Network Engineer Palo Alto

Prameela Manyatha Aluri

Network Engineer

Location: - New Jersey, USA Mail: ***************@*****.*** Ph.: 571-***-**** LinkedIn PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY:

Network Engineer with 4+ years of extensive experience designing, implementing and optimizing robust, secure and highly available network infrastructures in complex healthcare and banking environments.

Proven expertise in engineering HIPAA-compliant network segmentation, deploying high-availability solutions with VRRP and HSRP & securing critical data exchange across hybrid cloud architectures including Azure ExpressRoute & AWS VPC.

Adept at leveraging Fortinet Secure SD-WAN and Meraki cloud-managed platforms to enhance connectivity and operational efficiency across distributed sites.

Proficient in implementing advanced security measures with Palo Alto Next-Gen Firewalls (App-ID, Threat Prevention, DNS Sinkhole), Cisco ASA and Juniper SRX, drastically reducing cyber threats and ensuring compliance with industry regulations such as HITECH Act, PCI-DSS and RBI cybersecurity guidelines.

Skilled in network performance optimization using OSPF, BGP and Riverbed SteelHead, alongside comprehensive monitoring with SolarWinds NPM, Cisco DNA Center, ThousandEyes, NetFlow and PRTG.

Expert in automating network configuration and root cause remediation through Ansible playbooks and Python scripting

(Netmiko, NAPALM), consistently maintaining near-perfect network uptime and significantly accelerating incident resolution.

Committed to delivering resilient and secure network solutions that drive business continuity and operational excellence. TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Networking Protocols & Services: VRRP, HSRP, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, RIP, EtherChannel, VLAN, ACLs, NAT, PAT, SNMPv3, Syslog, DHCP, DNS, ARP, STP, IPsec, SSL/TLS, HL7, DICOM Network Devices & Hardware: Cisco ISR Routers, Cisco Catalyst 9300/9500 Switches, Cisco Nexus Series, Juniper SRX Series, Fortinet FortiGate Firewalls, Palo Alto NGFWs, Arista, Meraki Security Appliances, Riverbed SteelHead

Cloud Networking: Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, Azure NSGs, AWS VPC, Route Filters, Hybrid Cloud Connectivity, Cloud-to-On-Prem Integration

Firewall & Security Solutions: Palo Alto NGFW (App-ID, Threat Prevention, DNS Sinkhole), Fortinet FortiGate, Cisco ASA, Juniper SRX, TACACS+, RADIUS, RBAC, IPS/IDS, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, HITECH, RBI Guidelines

Network Monitoring & Analytics: SolarWinds NPM, Cisco DNA Center, Cisco Prime Infrastructure, ThousandEyes, PRTG Network Monitor, NetFlow, Custom SNMP Traps, Syslog Servers Automation & Scripting: Ansible (Playbooks), Python (Netmiko, NAPALM), Automation of Remediation Workflows, Firmware Updates, Config Backups

SD-WAN & VPN Technologies: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN, IPsec VPN, SSL VPN, Remote Access VPN, Telehealth Network Optimization

Healthcare Networking Tools: PACS, EMR/EHR, Epic Systems, HL7 (ADT, ORM, ORU), Nurse Call Systems, Interface Engines, DICOM Traffic Encryption

Compliance & Standards: HIPAA, HITECH, PCI-DSS, RBI Cybersecurity Framework, Network Segmentation, Secure Zones, Data Encryption

Project & Configuration Management: Meraki Dashboard APIs, Ansible Tower, Git, Cisco Prime, Centralized Firmware Lifecycle Management, Version Control, Change Management Processes PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Cardinal Health – NJ August 2024 – Present

Network Engineer

Engineered HIPAA-compliant network segmentation for hospital environments, logically isolating PACS, EMR/EHR, IoT medical devices and administrative systems using VLANs, ACLs and Next-Gen firewalls.

Designed and deployed VRRP-based high-availability solutions at core and distribution layers using Cisco Catalyst 9500 and 9300 switches, ensuring uninterrupted access to EMR systems and clinical databases.

Configured Azure ExpressRoute, Network Security Groups (NSGs) and route filters to ensure secure and compliant EHR data exchange between cloud-hosted Epic Systems and on-prem data centers.

Deployed Fortinet Secure SD-WAN architecture across 12 remote care sites, reducing MPLS costs by 35% and improving application performance and VoIP call quality in telehealth sessions.

Implemented and managed Meraki cloud-managed switches and security appliances across 6 rural clinics, enhancing centralized management, device visibility and firmware lifecycle automation through Meraki Dashboard APIs.

Implemented Palo Alto Next-Gen Firewalls (NGFWs) with App-ID, Threat Prevention and DNS Sinkhole profiles, resulting in a 62% reduction in phishing incidents and command-and-control (C2) communication attempts.

Collaborated with InfoSec and IAM teams to enforce Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) on Cisco Nexus and Fortinet firewalls using TACACS+ and RADIUS, preventing unauthorized configuration changes on critical infrastructure.

Partnered with Radiology and Cardiology departments to secure DICOM imaging traffic and PACS storage systems using SSL/TLS encryption, ensuring compliance with HITECH Act and HIPAA standards.

Integrated Cisco Prime Infrastructure, ThousandEyes and NetFlow monitoring to baseline application latency, simulate network disruptions and enhance troubleshooting across inter-facility VPNs and clinical cloud apps.

Achieved 99% network uptime by implementing proactive fault monitoring & predictive analytics through SolarWinds NPM, Cisco DNA Center & custom SNMP traps tailored for healthcare-specific systems like EMR, PACS & nurse call system

Developed custom dashboards in SolarWinds and PRTG for monitoring HL7 traffic, identifying interface engine anomalies and triggering alerts for delayed ADT, ORM and ORU message flows.

Reduced network incident resolution time by 44% by automating root cause remediation workflows using Ansible playbooks and Python scripts across clinical and administrative network segments. Capgemini – India June 2020 - July 2023

Network Engineer

Designed, configured and maintained Cisco ISR routers and Catalyst switches to ensure robust, high-availability network connectivity for critical banking operations.

Architected VLANs and EtherChannel configurations to enable secure traffic segmentation and efficient load balancing, improving network throughput for banking applications.

Configured HSRP and VRRP protocols to establish high-availability failover mechanisms, ensuring continuous network uptime for critical banking systems.

Optimized OSPF and BGP routing protocols on Cisco ISR routers and Catalyst switches, achieving a 30% reduction in network latency to enhance core banking transaction efficiency.

Enhanced WAN performance by implementing Riverbed SteelHead appliances, resulting in 20% faster transaction processing for inter-branch and customer-facing applications.

Integrated AWS VPC environments to support hybrid cloud banking applications, ensuring seamless connectivity and compliance with Indian financial regulations.

Ensured adherence to PCI-DSS and RBI cybersecurity guidelines by designing and implementing network segmentation and secure zone architectures for sensitive financial data.

Strengthened cybersecurity by deploying and fine-tuning Palo Alto firewalls, reducing intrusion attempts by 25% through advanced IPS/IDS configurations tailored to banking security standards.

Implemented and managed Cisco ASA and Juniper SRX firewalls to establish secure IPSec and SSL VPN connectivity, supporting remote banking services and third-party integrations.

Developed and deployed Ansible and Python (Netmiko, NAPALM) scripts to automate network configuration and management, reducing manual errors and operational downtime by 15%.

Deployed SNMPv3 and Syslog for secure, real-time network monitoring and centralized logging, enabling proactive issue detection and compliance with audit requirements.

Monitored and analyzed network performance using SolarWinds and PRTG, achieving a 95% resolution rate for incidents within RBI-mandated SLAs to ensure uninterrupted banking services. EDUCATION:

Master of Applied Information Technology, Cyber security - George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA Bachelor of Information Technology - Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai, India CERTIFICATION:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - Cisco

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