Senior Cloud Solutions Architect and Security Leader

Zubair Abdullah – Chief Enterprise Solution Architect Lead/SME/Sr, Tech Advisor

Mr. Zubair Abdullah possesses a Ph.D. in Predictive Analytics, multiple technical certifications including PMI PMP, ITIL 4 Foundation, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Oracle, SAP, IBM Cloud Architect, and WebSphere Application Server certifications, and 22+ years of experience providing solutions architecture and project management support for Private, Public, community, Hybrid, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS base Clouds, and DevOps/DevSecOps solutions. Expertise in architecture frameworks including FEAF, TOGAF, and Zachman. The currency, quality, and depth of Mr. Abdullah’s experience are demonstrated throughout the last 22+ years where he gained expertise in developing Private and Public AWS and Azure cloud solutions to support enterprise adoption of the managed cloud service offerings along with AWS, Azure, Google, IBM, Oracle Cloud (EC2, EBS, VPC, RDS, ELB), IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. As a DoD Principal Enterprise Cloud Subject Matter Expert (SME)/Cloud Security Architect/Trusted Technical Advisor, Mr. Abdullah introduced solutions-based on functional business framework for Enterprise Architecture (EA), Enterprise Integration Architecture (EIA), Service Orientated Architecture (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, ISEF, UAF, NAS2040, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, AAF, UAF, DEF, MBSA, MBSD, DSS and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework), Enterprise Content Management (ECM) & creating global approach along with the technology architect, technology design, & implementation value added technology for DOD community. Designed and developed Cloud-specific security policies, standards and procedures including the Identity and Access Management (SSO, SAML), and Privilege Management, Firewall management, SSL/IPSec, Encryption Key Management (BYOK), Security incident and event management (SIEM), Data protection (DLP, encryption), Vulnerability Management in partnership with Infrastructure Services, and Application Development by following the SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework to developed Cloud Deployment/Architecture, Cloud Security and a Controls Framework aligned to security frameworks including CSA, CIS and NIST for multi-cloud environments by following the FISMA, FedRAMP, ATO’s Common Criteria, GSA FedRAMP, RMF, DOD and SailPoint, CyberArk, Microsoft Purview and Archer Additionally, Mr. Abdullah’s experience managing the operation, maintenance, and administration of Government furnished cloud services for programs within the DoD community and NIH are directly relevant to ARPA-H. As a Chief TOGAF Architect Mr. Abdullah specializes in creating and managing enterprise architecture by leveraging TOGAF, AAF, UAF, DEF, MBSA, MBSD, DSS principles, methodologies, tools, and following the Enterprise business strategies includes:

oDeveloped and maintained the enterprise architecture with business strategies.

oDesigned and implemented IT solutions that are scalable, interoperable, and cost-effective.

oLed architecture projects using TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method (ADM).

oWorked closely with stakeholders (CIO, CTO, business units) to ensure architecture solutions meet both current and future business needs.

oConduct architecture governance, ensuring standards and compliance across the IT landscape. Defined business processes, governance, and organizational structure.

o Identified key business capabilities and functions that need IT support. Maped business requirements to IT solutions. Designed data flows, data management policies, and data models.

oEnsured data consistency, integrity, and accessibility across the enterprise.

oDefined strategies for big data, data warehousing, and business intelligence (BI).

oExpertise in developing and deploying machine learning models. Proficient in Python, TensorFlow, and AWS. Proven track record of improving model accuracy and reducing processing time by using TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Jupyter, Git, Docker and more.

oDeveloped and deployed machine learning models to predict customer satisfaction rate.

oImplemented a recommendation system that increased user engagement

oCollaborated with data scientists and software engineers to integrate ML models into production environments.

Highlights of Career:

Mr. Abdullah has over 22 years of recent experience supervising and coordinating the development of architecture solutions for technical workforces that are similar to ARPA-H as proven below:

Sr. Technical Advisor, DoD (12/2015 – Present): For over 7 years as a DoD Principal Enterprise AWS Gov Cloud/MIL Cloud Subject Matter Expert (SME)/Cloud Security Architect/Trusted Technical Advisor, introduced solutions-based on functional business frameworks for Enterprise Architecture (EA), Enterprise Integration Architecture (EIA), Service Orientated Architecture, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and for the DoD community. Led the design, implementation, and expansion of the organization’s enterprise computing and cloud solutions providing high performance and available enterprise and cloud computing services. Designed and implemented cloud-native architectures and designs allowing 100% of requirements to be met with a minimal degree of risk to the organization and with appropriate security controls present. Mr. Abdullah was responsible for assisting agency executive management, division directors, and information technology (IT) staff and leading project tasks, and resources, including State personnel and deliverables.

Mr. Abdullah utilized the appropriate project management tools, reports, templates, mentoring, training, and coaching to IT project teams.

Mr. Abdullah followed the project management best practices, including risk management, quality management, change management, change control, communication and proactively manage changes in project scope, schedule, and cost.

Mr. Abdullah provided a leadership, collaboration, supervision, training, guidance, and support to project team members on assigned projects and collaborates to develop and appropriately execute a change strategy, including stakeholder analysis, communication plans, adoption plans, PHP, Python, R, S, .NET, JAVA, Microsoft Project, Project Server, QlikView

Mr. Abdullah managed the relationships across OIT, customers, and vendors to develop a thorough understanding of core business functions and align projects with overall business objectives.

Mr. Abdullah worked directly with agency staff, as well as vendors in fulfilling and carrying out the requirements of assigned IT projects and managed issues, and proactively escalates critical issues for immediate resolution, effectively demonstrating decision-making. Mr. Abdullah directed a global cloud transformation initiative, moving critical data center operations to hybrid cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud and on-prem) and collaborated with C-level executives and IT leaders to define technical strategies aligning with business objectives, delivering scalable solutions.

Mr. Abdullah orchestrated the development of hybrid cloud governance frameworks using Azure Arc, enabling unified management of multi-cloud assets, and optimized cloud and on-premises network infrastructure, leveraging Azure ExpressRoute and VPN Gateway for secure, high-speed connections and, doing stakeholder analysis, communication plans, adoption plans, PHP, Python, R, S, .NET, JAVA, Microsoft Project, Project Server, QlikView. Troubleshoot and resolve Fortinet environment issues by using the

FortiGate, Forti Manager, Forti Analyzer, networking protocols (BGP, OSPF, VPN), and following the Fortinet certifications NSE4, NSE5 Certs practices.

Mr. Abdullah developed and tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) and SLAs to monitor project health and ensure alignment with business goals.

Sr. Solution Architect, DoD/USAF (01/2013 – 12/2015): For over 2 years as a Solution Architect supporting the DoD/USAF, implemented IT Infrastructure Support (Cloud Services) solutions including working on the governance and corporate polices to establish best practices to maximize the benefits of the enterprise level AWS, Azure Web services, Azure Cloud, and build the enterprise level architecture that utilized AWS, Azure for archives, backups, disaster recovery, hybrid cloud, production, and development of applications with online payment. Manage FedRAMP, NIST, FISMA standards and develop direction for DOD business units that ensure the Cloud Solution alignment & technology architectural direction with corporate strategies, and (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, ISEF, UAF, NAS2040, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework), AAF, UAF, DEF, MBSA, MBSD, DSS., developed Microservices using Kubernetes and Dockers containerized solutions

· CodeDeploy, CodePipeline, CodeCommit (Implementing CI/CD pipelines on AWS)

· OpsWorks (Automate operations with Chef). System Administration with Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, RedHat) and Microsoft Windows/Active Directory, Exchange, CM tools including Ansible, Chef, Puppet, SSO, Multifactor Authentication, CASB, Cloud Gateways and (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, ISEF, UAF, NAS2040, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework)

Solution Architect, DoD/US Army (10/2010 – 12/2012): For over 2 years as a Solution Architect supporting the DoD/US Army, implemented IT Infrastructure Support (Cloud Services) including developing more scalable, flexible, and agile solutions by building the enterprise level architecture utilizing Azure and AWS for backups, disaster recovery, hybrid cloud, production, and development of applications with online payment to satisfy 100% of customer requirements and initiatives.

Senior Consultant/Project Manager/Architect, NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (03/2009 – 01/2010): Supported the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse as a Senior Consultant/Project Manager/Architect leading a large cross-functional team to support the reduction of spend across various environments through development, enhancement, and implementation of predictive servicing strategies that improved customer experience and saved operating costs.

Education

Ph.D., Predictive Analytics, George Washington University, 2016

MBA, Management Information Systems, George Washington University, 2013

B.S., Math & Electrical Engineering, George Washington University, 2000

B.S., Science, George Washington University, 1998

Certifications

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certified Cloud Architect/Professional Cloud Network Engineer, 2021

ITIL 4 Foundations, 2020

Professional Cloud Security Engineer, 2019

Project Plan, MS Project, Visio

Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Azure Certified, 2018

WebSphere Application Server Certified, 2018

Information Security Certification (George Washington University), 2009

Employment History

Sr. Technical Advisor/SME

ZS Consulting Inc. - DoD

12/2015 – Present

Provides technical oversight and guidance during DoD client’s engagement execution and provide Azure technical expertise for strategic design and architectural mentorship, assessments, POCs, in support of the overall sales lifecycle or consulting engagement process. Assist leadership with the ongoing development of policies and procedures for the purpose of consistent product delivery. As a chief TOGAF architect Mr. Abdullah specializes in creating and managing enterprise architecture by leveraging TOGAF principles, methodologies, and tools. Doing stakeholder analysis, communication plans, adoption plans, PHP, Python, R, S, .NET, JAVA, Microsoft Project, Project Server, QlikView

Supports the development and growth of DoD’s Cloud Services and Consulting Practice performing Cloud Security Assessments of Cloud platforms/environments using industry standard frameworks including ISO, CSA-CSM and NIST and manage FedRAMP, NIST, FISMA standards, developing direction for DoD business units that ensure the Cloud Solution alignment and technology architectural direction with corporate strategies.

Defines cloud network architecture using Azure virtual networks, virtual private network (VPN), and express route to establish connectivity between on premise and cloud. Designed Azure virtual networks, networking services, DNS, DHCP and IP addressing configuration and designed the On-premises Active Directory, deployed Active Directory, defined static IP reservations, and developed expert level understanding of ACLs, Network Security Groups, and Design Azure Compute functions.

Designs, develops, and reviews security architectures for cloud and cloud/hybrid-based systems by using tools including the CyberArk for Privilege Account management, Security, and Firewall technologies including Cisco and Checkpoint, Terraform for Infrastructure as Code Automation, and performs implementation of Container technologies including Docker and Kubernetes.

Provides technical guidance on building solutions using Azure PaaS and other services. Designed Microsoft Azure infrastructure and networking and implemented Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (M20533) troubleshooting and identifying performance, connectivity, and other issues for the applications hosted in Azure platform.

As a DoD Principal Enterprise AWS Gov Cloud/MIL Cloud Subject Matter Expert (SME)/Cloud Security Architect/Trusted Technical Advisor, Mr. Abdullah introduced solutions-based on functional business framework for Enterprise Architecture (EA/SA), Enterprise Integration Architecture (EIA), Service Orientated Architecture (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework)

Designed Azure virtual machines (VMs) and VM architecture for IaaS and PaaS; understand availability sets, fault domains and update domains in Azure and developed expertise in the Azure VPN and ExpressRoute architecture and design, and in Azure point-to-site (P2S) and site-to-site (S2S) VPN.

Collaborates and develops cloud vision by providing thought leadership in cloud infrastructure and cloud services architecture to meet operational objectives for cloud solutions. Develop custom features in Visual Studio based on specifications and technical designs and, doing stakeholder analysis, communication plans, adoption plans, PHP, Python, R, S, .NET, JAVA, Microsoft Project, Project Server, QlikView

Educate all customers on the value proposition of managed services on Azure and participate in architectural discussions to ensure solutions are designed for successful deployment in the cloud.

Develop PowerShell scripts and ARM templates to automate the provisioning and deployment process.

Sr. Solution Architect/SME

ZS Consulting Inc. – DoD/USAF

01/2013 – 12/2015

Worked on governance and corporate polices and established best practices to maximize the benefits of the enterprise level Azure Web services and AWS, Azure Cloud and build the enterprise level architecture that utilized AWS, Azure for archives, backups, disaster recovery, hybrid cloud, production and apps with online payment.

Enterprise Integration Architecture (EIA), Service Orientated Architecture (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework)

Developed and implemented new modernized web technologies and solutions for .Net 3.5/SQL 2008, .Net 4.0, C# 4.0, ASP.NET 4.0, services, SQL Server 2012, DODS 2012, SSIS 2012, SSRS 2012, SharePoint 2010, Java JDK, K2, Nintex web, EJB3, Hibernate, Web Sphere Application Server 7.0, Web Logic Application Server 10.3.4, Adobe Flex 4.5 SDK and Oracle 11g. For Air Force to support 100% of customer requirements.

Conducted software modifications, maintenance, and tech refreshes on USAF acquisition reporting systems.

Built and architected enterprise collaboration and portal solutions, planned/executed migration from SharePoint 2007 to 2010, and developed/administered farms and sites, including the installation of all required SharePoint 2010 components as needed.

Designed, architected, and implemented large, cost-effective BI analytics systems using Hadoop and Green Plum.

Performed design, implementation, and maintenance of complex multiple product modules/subsystems and created custom workflows.

Mentors and guides development and operations teams on cloud architecture best practices patterns, and (SOA, TOGAF, DoDAF, ISEF, UAF, NAS2040, EAC, Zachman, EA Frameworks, and FEAF, Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework).

Developed requirements for collaboration/content management tools, designed/implemented custom SharePoint applications (workflows), K2 black pearl and Nintex to migrate the content from shared drives or other non-SharePoint repositories to SharePoint and Hadoop, Big Data, Greenplum Teradata, and Mark Logic.

Developed coding standards and SLAs, supported requirements gathering, and performed code reviews.

Implemented Azure, Policy and Security Center across hybrid environments, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. Delivered projects on time and within scope, reducing operational costs optimized resource allocation and vendor management. Developed and tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) and SLAs to monitor project health and ensure alignment with business goals. Reduced time to market for new product features by implementing Agile Scrum methodologies and improving communication between technical and business teams. Enhanced operational efficiency by automating cloud infrastructure provisioning using ARM templates and Azure Automation. Established data governance frameworks, including GDPR and HIPAA compliance, ensuring secure data handling and storage across hybrid environments. Collaborated with data science and analytics teams to design real-time data pipelines for predictive analytics using Azure Event Hubs and Stream Analytics. Implemented role-based access control (RBAC) and data encryption, enhancing security and compliance for sensitive data across cloud platforms.

Solution Architect/SME

ZS Consulting Inc. – DoD/US Army

11/2010 – 12/2012

Designed and developed mobile learning management system and social media applications in support of Open Gov initiatives. Defined and documented the design of functionality through use cases, business process flows, UI design, and UML modeling.

Developed more scalable, flexible, and agile solutions by building the enterprise level architecture utilizing AWS, Azure for archives, backups, disaster recovery, hybrid cloud, and applications with online payment.

Built, integrated, and tuned all aspects of mobile systems to maximize the effectiveness of intelligence data, and designed, architected, and implemented large, cost-effective open-source BI analytics systems using Hadoop and Green Plum.

Multi-threaded code with synchronous, asynchronous code, and other mobile technologies by following the software design and programming standards and optimizing size and performance of applications and frameworks.

Developed data models for large-scale transactional and analytical systems, ensuring optimal schema design for performance and flexibility.

Led a cross-functional team in the design and implementation of a data catalog and metadata management system, increasing data discoverability and collaboration across the organization.

Enhanced data quality and consistency by implementing data lineage tracking and real-time validation rules across the data pipeline.

Managed databases, including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB, ensuring high availability, performance tuning, and backup strategies.

Sr. Consultant/Project Manager/Architect/SME

ZS Consulting Inc. – NIH/NIDA

03/2009 – 01/2010

Led a large cross-functional team to support the reduction of spend across various environments using big data analytics to develop insight to network trends and gain understanding of market forces influencing trends measuring actuals against predicted volumes/targets to further enhance models and improve predictability.

Oversaw development, enhancement, and implementation of predictive servicing strategies that improved customer experience and saved operating costs.

Developed, tested, and deployed predictive models for patient level outcomes and collaborated with other analytic resources to envision and prototype business intelligence tools based on the predictive modeling functionality.

Additional Work Experience

Sr. Consultant/Project Manager/Architect, Chartwell Information, 01/2003 – 03/2009

Led complex software projects and architectural designs reviews and developed complex end to end workflows, strategic planning, team leadership, and client relations. Utilized full life cycle SDLC methodology, and project management tools to deliver projects on time and within budget. Led the migration of legacy systems to a more modernized architecture, reducing infrastructure costs

Sr. Consultant/Project Manager/Architect, Network Access Solutions, 12/2001 – 01/2003

Designed and managed the development of scalable software architectures, adhering to budget and timelines. Coordinated with clients, developers, and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with industry standards. Collaborated with stakeholders to ensure minimal disruption during the transition.

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