Arjun Solanki

Cloud Architect with 13 years of experience in Information Technology, specializing in Azure cloud technologies, automation, and security. Proven expertise in automating cloud infrastructure deployment and maintaining continuous compliance in Azure environments. Strong focus on operational efficiency and security best practices. Demonstrated ability to drive cloud transformation initiatives at Novo Nordisk.

Novo Nordisk Service Centre India Pvt Ltd, Senior cloud architect

• Automated infrastructure deployment using CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps to create a streamlined process for deploying Azure services
• Automated creation of Default Roles assigned to each Azure Subscription in the Tenant.
• Automated removal of non-default roles assigned to subscriptions
• Proficient in defining and automating the creation of custom RBAC roles, defined at subscriptions/tenant
• Apart from automating Role assignments, automated creation of mandatory Network Resource on CORP connected subscription
• Automated the process of developing a secure golden image (Windows and Linux-RHEL) by creating a pre-configured template for virtual machines that contained essential security agents and configurations in ADO
• Automated this process of creating a golden image with Azure Image Builder, which significantly reduced the deployment time of fully qualified virtual machines by 95%
• Also, developed the mechanism using Azure Template Spec to have these VMs created from the Golden Image automatically join the Domain Controller
• Defined security (platform and services) requirements to safeguard resources in Azure that involved enforcing standards and best practices to protect data, applications, and other assets hosted on the Azure platform
• These security requirements were then implemented using different means, like Azure Policy and Azure Automations (Runbook). For example, the subscription should contain default roles assigned
• Later, I developed automated ADO tests using the Pester methodology for testing platform requirements, thus ensuring that the necessary platform requirements were consistently met, thereby validating the integrity and completeness of the Azure infrastructure
• If the automated test fails, it indicates that the platform requirement has not been met within the respective subscription, and this failure will trigger notifications to address the issue
• Collaborated closely with the Global Security team to develop Cloud Security Requirements (CSRs) for Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Given that GCP is an optional cloud service, we approached the project with caution, implementing controls to ensure that only authorized services are created. This proactive strategy also includes measures to block the creation of any services that may be permitted on Azure or AWS, thereby reinforcing our security posture
• Contributed to the development of ARM/Bicep templates tailored to meet specific security requirements within Azure's infrastructure
• These templates were designed to ensure that end users could seamlessly deploy Azure services in compliance with stringent service security standards
• Implemented Azure Policy as code mostly for service security requirements, thus enforcing security best practices and standards, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities, and enhancing the overall security posture of the Azure environment
• Developed custom conditions in Azure Policy Definition using infrastructure as code to define the security standards, for example, ensure shared access signature tokens expire every one hour on the Storage Account
• However, the qualification of these service requirements was done by the in-house security team
• Configured Microsoft Defender for Cloud across the tenant to implement a comprehensive security solution that enabled proactive identification and remediation of potential threats within an entire Azure tenant
• Automated the process of enabling Defender plans across individual subscriptions in the tenant, thus allowing the security team to monitor the data infused in the workspace
• Currently implementing different landing zones for Azure platforms that involve establishing a framework and operating a secure, scalable, and well-managed Azure environment that aligns with the specific requirements and standards from different business units within Novo Nordisk
• In this case, we are leveraging Azure App Configuration to store the configuration of various platform and service requirements to manage it effectively and centrally
• Also proficient in creating Power BI dashboards for monitoring the health of our Automation Framework

Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt Ltd, Azure Support Engineer

• Building infrastructure on Azure Cloud, which involves configuring and managing compute and storage services
• Create and manage virtual machines in an availability set, and load balance the traffic between the VMs in the AV set
• Creating and managing virtual machine scale sets with more granular auto-scaling rules
• Manage Azure Disk Encryption using BitLocker in Windows and DM-Crypt in Linux OS
• Closely worked on both compute (VMs) and storage performance
• Guide customers regarding usage and performance on storage and IOPS
• Manage Azure Storage using different platforms (Storage Explorer, AzCopy, PowerShell, CLI, etc)
• I specialized in analyzing different Performance Metrics using multiple tools
• Specialized in enabling Azure Storage Firewall and Virtual Network configuration
• I specialize in Storage Pool and Storage Space Directs
• Troubleshoot Azure virtual machines: Linux/Windows connectivity issue
• Specialized in Windows no-boot/reboot scenarios and in Azure VM performance
• Specialized in troubleshooting Azure VM deployments (ARM, CLI, PowerShell, etc)
• Deploying Azure VMs, automate configuration management using VM extensions
• Configure and manage Azure Virtual Network (VNet) Configure NSG rules. Enable flow logs
• Exposure to Azure AD, Azure AD Domain Services, and Azure AD Connect
• Define policies using Azure Security Center at different scopes, and define RBAC access to users and groups
• Manage multiple escalations and drive customer issues toward resolution
• Exposure to Docker, container, and Kubernetes orchestration tools
• Along with the above technical skill set, hold responsibility for detecting flaws in the product (if any) and work with the product team in resolving them
• Worked as an Azure CSS trainer, holding responsibility for training new hires from the EMEA and India regions
• Apart from technical sessions, I also host soft skill-based training for students from different backgrounds to deliver effective customer support
• Prior to being an Azure CSS trainer, worked as an intern technical advisor for the Azure IaaS team
• Hold responsibility for reviewing support cases from different support engineers and adding technical analysis

Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd., Windows Support Engineer

• Worked as a support engineer in the Windows Core Platform global team
• Managed Microsoft Premier Enterprise customers
• Analyzing the complete infrastructure of customer and troubleshooting environment-specific issues
• Performing log analysis and providing the right solution to fix customer issues
• Handled premium cases related to the below-mentioned technologies: Clustering: (2003, 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, and 2012 R2), Hyper-V management (2008, 2008 R2, 2012, and 2012 R2), Hyper-V in a clustered environment, and troubleshooting migration or configuration issues
• Deployment-related issues with respect to patch installation, hotfixes, and analyzing CBS and Windows Update logs
• Drive encryption using BitLocker
• Managing drive encryption through management tools such as MBAM
• Boot/No boot: troubleshooting reboot/no boot issues and providing the resolution for the same
• SME Level 200 in Windows activation: standalone, KMS, or volume licensing
• SME level 200 in NBR (no-boot/reboot)
• SME level 200 in Microsoft Failover Cluster (2008/R2 and 2012/R2)
• Windows servicing and Windows setup-related issues
• Detailed log analysis on all the above-mentioned platforms, and share RCA as well
• Getting on SEV A or SEV 1 cases, which are CRITSIT (Critical Situations) for the customer, and work towards resolution
• Escalate cases to the Engineering team for a customer hotfix, or get the Product team involved in the case
• Collaborating with different teams on a bridge to help them narrow down the issues
• Getting on conference calls with various vendors, such as Oracle, HP, Dell, Juniper, Citrix, and IBM, to collaborate and get the issue fixed by working together
• Provide a complete summary to the customer about the case, with a detailed analysis
• Diligent follow up and making sure customers requirement is met.
• Closely worked with premium field engineers in case any assistance is needed