Integrated Network & Security Engineer with Zero Trust Focus

ASHISH VADAPALLY

+1-813-***-**** *******************@*****.*** LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Network & Security Engineer with 5+years of experience in architecting and securing enterprise networks across complex, multi-site, and hybrid environments. Drove a firewall optimization initiative that reduced organizational attack surface by 20% without compromising 99%+ network uptime, and led successful network segmentation projects with OSPF/BGP and VLANs to improve both security and system performance. Highly skilled in Zero Trust frameworks, SIEM-based threat detection, and rapid incident response, consistently delivering resilient and compliant infrastructure. Eager to apply proven track record to elevate organizational security and optimize critical network operations. TECHNICAL SKILL

• Networking Protocols: TCP/IP, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, STP, VLAN, VPN (IPsec/SSL/GRE), DNS, DHCP, QoS, IPv4/IPv6, SNMP, SSH, HTTP/HTTPS, Ethernet, UDP, SMTP, FTP, SSH, IPSec

• Security & Firewalls: Cisco ASA/FTD, IDS/IPS, SIEM (Splunk), ACL Optimization, Zero Trust, Endpoint Security, Threat Analysis, Vulnerability Remediation

• Cloud Networking: AWS (VPC, Security Groups, Route 53, Load Balancing), Azure Networking, Hybrid Cloud Connectivity, SD-WAN, AWS (VPC, Security Groups, Load Balancing, Route 53), Azure Networking, GCP Networking, Cloud Securit

• Systems & Platforms: Windows Server 2016/2019, Active Directory, Group Policy, Linux (RHEL/Ubuntu/CentOS), Patch Management

• Automation & Tools: Ansible, Terraform, Wireshark, NetFlow, SolarWinds, Nmap, Cisco IOS, Cisco Packet Tracer, Git

• Methodologies: Defense-in-Depth, Incident Response, Disaster Recovery, ITIL, Change Management, Agile, DevOps

• Programming Languages: C, Python, TypeScript, Shell Scripting, Go

• Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat)

• Authentication & Security: Access Control List (ACL), NAT, RADIUS, Firewall, Identity & Access Management

(IAM), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Zero Trust Security, SSL/TLS Encryption

• Networking Technologies: LAN, WAN, WLANs, VLAN, VPN, SD-WAN, Wireless Communication, Edge Computing

• Network Devices: Cisco Catalyst, Wireless Access Points, IP Phones (Yealink), Routers, Switches, Palo Alto Firewalls, Juniper Networks

• Network Management & Monitoring: SNMP, Syslog, SolarWinds, Ansible, Zabbix, Prometheus, ELK Stack

(Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)

• Tools: Cisco Packet Tracer, Wireshark, Terraform, Nagios, Splunk, Nmap, OpenVPN

• Wireless Communication Standards: LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E

• Container & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes

• Virtualization: VMware, VCenter, Hyper-V

• Industry Knowledge: Financial Services, Aerospace, Insurance, Cybersecurity, IoT, Enterprise Networking

• Solution Architecture & Design: Network Programming, API Gateway, Microservices Networking

• Management & Methodologies: Agile, ITIL, DevOps

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Cisco Jun 2025 - Present

Network & Security Engineer

• Analyze enterprise network traffic using NetFlow and threat telemetry via Splunk SIEM to identify security risks, misconfigurations, and anomalous behavior - enabling early mitigation and reducing mean time to detect (MTTD) threats.

• Engineered firewall rule optimization initiative: eliminated redundant and overly permissive ACLs, reducing organization's attack surface by 20% while sustaining 99%+ network uptime across all production environments.

• Led end-to-end incident response operations-including alert triage, in-depth log analysis, and cross-team coordination-which improved critical incident resolution times by 30% and strengthened overall security posture through actionable post-incident reports.

• Design and enforce network segmentation strategies using VLANs, micro-segmentation, OSPF, and BGP routing policies to maintain dual objectives of performance optimization and security posture hardening.

• Conduct gap assessments of existing network architectures against NIST, CIS, and Zero Trust frameworks, implementing hardening improvements and documenting recommendations for leadership review.

• Authored and maintain comprehensive security runbooks, network topology diagrams, and change management records ensuring audit readiness and standardized SOC operations.

• Collaborate with infrastructure and application teams to embed security controls into CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes without degrading system usability or performance. Infosys Aug 2024 - Mar 2025

Network & System Administrator

• Owned end-to-end network operations for enterprise multi-site environment, sustaining 99%+ uptime across all production systems through proactive monitoring dashboards and rapid incident response protocols.

• Configured and maintained perimeter and internal firewalls; continuously tuned IDS/IPS rules to eliminate false positives while preserving detection fidelity for genuine threats across the network perimeter.

• Monitored SIEM dashboards and network logs for indicators of compromise (IOCs), escalating and resolving suspicious activity in alignment with defined incident response playbooks and SLA requirements.

• Administered Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, and DHCP - including user lifecycle management, access provisioning, and periodic access reviews to enforce least-privilege and Zero Trust principles.

• Executed OS and application patch management across Windows Server and Linux (RHEL/Ubuntu) environments, remediating CVEs and maintaining secure, compliant system baselines across 200+ endpoints.

• Troubleshot complex routing, switching, and connectivity issues using Wireshark and NetFlow; performed root-cause analysis and applied targeted configuration changes that measurably improved network stability.

• Supported zero-downtime change windows for infrastructure rollouts, network upgrades, and VPN deployments, coordinating across operations, application, and security teams. ACL Digital Jun 2018 - Aug 2021

Network Support Engineer

• Resolved Tier 1/2 network incidents involving TCP/IP connectivity, DNS, DHCP, routing protocol failures, and hardware outages across a multi-site enterprise using Wireshark and NetFlow, maintaining continuous network availability.

• Configured and deployed routers, switches, and structured cabling for office expansions and infrastructure upgrades using Cisco IOS, ensuring reliable and high-performance network connectivity for new and updated office sites.

• Monitored network and server performance dashboards; responded rapidly to alerts to meet defined SLA targets, minimizing business impact and escalating critical issues to senior engineering teams.

• Assisted senior engineers in designing and validating network change proposals, gaining foundational experience in secure network design principles, firewall policies, and access control configurations.

• Maintained accurate documentation of device inventories, configuration baselines, IP addressing schemes, and support runbooks, improving team efficiency and knowledge transfer for new engineers. EDUCATION

Saint Leo University

Master of Science, Cybersecurity & Counterterrorism Florida, USA JNTU

Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics & Communication Hyderabad, India

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