DE

René Kreisbeck

Messaging infrastructure across on-premises and cloud

Connect systems. Automate processes. Reduce complexity.

Delivery with technical depth: from architecture down to the details of day-to-day operations.

30+ years in IT
20+ years self-employed
Financial sector
& enterprise
Get in touch

Focus areas

Messaging & Collaboration · AI as a tool · Projects

Messaging & Collaboration

Exchange, messaging and Microsoft 365 form the core of my technical work — on-premises, hybrid and in the cloud, with an eye on operational reliability and compliance.

  • Migration & operations: Architecture, migration and operational tuning for hybrid environments and Exchange Online
  • Mailflow & routing: Connectors, transport rules and application relays across hybrid boundaries, connected to Entra ID and Microsoft Graph
  • Security & compliance: Mailflow protection, email encryption as well as retention and eDiscovery with Microsoft Purview
  • Automation: Provisioning, reporting and system integration with PowerShell and the Exchange and Graph modules
SMTP Relay Apps & devices Exchange Server On-Premises Active Directory Enterprise App S/MIME Gateway Exchange Online Microsoft 365 Entra ID Identity Defender for Office 365 Purview Compliance hybrid Graph API Sync AUTOMATION

AI as a tool

For me, AI is a tool, not a buzzword: agents analyse environments and code, create scripts, tests and prototypes, and take over routine tasks — with results that are traceable and reviewed.

  • AI agents & integration: Custom agent skills and structured AI workflows with models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google
  • Quality assurance: Test design and test automation with Pester for PowerShell modules and scripts
  • Prototyping & simulation: Interactive prototypes and visualisations to validate technical concepts early
  • System optimisation: Code analysis and refactoring to keep scripts and automation maintainable
Trigger / event AI agent plan · execute · verify Action / report AI models cloud · local Skills & tools PowerShell · Graph · Pester back uses traceable & verified

Projects of recent years

The common thread: email systems, archives & security across the entire lifecycle — from planning to decommissioning.

  • Exchange transformation: Building, operating and evolving Exchange environments — from classic on-premises platforms through hybrid scenarios to full migration to Exchange Online.
  • Cloud mail platform & security: Moving email routing, spam and malware protection and security functions from classic on-premises components to Exchange Online Protection, Microsoft Defender and Purview.
  • Archive modernisation: Migrating historical enterprise archives (Veritas Enterprise Vault) into Microsoft 365 and Purview retention — including data transfer, archive strategy and orderly decommissioning of the legacy systems.
  • Domino replacement: Introducing Microsoft Exchange and fully replacing IBM Domino as the central messaging platform in an enterprise environment.
  • Mobile workplace: Migrating BlackBerry-based mobile devices to iOS with Microsoft Intune and Outlook Mobile as a modern platform for mobile work.
  • Automation & operational tuning: Developing PowerShell- and Microsoft Graph-based automation for provisioning, offboarding, reporting, compliance tasks and day-to-day operations.
ON-PREMISES MICROSOFT CLOUD IBM Domino Exchange Server Security gateways Enterprise Vault BlackBerry Exchange Online Defender · EOP Microsoft Purview Intune + Outlook Mobile RETIRED AFTER MIGRATION
DATA SOURCES Active Directory Exchange On-Prem Exchange Online Entra ID PowerShell Report Email READ · WRITE BACK

About me

Experience & context · How I work · Daily tech · Professional foundation

Experience & context

I have worked with IT systems for over 30 years — focused on email and collaboration from the very start.

For more than 20 years I have been managing director of Kreisbeck Consulting GmbH — my longest client relationship now spans 19 years.

The hands-on work takes place mainly in the financial sector and in complex enterprise environments — where regulatory frameworks such as DORA and MaRisk shape IT operations.

Portrait of René Kreisbeck 30+ years IT SYSTEMS 20+ years MANAGING DIRECTOR today FINANCE · ENTERPRISE

How I work

Good solutions must not only work technically; they also have to be understandable in operation and sustainable over the long term.

  • Connect: Integrate systems instead of running isolated point solutions side by side
  • Automate: Standardise recurring processes and reduce sources of error
  • Take up input: Implement client requirements without creating hard-to-maintain special cases
  • Question: Review established approaches, even when they have run that way for years
NOT INSTEAD Isolated solutions Connect systems integrated Manual work Automate fewer sources of error Special cases Take up input maintainable “Always done this way” Question continuously evolved SUSTAINABLE IN OPERATION

Daily tech

These tools are in daily use – in client environments as well as in my own test lab.

  • Microsoft 365, Exchange Online and on-premises, Teams, SharePoint, Entra ID, Defender and Purview
  • PowerShell and .NET, Pester, Microsoft Graph API, Git and VS Code
  • Jira, Xray, Confluence and ServiceNow for work management, testing, documentation and fulfilment
  • Agentic coding and AI workflows with current models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google
  • Containerised test and automation lab with Docker, Linux, NGINX, Postfix and n8n — plus a dedicated Microsoft 365 tenant for testing and feature evaluation
Platform Microsoft 365 Exchange Entra ID Defender Purview Enterprise Jira Xray Confluence ServiceNow Test lab Docker · Linux NGINX Postfix M365 tenant AutomationPowerShell · Graph · n8n AI workflowsTesting · Refactoring · Optimisation

Professional foundation

A degree and certifications complement the hands-on experience with methodological and technical perspectives.

IT degree
Diplom-Wirtschaftsinformatiker (FH) — German degree in business informatics
Project management
Scrum Master · Product Owner · DeveloperPrince2 Practitioner 2009
Method & quality
ITIL V3/V4IREB Requirements EngineeringCOBIT FoundationISTQB Certified Tester
Technology
Dual IBM/Lotus Principal Certified Professional (Domino R4–R8)
IT degree Project mgmt Method & quality Technology PRACTICE · 30+ YEARS

Contact

Email · Phone · LinkedIn

Email info@kreisbeck.de Detailed profile available on request Phone 0152 56 36 37 26 LinkedIn René Kreisbeck
Availability On request remote-first (90–100%)

Preserve what works. Understand what's new. Put progress to use.