AZURE/Security ARCHITECT

AHMED GONDO

AZURE ARCHITECT AZURE LEAD AZURE DEVOPS ENGINEER

Phone: 817-***-****

Email:ad5qsl@r.postjobfree.com

PROFILE SUMMARY

•Strategic Azure DevOps Engineer offering 25+ years of rich and qualitative experience in IT, including 8+ years as an Azure Cloud Architect, Data and DevOps Engineer.

•Skilled in working in Web Technologies and adept in Azure Cloud Technology entailing DevOps: Azure Architect/System Engineering, network operations and data engineering.

•Demonstrated expertise in design and architecture, strategy & plan, and target solutions for migrating on-premises legacy and cloud-native applications, and databases to Azure cloud and Hybrid environment ensuring smooth migration.

•Possess expertise in cloud infrastructure and application development Azure IaaS/PaaS including development and scaling tools such as Network services, Load Balancer, App Services, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, VMs, VM Scale Sets, Front Door, Cosmos DB, DevOps, Storage (Data Lake, Blob, File), Azure Active Directory.

•Expert in building Azure Landing Zones and developing a foundational infrastructure environment optimized for hosting workloads in Azure.

•Understanding of cloud solutions, specializing in and skilled in leading end-to-end migration projects, designing hybrid solutions, with extensive knowledge of ETL processes, data modeling, and data integration.

•Experience migrating SQL data to Azure Data Lake Storage while transferring data files while preserving their structure and metadata.

•Creating Complex distributed systems involving development of data pipeline, and Analytics, also defining and optimizing the distributed system architecture based on performance metrics, user feedback, and evolving business requirements.

•Skilled in monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana for optimal performance and reliability in Kubernetes and conducted log analysis through integration of Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, and Splunk with CI/CD pipelines

•Diligently configured Azure Virtual Networks (V-Nets), subnets, Azure network settings, AKS service meshes, DHCP address blocks, DNS settings, security policies, and routing in Azure cloud environments & resources using ARM Templates, Bicep

•Involved in executing complex projects, demonstrating critical thinking, communication, and decision-making skills with proficiency in Docker, ACR, and AKS, with expertise in ISTIO service mesh deployment

•A Communicator skilled at working in a team environment along with excellent problem-solving, project management skills possessing critical & creative thinking, presentation, time management, decision-making, and interpersonal skills

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Scripting & Programming Languages: Python, Scala, PowerShell, Bash/Shell, Java, JavaScript, ASP.NET, C#

Cloud Platform: Azure, AWS

Azure Services: Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Web Jobs, Azure Batch, Azure Logic App, Azure Container Services, Azure Container Registry, Azure Kubernetes Services, Virtual Machines, Virtual Machine Scale Set, Azure Bastion Host, Jump Server, Virtual Network Peering, Virtual Private Network, Express Route, Availability Sets, Availability Zones, APIM, Virtual Networks, Regions, Traffic Manager, Application Security, Front Door, Load Balancer, Network Security Group, Application Security Groups, Service Bus, Service and Private Endpoints, Azure Data Factory, Data Lake, Databricks, Azure Synapse, Azure Storage Account, Blob, Containers, Queue, Table, Access Keys, Shared Access Signatures.

Infrastructure Provisioning Tools: Terraform, Azure Resource Manager, Cloud Formation, ARM Template, BICEP

Configuration Management Tools: Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Salt Lake, PowerShell DSC

CI /CD Tools: Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, Gitlab Pipelines

Containerization Tools: Docker, Kubernetes

Source Code Management: GIT, GitHub, Gitlab, Bitbucket, Azure Repos.

Databases: Azure Cosmos DB, Apache Cassandra, SQL Databases, Azure Data Lake, Azure Databricks

Application/Web Servers: Apache Tomcat, NGINX, Internet Information Services (IIS), JBoss 4.1, IBM WebSphere, Oracle WebLogic

Operating Systems: UNIX, Linux, Windows, Ubuntu

Bug Tracking Tools: JIRA, Bugzilla, Remedy, HP Quality Centre

Identity Management: OAuth, Azure Active Directory (AAD), Managed Identity, Service Principal, Azure AD B2C, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Azure Access Policies

DevOps: GitHub, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, YAML, CI/CD Pipelines, Blue-Green Deployment, Canary Deployment, Deployment Slots, SonarQube, ESLint, Cobertura, DotCover, coverage.py

Security: Azure Key Vault, Azure Firewall, Azure Security Center, Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Health Service, Azure Network Monitor, Azure Sentinel

Logging and Monitoring: Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Azure Log Analytics, Nagios, Splunk, ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana), Datadog, Dynatrace, Prometheus, Grafana, AppDynamics, Azure Service Health, Azure Network Monitor

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

August 2022-Present: BNSF Railway, Fort Worth, TX as Azure/Security Architect

Summary: I Led the team to modernize a legacy data warehouse solution at BNSF by migrating it to Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly SQL Data Warehouse). I worked on Azure Data Factory for ETL processes, Azure Data Lake Storage for data storage, and Power BI for advanced analytics and reporting.

•Spearheaded the team to develop Azure solutions catering to diverse cloud models, including on-premises infrastructure, hybrid cloud environments, and Azure public cloud services.

•Led the team to analyse, design, and implement modern data solutions using Azure PaaS services, facilitating advanced visualization of data.

•Crafted robust, secure cloud solutions on Azure with involvement in development of resilient network infrastructures, implementing stringent access controls, fortifying data with advanced encryption protocols, and formulating comprehensive disaster recovery strategies.

•Orchestrated ETL processes using Azure Data Factory, T-SQL, Spark SQL, and U-SQL in Azure Data Lake Analytics.

•Conducted thorough security risk assessments and analyzed potential threats through detailed threat modeling exercises to identify vulnerabilities and security gaps within Azure deployments.

•Evaluated the security posture of existing Azure resources, identifying risks and recommending targeted remedial measures to mitigate risks.

•Successfully ingested data from various source systems into Azure Data Storage services, including Azure Data Lake, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, and Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly SQL Data Warehouse).

•Engineered data transformation processes using Scala and Apache Spark on Azure Databricks, facilitating efficient and scalable data processing capabilities.

•Implemented data models using Scala for data warehousing solutions like Azure Synapse Analytics, ensuring optimal performance and scalability.

•Worked on version control, build, and release management using Azure DevOps/VSTS across development, QA, and production environments, ensuring smooth deployment.

•Designed secure network architectures for Azure Virtual Networks (VNets) and implemented network security controls such as network security groups (NSGs), Azure Firewall, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

•Worked with tools like Visual Studio, Azure Kubernetes Service, Application Insights, and Log Analytics to enhance observability and insights into services, facilitating proactive monitoring and troubleshooting.

•Implemented Azure Site Recovery and Azure Backup solutions for business continuity and data protection with secure communication between Azure services and virtual networks to safeguard sensitive data.

•Bridged Azure Express Route connection for seamless communication between Azure and on-premises data centers, ensuring secure and efficient data exchange.

•Used Terraform and CloudFormation for server provisioning using infrastructure as code principles, streamlining deployment processes and ensuring consistency.

•Configured Azure DevOps pipelines for Helm charts deployment and validation, automating deployment workflows and ensuring consistency across environments.

•Integrated Ansible with Jenkins for automation and continuous integration, designing repeatable deployment workflows to enhance efficiency and reliability.

March 2021-August 2022: Macy’s Inc., New York, NY as Azure/Security Lead

Summary: I led the team to migrate an existing e-commerce platform to Azure, using Azure App Service, Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, and Azure Active Directory for authentication and authorization. Implement Azure DevOps for CI/CD pipelines and monitoring solutions like Azure Monitor and Application Insights.

•Developed comprehensive capacity and architecture plans for migrating the existing e-commerce platform to Azure, optimizing IAAS VMs and PAAS role instances for peak performance and scalability.

•Led the team to develop architecture blueprints, solution designs, and technical specifications for Azure Synapse and Databricks projects, for integration and data processing capabilities.

•Implemented security monitoring and logging solutions to detect and respond to security incidents in Azure environments

•Developed custom data connectors and integrations to extract data from various sources into Azure Data Lake Storage, enabling seamless data ingestion and processing.

•Worked on Azure DevOps for CI/CD automation of data pipelines and infrastructure for development, testing, and deployment processes.

•Used Azure Data Factory, Azure Logic Apps, and other Azure services for data ingestion workflows into Databricks, for smooth data processing and analysis.

•Involved in data transformation processes using Apache Spark on Azure Databricks, using Scala, Python/SQL

•Implemented CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment of Databricks notebooks and jobs, ensuring consistency and reliability in production environments.

•Used Azure Monitoring tools such as Log Analytics and Application Insights for data collection and issue resolution delivering optimal performance and reliability of Azure resources.

•Designed and implemented serverless solutions using Azure Functions and Python, enhancing scalability and cost-effectiveness of application architecture.

•Used Azure DevOps/VSTS for version control, build, release management, and deployments across environments, ensuring seamless collaboration and efficiency in development processes.

•Worked with Docker containers with Kubernetes, managing pods, deployments, scaling, and load balancing for efficient containerized application deployment.

•Configured Azure Express Route for private connections, bridging Azure and on-premises infrastructure, ensuring secure and reliable connectivity.

•Successfully configured Azure Security Center for threat detection, security alerts, and incident response orchestration by building incident response plans and conducting security incident simulations and drills

•Used Azure services including Azure SQL Database, Data Lake, Data Factory, SQL Data Warehouse, and Analysis Service, ensuring optimal utilization and integration of Azure resources.

•Implemented monitoring and alerting using ELK Stack, configuring Logstash and log shippers for data collection, and designing Elasticsearch indices for storage efficiency and compliance.

•Used Azure Automate for cloud-based process automation, configuration management, and update management, implementing Azure best practices for resource optimization and cost-effectiveness.

•Implemented Azure Active Directory for secure single sign-on access to SaaS applications, configured Azure components including Active Directory, Key Vault, and encryption, enhancing security.

•Set-up Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for secure user authentication, ensuring enhanced security measures for Azure resources.

•Automated Windows patching using PowerShell scripts and created release pipelines in Azure DevOps, ensuring timely and efficient management of system updates.

•Configured BGP routes for ExpressRoute connections, ensuring robust connectivity between data centers and Azure Cloud, enhancing network reliability and performance.

April 2019-March 2021: Terradata Corporation, San Diego, California as Cloud Architect & DevOps Engineer

Summary: I worked on developing a serverless web application using Azure Functions for backend logic, Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL database storage, and Azure Blob Storage for static content. Implement Azure API Management for API gateway and Azure Front Door for global content delivery and security.

•Designed and implemented Azure infrastructure aligned with app requirements.

•Defined monitoring and optimization strategies for Azure environment.

•Configured Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and other monitoring tools.

•Developed data migration strategies using Azure Data Factory and Migration Services.

•Provisioned servers and resources using ARM templates and Terraform. Implemented CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps/VSTS for efficient deployment.

•Utilized Azure Monitoring tools and Dynatrace for proactive monitoring. Automated build and deployment with Maven, Jenkins, and Ansible.

•Integrated Azure apps with third-party systems using Azure integration services.

•Designed scalable Azure infrastructure ensuring compliance and security.

•Established CI/CD pipelines using PowerShell scripting and automation techniques. Monitored app performance and optimized using Azure monitoring tools.

•Worked on GIT and Bitbucket, skilled in source control concepts including branches, tags, and mergers.

March 2017-April 2019: Citigroup Inc., New York, NY as Azure Developer & Data Engineer

Summary: I worked on the project to migrate a secure banking portal from on-premises infrastructure to the Azure cloud. I worked to enhance scalability, reliability, and security while reducing operational costs.

•Created an Azure-based architecture to ensure high availability, disaster recovery, and compliance with industry regulations.

•Worked on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), Virtual Networks (VNets), and Network Security Groups (NSGs) to replicate on-premises infrastructure in the cloud.

•Used Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database to host web applications and managed database workloads.

•Configured Azure Active Directory (AAD) for secure user authentication and access control.

•Implemented Azure Key Vault for storage and management of sensitive data, such as encryption keys and certificates.

•Engineered and maintained Azure-based data pipelines and ETL processes using technologies such as Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, and Azure Synapse

•Deployed Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center for continuous monitoring, threat detection, and compliance management.

•Ensured minimal disruption to banking services by thorough testing and validation to ensure seamless migration

•Build data integration & data pipelines to connect different data sources and systems, ensuring data flows smoothly between them.

•Collaborated with bank stakeholders and IT teams to provide training and support for the new Azure-based infrastructure.

October 2014-March 2017: Tyson Foods, Springdale, AR as AWS DevOps Engineer

Summary: As an AWS DevOps Engineer at Tyson Foods, I contributed my technical knowledge in a pivotal project that aimed at revolutionizing the company's production system and spearheaded the deployment, automation, management, and maintenance of Tyson Foods' AWS cloud-based production system.

•Worked to guarantee the availability, performance, security, and scalability of the AWS production systems.

•Employed AWS services like EC2, S3, and CloudFormation, along with custom scripts and configurations, optimized resource allocation, implemented robust security measures, and orchestrated scalable architectures to meet Tyson Foods' evolving needs.

•Used tools like AWS Elastic Beanstalk and CodeDeploy, facilitated releases, tracked configurations, and enforced consistency across environments, ensuring reliability and efficiency.

•Evaluated new technology alternatives and vendor products to enhance Tyson Foods' AWS ecosystem.

•Employed a combination of AWS CloudWatch, custom monitoring solutions, and diagnostic tools, smoothly identified and resolved issues, minimizing downtime and ensuring uninterrupted operations.

•Leveraged tools like AWS CodePipeline and Selenium to execute comprehensive testing protocols, validated functionality, performance, and security aspects prior to deployment, mitigating risks and ensuring reliability.

•Fortified Tyson Foods' AWS infrastructure against threats and vulnerabilities by implementing IAM policies and security groups to encryption mechanisms and compliance frameworks.

December 2012-October 2014: Trinetix, Nashville, Tennessee as Sr. Full Stack Developer

Summary: I worked towards creating a project management application to facilitate team collaboration, task assignment, progress tracking, and resource allocation. Also worked on features for Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and time tracking.

•Developed full-stack applications using .NET and integrated JSON data via REST APIs.

•Demonstrated proficiency in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts and their implementation.

•Designed and constructed survey pages using ASP.NET, C#, and the MVC pattern, incorporating HTML5, Bootstrap, and JavaScript, with data storage in databases.

•Utilized Angular 2 for creating single-page and JavaScript-based front-end applications.

•Generated reports using Integrated SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

•Integrated GIS data and functionalities using the ArcGIS Server .NET Web ADF.

•Implemented Terraform alongside Ansible and Packer to version AWS Infrastructure.

•Interacted with ESRI data sources via custom application web services using ArcGIS APIs, REST, and SOAP.

•Employed Maven and ANT as build tools for creating deployable artifacts from source code.

•Monitored eLearning platforms using .NET Core framework and MVC with Bootstrap and Kendo UI.

•Utilized APIs as microservices for intranet eLearning tools.

•Created a Help Desk desktop client application for a private university using WPF UI framework, integrating SOAP-based services with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF).

•Leveraged Angular for intranet and mobile learning (M-learning) utilities.

•Collaborated on projects using Git/GitHub for code development, sharing, and deployment.

•Deployed AWS Lambda code from Amazon S3 buckets and configured Lambda Deployment functions for event reception.

•Developed and deployed Python-based projects utilizing Pandas for data cleaning and analysis, NumPy for mathematical functions, and Matplotlib for data visualization.

•Provided database expertise support and remote training sessions using Zoom.

August 2005-December 2012: Charles Schwab, New York, NY as Sr. Web Developer

Summary: I led the development of E-Business Solutions, using collaboration and enhancing business processes. I contributed in front-end application development, ensuring optimal performance and user experience for Charles Schwan Applications.

•Led the development of E-Business Solutions, fostering seamless collaboration among customers, trading partners, and businesses through web-based development tools within a UNIX environment.

•Spearheaded front-end application development, ensuring smooth interaction with both Oracle and Sybase backend database systems to optimize performance and user experience.

•Crafted SQL queries capable of operating across multiple database systems, enhancing data retrieval and management efficiency.

•Conducted comprehensive functional testing of application migration from Sybase to Oracle in a clustered server environment, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption to operations.

•Developed and implemented robust procedures for extensive Quality Assurance testing and product delivery, ensuring high reliability and adherence to quality standards.

•Managed application delivery and source code using ClearCase/ClearQuest management tools, overseeing the code repository and tracking bugs/defects throughout the development process.

•Played a pivotal role in the full lifecycle development of Schwab’s E-business portal systems, from conceptualization to deployment, ensuring alignment with project goals and objectives.

February 1999-August 2005: State Farm Insurance, Bloomington, IL, as Database Developer

Summary: As a Database Developer, I played a crucial role in designing, implementing, and optimizing database solutions to meet organizational needs. My responsibilities encompassed database schema design, data modeling, query optimization, and ensuring data integrity and security.

•Designed database schemas to support the development of interactive and dynamic web applications.

•Implemented database solutions using ASP.Net, VB.Net, SQL Server, and VBScript technologies, ensuring seamless integration with front-end systems.

•Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and translate them into effective database designs.

•Conducted data modeling activities to define the structure and relationships within the database, optimizing for performance and scalability.

•Utilized HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for form validation and frontend consistency, enhancing user experience and usability.

•Implemented query optimization techniques to improve database performance and reduce response times.

•Ensured data integrity and security by implementing appropriate access controls, encryption mechanisms, and data validation protocols.

•Worked closely with developers and stakeholders to troubleshoot database issues and optimize system performance.

•Documented database architectures, schemas, and processes to facilitate knowledge sharing and future development efforts.

EDUCATION DETAILS

•Master of Information Systems Management, Keller Graduate School of Management, Fort Washington, PA

•Bachelor of Business Administration, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

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