Identity + Apple · SkyCity
Apple Account Federation with Entra ID
At SkyCity, I rolled out federation to simplify sign-ins for managed Apple users and reduce the friction around Apple IDs.
- Cut login-related tickets from Apple users by 40%.
Oliver Giess
Senior modern workplace engineer specialising in Intune, Entra ID and Apple devices.
I'm based in Auckland and Microsoft-certified, with more than ten years in IT across New Zealand and Germany. I've been working with Intune since 2019, starting on the support side, and I'm most at home where identity, devices, security baselines and the everyday user experience all have to work together.
Intune and Autopilot
Entra ID and Conditional Access
macOS, iOS and Apple Business Manager
AVD, PowerShell and Graph API
Selected work
Four pieces of work, and what changed because of them.
From my time at SkyCity and NTT.
Deployment · SkyCity
Autopilot rollout for an overseas office
I designed and delivered SkyCity's first Autopilot deployment, for an overseas office, so new devices could be set up without local IT handling each one.
- Reduced setup time and manual touch points.
- Left a repeatable path for later rollouts.
Mac management · NTT
Jamf to Intune migration support
At NTT, I helped move the macOS fleet from Jamf to Intune, bringing its policy and enrolment into line with the rest of the Microsoft 365 setup.
- Reduced licensing costs.
Operations · NTT
Supporting Air New Zealand's 6,000+ endpoint estate
Through NTT, I provided Level 3 support for Air New Zealand, including MECM application deployment, AVD and high-criticality Citrix.
- Supported 200+ applications and internal services.
- Deployed applications with MECM across 20+ locations worldwide.
- Worked with client stakeholders to improve incident handling and ticket triage.
Core expertise
The platforms and problem areas I keep coming back to.
The tools I've used hands-on in my day jobs, grouped by what they're for.
Identity & Access
Device Management
Automation
Platform
10+
Years in IT across New Zealand and Germany, in Microsoft-heavy enterprise environments since 2018
7,200+
Windows endpoints supported across NTT, Air New Zealand and SkyCity environments
40%
Fewer login-related tickets from Apple users at SkyCity after I federated Apple accounts with Entra ID
Experience
Where the experience comes from
A mix of internal enterprise roles, project delivery and hands-on platform support across New Zealand and Germany.
Vector, Auckland
Senior Digital Workplace Engineer
I specialise in Intune and endpoint management, and work across the wider Microsoft 365 platform.
SkyCity Entertainment Group, Auckland
Technical Specialist – EUC
Level 3 and 4 end-user support and cloud device management: enrolment, security policies and updates through Intune, plus Apple device management.
- Cut login-related tickets from Apple users by 40% through Apple Account Federation with Entra ID.
- Designed and delivered the company's first Autopilot deployment, for an overseas office.
- Automated Microsoft Teams Rooms firmware management with Crestron XIO.
- Kept the AVD platform patched and stable.
- Led training for support teams on emerging cloud technologies.
NTT, Auckland
Professional Services Specialist, Modern Desktop Jan to Oct 2023
System Engineer Aug 2021 to Jan 2023
Level 3 support for Air New Zealand across 6,000+ endpoints and 200+ applications, then enterprise client implementations in professional services.
- Cut device setup time by 50% with automated Windows 11 and Autopilot deployment.
- Helped migrate the macOS fleet from Jamf to Intune, reducing licensing costs.
- Standardised endpoint configurations to improve security compliance.
- Supported the AVD platform using Nerdio, including patching.
- Deployed applications with MECM and worked on DP/PXE for a fleet across 20+ locations worldwide.
- Supported high-criticality Citrix (PVS/MCS) and hybrid Exchange with Veritas Vault and litigation hold.
- Supported 200 macOS devices enrolled in Intune through DEP.
Dunedin, Queenstown and Frankfurt
MISUMI Europa · Triton Partners · Dimension Data · HeadQuarters N.D.C. · Southern Institute of Technology
Support and infrastructure roles
- IT Specialist, MISUMI Europa, Frankfurt, 2020 to 2021: 1st to 3rd line support for a mechanical components company, with Server 2016, AD, SharePoint Online, Teams and SentinelOne admin.
- IT Support Specialist, Triton Partners, Frankfurt, 2019 to 2020: 1st and 2nd line support for an investment firm, supporting Intune-managed devices, with SCCM, Apple device management, O365 and Mimecast admin.
- Desktop Support Engineer, Dimension Data, Dunedin, 2018 to 2019: desktop support and Windows environment management for Contact Energy, with Server 2008/2012, Exchange 2010, O365, SCCM and VMware ESX.
- IT Service Technician, HeadQuarters N.D.C., Dunedin, 2015 to 2017: looked after 200+ client PCs and 10+ servers with ConnectWise Automate, plus L1/L2 support, networking and cabling.
- IT Support Specialist (part-time), Southern Institute of Technology, Queenstown, 2015 to 2016.
About
How I got here, and what I care about.
I'm an Auckland-based workplace engineer, originally from Germany. Most of my recent work sits at the overlap of Microsoft 365, Intune and Apple device management, the stuff that keeps identity, devices and policy working together without users noticing.
I'm most interested in the practical end of this: cleaner endpoint standards, stronger identity controls, better Apple and Microsoft integration, and automation that actually removes admin work instead of adding another layer to manage.
Most of my automation is PowerShell and Graph API, scripting the repetitive parts of identity and device management so nobody has to do them by hand. I'm curious about where AI fits into that. I'm less interested in the hype than in whether it can take real, repetitive work out of managing large environments.
I came to IT the long way, through a professional cooking apprenticeship in Frankfurt and then hospitality, before studying IT at Southern Institute of Technology. One thing carried over: passing on what I know to new people, which I did again at SkyCity when I led training for support teams.
Say hello
If you work in modern workplace, endpoint or Microsoft 365 and want to swap ideas or compare notes, send me an email. I usually reply within a day or two.