Patrick Wettmann

Cybersecurity & Data Protection Officer & Data Center Architect

CIRAS Directorate for Digital Infrastructure – DDI

Key Contributions and Expertise:

Mechanical Engineering and System Programming: Patrick’s specialization in SPS and CNC programming allows him to develop highly efficient and innovative IoT systems tailored to industry-specific needs.
Proficiency in Programming Languages: Mastery in programming languages such as C, C++, Python, PHP, and Java underpins his ability to develop versatile and scalable software solutions.
Web 3.0 and Blockchain Expertise: Patrick’s deep understanding of Web 3.0 and blockchain technology positions CIRAS at the forefront of decentralized systems and secure digital environments.
Cybersecurity Leadership: With extensive experience as a system and network administrator, Patrick focuses on creating secure IT infrastructures that safeguard CIRAS’s critical operations and data.
Hardware and Software Integration: His ability to manage complex systems ensures seamless operation across hardware and software platforms, supporting CIRAS’s research and development initiatives.

Core Competencies (Standards-Oriented)

Data Center Systems Architect — Standards-Aligned Profile

Data Center Systems Architect with extensive hands-on experience in the design, implementation, and operation of mission-critical data center facilities in accordance with ISO / IEC standards, Uptime Institute Tier requirements, and EN 50600 guidelines.

Specialized in Tier III and Tier IV aligned architectures and end-to-end data center system design, covering power supply systems, cooling and environmental control, network infrastructure, IT systems, physical security, and operational processes, with full consideration of availability classes, redundancy, maintainability, and fault tolerance.

Demonstrated expertise in the integration of electrical, mechanical, and IT infrastructure systems, with a primary focus on:

• Elimination of single points of failure (SPOF)
• Failure-domain isolation
• Predictable and deterministic failure behavior
• Continuous availability during maintenance activities
• Operational resilience under defined design conditions

Experienced in both greenfield and brownfield deployments, including retrofit and modernization of operational facilities, carrier-neutral and edge data center environments, and the design of resilient infrastructures under real-world operational, regulatory, and environmental constraints.

Data Center Architecture & Availability

• Tier III / Tier IV aligned design (Uptime Institute)
• EN 50600 availability classes and redundancy concepts
• Redundancy models (N+1, 2N, 2N+1)
• Failure-domain definition and segregation
• White space zoning and compartmentalization
• Scalability, modular expansion, retrofit, and modernization

Power Supply & Electrical Infrastructure

• Electrical topology design in compliance with EN 50600-2-2 and ISO / IEC requirements
• UPS architectures and battery systems (centralized / distributed)
• Battery management systems and autonomy verification
• A/B power path segregation
• Generator systems, fuel autonomy, and load acceptance testing
• Power distribution units (PDUs), busbar trunking systems, and energy efficiency optimization

Cooling & Environmental Control

• Cooling system design in accordance with EN 50600-2-3
• Hot-aisle and cold-aisle containment strategies
• Thermal zoning and airflow management
• Room pressurization and contamination control
• Sensor-based environmental monitoring and alarm management
• Failure-tolerant cooling architectures supporting concurrent maintainability

Network & Connectivity Infrastructure

• Carrier-neutral data center and edge architecture design
• Network redundancy and path diversity
• BGP (eBGP / iBGP) routing architectures
• Spine-leaf network topologies
• Out-of-band (OOB) management network segregation
• Optical and copper cabling systems compliant with structured cabling standards

IT Systems, Virtualization & Storage

• Linux and BSD operating systems
• Virtualization platforms (VMware ESXi, KVM)
• Containerized workloads and orchestration platforms
• Enterprise storage systems (TrueNAS, Ceph, NetApp)
• SAS and Fibre Channel storage fabrics
• Alignment of IT system architecture with facility availability objectives

Monitoring, OOB & Physical Security

• Serial console and OOB management systems
• SNMP-based and embedded infrastructure monitoring
• Alarm escalation and event correlation
• Physical security zoning and access control
• Fire detection, early smoke detection (VESDA), and gas-based fire suppression systems

Design & Operational Principles (Compliance-Driven)

• Comprehensive documentation is an integral component of system design, validation, and audit readiness
• Availability is engineered and verified, not assumed
• Concurrent maintainability is a mandatory design requirement
• Failure modes and recovery behavior are deterministic and documented
• Operational procedures are derived from the architecture, not used to compensate for design gaps

Impact at CIRAS:

Patrick’s expertise is instrumental in ensuring CIRAS operates with state-of-the-art IT systems that enable secure, efficient, and innovative research across 12 key sectors. His leadership in cybersecurity and blockchain development is particularly vital in advancing CIRAS’s initiatives in decentralized governance, smart infrastructure, and digital transformation.
Through his strategic management of IT infrastructure, Patrick ensures CIRAS remains a global leader in technological excellence, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration and transformative solutions for the challenges of the 21st century. His technical versatility and forward-thinking approach align with CIRAS’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global impact.