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Hi, I am Cristian

Cristian.co.nz

Director at CLVR Cloud

I am a Software Engineer.

I specialize on building Cloud Native Software using OpenSource tools.

I also like to play with IoT devices: ESP32, Raspberry Pi’s, Arduinos, RGB LEDs, Teensy and Software Define Radios.

This blog is a placeholder for my tech experiments.

Leadership 😀
Team Work ⛏️
Mate Drinker 🧉
Funny 😅
Gamer 🎮
Inventor 💡

Skills

Projects

HomeLab Network
HomeLab Network
Network Admin Jun 2021 - Present

I am currently using Unifi Devices. This allows me to get LAN Aggregation, IPV6, VLANs, DPI, IDS+IPS, a proper Firewall/VPN and ZeroTrust

Kubernetes VR
Kubernetes VR
Inventor Jun 2021 - Present

I’ve developer a Virtual Reality experience to explain basic Kubernetes concepts with VR.

K8S Cluster
K8S Cluster
Kubernetes Admin Jun 2021 - Present

I am running a local Kubernetes Cluster where I host several applications. My favorites are: Portainer, Bitwarden, Node-Red, VSCODE, CALIBRE and GLANCES

Dollar Exporter
Dollar Exporter
Inventor Jun 2024 - Present

This is a prometheus compatible container that exposes the currency rate for the Argentinian Peso against both NZD and USD.

Home Automation
Home Automation
Owner Jun 2021 - Present

Currently using Home Assistant connected to ESP32s running ESPHOME, Nanoleaf Lights, Kasa, and some WLED installs

IoT
IoT
Hacker Jun 2021 - Present

I am using ESP32, with several sensors for Humidity, Temperature, Light, Air Quality and Presence.

Experiences

1
Lead Cloud Engineer
Vibrant Planet

Mar 2024 - Present, Fully Remote

Vibrant Planet is a climate-tech startup focused on leveraging data science and geospatial analytics to enable sustainable land management and wildfire resilience.

Responsibilities:
  • Design and maintain Kubernetes infrastructure to run Kubeflow (deploykf) and Ray (ray.io).
  • Lead the implementation of GitOps workflows with ArgoCD and Terraform.
  • Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines for data science and platform engineering teams.
  • Integrate cost-optimization tools (e.g., Infracost, resource tagging)
  • Implement logging, monitoring, and alerting using Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki across environments.
  • Lead the implementation of SweetOps, Atmos and OpenTofu as an Infrastructure as Code framework.

Founder and Principal Consultant
CLVR Cloud

Feb 2019 - Present, Wellington - New Zealand

CLVR is a team of cloud, site reliability and software engineers that came together after seeing the challenges that companies face when they build and create new applications. We provide DevOps, Cloud and Software Development expertise to startups, small and medium companies around the globe.

Responsibilities:
  • Building a Cloud Native Development team
2

3
Software Developer
Other Companies

Jan 2006 - Dec 2019, Argentina and New Zealand

Over the course of 15+ years, I built a strong foundation across software engineering, QA automation, and DevOps — gradually transitioning into cloud-native infrastructure and site reliability engineering. I’ve held positions in public and private sectors, including leadership and consulting roles, working with startups, enterprise clients, and space-related research institutions. My work spanned embedded systems, mobile QA, cloud migrations, and building infrastructure for satellite mission support systems.

Responsibilities:
  • Led DevOps transformations across organizations by introducing CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and container orchestration with Kubernetes.
  • Engineered cloud infrastructure on AWS and GCP, managing migrations, high-availability setups, and security best practices.
  • Automated testing and QA workflows using BDD/TDD methodologies and frameworks for mobile, backend, and embedded systems.
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with development, QA, and data teams to deliver scalable, resilient, and observable platforms.