Hello, I’m Gerard.#
I am a Cloud Engineer with over 15 years of experience architecting, building, and operating infrastructure at scale. I currently work as a Cloud Engineer Consultant at Riverflow Enterprises, LLC, where I help organizations design and implement cloud-native solutions. Previously, I was a Google Cloud Engineer at Google Cloud, a Cloud Operations Manager/Engineer at Total Wine & More, and a Systems Architect/Engineer at the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
I specialize in the cloud infrastructure and platform engineering space — Kubernetes, cloud networking, CI/CD pipelines, and everything in between. My work spans the full stack of cloud operations: from designing hybrid-cloud networks and managing multi-cloud identity federation, to deploying production-grade Kubernetes clusters and building scalable document processing pipelines on Google Cloud.
About This Blog#
This site is where I document what I learn. Each post is a technical guide rooted in real-world experience — the kind of thing I wish I had found when I was working through a problem myself. You will find deep dives on topics like:
- Kubernetes — cluster lifecycle, CNI configuration, ingress, service mesh
- Cloud Platforms — Google Cloud, workload identity, federation, Document AI
- Homelab Infrastructure — Proxmox, Talos Linux, Cilium, BGP, GitLab runners
- Security & Identity — OIDC federation, workload identities, certificate management
- Automation — Infrastructure as Code, Docker, CI/CD pipelines
All of the configurations, manifests, and commands on this site have been tested in live environments — either in production or in my homelab.
Approach#
I believe infrastructure should be:
- Reproducible — if you cannot automate it, you do not own it
- Observable — if you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it
- Minimal — every component should justify its existence
- Secure by default — shift-left on security, not afterthought
Outside of Work#
When I am not deep in a terminal session, you can find me capturing moments through my lens, exploring new places, or indulging in local culinary delights. I’m also an avid cyclist, aviation enthusiast, and a firm believer in financial literacy.
Want to connect or collaborate? Find me on LinkedIn or reach out via the links throughout this site.