Linux Engineer with Linux Automation Expertise

Maryam Safdar

Linux Engineer

***************@*****.*** (646) - 535-6643

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryam-s-505a7a18a/

SUMMARY:

A Red Hat Certified System Admin (RHCSA) who is resourceful and technically proficient Linux Engineer with over 6 years of experience supporting enterprise environments through efficient Linux configuration, Ansible automation, and infrastructure optimization. Adept at managing BareMetal and virtual machines, deploying secure and scalable Linux based solutions, and automating routine operations using Bash, Ansible, Git, Docker, and other DevOps tools. Demonstrated ability to monitor system health, troubleshoot complex issues, and ensure service reliability in high availability environments. Strong understanding of cloud services (AWS), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and modern CI/CD workflows. Recognized for a proactive mindset, attention to detail, and a strong commitment to infrastructure integrity and uptime.

CERTIFICATIONS:

Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) https://www.credly.com/badges/59448cfc-4397-4458-9ce7-d11d788064d6

The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking (Google)

WORKING EXPERIENCE:

Linux Engineer Mar 2023 - Present

AT&T, New York

Automated firewall rules, storage configuration, and user management by creating Ansible Playbooks, utilized Modules, Roles, Variables, Templates and Handlers.

Wrote Ansible playbooks to automate Patching, Package and SystemD Management on RHEL 8 & 9 servers to avoid errors, high accuracy and faster workflow.

Managed Inventory, Jobs, Templates, Projects, Credentials, and executed playbooks on Ansible Automation Platform (Ansible Towers), orchestrating configuration changes across hundreds of nodes with Git integration.

Created and enforced IAM Policies and Roles for controlled user access and integrated IAM role-based automation by writing Ansible Playbooks.

Provisioned secure and scalable cloud infrastructure on multiple EC2 Instances using ELB as well as utilized IAM for restrict access to application data in S3 in AWS.

Deployed, configured and monitored critical infrastructure metrics on Nagios as well as utilized CloudWatch, and CloudTrail on AWS for alerts to take proactive action.

Created reusable CloudFormation templates to deploy secure, customized AWS infrastructure including VPCs, subnets, EC2, and IAM roles.

Configured and supported production as well as non-production Linux servers Red Hat, CentOS across hybrid environments, to ensure uptime and compliance with Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Managed VMware virtual infrastructure tasks using VMware vSphere, including server Provisioning, cloning, snapshots, storage management, CPU/memory allocation, migrated VMs using vMotion.

Supported daily operations via ServiceNow by resolving incident tickets, change approvals (CAB) escalating unresolved issues, and tracking service impacts.

Handled Kernel upgrades using Leap Utility and package installations with rollback planning to minimize risk to production systems and resolved application compatibility issues.

Replaced manual Deployments with multiple microservices by writing customized Docker files and Compose configurations to make sure identical application setups across multiple environments.

Utilized Git and Bitbucket to maintain version control after writing Ansible Playbooks, Bash Scripts and modifying infrastructure codes on Python, and configuration files.

Maintained detailed infrastructure Wiki Documentation including architecture diagrams using LucidCharts, standard procedures, and environment-specific notes.

Enhanced platform reliability by deploying Docker containers for testing/staging environments and implementing cleanup routines.

Linux Administrator Feb 2021 - Jan 2023

Wells Fargo, NYC, NY

Managed and configured custom SELinux rules and firewall rules to secure production servers also ensured critical application traffic passed without interruption.

Deployed, secured and maintained network daemons BIND, DNS, Apache and DHCP by writing Ansible Playbooks to provide secured web hosted internal engineering tools.

Installed, configured and maintained NFS, Samba and cifs mounts across the cluster to resolve mount errors and deliver reliable shared storage across the various teams.

Implemented NIC Teaming and Bonding to provide network redundancy and bandwidth aggregation on critical production servers.

Developed custom shell scripts for system housekeeping, log cleanup, performance checks, and resource monitoring tasks.

Performed disk partitioning, LVM setup, and filesystem management to support storage scaling and real-time volume adjustments.

Managed user and group access with LDAP-integrated authentication and refined file-level security with advanced permission sets.

Investigated and resolved network issues using tcpdump, traceroute, and Wireshark, helping minimize system latency and downtime.

Conducted system health checks, monitored CPU and Memory trends, and proactively flagged anomalies using Nagios and System tools.

Maintained backup strategies using Tar/gzip, ensured regular testing of recovery procedures, and worked with storage teams on retention policies.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to support Splunk deployments and ensure log ingestion from Linux-based endpoints.

Participated in Patch management and OS baseline updates using Ansible playbooks, standardizing updates across all nodes.

Supported ongoing performance tuning by analyzing System logs, CPU/memory usage, and disk I/O, proactively addressing bottlenecks.

Collaborated with Developers and QA engineers to troubleshoot build failures, log errors, and cloud-based deployment issues.

Remotely diagnosed hardware issues on Physical servers using ILO/IDRAC tools, coordinating part replacements with vendors.

Created structured documentation for standard processes, configurations, and recovery steps to support team handovers and audits.

IT Support Technician Jan 2020 - Dec 2020

SUNY Old Westbury, NY

Installed and set up Printers and helped resolve common printing problems.

Assisted users with basic internet and network connectivity issues.

Updated device drivers and performed basic system maintenance.

Helped users reset passwords and regain access to accounts.

Provided basic technical support for computers, software, and peripherals.

Reported technical issues and followed up with vendors when needed.

Supported users with workstation setup and basic troubleshooting.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

Operating Systems: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, OEL

Provisioning: PXE Boot, Kickstart Automation

Cloud: AWS (EC2, EBS, EFS, S3, Glacier, IAM, AMI, ELB, Auto-scaling, SG, CloudWatch, & CloudTrail)

DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes (K8s)

Scripting & Automation: Bash, Python, Ansible (Playbooks, ad-Hoc commands)

Remote Access & Security: SSH Key-Based Authentication, Sudo, SELinux

Storage & Filesystems: LVM, EXT3/EXT4, Disk Partitioning, FSTAB

File Sharing Services: NFS, FTP

Networking: TCP/IP, LAN/WAN Troubleshooting, IP Configuration, Traceroute, Ping

Monitoring & Backups: Nagios, System Logs, tar/gzip, Cron, Manual & Automated Backups

Virtualization & Hardware: VMware ESXi (basic), HP iLO, Dell iDRAC, Rack & Stack

Version Control: Git (Basic Operations), GitHub

Ticketing & Communication: ServiceNow, Email/Phone Technical Support, Documentation

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

SUNY Old Westbury, NY

Expected Graduation: 2027

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