MOHAMMED RAFEEQUE
Ajman
Summary
Results-oriented Principal Systems Engineer with over 20 years of expertise in wired and wireless networking, cybersecurity, SD-WAN, SASE, SWG, Proxy, and IT infrastructure across the Middle East. Recognized for delivering innovative, high-impact solutions that accelerate business growth, enhance security, and position organizations at the forefront of the industry. A strategic technical leader with a proven track record of empowering cross-regional teams, driving partner enablement, and playing a key role in elevating organizations like Fortinet to industry leadership, including securing a position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure. An expert in enterprise solution design, technical consulting, and pre-sales engineering, with a passion for solving complex challenges and aligning advanced technical solutions with business objectives. Known for delivering transformative technical workshops, fostering strong stakeholder relationships, and guiding organizations through their digital transformation journey.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Systems Engineer - South and North ME
FORTINET
07.2015 - Current
- Drive strategic pre-sales engagements across the North and South Middle East, acting as a regional technical resource to support sales activities, critical opportunities, and solution adoption.
- Subject Matter Expert specializing in Secure LAN Edge, Secure Unified Communications, Network Access Control (NAC), Video Surveillance Systems, User Identity Management, SD-Branch, and Wi-Fi Presence Analytics solutions.
- Deliver technical consultations on security-driven wired and wireless networking solutions, building trusted advisor relationships with customers, resellers, and partners.
- Perform Wi-Fi surveys (pre-deployment, active, passive, and hybrid) in complex environments, ensuring optimized network design and performance.
- Conduct technical demos, proof of concept trials, and design reviews for customers across the Middle East, engaging with decision-makers at all levels, including C-suite executives.
- Lead customer-centric technical workshops on Fortinet solutions, focusing on securing the LAN edge and addressing customer-specific business and technical challenges.
- Collaborate with Fortinet field engineers to design and implement customized security solutions, recommending the best technical approaches to meet customer needs.
- Mentor and train System Engineers at regional events, fostering skill development and providing ongoing support to SE specialists within Virtual Teams.
- Serve as a Virtual Team Leader, representing the Sales Organization in technical committees and influencing product strategy by providing customer feedback.
- Work Closely with Consulting Systems Engineers to identify and develop new product features and contribute to the technical roadmap critical to Fortinet’s regional success.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation, including competitive battle cards, technical notes, and solution briefs to enhance sales enablement and partner capabilities.
- Create and tailor presentations and demonstrations to effectively deliver Fortinet’s value proposition across diverse audiences, from technical stakeholders to executive leadership.
- Stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and competitive landscapes, ensuring Fortinet’s solutions are optimally positioned to address evolving market demands.
- Manage complex customer engagements, maintaining strong technical account relationships and identifying cross-selling opportunities to drive business growth.
- Participate in internal engineering communities, sharing knowledge and collaborating across regions to advance Fortinet’s technical leadership and customer success.
- Ensure timely communication and activity reporting to senior leadership while maintaining a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
System Engineer - Regional (Middle East and South Africa)
MERU NETWORKS
11.2011 - 06.2015
- Company Overview: Meru Networks - acquired Fortinet - https://investor.fortinet.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fortinet-closes-acquisition-meru-networks
- Led pre-sales engagements across Middle East and South Africa, assisting in business closures by conducting key account visits, delivering technical demonstrations, and providing expert consultative support.
- Designed, planned, and implemented Meru Wireless LAN (WLAN) Solutions, collaborating closely with customers and channel partners to deliver tailored network solutions for healthcare, enterprise, hospitality, and educational sectors.
- Acted as a trusted technical advisor, conducting discovery conversations and needs analyses to identify customer pain points and align solutions with business objectives.
- Delivered professional services by owning the installation, deployment, and integration of Meru WLAN solutions, ensuring seamless implementation and post-sales support.
- Collaborated with engineering and development teams, providing detailed diagnostics and troubleshooting to resolve complex customer issues and enhance solution effectiveness.
- Presented technical demonstrations and pre-sales presentations to customers and partners, articulating the value of Meru's product portfolio and differentiating technical strengths in competitive environments.
- Developed and maintained strong technical relationships with key customers, partners, and ELV consultants, fostering long-term business collaboration and solution adoption.
- Played a pivotal role in the development of bids, proposals, and solution presentations, aligning Meru’s offerings with client needs to support successful deal closures.
- Drove customer engagement through roadshows and events, showcasing Meru's advanced WLAN capabilities and strengthening brand visibility across regional markets.
- Provided strategic feedback to Product Management and Engineering teams, ensuring customer insights were integrated into future product improvements and innovations.
- Supported complex WLAN deployments, producing technical action plans to diagnose and resolve issues while ensuring alignment with industry best practices.
- Built and nurtured long-term account relationships, continuously delivering technical advice and identifying new opportunities for solution expansion and cross-selling.
- Resolved issues and escalated problems with knowledgeable support and quality service.
- Verified compliance with applicable performance metrics and compatibility expectations.
Network Consultant
WESTCON MIDDLE EAST FZE
02.2011 - 11.2012
- Provided technical pre-sales support for Meru Networks, LifeSize, Proxim Wireless, Extreme Networks and SMART solutions, delivering product presentations, live demonstrations, and proof-of-concept trials to channel partners and customers across the Middle East, Pakistan, and North Africa regions.
- Performed comprehensive wireless site surveys, including heat map generation, to design and recommend optimized wireless solutions, ensuring seamless coverage and performance in diverse and challenging environments.
- Collaborated with the sales team to drive product demand generation, offering technical expertise during customer engagements, identifying business opportunities, and supporting the successful positioning of networking, security, and mobility solutions.
- Led project management and solution implementation through coordination with outsourcing partners, ensuring on-time delivery and successful execution of complex network infrastructure projects.
- Enabled channel partners by conducting technical training sessions, workshops, and product enablement programs, enhancing their ability to effectively promote and deploy Westcon’s technology portfolio.
- Developed and maintained strong technical relationships with resellers, systems integrators, and partners, offering ongoing technical consultation and supporting them in delivering end-to-end solutions.
- Acted as a trusted advisor, assisting partners and customers with solution architecture, network design, and proof-of-concept validations, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical requirements.
- Created and delivered compelling technical product presentations and collateral to support both internal and external stakeholders, enhancing solution knowledge and market readiness.
- Conducted competitive analysis to position Westcon’s product offerings effectively, highlighting key differentiators and ensuring strategic technical alignment with market demands.
- Supported the entire pre-sales lifecycle, from technical discovery and requirement gathering to solution design and post-sales support, ensuring a seamless customer experience and successful project delivery.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with internal teams, including logistics, marketing, and engineering, to ensure the availability of inventory, provide technical expertise, and streamline solution delivery for channel partners.
- Participated in strategic channel initiatives, including roadshows, partner events, and marketing campaigns, enhancing Westcon’s brand visibility and strengthening channel relationships.
- Provided configuration recommendations and assistance in customer deployment.
Network Engineer
RELIANCE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LLC (NMC GROUP)
11.2008 - 06.2011
- Designed, implemented, and maintained critical LAN, MAN, and WAN networks for key industries, including healthcare, education, hospitality, trading, and pharmaceuticals, ensuring high availability, scalability, and secure connectivity.
- Led the network infrastructure planning and deployment for NMC Group’s service-oriented businesses and educational branches, providing end-to-end solutions for LAN and WAN environments.
- Configured and supported advanced Windows Server environments (Windows 2008/2003/SBS 2003), including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and NAS storage systems, ensuring seamless system administration and data integrity.
- Implemented and managed secure WLAN and outdoor broadband wireless solutions, optimizing wireless coverage and performance across diverse and mission-critical environments.
- Provided server and system support for NMC Specialty Hospital, ensuring the stability and security of essential healthcare systems through proactive maintenance, system upgrades, and performance monitoring.
- Installed and maintained Avaya PABX systems across multiple facilities, providing reliable voice communication by configuring and connecting systems between buildings and administering complex telephony networks.
- Conducted regular network device backups to ensure business continuity, disaster recovery readiness, and rapid restoration of critical systems in case of emergencies.
- Delivered comprehensive network support and consultancy services, advising clients on network security best practices, system optimization, and infrastructure enhancements.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to provide end-to-end IT solutions, including hardware support, software integration, and network consultancy, ensuring optimal performance and customer satisfaction.
- Diagnosed and resolved complex network issues, provided technical expertise, and ensured minimal downtime for mission-critical environments across hospitals, educational institutions, and commercial enterprises.
- Installed, configured, tested and maintained operating systems, application software, and system management tools.
Education
Bachelor of Technology -
KHADER MEMORIAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
India01.2007
Diploma in Computer Science Engineering -
VMR POLYTECHNIC
India01.2003
Skills
- Networking & Security Expertise
- Fortinet Product Knowledge
- Pre-Sales & Solution Design
- Customer & Partner Engagement Technical Presentation & Communication
- Training & Mentorship
- Project Management & Problem-Solving
- Strategic Planning & Process Optimization
- Collaboration & Cross-Functional
- Coordination Technical Documentation
Languages
ENGLISH
URDU
TELUGU
Technical Certifications
- CWNA (CERTIFIED WIRELESS NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR), CWNP446543
- ECSE Design
- ECSE Troubleshooting
- NSE-1,2,3,4 and 7
- Meru Wireless Engineering Professional (WEP)
- Meru Wireless Sales Specialist (WSS)
- Meru Certified Engineer (MCE)
- CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), ECC924508
- CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), True, CSCO11114562, CSCO11793812
- CCNP (CISCO CERTIFIED NETWORK PROFESSIONAL), CSCO11793812
- CCNSP (CYBEROAM CERTIFIED NETWORK & SECURITY PROFESSIONAL)
- ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) FOUNDATION V3
- MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer), 6149244
- PCBA - Proxim Certified Broadband Associate
- T-8100 Certification Exam (v.3)
- LifeSize Certified Sales Professional
- LifeSize Certified Sales Expert
- LifeSize Certified Technical Professional
- DViT (Digital Vision Touch) Technology Level 2
- SMART Level 2 Technical Training Assessment
- SMART Level 2 Installation Training
- SMART Notebook Software
Timeline
Principal Systems Engineer - South and North ME
FORTINET
07.2015 - Current
System Engineer - Regional (Middle East and South Africa)
MERU NETWORKS
11.2011 - 06.2015
Network Consultant
WESTCON MIDDLE EAST FZE
02.2011 - 11.2012
Network Engineer
RELIANCE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LLC (NMC GROUP)
11.2008 - 06.2011
Bachelor of Technology -
KHADER MEMORIAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Diploma in Computer Science Engineering -
VMR POLYTECHNIC
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