Solutions Architect Hands-On

Rassul Ismailov

Email: ******.********@*****.*** Phone: +1-858-***-****

Summary:

●Over 19 years of experience in network and systems infrastructure and over 21 years in the overall IT industry.

●Recognized as a strategic technical thinker with a comprehensive view of technologies, business and a bias for action.

●Excellent communication skills, ability to interact effectively with clients and colleagues at all levels.

●Aim to innovate and improve while bringing revenues to businesses.

●Looking for an opportunity to make a successful impact in a customer-focused, large-scale engineering and architecture – design and deployment teams.

Technical Certifications:

●Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies - (CCIE- written), lab exam scheduled for November 2024

●4x CCNP (DevNet, Enterprise, Service Provider, Data Center), CCDP

●AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

●Microsoft Certified - Azure Solutions Architect Expert

●Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud

●Aviatrix Certified Engineer – Multi Cloud Professional Engineer

Technical Skills Summary:

●Mulitvendor network configuration and troubleshooting experience (Cisco ASR9k/NCS5500, Cisco Nexus 7000/9300/9500, Juniper MX240/MX480, Palo Alto 7050, Fortinet).

●Hands-on experience with Service Provider technologies (SR/SR-TE, LDP, RSVP-TE, BGP services (VPLS, EVPN, L3 MPLS VPN) including complex inter-AS scenario routing and VPNs and Unified MPLS.

●Detailed knowledge of programmable network management (NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, GNMI) leveraging vendor-native and OpenConfig YANG modules.

●Hands-on experience with Cisco network controllers (NSO, CNC, ACI, ISE and DNA).

●Hands-on experience with network automation frameworks (Ansible, Python (including Nornir) and different serialization formats (XML, JSON, Protobuf).

●Hands-on experience with public/private cloud such as AZURE, AWS, OpenStack including UI, native platform CLI tools and Terraform.

●Hands-on experience developing software leveraging databases (MySQL/PostgreSQL) and REST API (FastAPI).

●Linux administration experience (CentOS/Red Hat/Ubuntu)

●Experience with high level software design/development and lifecycle.

●Knowledge of network security design, performance and load/failover tests in large ISP and Data Center environments.

●Experience with streaming telemetry design (with GNMI using Telegraf/InfluxDB + Grafana).

●Configured industry best practices for SD-WAN and Hybrid WAN services. Experience with software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV) and virtual network functions (VNF) technologies.

●Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps.

Summary of professional experience:

AEG Presents – Senior Network Consultant

Jun 2021 – Present – 2yrs 9mos - Los Angeles, CA

●Delivering network automation architecture for multi-vendor network leveraging the latest OpenSource technologies.

●Developing network automation with Ansible, Python and Jinja2 for NetBox integration (data population as well as device configuration) leveraging SSH/CLI and NETCONF/YANG. Configuration scope included configuration MPLS services on network devices, Load balancers and Firewalls. Started integration with Cisco NSO.

●Implementing data collection via API and alerting via Webhooks to MS Teams and Slack. The end-to-end chain included Telegraf agents, Kafka and custom Python applications running on Kubernetes.

●Optimizing Internet peering via data analysis with automation.

●Expanding AWS and Azure infrastructure across regions, improving redundancy, failover, and connectivity using IPsec, Direct Connect, and Express Routes.

●Leading a team of engineers in handling escalations and knowledge transfer.

●Automating infrastructure deployment with Terraform, Ansible, and GitHub Actions in AWS and Azure.

●Leading IoT engineering best practices, future systems analysis, and system architecture design.

●Establishing a center for integrations and leading enterprise integration strategies using cloud technologies.

AT&T - Network Systems Architect

Apr 2019 - Jun 2021 - 2yrs 6mos - Houston, TX

●Cisco NSO deployment and integration.

●Streaming telemetry: developing solution to poll data from Cisco IOS XR with dial-out (GRPC sensors)

●Developing Python scripts to interact with Juniper NorthStar APIs for ad-hoc reporting and troubleshooting anomalies in baseline behavior.

●Creating and documenting automation workflows using Itential, NSO, and integrating Python scripts.

●Automating repetitive tasks (with Python, Ansible, Bash) and creating standards for network configuration.

●Data center deployment using automation (Ansible/Jinja2), supporting SDN (ACI/NSX) and SD-WAN (Palo Alto CloudGenix).

●Configuring security solutions, DevOps tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef), and monitoring systems (SolarWinds, ELK stack).

●Supporting F5 hardware/software projects, SSL certificate management, and vendor access coordination.

●F5 load balancers delivery: network design, installation, configuration, and integration. Automating VIPs configuration with Terraform.

●Monitored alarms and alerts using SolarWinds and ELK stack.

Cisco - Network Security Architect

May 2018 - Apr 2019 - 1yr San Jose, CA

●Cisco NSO design and deployment for multiple customers using NETCONF/YANG and CLI service packages. Integrating NSO northbound REST API with customers’ business process automation tools.

●Participated in integration of Cisco CrossWorks Network Controller.

●Implementing NSO Testing of Automation Framework (TAF) for Catalyst 9000 platform.

●Developing Python tools and utilizing CI/CD using Jenkins with GitHub/GitLab.

●Support of Cisco Optical Networking (DWDM).

●Acting as SME in R/S, SD-WAN, SDN, SDA. Provided Technical Strategy for our SD-Access, SD WAN and Enterprise Security solutions for customers.

●Designed and implemented SD-Wan network configurations.

●Rolling out infrastructure on AWS (EC2, ELB, S3). Designing and implementing AWS interconnect using Cisco CSR 1000v.

●Evaluating security requirements by aligning with business strategies, researching standards, conducting vulnerability analyses, and preparing risk assessments and cost estimates.

●Planning security systems by assessing network and security technologies, designing LANs, WANs, VPNs, routers, firewalls, and related devices.

●Designing public key infrastructures (PKIs) with certification authorities and digital signatures while adhering to industry standards.

AT&T - Senior Network Design Engineer

Jun 2016 – May 2018 - 2yrs - San Diego, CA

●Designing data center with white-box approach (Broadcom/Mellanox) and Cumulus Linux leveraging BGP design (RFC 7938) and VXLAN.

●Responsible for monitoring and solution delivery of Tier III support requests, including direct customers’ interaction.

●Day-to-day data center networking operation (configuration/troubleshooting) and optimization tasks.

●Improving change management and documentation practices.

Cisco AS - Network Consulting Engineer

Jul 2015 – Jun 2016 - 1yr - San Diego, CA

●Performed advanced analysis and troubleshooting of complex networking issues, collaborating with global Cisco teams and acting as a technical expert.

●Built simulated networks to resolve compatibility issues, analyzed network designs, and provided recommendations for product and IOS improvements.

●Delivered on-site Advanced Services (AS) and specialized Network Infrastructure (NI) support in core IP routing, switching, and Cisco Advanced Technologies.

Westfield - Senior Consulting Engineer

Jul 2014 – Jun 2015 - 1yr - Los Angeles, CA

●Executed client projects in networking, including routing & switching, ISE platform, wireless, VPN, and firewall services.

●Managed project teams, researched client infrastructure, and developed standardized delivery templates and work products.

●Led identification of business and technical requirements, implemented solutions, and assisted with recruiting and mentoring contractors and consultants.

Nestle USA - Network Design Engineer

Feb 2013 – Jul 2014 1yr 6mos - Glendale, CA

●Implemented and managed large-scale Checkpoint and Palo Alto firewalls in complex DMZ environments, configuring IPSEC VPN, Proxy, SSL, and networking protocols.

●Configured F5 load balancers including virtual contexts, SSL offloading, and iRules to manage production/QA traffic and facilitate web server migration for enterprise environments.

●Investigated security incidents, pushed firewall rules to production, and performed advanced configuration and troubleshooting of firewalls, routers, switches, and load balancers.

Red Bull North America - Senior Network Engineer

Feb 2012 – Jan 2013 - 1yr - Santa Monica, CA

●Designed and implemented Cisco UCS, configuring LAN & SAN connectivity with UCS Manager, Nexus 5548UP, and MDS 9124 for FCoE and FC connections to EMC VNX 5300 SAN.

●Developed SLAs, system documentation, implementation plans, and infrastructure diagrams while effectively communicating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

Wells Fargo - Storage Network Engineer - Feb 2010 - Jan 2012 - 2yrs - West Des Moines, IA

●Migrated from physical Dell 2950 servers with RHEL 5.7 and Oracle 10g to UCS B200 series virtual machines, installing RHEL 6.1 with SAN boot configuration on Hitachi and EMC equipment.

●Configured network communications, VSANs, SAN zoning, and upgraded Cisco IOS on Nexus 5596UP, Nexus 2248TP, and Cisco MDS 9513 FC switches, ensuring redundancy and connectivity to load balancers.

XEROX - VMware Systems Engineer

Mar 2009 – Feb 2010 - 1yr - Salt Lake City, UT

●Managed Windows Server and VMware infrastructure, including vSphere clusters across production, corporate, and test environments, troubleshooting system issues, optimizing VM performance, and handling capacity planning.

●Developed system build/hardening guides, enforced group policies, managed WSUS, vCenter Operations, and provided 3rd level support for Windows/VMware environments and Linux platforms, including installation, design, and implementation.

SBS Group Network - Network Systems Administrator

Mar 2004 - Feb 2009 - 5 yrs. Almaty, KZ

●Led integration, consulting, and technical design for network optimization and support, including software installation, systems monitoring, performance tuning, and backup/recovery.

●Developed repair procedures to minimize downtime, created operational instructions, and responded to emergency calls for server performance issues, ensuring quality reviews and adherence to standards.

Recently Attended Events:

●Cisco DevNet 2020 (online), OpenStack Summit 2020 (online)

●Red Hat Summit 2020 (online)

●Nokia Service Provider Summit 2021 (online)

●Nokia Service Provider Summit 2022 Orlando, FL

●Nokia Service Provider Summit 2021 New Orleans, LA

●Cisco Live 2022 & 2023 Las Vegas, NV

●OpenInfra Summit – Vancouver, BC 2023

Education Summary:

●University of International Business - Bachelor of Science - Finance - Almaty, KZ - 2004 - 2008

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