Shias Siddique
Cloud Architect / IT Manager
Dubai
Summary
Highly experienced professional with over 21 years of hard core experience in IT Technologies and Management. Been always successful in exceeding expectations by delivering best in class technology within time and budget thus contributing to the company's growth strategy and vision. Exhibited dependability and leadership by long term work commitments and continuously moving up the corporate ladder. Always up to date with technology trends, with recent focus on Cloud delivery, IoT and Data Science; looking forward to join hands with a potential employer offering an excellent work culture.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
6
6
Certifications
Work History
Head of Information Technology - UAE & Afghanistan
GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zus
03.2022 - Current
- Reduced helpdesk response times through streamlined processes and improved knowledge base documentation.
- Introduced comprehensive training programs for end-users on new systems or software updates.
- Functioned as Single Point of Contact for UAE and Afghanistan in GIZ's S4GIZ Project involving roll out of S/4HANA platform globally.
- Worked with the Cloud Services Team from GIZ Head Quarters to implement Azure Cloud for various Country Offices worldwide, including Colombia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Vietnam etc.
- Led digital transformation initiatives, driving innovation and operational excellence across the organization.
- Enhanced IT infrastructure by implementing upgraded hardware and software solutions.
- Mentored junior IT staff, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
- Conducted regular audits of IT systems to identify areas requiring optimization or additional security measures.
- Managed IT budget effectively, prioritizing investments to align with strategic goals.
- Implemented cloud-based solutions, resulting in increased efficiency and cost savings.
- Developed disaster recovery plans, minimizing downtime during critical incidents.
- Spearheaded efforts to automate routine tasks, freeing up team resources for higher-value projects.
- Managed network and system performance, conducting troubleshooting, security patching, and maintenance.
- Oversaw IT department operations and training.
- Conferred with executives to advise and plan for short-term and long-term IT system upgrade needs.
Senior Data Center Specialist - Cloud Services
Tasnee (National Industrialization Company)
10.2016 - 03.2022
- Managed the Hybrid Cloud footprint of Saudi Arabia's biggest industrial and petrochemical company.
- Managed the cloud presence of over 250 IaaS Virtual Machines and several PaaS services used the company in Azure.
- Deployed and secured Virtual Machines as needed using Azure Resource Manager (ARM) model and Network Security Groups (NSG)
- Planned, researched and architected the Azure cloud infrastructure to meet current and future requirements of the company.
- Implemented, monitored and maintained services to meet and beat set Service Level Agreements (SLA)
- Managed Backups to ensure reliable and readily available backups
- Worked with the Compliance team during Business Impact Assessments (BIA) to identify and tier Cloud IT resources to ensure Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) are met in case of disasters.
- Lead and conducted DR Drills to validate reliability of implemented Disaster Recovery (DR) and Backup solutions.
- Secured Azure endpoints such as Storage Accounts (Blobs, File Shares), Keyvaults etc. by means of Private links
- Planned and monitored cost of utilized Azure resources to ensure the utilization is optimized to stay within set budget
- Regularly reviewed vulnerability reports generated by VAPT tools and carry out necessary mitigation steps on resources that fall under my ownership
- Reviewed and planned optimal sizing of resources and enroll them as Reserved Instances (RI) for cost saving benefits
- Scaled up and down resources on periodic basis to ensure adequate utilization of cloud services thus optimizing cost utilization from company's Enterprise Agreement (EA) with Microsoft
- Researched, learnt and deployed new solutions from Azure Marketplace to benefit the growing demands on the company
- Engaged in discussions with companies such as Gartner, Microsoft, Dell EMC, HPE etc to explore and evaluate industry leading solutions that benefit the company's growing needs.
- Worked with the teams to implement and integrate several third party cloud business solutions such as Robotics Automation (UIPath), LIMS (Thermofisher), ERP (SAP Hana Enterprise Cloud) owned by the company.
- Worked with an ISO Certified IT environment consisting of dedicated teams such as Data Center, System Admins, Operations, Security Operations Center, Network, Unified Communications etc.
IT Manager
TÜV NORD Middle East
08.2006 - 09.2016
- Joined the company as an IT Specialist and grew up to IT Manager over a span of 10 years by continually showcasing dedication, hard work, out of the box thinking and leadership skills.
- Carried out pivotal role in setting up IT infrastructure at over 10 offices of the company spread across the Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman)
- Been successful in delivering optimal solutions to the company to meet and beat business requirements while ensuring to stay within set budgets that suit the company's growth and size
- Headed exciting and challenging projects as a Project Manager for projects such as ERP implementation (Microsoft Dynamics AX), Office 365, Microsoft Azure, IT Helpdesk etc.
- Lead a team of 4 IT staffs to ensure reliable IT service across over 10 offices of the company across the GCC
- Been always successful to be the one-stop solution for several business requirements of the company by offering the right solutions on time
- Elevated the IT department to continuously achieve over 95% customer satisfaction for 4 years in a row
- Prepared and delivered several IT trainings to company's end users to improve their IT knowledge and compliance
- Set up, implemented and revised IT policies for the company in accordance with ISO 20000 standards
- Worked directly, reporting to the Vice President and engaged with all levels of management to understand and satisfy business requirements
- Managed company's email, sharepoint and collaboration systems
- Managed physical and virtual servers, network appliances and firewalls owned by the company
- Implemented a Hybrid cloud environment for the ERP solution of the company
Project Lead
Creative Internet Services
05.2004 - 07.2006
- Worked as Project Lead in interacting with company's customers, understanding their requirements, prepare wireframes and user interfaces and worked with the development team to deliver various challenging and complex projects undertaken by the company.
IT Incharge
International Automobile and Touring Club (IATC)
05.2002 - 04.2004
- Joined the company as a programmer to develop an in-house software for the company's 24 hour roadside assistance call center, privilege club membership department and bridged them to the Financial software.
- Upgraded the IT systems of the company to bring in active directory domain based network and centralized solutions.
- Implemented Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) solutions as early as 2003
Education
Master of Science - Computer Systems Management
Heriot Watt University
United Kingdom (Dubai Campus)Skills
Cloud Services
Technology domain
Azure, AWS, Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Office 365, SAP, Commvault, HP, Dell EMC, Simplivity, VXRail, Avamar, DataDomain, Isilon, Cisco, Fortinet, PaloAlto, GlobalProtect, VPN, Sharepoint, Exchange Online, Onedrive, Teams, Webex, Kissflow, Zoho, Virtual Machines, Virtual Networks, Subnetting, Gateways, IPSec, Expressroute, Disaster Recovery, Azure Site Recovery, Azure Migrate, Replication, Network Security Groups, Firewalls, Switching, Access Points, Desktop Virtualization, Remote Desktop Services, Citrix, Load Balancers, Route Tables, Azure Cost Management, UIPath, IoT, Active Directory, Azure AD, Storage Accounts, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Server Virtualization, Hub and Spoke, Antivirus, IDS, IPS, Kubernetes, Docker, Containers, AppServices,
Certification
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
Basic Information
Date of Birth : 30th August 1979
Nationality : Indian
Driving License : UAE Drivers' License
Visa Status : UAE Residence Visa
Marital Status : Married, and having 1 child
I hereby acknowledge that the information provided in this CV is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge. References can be provided upon request as necessary.
Regards
Shias Siddique
M : +971 55 6673111
E : shiassid@gmail.com
W : www.shiasonline.net
Timeline
Head of Information Technology - UAE & Afghanistan
GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zus
03.2022 - Current
Senior Data Center Specialist - Cloud Services
Tasnee (National Industrialization Company)
10.2016 - 03.2022
IT Manager
TÜV NORD Middle East
08.2006 - 09.2016
Project Lead
Creative Internet Services
05.2004 - 07.2006
IT Incharge
International Automobile and Touring Club (IATC)
05.2002 - 04.2004
Master of Science - Computer Systems Management
Heriot Watt University
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