Akhilesh Uthaman
Bangalore,Karnataka
Summary
Cybersecurity professional with over 13 years of experience in network engineering, security consulting, and product support within enterprise and service-provider environments. Expertise in SASE architecture and cloud security frameworks drives the successful implementation of secure network deployments and large-scale cybersecurity projects, consistently delivering strategic solutions aligned with zero-trust principles. Proficient in risk assessment, vulnerability management, and compliance with global standards. Recognized for mentoring teams and fostering client trust through proactive engagement and customized security strategies. Committed to driving technical excellence and enhancing organizational resilience against evolving cyber threats.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
6
6
Certifications
Work History
Manager-Advisory-Cybersecurity
PricewaterhouseCoopers Services
Bangalore
04.2025 - Current
- Led ZIA security enhancements aligned to NIST controls, delivering a maturity-based program to improve security posture and compliance readiness.
- Implemented ZIA hardening across web security, SSL/TLS inspection, threat protection, access governance, and data protection.
- Delivered data security using In-line DLP, Out-of-Band DLP (API), and DSPM to improve sensitive data discovery, classification, and remediation while reducing false positives.
- Owned legacy VPN to ZPA migration for business applications, including app discovery, least-privilege segmentation, App Connector deployment, and policy tuning (Access/Forwarding/Timeout).
- Troubleshot complex ZPA/ZIA issues end-to-end, provided RCA, and maintained delivery documentation (HLD/LLD/SOP/BAU runbooks).
- Performed mobile security capability testing for CrowdStrike Falcon and Microsoft Defender (jailbreak/root, malicious/phishing sites), documenting results and tuning recommendations.
Support Engineer III
Zscaler
Bangalore
03.2024 - 04.2025
- Delivered L3 technical support for complex enterprise security and network issues across TCP/IP, HTTP/S, DNS, SSL/TLS, VPN, firewalls, and Linux/Unix environments.
- Led advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis (RCA) using system logs, packet captures (PCAP), and diagnostics to isolate protocol, policy, routing, and certificate failures.
- Reproduced customer-reported production issues in lab environments; validated defects and drove engineering escalations with complete evidence (repro steps, traces, environment details).
- Owned Sev 1–4 incident lifecycle end-to-end: triage, stabilization, workaround development, fix coordination, customer communication, and closure aligned to SLA/OLA commitments.
- Partnered with Engineering, Operations, and Product teams to deliver timely remediation, reduce repeat incidents, and improve platform reliability.
- Authored and maintained KB articles, SOPs, runbooks, and troubleshooting guides to improve self-service and accelerate mean time to resolution (MTTR).
- Mentored L1/L2 engineers on advanced debugging, escalation readiness, case management, and technical writing standards.
- Provided 24x7/on-call support for high-priority incidents to ensure service continuity and customer satisfaction.
- Served as an SME for ZIA, ZPA, DLP, CASB, and segmentation concepts, supported policy validation, secure access design, and complex deployment troubleshooting.
Security Consultant
IBM India
Bangalore
01.2022 - 02.2024
- Led end-to-end IBM Guardium DAM implementations (requirements, design, deployment, validation, and handover) across Oracle, Db2, and SAP HANA, including S-TAP/agent configuration for real-time monitoring and auditing.
- Built and tuned Guardium policies/alerts to detect privileged misuse and anomalous access; performed RCA on security events and coordinated incident response with IT/security teams.
- Supported GDPR/HIPAA audit readiness through recurring assessments, evidence preparation, and standardized least-privilege access models with app/infrastructure teams.
- Produced operational documentation (SOPs, runbooks, audit packs) to enable BAU support and ongoing compliance operations.
- Conducted proactive threat hunting using Microsoft security telemetry with KQL, running IOC- and hypothesis-driven investigations, correlating detections, and providing remediation recommendations.
- Improved detection quality via tuning and delivered weekly/monthly security reporting, supported Microsoft Sentinel onboarding and basic playbook development.
Technical Support Engineer
SkyHigh Security (Formerly McAfee Software)
09.2016 - 01.2022
- Owned end-to-end customer cases in a flat support model, including escalation management and fix validation with Engineering/Development.
- Installed, configured, and troubleshot McAfee MWG, MEG, NDLP, MVision, and DAM sensors across MSSQL, DB2, and Oracle 19c, including HA cluster support.
- Designed and enforced web/email security policies (inbound/outbound) to strengthen threat prevention, data protection, and compliance.
- Led advanced troubleshooting for proxy, policy, performance, and vulnerability issues; delivered RCA and remediation.
- Coordinated with customers, Advanced TAC, cross-functional teams, and vendors to restore critical services within SLA, created strong escalations (logs/PCAPs/repro) and authored KBs/training for enablement.
Senior Network Engineer
Movate(Formerly CSS Corp)
12.2015 - 09.2016
- Delivered end-to-end firewall consulting for SMB customers using Fortinet FortiGate, including installation, configuration, upgrades/downgrades, and troubleshooting across production environments.
- Designed, implemented, and supported High Availability (HA) clusters, validating failover behavior and ensuring service continuity.
- Configured and troubleshot IPsec VPNs (policy-based and route-based), including dynamic VPN setups for secure site-to-site and remote access connectivity.
- Administered and optimized UTM security controls including Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, URL/Web Filtering, and sandbox/malware analysis features to strengthen perimeter defense.
- Diagnosed and resolved complex connectivity and network design issues across internet/intranet environments, delivering RCA and corrective actions.
- Managed incident queues in SAP CRM, prioritizing and resolving high-severity tickets within defined SLA targets.
- Responded to critical network outages/emergencies, coordinating with internal support/engineering teams and third-party vendors to restore services quickly.
- Partnered directly with global customers and cross-functional teams to troubleshoot multi-platform integrations and maintain operational stability.
Technical Support Engineer
Sandvine
04.2015 - 07.2015
- Served as the primary technical expert for customer issues related to network performance, traffic shaping, and monitoring, with a strong focus on the Packet Logic product suite.
- Assisted clients with the installation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance of Packet Logic solutions, optimizing performance based on specific network requirements.
- Supported deployment of Policy Traffic Switch (PTS) and Subscriber Policy Broker (SPB), enabling traffic shaping and policy enforcement for communication providers.
- Diagnosed and resolved complex hardware and software issues via phone, email, and web-based platforms, consistently maintaining a 95%+ customer satisfaction rating.
- Performed root cause analysis (RCA) for recurring issues and collaborated with engineering and product teams to implement permanent fixes and drive product enhancements.
- Handled escalated, mission-critical customer issues and participated in a 24x7 on-call rotation to manage high-severity incidents and ensure rapid service recovery.
Technical Support Engineer
GK HR Consulting (Client- Skyhigh)
03.2014 - 04.2015
- Served as the final escalation point (Level 3/4) for complex issues related to McAfee Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Email Security Proxy, ensuring timely resolution within strict SLAs.
- Led investigation and resolution of high-priority security incidents, conducting comprehensive root cause analysis (RCA) to improve system resilience and prevent recurrence.
- Designed, implemented, and optimized McAfee DLP policies across endpoint, network, and email channels, aligning with data classification standards and regulatory frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS).
- Managed full lifecycle operations of McAfee products—including installation, deployment, upgrades, and performance tuning—via ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) to ensure high availability.
- Acted as a technical liaison between customers, engineering, product management, and sales teams to advocate for customer needs, report bugs, and drive product enhancements.
- Mentored junior engineers and delivered internal training programs; authored technical documentation, knowledge base articles, and troubleshooting guides.
- Communicated complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, managing expectations and maintaining high customer satisfaction.
- Participated in 24x7 on-call rotations to support critical production environments and ensure rapid incident response.
Network Engineer
Top Gun Technologies
05.2013 - 02.2014
- Designed and delivered expert-level training on Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching technologies to a diverse audience of network engineers and IT professionals.
- Developed comprehensive instructional materials—including course outlines, lab exercises, presentations, and training manuals—to enhance learner engagement and technical proficiency.
- Conducted hands-on workshops and real-world simulation labs to reinforce practical understanding of complex network architectures and troubleshooting methodologies.
- Provided ongoing mentorship and post-training support to ensure knowledge transfer and successful application in real-world environments.
- Maintained up-to-date expertise in Cisco technologies and industry trends to ensure training content aligned with current certification standards and best practices.
Network Trainer
RJP Info Tek
04.2011 - 05.2013
- Delivered dynamic and interactive training sessions on CCNA and CCNP topics to corporate clients and internal teams, consistently maintaining a 95%+ participant satisfaction rating.
- Designed and updated comprehensive instructional materials—including course modules, lab exercises, and practical exams—integrating real-world scenarios and advanced troubleshooting challenges to reinforce learning outcomes.
- Provided hands-on guidance in configuring and troubleshooting Cisco routers and switches, covering advanced topics such as BGP, OSPF, VLANs, and multi-layer switching architectures.
- Mentored junior trainers and contributed to the development of scalable training methodologies and instructional frameworks to elevate overall program quality.
- Leveraged participant feedback and performance assessments to refine course delivery, resulting in a 20% improvement in post-training knowledge retention and on-the-job application.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Kollam, India 04.2001 -
Skills
Vendor: Zscaler, IBM, Skyhigh (formerly McAfee), CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Fortinet
Data Security: Zero-Trust architecture, Micro segmentation, SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Database Activity Monitoring (DAM)
Network & Endpoint Security: Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), DNS control, Extended Detection and Response (XDR), Network Detection Response (NDR), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Email Gateway Security, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDS/IPS), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Advance Threat Protection (ATP), Sandbox
Certification
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Timeline
Manager-Advisory-Cybersecurity
PricewaterhouseCoopers Services
04.2025 - Current
Support Engineer III
Zscaler
03.2024 - 04.2025
Security Consultant
IBM India
01.2022 - 02.2024
Technical Support Engineer
SkyHigh Security (Formerly McAfee Software)
09.2016 - 01.2022
Senior Network Engineer
Movate(Formerly CSS Corp)
12.2015 - 09.2016
Technical Support Engineer
Sandvine
04.2015 - 07.2015
Technical Support Engineer
GK HR Consulting (Client- Skyhigh)
03.2014 - 04.2015
Network Engineer
Top Gun Technologies
05.2013 - 02.2014
Network Trainer
RJP Info Tek
04.2011 - 05.2013
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
04.2001 -