their cloud and AI modernisation. The team relies on standardised processes, scalable delivery models and close partner collaboration to make transformation successful and trustworthy.

I support enterprise customers through their cloud and AI transformation as a strategic advisor and technical architect, focusing on Azure, hybrid cloud, modern workplace, governance, security and enterprise architecture — with the aim of enabling lasting business outcomes and successful modernisation projects.

Nov 2022 – Sep 2025

Solution architect — Microsoft Azure & Microsoft 365

A leading German IT system house, professional services. Strategic advice, target architectures, concepts and delivery governance for customers from mid-market to enterprise. Focus: enterprise architecture (TOGAF), AVD, Windows 365, Citrix Cloud, managed services with Nerdio, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, landing zones, Azure security and Microsoft funding.

Feb 2020 – Oct 2022

Solution architect — Microsoft cloud & modern desktop

A consultancy specialising in the Microsoft cloud. Built an in-house cloud adoption framework, a security framework and economic standards (ROI/TCO). End-to-end Azure landing zones, DaaS, multi-tenant architectures, DevOps and infrastructure as code (Terraform, ARM, Azure DevOps).

Mar 2017 – Oct 2019

Head of IT — well-known automotive supplier (premium manufacturer)

Overall responsibility for IT operations, IT strategy and IT security across several sites. Leading a team of seven, managing external service providers and advising the management board on all IT matters. Built and certified an information security management system to ISO 27001 and TISAX, including IT audits, risk assessments and management reviews. Cost management, awareness and training programmes, and the introduction of forward-looking technologies (among them Office 365/Teams, MFA, Sophos security, Intune MDM and a Windows 10 rollout).

Jul 2015 – Feb 2017

System engineer — well-known automotive supplier (premium manufacturer)

Developing and monitoring the IT infrastructure and keeping a Windows Server and Citrix VDI environment running smoothly. Planning and implementing network concepts and network segmentation. Building and commissioning new sites to ISO 27001 requirements, including firewall replacement and encrypted site-to-site connectivity. Designing backup, recovery and disaster recovery processes. Introducing an IT ticketing system, integrating Microsoft Dynamic Access Control and modelling processes (ADONIS).

I advise where workplace decisions outlast a budget cycle.

My clients are IT leaders in mid-market and enterprise organisations facing decisions that cannot be undone in a week. I accompany them from the first strategic question through to production.

Azure Virtual Desktop
Windows 365 / Cloud PC
Citrix Cloud on Azure
Microsoft Intune & Endpoint
Azure Landing Zones
Cloud Adoption Framework
Sovereign cloud (IONOS, STACKIT, oneclick)
Microsoft funding & partner strategy
ISO 27001 / TISAX / BSI
I do not deliver mountains of slides. I deliver architectures that work — and decisions that still make sense to explain three years later.

Five reasons clients bring me in.

01

I connect the Microsoft ecosystem.

Azure, Microsoft 365, Intune, Defender, Purview, Sentinel and Entra interlock in my work rather than sitting side by side. Many firms sell these products individually; I think of them as one system.

02

Virtual workplaces are home ground for me.

AVD, Windows 365 and Citrix Cloud are my home arena, not just a chapter in a textbook — including helping shape two Microsoft Advanced Specialization AVD certifications for German system houses.

03

I build landing zones and CAFs that hold.

Not slide architectures but target pictures with governance, naming, tagging, RBAC and a cost model — ones people actually migrate against. Including infrastructure as code (Terraform, ARM, DevOps pipelines).

04

I translate complexity into language that lands in the boardroom.

A good architecture is only good if it can be explained. I deliver TCO and ROI models, decision papers and roadmaps that need no further translation.

05

I know both sides — IT leadership and architecture.

As a former head of IT, I know what has to work day to day. As an architect, I know how to build it cleanly. That prevents designs which cannot be handed to operations on Monday.

The person behind the architecture.

I live with my family near Augsburg. What drives me is not the newest technology but the conviction that good IT is quiet: it works, it does not get in the way, it makes people more productive. And it is built so that it still runs steadily once the people who introduced it have long since moved to other roles or companies — because it is not tied to individual holders of knowledge.

What sets me apart from the classic consultant is the route through IT leadership. I know what it means to be responsible for operations in the morning and to think about architectural decisions shaping the next year in the evening. That has shaped how I advise ever since.

Let us talk about your digital workplace.

If IT strategy, enterprise architecture or virtual workplaces interest you, I welcome the exchange — on LinkedIn, on the blog or by direct message. New posts on the Microsoft cloud, AVD, Windows 365 and Citrix appear every week.