Enterprise & AI Solutions Architect for Azure Cloud

Shambel Alemu **********@*****.***

Enterprise/Solutions Architect and Azure AI Engineer

Expertise and Core Competencies

As an Enterprise and Pre-Sale Solutions Architect, I lead presales cloud adoption initiatives by partnering with business development teams and practice leaders to evaluate client requirements, define solution parameters, and facilitate successful deal closure. As an Azure Solutions Architect, I possess extensive experience in designing hybrid cloud architectures that deliver performant, cost-effective, and operationally excellent solutions. My core competencies include designing and deploying AI enabled solutions, architecting secure Azure Virtual Desktop environments, overseeing large-scale migration projects, and integrating automation and security best practices. I guide teams in the deployment of AIOPS, observability, and Generative AI solutions utilizing Azure AI Services, DevOps and CI/CD practices to enhance delivery and support innovation. With a commitment to comprehensive technical documentation and mentorship, I enable teams to overcome complex challenges, adopt scalable solutions, and pursue continuous learning for enduring success.

Practical Solutions Inc: Enterprise/Solutions Architect (July 2021 – Present)

I lead pre-sales cloud adoption by collaborating with Business Development teams to assess client requirements, define solutions, estimate resources, and support deal closure. My responsibilities include advising executive leadership on adoption and modernization strategies, implementing secure network architecture, integrating advanced security tools, architecting and deploying Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure, and overseeing storage migrations, disaster recovery, and compliance processes. I drive development, deployment and integration of enterprise Copilot, Generative AI solutions, and Azure AI Services, while mentoring teams in governance and technical best practices. Additionally, I manage large-scale cloud migrations with minimal downtime, developed robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans, and integrate advanced security solutions to safeguard cloud environments

I troubleshoot and resolve complex technical challenges and set the standards for automation and best practices, ensuring teams adopt reliable, scalable solutions that improve workflow efficiency and strengthen security across cloud and hybrid environments. I am dedicated to clear, detailed technical documentation, which supports team understanding and contributes to successful project outcomes. As a mentor, I actively guide junior engineers nurturing their troubleshooting skills and fostering a collaborative culture focused on continuous learning and shared professional growth.

Specific roles and responsibilities:

Collaborate with executives, BD and CSP for technical discovery, cloud readiness assessment and evaluation, define solution requirements, estimate resource allocations and cost benefits analysis.

Work with clients and experts to define strategic project roadmaps; keep up with technological trends, share insights with the team, and maintain strong Microsoft partnerships to support clients’ cloud adoption and integration.

Lead strategies for cloud adoption as well as the design, review, and implementation of hybrid cloud solutions on Azure, ensuring architectural alignment with established reference models, frameworks, and design patterns.

Design secure, scalable hybrid cloud architecture; manage large-scale cloud migrations with minimal downtime; create disaster recovery and business continuity plans; integrate advanced cloud security solutions.

Extensive background in technical proposals writing, RFIs, and market research supporting successful business development activities in Federal Government civilian agencies, public sector and commercial at large, small and medium enterprises.

Advise CIO, Chief Technology Officer, and Cloud Steering Committee on strategic cloud adoption and modernization roadmaps; architect products and solutions leveraging both Azure and hybrid cloud environments, addressing:

Azure Virtual WAN enables enterprise network extension into Azure via Hub-Spoke topologies for seamless hybrid cloud connectivity and scalability, featuring advanced security such as Azure Firewall, secure hubs, ExpressRoute, VPNs, and gateway tunnels for robust traffic protection.

Microsoft technologies, including Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM), Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Copilot Agents.

Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM & SOAR) streamlines security operations- triage, threat detection, incident response, investigation and modeling.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud and suites of products enhance cloud and ecosystems security posture, and protects workloads from evolving threats and hands-on experience with Azure Key Vault and other Microsoft Security Solutions

Solutions such as Zero Trust Architecture, Azure Policy, Azure Security Center, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to further strengthen enterprise security, compliance, and incident management.

A robust hybrid identity solution utilizing Active Directory and Entra sync via Azure AD Connect that support OpenID Connect, SAML, OAuth 2.0, and single -sign on. These integrations strengthened authentication, authorization, and privileged access across both cloud-based and on-premises resources.

Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure to support enterprise-wide remote work capabilities; managed application packaging using MSIX and configured Group Policy Objects (GPOs), facilitating efficient management and consistent user experience via FSLogix profile deployment and management in remote cloud location; monitored AVD session hosts performance, and incident response through Azure Monitor and Log Analytics in highly sensitive government client environment.

Drive automation leveraging Azure DevOPS, CICD pipeline, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as ARM, Bicep and Terraform.

Storage migrations using Azure Storage Mover, NetApp Files, and File Share/Sync, configuring endpoints for both server and Azure; Cloud migration and disaster recovery projects with Azure Migrate, Site Recovery, Data Box, and third-party tools to ensure continuity.

Maintain STIG compliance for Microsoft and third-party apps using DISA SCAP automation and STIG Viewer, ensuring regulatory adherence, security standards, and supporting ATO with FedRAMP High / NIST controls frameworks.

AI and ML services within cloud architecture, driving intelligent automation and actionable insights; delivered Copilot Agents and Microsoft 365 Copilot implementations to automate workflows and elevate team productivity.

AI-powered productivity tools to foster operational efficiencies, collaboration, and innovation by designing a scalable MLOps platform on Azure with automated model management, resulting in a reduction in deployment time.

Azure Generative AI, RAG, Azure AI Search, Azure Open AI and LLM models by architecting a high-throughput data platform with Azure Synapse Analytics, Cosmos DB and Azure Blob Storage efficiently managing TB of data.

SHR Consulting Group: Cloud Engineer (July 2020 – June 2021)

The candidate collaborated with clients to deliver tailored, multi-cloud solutions spanning Azure and AWS, designing secure hybrid architectures, implementing robust governance and security strategies, and leading migrations and disaster recovery planning. He ensured compliance with quality standards, produced technical documentation, served as a subject matter expert in Azure technologies, and integrated AI-driven automation to enhance productivity, operational efficiency, and innovation across teams.

Specific roles and responsibilities:

Collaborated closely with clients to gather technical and business requirements, applying deep domain and technology expertise to deliver effective solutions tailored to their needs.

Contributed to the design and implementation of public multi-cloud hybrid solutions across Azure and AWS, ensuring alignment with established reference architecture frameworks. Successfully delivered products and services spanning multiple cloud environments.

Designed hub-and-spoke network architectures that seamlessly integrate on-premises systems, resulting in secure and resilient virtual infrastructures capable of supporting enterprise workloads.

Engineered hybrid identity management strategies using Azure Active Directory, including B2C and B2B integrations and modern authentication protocols to facilitate secure access across diverse environments.

Developed governance strategies encompassing management hierarchy, subscription management, policy enforcement, security, cost optimization, blueprint creation, and role-based access control (RBAC). Implemented robust security solutions utilizing AWS and Azure security tools to safeguard cloud resources.

Designed and managed compute and storage solutions, overseeing operational aspects to ensure performance, reliability, and scalability within cloud environments.

Led migration and disaster recovery planning initiatives to facilitate smooth cloud transitions, mitigate risks, and maintain business continuity during change events.

Ensured that both new and existing solutions adhered to established quality standards and client requirements, maintaining a focus on operational excellence and regulatory compliance.

Recommended and implemented industry best practices related to security, cost management, operations, reliability, and performance. Proactively identified architectural enhancements and supported transition plans for evolving client needs.

Produced comprehensive documentation, including Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), whitepapers, work instructions, and contributed to stakeholder meetings to communicate technical solutions and project status.

Served as a subject matter expert in Azure technologies, covering IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS offerings. Conducted research on Azure services, developed use cases, and led training sessions for engineering teams to foster technical competency.

World Services LLC: Applications Architect (September 2019 – May 2020, Washington DC)

Oversaw project planning and agile delivery using Azure Boards, automated cloud infrastructure deployment with DevOps tools, implemented security best practices for regulatory compliance, developed and customized CRM Dynamics, managed RBAC and security structures, enhanced collaboration with Office 365 tools, streamlined workflows with Power Automate and SharePoint, integrated legacy systems, and facilitated effective technical solutions through cross-team collaboration.

Specific roles and responsibilities:

Worked closely with project management teams to develop project scopes and detailed work plans, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. Managed agile planning processes and portfolio schedules through Azure Boards, facilitating the tracking of tasks and milestones to support timely project delivery.

Automated cloud infrastructure deployment utilizing Azure DevOps Pipeline, Jenkins, Terraform, containers, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). These automation strategies enhanced operational efficiency and supported scalable, reliable cloud environments.

Applied industry-standard security best practices, including automated code analysis and vulnerability assessments using tools such as FxCop, White Source, Sonar Cloud, and OWASP ZAP. Supported FedRAMP and FISMA compliance initiatives by managing security controls and authorization processes.

Documented business and technical requirements and developed CRM Dynamics solutions hosted on Azure. Configured Dynamics 365 to support client-specific business processes, customizing entities and rules to meet operational needs.

Managed user accounts, role-based access control (RBAC), permissions, roles, and hierarchical security structures to maintain robust security and governance across applications.

Customized and integrated applications to improve document collaboration capabilities. Leveraged Office 365 tools—including SharePoint, OneNote, OneDrive, Teams, Skype, Outlook, and Exchange—to foster efficient communication and teamwork.

Controlled change and approval workflows using Power Automate, SharePoint Lists, and Document Library, ensuring structured and documented process flows.

Integrated legacy applications and artifacts with Dynamics 365 entities and SharePoint collections to maintain continuity and enhance data accessibility.

Collaborated with development teams and stakeholders at multiple organizational levels to support project objectives and deliver technical solutions effectively.

Supported Employment Enterprise Corporation: MS Azure Cloud Architect (July 2016 – August 2019, MD)

The candidate managed Microsoft Azure cloud solutions by defining requirements, creating architectures, and supporting migrations. Projects ran on agile methods using Azure Boards, with automation via Azure DevOps Pipeline, ARM Templates, Docker, and AKS. Key areas included security, performance provisioning, identity management through Active Directory and Azure AD, networking setup, and business continuity. Monitoring was carried out with Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Security Center, Microsoft Sentinel, and Network Watcher.

Specific roles and responsibilities:

Defined both functional and non-functional requirements for cloud-based solutions. And developed comprehensive architecture and design plans to guide the implementation of robust and scalable systems.

Assessed organizational readiness for cloud adoption, and provided support for migrations, demonstrations, analysis, and strategic planning to ensure seamless transitions to cloud platforms.

Managed projects using agile methodologies within Azure Boards and utilized delivery plans to effectively track schedules and work items, ensuring timely and organized project delivery.

Automated infrastructure deployment leveraging Azure DevOps Pipeline, ARM Templates, Docker, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) to streamline provisioning and management processes.

Created role-based access methods and governance models to establish secure and compliant operational frameworks across cloud environments.

Provisioned a range of compute resources, including virtual machines (VMs), VM Scale Sets, container services, application services, and web services to meet diverse business needs.

Developed strategies for managing Azure storage and databases, addressing both relational and non-relational data requirements to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

Designed Active Directory (AD) and Azure AD identity and access solutions, including hybrid synchronization, to facilitate secure and seamless authentication and authorization processes.

Configured virtual networks using ExpressRoute, VPNs, peering, application gateways, Traffic Manager, and load balancers to support secure and efficient connectivity across cloud resources.

Built automated backup solutions and established high availability and disaster recovery plans for Azure resources to minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.

Maintained cloud environments by implementing process updates, automation, and desired state configuration to uphold operational excellence and compliance.

Implemented comprehensive application monitoring and diagnostics using Azure Monitor, Activity Log, Metrics, and Application Insights to ensure system health and performance.

Developed platform monitoring and alerting capabilities with Application Insights, Log Analytics, Security Center, Sentinel, and Network Watcher to proactively identify and address issues and security threats.

Key Skills, Applications, and Tools

Microsoft Azure and AWS solutions architecture and engineering

MS SQL Server engines and BI applications

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

Microsoft Foundry/AI/ML/Copilot/Gemini

Source control systems such as GitHub, GitLab, Git Actions

Automation, Azure DevOps/DevSecOps, CI/CD and MLOPs pipelines

Azure ARM Templates, Bicep and Terraform for infrastructure-as-code (IaC), YAML for configuration and deployment

T-SQL, Microsoft PowerShell/Cloud Shell, Bash, Azure CLI, Visual Studio Code/Visual Studio

Dynamics 365 Enterprise CRM application and related tools

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM), Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Device Manager (MDM)

Strong ability to analyze issues and determine effective solutions, excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in fast-paced multicultural environments

Detail-oriented with excellent communication and documentation skills, adept at managing multiple priorities

Education and Training

BSc in Information Systems, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, July 2006

Master’s in development management, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, February 2010

Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect (MCSA), Cloud Platform, December 2018

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Infrastructure Solutions, Cloud Platform, June 2018

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), MS SQL Server Database Administration, May 2015

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, March 2021

Certified Azure AI Engineer Associate, June 2024

Verify Certificates at: https://www.credly.com/badges/4c2c649b-4af8-4b22-8357-77483e249802

Contact this candidate