Building a Production Multi-Cloud Cluster Platform
Evolving compositions into a unified, tested, and reliable production platform configuration.
Read part 10 →
available for freelance SRE & DevOps consulting
Marouan Chakran | Freelance SRE & DevOps Consultant
I build the platform layer between cloud chaos and developer speed.
I help engineering teams turn fragile Kubernetes and cloud setups into reliable internal developer platforms. As a freelance SRE and DevOps consultant, I build custom platform systems for teams outgrowing scripts, tickets, and tribal knowledge.
// focus :: Kubernetes, Crossplane, GitOps, SRE, Observability, IDPs
kind: TeamPlatform
spec:
appDelivery:
path: git push to production
guardrails: built in
ownership: clear
infrastructure:
clusters: kubernetes
cloud: gcp, aws, azure
provisioning: crossplane
operations:
deploy: gitops
observe: metrics, logs, traces
secure: secrets, tls, identity
status:
manualWork: reduced
deliverySpeed: faster
platformConfidence: higher
I fix platforms that grew from:
scripts
tickets
tribal knowledge
fragile clusters
cloud console changes
copy pasted Helm values
into:
platform APIs
golden paths
GitOps workflows
reusable compositions
observable services
safer developer self service
// problem_spaces
Solving SRE & DevOps complexity for cloud native teams
01_friction
Your platform slows down teams
Most platform problems are not Kubernetes problems. They are ownership, delivery, reliability, and abstraction problems. I design internal developer platforms that reduce repeated setup, unclear boundaries, and painful release paths.
02_manual_ops
Your infrastructure is too manual
Teams spend too much time managing clouds through consoles, manual scripts, or rigid Terraform setups. I build Crossplane based workflows that make infrastructure repeatable, reviewable, and safer under GitOps control.
03_fragile_runtime
Kubernetes works, until it doesn't
When scale hits or incidents occur, teams lack operational clarity. I help teams strengthen cluster reliability, configure production-grade observability stacks, establish service level objectives, and prepare runbooks.
// case_studies
Platform foundations in practice
system_compose
Crossplane Platform Foundations
Designed and built reusable infrastructure compositions for multi-cloud platform teams. Abstracted raw cloud assets into unified developer APIs.
delivery_model
GitOps Delivery Model
Standardized application and infrastructure delivery pipelines across multiple clusters using ArgoCD, Flux, Helm, and secure RBAC boundaries.
telemetry_stack
Observability & SRE Stack
Built metrics, logs, traces, custom dashboards, alert routing, and runbooks for core platforms to secure high-traffic production workloads.
// core_services
SRE, DevOps & platform consulting services
1. Internal Developer Platforms
Designing self-service golden paths to reduce developer cognitive load and speed up cycle times securely.
2. Crossplane Adoption
Building clean XRD compositions and cloud provider integrations to replace legacy manual scripts.
3. Kubernetes Reliability
Hardening configurations, validating cluster security, tuning autoscalers, and optimizing runtimes.
4. GitOps Delivery
Automating application updates and infrastructure reconciliations using ArgoCD or Flux workflows.
5. Observability & SRE Foundations
Establishing clear SLOs, metrics dashboards, structured logging pipelines, and on-call alerting rules.
6. Cloud Migration Planning
Mapping dependencies, defining hybrid target architectures, and planning low-downtime database migrations.
// professional_log
Career history
Sr. Site Reliability Engineer
@ InstaDeep / BioNTech
Oct 2023 - Present
Internal Developer Platform architect focused on cluster reliability, automated infrastructure delivery, and developer enablement.
- Designed and operated multi-cloud Kubernetes clusters supporting machine learning research teams
- Standardized delivery pipelines across environments using declarative GitOps models
- Created Crossplane compositions to abstract cloud resources, reducing onboarding friction
- Improved site reliability through service level indicators, dashboard suites, and pager runbooks
DevOps Engineer
@ Blocs & Compagnie
May 2022 - Oct 2023
Managed multi-cloud cluster systems and deployed centralized logging, tracing, and metric stacks.
- Built unified observability platform covering multiple production applications
- Hardened access controls and secrets management processes using HashiCorp Vault
- Optimized container runtimes and automated build processes
Kubernetes Expert & Referent
@ Société Générale
Nov 2021 - May 2022
Technical referent overseeing production Kubernetes foundations for financial services.
- Maintained core cluster operations prioritizing security constraints and high availability
- Refined incident management workflows and on-call response expectations
- Documented post-incident reviews to strengthen operational processes
Deployment Engineer
@ Sagemcom
Sep 2019 - Aug 2021
Led early containerization efforts and packaging models for legacy service migrations.
- Packaged applications inside containers, replacing manual setup files
- Designed Helm packages and deployment triggers using ArgoCD
- Managed local physical servers, storage pools, and basic networking assets
// latest_writing
Crossplane Python Functions Series
Importing Existing Infrastructure
Evolving brownfield cloud resources securely into Crossplane declarative models.
Read part 9 →Building CI/CD Pipelines for Functions
Automating tests, linting, packaging, and OCI image updates for custom compositions.
Read part 8 →// credentials
Education & Certifications
certification
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
Linux Foundation / CNCF
License: LF-svrxqtbxri • Oct 2021
Verify credential →
degree
Computer Science Engineering Degree
Sorbonne Paris-Nord University
Sep 2017 - 2021
// communications
Let's solve platform chaos
Reach out to discuss SRE consulting, DevOps freelancing, Crossplane compositions, or cluster stability audits.
Engagements are scoped on a consulting basis. Typical initial reply: 1-2 business days.