Taher Afridi, Network & Security Operations Manager / Security Audit Specialist

Taher Afridi

Network & Security Operations Manager / Security Audit Specialist

AMMROC

Location
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Education
Diploma, ISO 27001:2005 LA
Experience
21 years, 4 Months

Share My Profile

Block User


Work Experience

Total years of experience :21 years, 4 Months

Network & Security Operations Manager / Security Audit Specialist at AMMROC
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • My current job since January 2013

• Manage the Network and Security teams to deliver a secure and operational environment for multiple sites across the UAE.
• Manage team to administers the network and security of infrastructure and IT services over the LAN/WAN
• In a role of Security Audit Specialist for Senior Directors
• Ensure governance and compliance with UAE Military Armed Forces - Air Force/Navy regulations.
• Ensure governance and compliance with ITAR regulations.
• Deliver network infrastructure (physical and virtual) for the purpose of ensuring effective and efficient networking systems.
• Serve as an internal information security consultant to the organization through the team
• Document security policies and procedures created by the information security team
• Provide direct training and oversight to all employees, affiliate marketing partners, alliances, or other third parties, ensuring proper information security clearance in accordance with established organizational information security policies and procedures
• Initiate, facilitate, and promote activities to create information security awareness within the organization
• Gather information security risk assessments for security issues
• Implement information security policies and procedures for the organization
• Participate in a variety of planning and development activities for the purpose of creating short and long range plans for extending reliable and secure communications
• Review all system-related security plans throughout the organization's network, acting as a liaison to information systems
• Monitor compliance with information security policies and procedures, referring problems to the appropriate department manager
• Coordinate the activities of the information security committee
• Manage principal vendor, partners, implementer relations and contractors
• Monitor the internal control systems to ensure that appropriate access levels are maintained
• Deliver the disaster recovery plan
• Deliver a stable network and ensures encrypted communication over the WAN

Senior IT Coordinator – Network Systems & Security at Vocational Education and Training Institute (ADVETI)
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • March 2009 to January 2013

• Manage a team of Network, Systems and Security professionals, handling the LAN and WAN secure and operational environment for 6 campuses and 10 entities, servicing over 4, 000 clients and users in the UAE
• Direct the team to configure, design and maintain a secure and reliable network that provides high availability
• Plan and implement mechanisms that document existing infrastructure and maximize knowledge sharing among team members
• Manage team KPI’s and assessment, as well as project progress and work performance
• Plan and manage infrastructure and network-related projects that address the expansion of the organisation
• Draft CAPEX/OPEX budgets and training plans
• Provide expertise and consultancy for escalated incidences
• Liaise with vendors and suppliers for specific IT projects
• Design and implement campus wide IT security policies
• Automate IT processes, including Change Control
• Manage the Data Center’s security procedures and monitoring solutions
• Produce various security reports on vulnerabilities, risks and their resolutions
• Technically administer and manage the team in the architecture and configuration of Juniper Firewall, CISCO ASA/Router/Switches, HP Procurve, MS ISA 2006, BlueCoat, Cisco Secure Agent server, Aruba, Ankabut, VPN for remote access, MPLS and WAN
• Follow up on the integrity and the operation of systems and services
• Manage plan for server and device security patching and upgrade
• Manage the wireless network infrastructure and the VoIP infrastructure (Avaya - Cisco)

IT-Department Coordinator at Vocational Education Development Centre - Institute of Applied Technology (VEDC – IAT)
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • June 2008 to March 2009

• Identify information technology needs and provide/recommend hardware and software solutions
• Lead Network Operations Center in Network and Security infrastructural design, implementation and testing
• Review preliminary budgets and adjust items for conformance to anticipated needs
• Evaluate departmental effectiveness and initiate change
• Meet with vendors to assess new equipment and techniques
• Prepare various reports and perform special projects applicable to IT requirements
• Prepare IT policy and plan strategy development and oversee the provision of IT training for employees
• Implement IT Security policies and force conformance of all users and appliances
• Integrate all IT operations and work out priorities for systems developments, maintenance and operations
• Prepare guidelines for evaluating IT systems against international standards and performance criteria
• Identify and document any shortfalls in the IT staff development training system and implement changes to Quality Control arising from changes in policy or doctrine

Senior Network Engineer / Administrator at Vocational Education Development Centre - Institute of Applied Technology (VEDC – IAT)
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • December 2007 to June 2008

• Design & implement campus network including network security, VLANs, GP’s.
• Deploy CISCO routers, switches, PIX firewall, MS ISA Server.
• Design and implement security policies on PIX and ISA Server.
• Produce various security reports on current systems’ vulnerabilities and risks and suggest solutions.
• Design & implement campus-wide wireless solution.
• Design & administer CISCO IPT and Cisco Unity.
• Design, implement and administer multiple servers and services (Active Directory, DHCP, DNS, ISA proxy firewall, Symantec AV, AVG Enterprise, Trend Micro)
• Develop an infrastructure strategy and architecture for the hosting data center network environment (part of team work)
• Lead a cross-functional team of Network System Engineers and Administrators.
• Manage & supervise campus-wide network and systems operations, including other on-campus units, eg Shaheen Adventure, Logistics Academy, GCSS.
• Manage multiple LAN / WAN connections (Leased, Bussiness-1) and maintain a solid firewall, proxy, and user security.
• Coordinate, design network deployment, maintain, and support high level network security.
• Plan & Implement various server migrations, and installations.
• Design campus-wide wireless solution.

Network Engineer at UAE Armed Forces - GHQ
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • March 2005 to December 2007

• Network administration for the TSI camp with over 700 staff computers.
• Network support, configuration, and deployment for CISCO routers, CISCO and 3COM switches, DLINK switches and hubs, CISCO FIREWALL, CISCO IDS.
• Network administration for client computers, running Windows XP, 2000.
• Network setup, configuration for Server farms, running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server Enterprise, MS Exchange 5.5 and 2003, along with DNS, DHCP, WINS server, Web Server, FTP and File servers.
• Network design, deployment, maintenance, and support for high network security.
• System administration of user accounts and group policies.
• System administration of user mail exchange accounts.
• ISA Server, FIREWALL and IDS deployment and configuration.
• Server migrations.

Network / System Administrator at Eastern Mediterranean University
  • Cyprus
  • September 2002 to July 2004

• Network administration, system administration and service for over 40 staff computers including Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2003 Server Enterprise, and Windows XP Professional.
• System administration for network servers of department. Including Windows NT 4.0 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2003 Server Enterprise, .NET Server (beta version), Microsoft IIS 4.0, Microsoft IIS 5.0 (for web and ftp service), Microsoft IIS 6.0, Windows NT Domain System for laboratories, Windows 2000/2003 Domain System with Active Directory, Windows Server 2000/2003 working as Web Server, DNS Server, WINS Server in Active Directory.
• Installation and maintenance of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Domain System with Active Directory for Student Laboratories including 2 servers and 200 Windows 2000 workstations.
• Entire System and Network migration to Windows 2003 Server Enterprise.
• Migration of MS Exchange 5.5 to MS Exchange 2003.
• Arrangement, installation, management, problem solving and maintenance for more than 1000 student accounts in Windows 2000/2003 Server Domain System with Active Directory.
• Arrangement, installation, management, problem solving and maintenance for more than 1000 student accounts in Windows NT Domain in departmental computer system.
• Installation and maintenance of Windows NT Domain System for laboratories (including 2 servers and more than 200 workstations (account arrangement, workstation and server security, profile sizes)

Trainee, Computer Center at Trainee at Eastern Mediterranean University
  • Cyprus
  • January 2002 to February 2002

I was a trainee in the Hardware Maintenance Group. Training and work was given regarding computer hardware assembly, hardware troubleshooting and fixing, system setup and maintenance, and a full study on various mother boards.

Trainee at MidEast Computers
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • September 2001 to October 2001

I was a trainee in three different departments in the company.
1) Hardware Design and Analysis Group,
Assembly Team,
2) VisualBasic6.0 Software Development Group,
3) Networking Group.

Education

Diploma, ISO 27001:2005 LA
  • at BSI
  • December 2011

ISO 27001:2005 Lead Auditor - Information Security

Diploma, TCSE / TCSP
  • at Trend Micro Secueity Solutions
  • December 2011

TCSE / TCSP Trend Micro Certified Security Expert / Trend Micro Certified Security Professional

Diploma, PMP - Project Management
  • at PMI - PMP
  • August 2011

Project Management

Diploma, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • at ISC2 - CISSP
  • April 2010

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Diploma, CCVP - Cisco Certified Voice Professional
  • at Cisco Academy
  • January 2007

CCVP - Cisco Certified Voice Professional

Diploma, CCNP - Cisco Certified Network Professional
  • at Cisco Academy
  • December 2006

CCNP - Cisco Certified Network Professional

Diploma, CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate
  • at Cisco Academy
  • September 2004

CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate

Master's degree, Computer Engineering
  • at Eastern Mediterranean University
  • July 2004

M.Sc. in Computer Engineering. Thesis topic: "A Realistic Model of Soft Handoff in Cellular Systems"

Bachelor's degree, Computer Engineering
  • at Eastern Mediterranean University
  • July 2002

B.Sc. in Computer Engineering. Graduation Project: "Pattern Recognition Using Binary Splitting Method"

Bachelor's degree, B.Sc. in Computer Engineering. (Years 1 + 2)
  • at Girne American University
  • July 2000

First, and second years of Computer Engineering (Transfer with Honors, cgpa: 3.35)

Specialties & Skills

Installation
Network Security
Administration
Management
Network (Designing, Configration, Problem solutions, Implementation)
Network Security - CISSP
Project Management

Languages

English
Expert
Arabic
Intermediate
Turkish
Intermediate

Memberships

ISC2
  • CISSP Member
  • June 2010
PMI
  • PMP Member
  • June 2011