Aus Akram Alzubaidi

MBC is the largest media company in MENA with over 300 million viewers. It includes 28 TV channels, 2 radios & a production arm with VOD and catch-up portal.

As a Head of IT & Media, I oversee all the technical functions by supporting 3000+ employees and 600+ systems around the world. I control an annual XX million US dollars infrastructure & operational budget. My team consists of 6 departments with 42 managers & engineers.

Achievements:
- Instigated a digital transformation project by moving to the cloud: Office365, Skype, VMware & Hyper-V though Azure and AWS
- Restructured a big department to create a new environment of growth and service delivery
- Introduced a “Cyber Security Program” comprised of: IBM PIM, ManageEngine PMP, LogRythm SIEM, Qualys, periodic PenTests, InfoSec Awareness Program, InfoSec Policies, RSA, PaloAlto, ATA, WAFs, NAC.
- Executed complex Network Refresh projects & new Data Centers using Cisco (iWAN SDN, Nexus, 68XX), F5 LB, Juniper EX/MX, Riverbed WAN Optimizers with a global MPLS cloud
- Transformed business digital media needs into best operational services by driving the Dalet MAM platform by supporting Imagine BCM traffic, Baton Quality Control, Rhozet C Coder, and FlashNet SGL Archive
- Built unmanned Disaster Recovery & BC operations in Europe through a converged platform
- Supervised the development & implementation of 110+ in-house portals and automation/paperless systems
- Drove seamless storage operations in a complex environment with X petabytes of data using solutions from IBM, HP, EMC, NetApp, Symantec, Veeam, SpectraLogic
- Introduced Productivity & Project tools (Wrike, MS Planner/Teams) that led to widespread adoption
- Implemented Big Data & BI projects using SQL, Hadoop, MongoDB, Pentaho & Jenkins EC2
- Achieved significant cost savings ($X million) by adopting virtualization/cloud Strategy, consolidating systems, negotiating contracts and introducing competition across vendors

The company is the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World

Designation Chronology:
• Apr 2013 - Present: Media Business Process Manager
• Jul 2010 - Apr 2013: Technical Change Manager
• Jun 2010 - Feb 2013: Network Operations Center Manager
• Jul 2008 - Jun 2010: Service Desk Manager
• Jun 2006 -Sept 2008: Senior IT Engineer

Joined as Senior IT Engineer and moved the upwards career trajectories, receiving accolades and multiple promotions to the current position of Media Business Process Manager

Highlights:
• Rigorously managed business performance, enabling to consistently achieve its revenue and profitability targets across all media, broadcast and IT functions.
• Oversaw project execution on multiple multi-million dollars projects right from the conceptualization, implementation, deployment & training across projects such as HD, MAM Tapeless, NOC Monitoring, DR, Call Center, IT Infrastructure.
• Designed robust training and development program for 16+ IT/Broadcast engineers & technicians.
• Recorded the maximum number of outstanding performance ratings over 9 years and took a key role in achieving, departmental targets and goals and bestowed with Star Employee of the Month, MBC Group, 2007

Key Responsibilities:
• Overseeing the development and management of Broadcast & IT technical and operational systems and teams in mission-critical technical environments.
• Envisaging strategic, operational plans and optimizing planning variables to achieve business goals by ensuring appropriate protection of Media Asset Management workflows & design reviews through BCM, Dalet, Rhozet, SGL and other associated business systems.
• Optimizing Business Process delivery with pre-defined sector solutions and reference models for deploying new file based workflows for several key departments, and trainings users on the organizational change management guidelines.
• Efficiently handling day-to-day operating activities, including business planning, forecasting, budgeting, productivity improvement, risk management, knowledge management and strategic initiatives to identify and implement improvement in quality & efficiency, leading to workflow changes and automation through systems.
• Formulating strategic direction, improving the technical process and directing the creation, design, Implementation, rollout & testing of disaster recovery & business continuity systems and workflows.
• Building media strategies, gathering and organizing bulks of information to elicit requirements, reconcile conflicts and distinguish solution ideas from actual needs on the grounds.
• Maintaining the quality standards of the industry with the corporation and providing a customer focused approach through constant liaison with client departments discussing outstanding issues and future plans.
• Upgrading the technology infrastructure from obsolete technology to state-of-the-art as well as restructuring of the entire media function to transform its culture from a public sector mindset to a commercially driven and cost conscious business.

Highlights:
• Transformed processes for ITIL.v3 based service management and significantly minimized the end user complaints by 70%, resulting in the achievement of the highest ratings on the customer satisfaction index.
• Aligned Infrastructure change management process with MBC wide process by deploying an ITIL- based Proactive Monitoring infrastructure to manage the network, systems and storage, which improved the service availability.
• Designed a state-of -art Quality Management Scoreboard and Metadata processes to improve the overall content delivery operations and reduce the number of incidents on air

Key Responsibilities:
• Created and managed process improvement initiatives as it relates to change management while remaining in compliance with MBC process.
• Championed change management best practices and - ensured that all ITIL Change Management standards and processes are followed while conducting system configuration changes.
• Monitored and reported on process performance. Provided, reviews and summarizes trends and produced management information relating to related services that will be affected by a change.
• Performed business impact analysis and recommended measures to minimize risk, and identified action plans to improve key performance indicators as necessary.
• Maintained a solid understanding of the change management process, organized standard and emergency Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, ensured that changes are properly managed and officially approved the major technical changes.
• Managed the impact of change on delivery plans and escalated risks/issues with suggested solutions as appropriate and controlling resources and spend within the project budget and timeline.
• Efficiently controlled the number of on-air incidents and system outages as well as reduced the impact of any related incidents upon services.
• Working with a range of project disciplines and a variety of stakeholders to facilitate change and enable performance improvement by designing, developing and coordinating the delivery of business change activities.

Highlights:
• Oversaw 2 major Departmental Restructuring projects ad managed to transform a typical Helpdesk into a world-class NOC, and appropriated a group of analysts to a central MAM & Business Analysis department.
• Created a centralized knowledge based repository for NOC as well as end users to publish and document the latest user guides and know-how.

Key Responsibilities:
• Provided technical support and coordinated activities to ensure the overall health and maintenance of the network environments.
• Managed day-to-day technical operational activities and played a key role in securing the hardware and software of end users PCs & laptops, and migrating the entire company to the latest Windows 7.
• Defining IT strategy for the company and delivery of projects, directing team efforts towards the provision of technical support services to be fully compliant with ITIL.
• Formulated, streamlined long term development and application strategies to align new technologies for organizational requirements by supporting dozens of Broadcast systems including Avid ANWS &NewsCutters. VIZ engines & VCPs, Began, VideoLINX, QuickLink, BCM, Omneon, Pebble Beach, etc.
• Used stellar technical judgment and implemented the Systems/Networks Monitoring infrastructure using CA eHealth/Spectrum/NSM.
• Supervised the network migration from a flat network to a global integrated MPLS network with the latest Cisco internet working devices, telephony migration from Nortel to Cisco VoIP, Active Directory migration, Exchange server migration to 2007 version, etc.
• Engaged new Systems and application and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and security of information systems and supported special projects such as training programs, new tools and processes associated with our data centers.

Highlights:
• Optimized Service desk capabilities and minimized the operational costs, staff turnover& increased efficiency and effectiveness in Service desk operations
• Provided quality services, ensured uninterrupted operations and drove improvements across the Service desk by structuring technical workflows and processes in IT & Broadcast, which increased services availability, and lowered the systems operational costs.
• Provided strategic inputs in setting up new Call Center using Cisco UCCX, spearheaded a team of 10 engineers, technicians and agents to provide 1st and 2nd level support to 2000+ employees and 80+ IT/Broadcast systems across 30 different locations around the world.

Key Responsibilities:
• Lead the ongoing development, improvement and expansion of MBC service desk and supporting all core business IT functions.
• Conducted end to end evaluation of business requirements - to conceptualize, design and implement key network tools aimed at streamlining processes, reducing costs and reduce probability of error.
• Identified opportunities where IT Operations can further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its services to the business, recommending IT infrastructure requirements and deployed new Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity processes, and managed all DR tests & drills.
• Lead on ensuring customer service excellence and achieving Service Desk KPIs, by ascertaining employees are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and are motivated to fulfill the requirements of those roles.
• Identified and managed resources to ensure the successful operation of the Service Desk, conducted employee appraisals, mid and end of year performance reviews for SD engineers as well as performed the Customer Satisfaction surveys to measure Service Desk Quality of Service.
• Set strategic direction for the Service Desk function, including identification and ownership of continuous improvement activities and driving these activities forward to fruition.
• Demonstrated a service oriented attitude with the ability to balance competing priorities by evolving the flat structure helpdesk to a 3 layer Service desk support with Level 1, 2 and 3 engineers and transforming the department from a Service desk to a NOC.

Highlights:
• Streamlined the daily operational activities and offered inputs in migrating from a tape-based to a file-based tapeless organization.

Key Responsibilities:
• Recommended technological orientations and system integration guidelines for all business solutions requiring information technology.
• Developed IT strategy in support of the company’s mission and core objectives, supervised and implemented the IT strategic plan.
• Supported numerous systems including storage, security, access control, web filtering, wired and wireless networking, open-source and proprietary operating systems, analogue, digital and IP telephony, antivirus/antispyware servers, satellite broadcasting and news editing solutions, etc.
• Maintained a sharp vision of the IT market and the industry’s future technological trends in order to position the company’s infrastructure accordingly.

Other Professional Experience:
• Aug 2005 -Jul 2006: Computer Trainer, Ibn Khaldoon Institute, Ajman