Syed Arshad Ahmed

Projects: JPMC (banking) and FedEx

Tools: GitHub, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, AWS Cloud

Project Description: Led the end-to-end creation of a CI/CD pipeline, orchestrating the migration of on-premises applications to the cloud. Utilized Terraform to establish infrastructure for dynamic, ephemeral environments within the pipeline. Developed comprehensive technical migration documents and implemented monitoring with AppDynamics. Integrated essential CI stages, including SonarQube for code quality, Nexus Repository for artifact management, Nexus IQ for security scans, and FOSS scanning for compliance.

Roles & Responsibilities:

DevOps Delivery Module Lead:

• Led the DevOps delivery module, overseeing the end-to-end implementation of CI/CD practices, infrastructure as code, and application monitoring.
• Managed a team of professionals, providing guidance and mentoring to ensure the successful execution of DevOps strategies.
• Orchestrated the integration of DevOps processes into the software development lifecycle, fostering a culture of automation and collaboration.
• Acted as a key liaison between development, operations, and business teams, ensuring alignment of DevOps practices with project goals and objectives.

CI/CD Pipeline Creation and Management

• Designed and implemented end-to-end CI/CD pipelines from scratch, ensuring seamless integration and deployment processes.
• Migrated on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, optimizing resource utilization and enhancing scalability.
• · Utilized industry best practices to enhance pipeline efficiency, reduce deployment times, and increase overall system reliability.

Integration of CI Tools:

• Integrated and configured SonarQube for continuous code quality assessment.
• Implemented Nexus Repository Manager to manage artifact repositories, enhancing version control and artifact management.
• Integrated Nexus IQ for automated security and license compliance scans in the CI/CD pipeline.
• Implemented FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) scanning to ensure compliance with licensing and security policies.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform:

• Led the creation of infrastructure for ephemeral environments using Terraform within the CI/CD pipeline.
• Automated infrastructure provisioning and configuration, resulting in consistent and reproducible environments.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to define infrastructure requirements and ensure alignment with project goals.

Technical Migration Documentation:

• Authored comprehensive technical migration documents outlining design, implementation steps, and best practices.
• Provided detailed documentation to facilitate knowledge transfer and onboarding for team members.
• Ensured documentation adhered to industry standards and compliance requirements.

Monitoring Implementation with AppDynamics:

• Implemented AppDynamics for real-time application performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Configured custom dashboards to provide actionable insights into application health and performance.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to identify and address performance bottlenecks, improving overall system reliability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborated with development, operations, and security teams to streamline workflows and improve collaboration.
• Participated in cross-functional meetings to align technical implementations with business requirements.
• Provided technical expertise and support to team members, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment.

Continuous Improvement and Innovation:

• Actively sought and implemented opportunities for continuous improvement in CI/CD processes and infrastructure.
• Stayed current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation.
• Contributed to the development of internal standards and guidelines for CI/CD and infrastructure management.

Application Maintenance and Support:

• Successfully maintained and supported multiple applications within the DevOps landscape, ensuring optimal performance and availability.
• Implemented proactive measures to identify and address potential issues, minimizing downtime and enhancing overall system stability.
• Collaborated with application owners and stakeholders to understand evolving requirements and implement necessary adjustments to the CI/CD pipeline and infrastructure.
• Conducted regular performance reviews and optimization activities, resulting in improved application responsiveness and user experience.
• Designing and implementing scalable and flexible AWS infrastructure using Terraform.
• Automating the deployment of AWS components, including EC2 instances, VPCs, IAM roles, and security groups.
• Establishing end-to-end CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins for streamlined software delivery processes.
• Configuring Jenkins pipelines for automated build, test, and deployment phases.

Application Migration to Cloud:

• Leading the successful migration of on-premises applications to AWS, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance.
• Implementing migration strategies, including rehosting and refactoring, for cloud-native architecture.
• Enhancements Using Docker and Kubernetes:
• Utilizing Docker for containerization and orchestrating deployments with Kubernetes.
• Orchestrating scaling, logging, and management of Docker containers, enhancing application resilience.

Continuous Monitoring and Optimization:

• Implementing monitoring solutions (Nagios, AppDynamics, Splunk) for prompt issue identification.
• Conducting regular performance analysis, optimizing AWS resources for cost-effectiveness.

AWS Cloud Expertise:

• Leveraging in-depth knowledge of AWS services for robust infrastructure solutions.
• Configuring Auto Scaling for dynamic resource adjustment based on network and application loads.
• Expertise level knowledge of Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, Elastic Load Balancing, VPC.

Scripting and Automation:

• Employing Shell, Groovy, and Python scripting for workflow efficiency improvement.
• Developing Ansible playbooks for automated cloud deployments, ensuring consistency.

Security and IAM Management:

• Implementing security best practices, creating AWS Security Groups, and managing IAM policies.
• Utilizing Amazon IAM for user credential management, ensuring compliance with security standards.

Collaboration and Team Leadership:

• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to establish GIT source control conventions.
• Leading and mentoring teams in implementing DevOps best practices, fostering a collaborative environment.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintaining documentation for infrastructure configurations, facilitating knowledge sharing.
• Preparing build reports, contributing to process improvement.

Projects: WBK Bank Kuwait, E-commerce Applications

Project Description: Led the migration initiative to transition lower environments from on-premises infrastructure to the AWS Cloud for WBK Bank Kuwait. This involved meticulously planning and executing the migration process while ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing operations. Leveraged Terraform to provision AWS infrastructure components and crafted a robust architecture tailored to the specific needs of the lower environments. Containerized applications using Docker and orchestrated deployments on Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service). Implemented automated deployment pipelines to streamline the migration process and ensure consistency across environments. Additionally, established monitoring and optimization measures to track performance and optimize resource utilization post-migration. Throughout the project, emphasized documentation and knowledge transfer to facilitate seamless transition and enable ongoing support.

Migration to AWS Cloud:

• Led the migration process of lower environments to the AWS cloud infrastructure, ensuring seamless transition and minimal downtime.

Deployment on Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service):

• Implemented deployment pipelines for containerized applications on Amazon EKS, leveraging Kubernetes for orchestration and management.
• Automated deployment processes to EKS clusters, ensuring consistency and reliability across environments.
• Developed migration strategies and executed plans to move on-premises applications and services to AWS services, optimizing performance and cost-efficiency.

Docker Image Creation and Management:

• Utilized Docker to containerize applications, streamlining deployment and enhancing portability.
• Created Docker images for various applications and services, adhering to best practices for efficiency and security.
• Stored Docker images in Amazon ECR (Elastic Container Registry), ensuring secure and efficient management of container images.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform:

• Designed and implemented infrastructure as code using Terraform to provision and manage AWS resources.
• Automated the creation of AWS services and resources using Terraform scripts, ensuring consistency and repeatability.
• Managed infrastructure configurations in version-controlled repositories, enabling collaboration and tracking changes effectively.

AWS Service Creation and Configuration:

• Orchestrated the creation and configuration of AWS services such as EC2 instances, VPCs, IAM roles, and security groups to support application deployments.
• Implemented AWS networking solutions to ensure secure and efficient communication between services and environments.
• Optimized AWS services configurations to meet performance, scalability, and security requirements.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):

• Established CI/CD pipelines to automate the build, test, and deployment processes for applications and services.
• Integrated CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI/CD to enable automated testing and deployment workflows.
• Monitored and optimized CI/CD pipelines for performance, reliability, and scalability.

Monitoring and Logging:

• Implemented monitoring and logging solutions using tools like Amazon CloudWatch, Prometheus, and Grafana to track the health and performance of AWS resources and applications.
• Set up alerts and notifications to proactively identify and address issues, ensuring high availability and reliability of services.

Security and Compliance:

• Implemented security best practices and compliance standards in AWS environments, ensuring data protection and regulatory compliance.
• Managed AWS security policies, IAM roles, and access controls to maintain a secure and auditable infrastructure.
• Conducted security assessments and audits, addressing vulnerabilities and ensuring a robust security posture.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:

• Documented infrastructure configurations, deployment processes, and operational procedures to facilitate knowledge sharing and onboarding of team members.
• Contributed to internal knowledge bases and provided training sessions to empower team members with relevant skills and insights.

Project Description: Developed and deployed an e-commerce software solution covering diverse product categories like consumer electronics and fashion. Utilized GIT for efficient collaboration among developers, implementing Jenkins for Continuous Integration and deployment automation.

Enabled Continuous Delivery to various environments using Jenkins and Shell Scripts. Managed AWS infrastructure and deployed web applications using Docker containers and Kubernetes.

Automated tasks with Python and Shell scripting, enhancing team productivity. Spearheaded migration to microservices architecture for improved modularity. Provided 24/7 support for critical systems.

• Provides software for e-commerce application
• Product categories like consumer electronics, fashion, home essentials, groceries and lifestyle products
• Coordinate/assist developers with establishing and applying appropriate branching, merging conventions using GIT source control
• Responsible for design and implementation of polices, branching methodologies
• Configured and maintained Jenkins to implement the CI process and integrated the tool with Ant and Maven to schedule the builds and automated the deployment on the application servers using the 'code deploy' plugin for Jenkins.
• Wrote Python Scripts for Merging the branches from repositories and scheduled using CRON job.
• Continuous Delivery is being enabled through Deployment into several environments of Test, QA, Stress and Production using Jenkins as well as Shell Scripts to automate the process.
• Automate the builds and deployment of projects using Jenkins.
• Configured Ansible Playbooks and ad hoc commands.
• Implement, maintain and support reliable, timely and reproducible builds for project teams.
• Hands on experience in automating builds and deployment process using Shell scripting.
• Expertise level knowledge of Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, Elastic Load Balancing.
• Involved in fixing the Bugs in the build script.
• Worked with Kubernetes to make cluster management.
• Preparing the builds, scripts by using the maven build tool on the RedHat Linux platform.
• Scripting in multiple languages on Linux and Windows – Shell script etc.
• Manage configuration of Web App and Deploy to AWS cloud servers using Docker Containers and Kubernetes
• Designed and implemented containerization strategies using Docker and Kubernetes, improving resource utilization and management.
• Automated manual tasks through scripting languages such as Python or Shell, boosting team productivity levels.
• Spearheaded migration efforts from monolithic architectures to microservices-based designs, enhancing modularity and maintainability of applications.
• Provided 24/7 on-call support for critical systems, ensuring high availability and rapid issue resolution.