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Profileimage by Ernest Dukagjini Global IT and Information Security Expert - Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud, IT Systems from Tirane

Ernest Dukagjini

Tirane
available

Last update: 09.10.2024

Global IT and Information Security Expert - Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud, IT Systems

Company: Independent Contractor
Graduation: BSc. Computer Science
Hourly-/Daily rates: show
Languages: English (Native or Bilingual) | Italian (Limited professional) | Albanian (Native or Bilingual)

Keywords

Cisco Computer Security Cloud Computing Business Development Proxmox Linux Virtual Private Networks (VPN) Team Building Fortinet Vmware + 100 more keywords

Attachments

Ernest-Dukagjini-Resume-IC-24-7-1-with-tech-profile_020924.pdf

Portfolio

Network Segmentation
EVPN VXLAN Network
Cybersecurity Policy
Secure Remote Access

Skills

Sr. Architect and Engineer specializing in Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud, and IT Systems with proven international business experience and management skills.
With 15+ years of professional experience, I provide a complete set of services from proven advanced technical solutions and methodologies to business development, team-building, and management.
I have successfully delivered complex projects across heterogeneous environments such as Telco/ISP providers, SMB, and Large International Enterprises in USA, Europe & Globally.

Main offered services include:
•            Cybersecurity Architect
•            Network Architect
•            System Architect
•            Cloud Architect
•            Digital transformation
•            Solution design and implementation
•            IT strategy development
•            Information Security Manager
•            vCTO | vCIO | vCISO
•            Executive Consultant

Highly experienced SME in the following technology fields:

Information Security & Cyber Security
•            Develop & enhance Cybersecurity management frameworks.
•            Develop, implement & monitor strategic, comprehensive enterprise information security & IT risk management programs.
•            Develop, and maintain cybersecurity policies, standards, baselines, guidelines, and procedures.

Network/IT/System Security
•            Firewall, UTM, NGFW & NG-IPS protection: Fortigate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, Cisco (ASA FirePower), Barracuda, pfSense, Checkpoint, PaloAlto, SonicWall, WatchGuard
•            Email Security: Cisco, Barracuda, Mimecast, Microsoft
•            Web Security: Cisco, Barracuda, Fortinet, McAfee, Zscaler
•            Proxy and Reverse Proxy: Squid, Nginx, Dante
•            IPSec VPN & SDWAN: Cisco DMVPN, HPE ADVPN, Fortigate ADVPN
•            SSL VPN: Fortigate, Cisco, PaloAlto, Barracuda, SonicWall, OpenVPN, pfSense, Swan, OpenConnect
•            Network Access Control (802.1X, Radius, Tacacs+…), BYOD and MDM : Aruba ClearPass, Cisco ISE, PacketFence, NPS, Genians, Intune...
•            ZTNA Expert with all leading multi-vendor solutions
•            IAM SSO SAML2 Oauth: OKTA, Keycloack, Auth0
•            DLP & CASB Bitglass, Forcepoint
•            EDR McAfee, Sophos, SentinelOne...
•            SIEM and SOC solutions - Wazuh, Fortinet, Splunk...

IT Cloud/Systems/Virtualization/Backup/DR
•            Hybrid Cloud, Multi Cloud Architecture
•            Cloud Infrastructure Security, Networking, Storage, VPC (AWS, Azure, OVH, OpenStack...)
•            Virtualization planning, implementation, tuning (VMware, Proxmox, KVM, Hyper-V)
•            Hyperconverged HCI solutions ESXi & vSAN, Proxmox & CEPH
•            Linux Systems deployment, administration and development (Debian Ubuntu OpenSuSE CentOS RedHat) including performance optimization, hardening, scripting, HA, backup & restore
•            Windows Server architecture & administration (Hyper-V AD GPO DNS DHCP PKI File Server ...)
•            SAN (FC/FCoE), ISCSi, NAS(File)
•            VDI and Virtual App (Microsoft, VMware, Citrix)
•            Load Balancer/Application Delivery: HAproxy, Nginx, Barracuda, F5
•            ElasticSearch & OpenSearch design & implementation
•            Critical HA Database clusters: PostgreSQL & MySQL
•            HA, Backup & Disaster Recovery planning & deployment (Veeam, VMware, Proxmox, Linux, AWS, Azure, Windows...etc)

Network technologies
•            Switches: Cisco, HPE, Comware, Aruba OS, Arista, Alcatel, Juniper, Dell
•            Routers: Cisco, HPE, Comware, Alcatel, Juniper, Mikrotik
•            WiFi Mobility: Aruba OS & Central, Cisco, Meraki, Ubiquity, Mikrotik
•            MPLS L2/L3 VPN, MP-BGP, VPLS, SDWAN
•            BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP routing protocols
•            FRR, VyOS, Bird
•            VLAN, QinQ, VXLAN, EVPN L2 scalable overlay networks
•            ACL, PBR, NAT, QoS, NAS; large-scale DHCP/DNS
•            IGMP L2 and PIM L3 multicast
•            Secure WiFi planning: controller managed & cloud-managed
•            NMS, EMS, FCPAS and OSS/BSS systems - LibreNMS, Zabbix, Nagios, Cacti

Some of the most notable certifications I hold are:
•            CISSP - ISC2
•            HPE Master Accredited Solution Expert - Network Solutions
•            HPE Accredited Solutions Expert - Network Architect
•            SUSE Cert. Linux Admin.: SLES

In addition to technical skills, I deliver proven business operations experience for:
•            Business development planning and acquiring the correct technology
•            Project Management
•            Team building and management
•            RFP preparation Proposal preparation (technical/commercial)
•            Pre-sales & Sales Management
•            Business development, planning, and acquiring the correct technology
•            Project Management
•            Team building and management
•            RFP preparation Proposal preparation (technical/commercial)
•            Pre-sales & Sales Management
•            Business partnership establishment and management with leading companies such as HPE, Aruba, Fortinet, Cisco, IBM, Dell, Microsoft… and many more

I am an avid learner, enabling me to swiftly adapt to new business environments and new project needs. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills combined with my long experience in team-leading & management enable me to collaborate strongly and work in global project teams with multiple members (in both leading or supporting roles).

Project history

12/2021 - Present
Chief Technology Officer (fractional)
Interceptor Security LLC (Internet and Information Technology, 10-50 employees)
Responsible for creating and managing the technology and cybersecurity vision of the company, leading the technical and cyber operations, and building, guiding, and providing leadership for the technical teams.
Responsible for internal technology development of the company and leading IT and cybersecurity product development, managing strategic client projects, and service portfolio expansion to support business growth.
Develop, maintain, and grow business relationships with key customer accounts and partners.
01/2016 - Present
Consultant for Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud & IT Systems
Independent Contractor (Internet and Information Technology, < 10 employees)
Executive level information security, cybersecurity, networks, cloud, and IT consultant for various high-profile international companies in USA, Europe, and globally - helping clients to define IT and information security strategy and implement IT, networks, and cyber security architecture & vision to achieve the organization's objectives and support future growth.

I have successfully delivered complex projects across heterogeneous environments such as Telco/ISP providers, SMBs and Large International Enterprises in USA, Europe & Asia/AU.

Main offered services include:
- Cybersecurity Architect
- Network Architect
- System Architect
- Cloud Architect
- Digital transformation
- Solution design and implementation
- IT strategy development
- Information Security Manager
- vCTO | vCIO | vCISO
- Executive Consultant

In addition to technical skills, I deliver a successful and proven business operations experience for:
- Proposal preparation (technical/commercial)
- Pre-sales / RFP preparation
- Project Management
- Team building and management
- Business development and customer & service portfolio growth
- Partnership enablement and management with leading companies such as Cisco, HPE, Aruba Networks, Fortinet, IBM, Barracuda…
12/2019 - 12/2021
Principal Cybersecurity and Network Architect
PCTEST Engineering Laboratory Inc (part of Element Materials Technology ) (Other, 5000-10.000 employees)
Planned, designed, deployed, and oversaw IT, network, and cyber transformation of PCTEST IT infrastructure for production, on-prem, and cloud.

Deploy multi-layered cybersecurity framework based on NIST CSF, with a holistic defense-in-depth approach and least privilege for both on-prem and cloud production environments.

Manage and lead core projects regarding fundamental IT infrastructure transformations and enhancements including:
- SSO and Zero Trust NAC (Network Access Control) for wired, wireless and VPN users
- Dynamic and Intent-Based Network Segmentation and IT & Network infrastructure partitioning
- End-to-end centralized network monitoring, automation, orchestration, provisioning, and security audit & posture compliance checks
- Multitiered privilege access management with granular and least privilege
- Migrate to multi-site SDWAN with application-aware meshed VPN fabric
- End-to-end on-prem IT infrastructure, network & cloud infrastructure, and data access logs collection, aggregation, storage, analysis, correlation, and security event alerting

Advisor to Executive technical and non-technical managers and business decision-makers in PCTEST, Element Americas, and Element worldwide teams.

Handle security audits from customers and external bodies, and achieve high scores in cybersecurity maturity evaluation of the company.
04/2012 - 10/2019
Manager of Networking & Telco Accounts
C.C.S. (Internet and Information Technology, 10-50 employees)
Responsible for high-profile projects and solutions across different industry verticals involving advanced Networking and Information Security.
Responsible for building, managing, training, and growing the Network & Security Engineering Team.
Designed and managed Networking, IT & Information Security large projects for Telco/SP, Enterprises, and Public Sector, including:
- Core Routing & Switching solutions
- Network Security solutions (NGFW, NGIPS, Email/Web, SIEM, Application/WebApp Security)
- Network Access Control (NAC) and Network Policy Management & Orchestration
- WAN, SD-WAN & VPN solutions
- Data Center Networking & Converged Infrastructure (FCoE, FCIP, 1G/10G/40G/100G networks)
- VDI and Application Virtualization
- Load Balancer / Application Delivery Controller
- WLAN, BYOD & MDM Solutions
- Law Enforcement solutions including video surveillance (fixed & mobile) and analytics
- VoIP and UC&C solutions
- Access & Aggregation Networks (Ethernet, xDSL, FTTx, Docsis, Wireless, 3G/4G)
- Triple Play Solutions
* Approval of technical and commercial proposals
* Company resource management to meet the needs of the project
* Coordination with suppliers and integration of different technologies

Manage the networking and security portfolio and business development with leading technology vendors.
* Business Plan fulfillment
* Configuration & Pricing
* Orders, Stock & Service Delivery
Main covered brands included CISCO, Aruba HPE Networking, Barracuda Networks, Tipping Point, IBM Security, CITRIX, McAfee, Symantec, ZyXEL ...etc

Manage the Telco & SP accounts, leads, and projects by analyzing the market trends and fulfilling this vertical’s evolving needs
* Lead all projects with Telco/SP customers during the complete sales process (from pre-sales to sales and post-sales stages).
* Preparation and approval of Commercial and Technical proposals.
* Coordination of delivery, integration, and support for all IT Products/Services needed by Telco/SP operators.
10/2010 - 03/2012
IP Network Administrator
Primo Communications (Internet and Information Technology, 250-500 employees)
Architect, improve, and maintain the Service Provider's national network backbone and services according to the business strategy. Manage the IP Network Engineers and Operator’s team. Responsible for leading the network technology transformation project for the entire ISP infrastructure and business/subscriber services to a full IP-MPLS modern NG network (a multi-year/multi-million strategic project). Responsible for managing & leading all the network and network security projects and coordinating with other units & managers to achieve the business goals.

Network administration for core, data center, upstream provider routing, aggregation & access network (integration, maintenance & development), where some of the most important tasks include:
* Design & implementation of polices for Security & QoS.
* Design & implementation of full redundancy in core, data center, aggregation nodes & upstream providers.
* Migration of the core & aggregation Network from Ethernet Switched Network to IP/MPLS based on Cisco technology.
* Full design/implementation in production of Multi-protocol & Multiple-Gbit throughput capable Core Routing platform based on Open Protocols & Unix/Linux Platform in x86 hardware.
* Complete maintenance of RIPE NCC account and periodic update of all DB Objects confirm all the standards & updates of RIPE NCC.

Administration of Systems for network security, backup, performance & monitoring (integration, maintenance & development).
Most important tasks include implementation of Linux Based independent systems (Open SuSE & CentoOS) for:
* Network Secure Authentication & User Management (Radius, Tacacs+).
* Automatic Scheduled Backup of all network equipment (MySQL, PERL, PHP, NETSNMP, SFTP, TFTP, Cron).
* Logging/Analyzing/Audit server for all network equipment and operations (MySQL, PERL, PHP, SYSLOG, RSYSLOG, SNMPTRAP, NetFlow, sFlow).
03/2010 - 09/2010
Technical Support Team-Leader
Primo Communications (Internet and Information Technology, 250-500 employees)
Lead and manage the technical support team of the service provider, coordinate with other business and technical teams/units, and cross-manage operations. Responsible for 24/7 operations planning, management, service quality, and customer satisfaction results that would be measured and analyzed directly with C-exec, technical, and sales management.
* Training new technical support engineers.
* Organize and manage People Operations in an efficient way.
* Create and implement new workflows and solutions for troubleshooting and resolving service problems.
* Documentation and periodic reporting of technical support team performance and customer satisfaction measurements sent directly to the CEO, COO, CTO, and Director of Sales and Marketing.
* Managing technical operations and resources for support in ISP edge network including CE routers, Metro Switches, xDSL, FTTx, and Wireless - including 24/7 end-to-end ISP network and services monitoring.
* Managing technical operations and resource expansion of the ISP customer base and infrastructure (in coordination with other units).
* Managing technical operations and resources for business CPE devices such as Routers, Firewalls, Access Points, VoIP Gateways... etc.
11/2008 - 02/2010
Technical Support Engineer
Primo Communications (Internet and Information Technology, 250-500 employees)
* Technical support for residential & business customers.
* Troubleshooting and resolving service problems for xDSL, FTTx and Wireless network access.
* Configuration, provisioning and troubleshooting of CPE devices such xDSL modems, Routers, Firewalls, Access Points, VoIP Gateways.
* Configuration and troubleshooting of ISP network access devices such as IP-DSLAM, MSAN (ZyXEL), Switches (Cisco, H3C-Huawei, HP, Dell) and Routers (Cisco, H3C-Huawei)

Certifications

CISSP ISC2 - Certified Information Systems Security Professional
ISC2
2024
HPE Master Accredited Solution Expert (MASE) for Network Solutions
HP Enterprise
2016
HPE Accredited Solutions Expert (ASE) for Network Architecture
HP Enterprise
2016
SUSE Certified Linux Administrator: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
SUSE Linux
2015

Local Availability

Open to travel worldwide
Profileimage by Ernest Dukagjini Global IT and Information Security Expert - Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud, IT Systems from Tirane Global IT and Information Security Expert - Cybersecurity, Networks, Cloud, IT Systems
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