Balachandar Sekar

• Designed and implemented Azure landing zones following the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF), ensuring governance, security, and compliance through Azure Policies and Blueprints.
• Led the migration of corporate and retail banking mobile applications for the Commercial Bank of Dubai from on-premises to Azure, leveraging Azure IaaS/PaaS solutions (Virtual Machines, Load Balancers, Azure SQL Database) to enhance scalability and reliability.
• Spearheaded the implementation of the National Payment Systems Strategy (NPSS) for the Central Bank of the UAE, utilizing Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure SQL, and Azure Cosmos DB to deliver a scalable, high-performance cloud solution.
• Automated infrastructure deployment using Terraform, reducing manual effort and improving operational efficiency.
• Enhanced security posture by integrating Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel for proactive threat detection and compliance monitoring.
• Optimized cloud costs by implementing governance dashboards to monitor resource utilization and align cloud operations with business goals.

• Designed and managed Azure App Service Environments, API Management (APIM), and Application Gateway to ensure secure, scalable application hosting.
• Automated SSL certificate management using Azure Logic Apps, Azure Key Vault, and PowerShell, reducing client outages and improving security.
• Implemented Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Configuration as Code (CaC) for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters, ensuring consistent and repeatable deployments.
• Developed custom scripts in PowerShell and Python to automate infrastructure provisioning and monitoring, improving operational efficiency.
• Established comprehensive logging and monitoring solutions using Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and ELK Stack for optimal application performance.

HCL Technologies, Abu Dhabi | November 2019 – October 2021

• Migrated DevOps tools to Azure DevOps, implementing pipelines and release strategies tailored to the Azure ecosystem.
• Provisioned Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters using Terraform and managed deployments with Helm, ensuring scalability and consistency.
• Designed and implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitLab, and Ansible, streamlining software delivery processes.
• Led the deployment of microservices on the OpenShift Container Platform, enhancing application scalability and reliability.
• Implemented HashiCorp Vault for secure secret management and integrated Flyway for automated database migrations.

• Designed and implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Bitbucket, Maven, and Ansible, automating build, test, and deployment processes.
• Integrated AppScan and SonarQube into CI/CD pipelines to ensure code quality and security compliance.
• Developed automated deployment processes using Jira, Ansible, and Rundeck, reducing manual intervention and improving deployment efficiency.

• Managed Nokia-IT project infrastructure, including server maintenance, performance tuning, and automated monitoring solutions.
• Collaborated with global teams to resolve critical issues, implement enhancements, and ensure service availability.