Customer Success It Operations

Praveen K. Sharma (US Citizen)

978-***-**** ********@*****.*** North Andover, MA LinkedIn

DIRECTOR OF CLOUD / NETWORK / IT OPERATIONS & CUSTOMER SUCCESS Versatile and results-driven IT professional with deep expertise in technical support engineering, network infrastructure, and cloud technologies. Adept at leading high-impact initiatives that drive operational excellence, improve system performance, and enhance end-user experience. Proven ability to solve complex problems, manage cross-functional teams, and align IT solutions with business objectives. Now seeking to leverage this foundation in an expanded leadership role as a Cloud, Network, or IT Operations Director—where strategic vision, hands-on expertise, and a commitment to continuous innovation will deliver enterprise-wide impact. Fluent / Native in English and Hindi, with professional working knowledge of Polish. CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Delivered $57M in savings over two quarters by spearheading IBM’s Hybrid Cloud cost reduction initiative through targeted infrastructure optimization and strategic vendor alignment. Established global operational excellence framework optimizing performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency across all infrastructure investments.

Designed and launched JIRA-based capacity management automation portal, enabling field teams to manage 3,000+ annual opportunities and driving 30% QoQ gains in customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS). Negotiated and renewed strategic support contracts with Lenovo, NVIDIA, SMC, Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and Fortinet, achieving 17–25% YoY cost savings through proactive EOS / EOL lifecycle planning. Skills Profile

Network Engineering Leadership & Team Building Cloud Networking Customer Satisfaction / Retention Cyber Range Network Architecture / Operations Routing Protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP)Cross-functional Collaboration Disaster Recovery / High Availability Project Management Continuous Process Improvement Escalation Management Agile Methodology / Scrum Regulatory Compliance Data-Driven Decision-making PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

IBM Lowell, MA 1/2021 – 04/2025

Director – Cloud Operation, Capacity Management

Led global team managing IBM Cloud’s IaaS infrastructure and capacity across VPC, VMware, Classic, and Power VS. Oversaw global data center operations, service delivery, and infrastructure automation. Directed DevOps engineers, Customer Success Managers, and Technical PMs. Managed vendor relationships, compliance, and multi-vendor environments. Drove AI/ML integration for observability, incident response, and capacity planning. Supported $150M in annual cloud revenue by partnering with Sales, Product, and Engineering on customer growth. Ensured compliance, change management, and security across DCs using Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto Networks, and Fortinet.

● Reduced escalation resolution time by 200%, boosted customer satisfaction, and saved $37M annually by developing and deploying AI-driven incident tracking systems.

● Cut MTTR by 50% YoY through the successful implementation of AI/ML-powered data center monitoring tools.

● Drove 25% YoY revenue growth by leading strategic cross-functional collaboration and enablement initiatives across sales, product, and operations.

● Optimized OPEX by $13.5M in FY’24 through proactive hardware lifecycle planning and vendor contract negotiations aligned with EOS/EOL milestones.

● Improved infrastructure delivery efficiency by implementing CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Enterprise, and Jira, streamlining DevOps workflows.

● Eliminated customer-impacting cloud outages in FY’24 and Q1’25 by introducing proactive AI monitoring tools and instituting robust change governance controls.

● Lowered operational costs and increased margins by rotating engineering talent into support functions, enhancing cross-functional agility and software quality.

Professional Experience Continued

Cisco Systems Inc. Boxborough, MA 11/1996 – 1/2021 Over 24-year tenure at Cisco Systems, advanced from technical lead roles to global leadership, ultimately managing $ 1 B+ product portfolios and large-scale engineering and support operations. Senior Engineering Manager – Customer Support (12/2006 – 1/2021) Served as global leader for Service Provider customer success, managing release quality, escalations, certification, and deployment for Cisco’s flagship Access, Edge, and Core Routing platforms—driving product revenue past $1B annually. Directed support and engineering operations worldwide, leading improvements in software quality, cost optimization, change management, and stakeholder alignment. Collaborated with Sales and Technical Marketing to expand market share via strategic SD-WAN migrations on Azure, AWS, and GCP. Built and mentored high-performing, globally diverse teams through intentional development and KPI-driven accountability systems.

● Scaled revenue from $350M to $1B/year by overhauling software reliability, deployment strategies, and customer readiness programs, transforming product performance and perception.

● Increased software quality by 30% quarter-over-quarter by engineering real-world, customer-representative test topologies, enabling bulletproof validation and seamless upgrades.

● Achieved 99.999% uptime and drove Net Promoter Score gains by deploying data-driven change control, shortening maintenance windows, automating event detection, and minimizing configuration risk.

● Delivered 250% cost savings by developing an in-house Business Access Management system, streamlining cross-functional operations, and eliminating external tooling dependencies.

● Completed 1,000+ mission-critical software patches, boosting reliability, lifecycle agility, and platform supportability across global customer environments.

● Accelerated issue resolution and customer enablement by authoring 25+ high-impact technical assets, including XR migration guides and AI-enhanced chatbot content.

● Championed customer success in 20+ countries, delivering strategic briefings at Cisco Live!, Executive Briefing Centers, SPCABs, and major industry conferences.

● Captured 17% global market share by leading enterprise SD-WAN migrations across Azure, AWS, and GCP, driving adoption and expanding cloud footprint.

Software Engineering Manager (11/1996 – 11/2006)

Led global engineering teams supporting Cisco’s Access Routing platforms—including C7200, C7500, Cisco 10K, C7600, GSR12K, and DSL Routers—with $ 600 M+ in annual revenue. Directed strategy, budget, and delivery across development, system test, scale / performance, and automation groups. Oversaw testing of routing protocols, high availability (HA), and interoperability across diverse architectures.

● Redesigned global test environments, consolidating platform-specific features and streamlining automation workflows and cutting CAPEX / OPEX while preserving real-world customer alignment and accelerating validation cycles.

● Authored 100+ high-impact troubleshooting guides, dramatically enhancing support team responsiveness, self-service efficiency, and end-user satisfaction.

● Transformed customer feedback into product innovation by directly integrating field insights into release planning—elevating software quality, usability, and customer retention.

● Led high-stakes global demos and POCs on-site with strategic customers, driving platform adoption, technical validation, and executive-level trust.

● Recognized 15+ times by senior leadership for breakthrough contributions in automation, diagnostics, and cross-functional technical leadership.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Senior Scientific Officer India Institute of Technology Delhi, India Senior Software Engineer Microtec Research, Inc. Santa Clara, CA Senior Software Engineer NEC Corporation of America San Jose, CA

978-***-**** ********@*****.*** North Andover, MA LinkedIn Sharma 2 Professional Experience Continued

EDUCATION

Master's in Computer Science and Information Management University of Wroclaw Wroclaw, Poland LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

IBM Cloud Operation Excellence & Resilience IBM 7/2024 IBM Watsonx.ai Technical Essentials IBM 7/2024 Introduction to Generative AI Google Cloud Training Online 2/2024 IBM Cloud Controls Transformation – Goals, Operating Model, and Control Owners IBM ID EL01-00004043 9/2023 Future of Industrial DataOps OD440 Microsoft Azure ID TW MS-C918FF72-56C6-4E9E-BD8E-6205CD56A958 8/2023 Producing Secure Software OWASP Top 10 – Security Logging & Monitoring Failures e-learning ID EL05-00000047 8/2023

Data Science Tools Cognitive Class ID DS005EN 7/2023 IBM Cloud Operational Excellence & Resilience IBM 6/2023 2020 – Annual Cybersecurity Education Certificate ID EL05-00000074 6/2023 NIST-800-37:

Growth Behaviors Learning Paths (for Managers & Non-Managers) IBM ID PLAN-2A67F1F6AE59 1/2023 IBM Learning: Master Fundamental IBM ID PLAN-DC8CD31133D4 1/2023 Cloud Platform Architecture 2021 IBM ID PLAN-2C0D070B3D905 10/2021 Microsoft Certified System Administrator: Data Engineering with Azure Microsoft 10/2021 Secure Cloud – Architectural Focal Red Hat ID URL-53052A9CE8DD 9/2021 User Experience Design Fundamentals IBM ID UC-ccde94d4-b7db-4468-98d9-72gf15aa57c 3/2021 Enterprise Design Thinking – Team Essentials for AI IBM 2/2021 Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator IBM 2/2021 Cloud Care Certificate IBM 1/2021

Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner IBM 1/2021 Introduction to Cloud IBM ID CC0101EN 1/2021 Mitigating Privacy Risks – Privacy Foundations IBM ID (ILB-QPDNZDGKZJN19QV) 1/2021 Privacy & Information Lifecycle – Privacy Foundations IBM ID (ILB-ZKRPEVYMXJ2Q37) 1/2021 TECHNICAL SKILLS

Cloud Technologies (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) IBM Cloud, VMWare, VPC, Classic VS, Power VS, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform

(GCP), SD-WAN.

Programming Languages Python, Java.

Observability / Monitoring / Analytics Tableau, Grafana, Numerify, AppNeta, ServiceNow, JIRA. AI / ML & AIOps AIOps, WatsonX, Generative AI (GCP). Networking / Security Technologies Cisco IOS, XR, Cisco SD-WAN, Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet. Project & Service Management JIRA, ITIL MP, ServiceNow. HONORS & AWARDS

Executive Sponsor IBM Cloud Tier 1 Cloud Customers: SAP with Rise, Citi, Caixabank, Cadence, Rapidus, WatsonX, AI (2022 – 2024)

Best Manager Award Cisco 2020

Customer Champion Award Deutsche Telekom, Charter Communications, British Telecom, KDDI, Reliance, TCL 2020 Speaker Networkers Conference 2006

978-***-**** ********@*****.*** North Andover, MA LinkedIn Sharma 3

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