Riju Raj, EGA

Riju Raj

EGA

IT System manager

Location
United Arab Emirates
Education
Master's degree, Project Managment
Experience
23 years, 2 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :23 years, 2 Months

EGA at IT System manager
  • United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
  • My current job since August 2017

Role: - Implement information technology for EGA, supervising a team of IT professionals. The role encompasses
information systems planning, installation, and maintenance, including hardware and software upgrades distributed network.
(Servers with High Availability, LAN/WAN Networks, telecom, storage, datacenter, Cloud (IaaS & SaaS) across multiple locations
within different refinery and smelter business units. Work closely with PMO - Capital Projects for delivery of multiple ICT Projects
$5-10M Portfolio in accordance with Company’s Policies, HSE Standards and Quality Management System.
 Managed ICT Infrastructure and IT projects with PMO and third parties/vendors for the execution of projects, tenders, milestones,
WBS, SOW, RFP, kick off meeting, IT budget (CAPEX/ OPEX), contract negotiations, tender process, SLA.
 Managed IS Risk assessment, VAPT (Vulnerability and Pen Test), PKI, Policy formulation and WAN/LAN monitoring.
 Energizing IT systems (UAT and FAT) procedures, hyper care as per EGA ICT Lab Standards.
 Managed IT Team, training, IT Coordination reviews, Kick off meeting, delegating task.
 Work with the PMO Strategy to provide information for departmental scorecards, key metrics and presentations
 Responsible to make sure ICT Infrastructure is up and running 24/7, incident, problem and change management activities, IT
Assets, service catalogue, software license, maintaining the company IT systems, software and databases.

Notable Achievements
Delivered of Tier3 data center (Start up) for Production IT, NOC Operation Hyper V-Converged Infrastructure
virtualization, Desktop VDI (Citrix), ESXi Active Directory, Cisco Routers, Access point, Switches, Firewall, SAP ERP Access for
Operational Management Center, CER, Exchange server, SQL Database, DR & backups, IP Schema, Azure, AWS Cloud.
Delivered of $2 million SCADA system integration, Security scrutiny, EDP, LIMS, PIMS, Honey well and ABB system.
Delivered Cyber Security & Data Privacy protection standards for Cloud IT Services (IaaS, SaaS), SSL, VPN & mobility
Developed and maintain system recovery plan in the event of power failure, damage to protect systems including generators.
Delivered and commissioning of Cisco AV, Access Control, CCTV, 3G, RFID, Audio Amplifiers, projectors, TV, conference
units Radio- DMR (Digital Radio), Man down features, Radio Tower, Hytera, Motorola, Mobile coverage 2G/3G/LTE.
Delivery of Wi-Fi project value $1 Million 15 Km area land including heat map study, tower for communication.
Delivered of Cloud System- Windows Azure DC integration, Backup solutions for offshore (HA) operations.
Delivered connectivity for plant - Fibre optics (24 Core) Media convectors, single and dual code, NTP Time Sync.
Delivered Business case studies on technology mapping for Wastage Plant, Pot line, Cast house, Sewage Plant, Mud
filtration, Ship Unloader & logistics movements. Delivered system design, GAPS, architecture and project documentation.
Prepared ‘Transition plan’ and P& L allocations $100K for resources, IT System LAN/WAN connectivity, Logistics etc.
Negotiated AMC for Plant communication saving of $55K, developed SLA matrix with 1 hour response time for critical systems.

IT Director at IVF Hospital
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • My current job since February 2015

Role: - I was hired as an IT Business Partner to serve the Hospital and drive IT functional unit to research and develop technology to standardizing IT Systems, networks and Infrastructure. The Hospital group IT facilities were outsourced and transparency was a “concern”, I proposed and initiated the prospects of in- house IT Department and cropped a small IT team & PMO and flourished.
• IT Strategy: I have streamlined the IT operations from governance standpoint. I liaised with the management to develop IT budget for respective areas of investment. Achieved 20%+ cost savings versus the bottom-up planning number by analysing company’s cost structure and major cost drivers to cut unnecessary items from overhead and headcount planning. Practised COBIT frameworks.
• Team Management: I have to collaborate with the project management office on the intake process and prioritization of “Team Members” for projects. Hiring right personnel for IT operations & support (Application & Infrastructure) for the smooth functioning. I managed 4 IT Staffs. Performance reviews were conducted on monthly basis. Team rotation and realistic targets. Resolve conflicts.
• IT Infrastructure Management: I designed the on premises infrastructure (24/7/365) scalability on VMs and Hyper V. I architecture EMC storage solutions on HP, Dell servers for production environment. Fibre SAN switches were mounted to manage the uplinks. Windows 2012 AD, Windows 2008/12 OS, office 365, wireless, printers, telephones. After the stress test the migration for core application on case-to-case basis was performed with a ‘test plan’. Provisioned resilient VM Host architecture. Oracle Database and application setup including HIS, RIS LIS and HRMS. De-commissioned old severs and IT equipment. Saving cost by 35%.
• IT Security: I practised ISO/IEC 27002 Standards, ensuring all IT systems are protected from both internal and external threats. A concise reported was performed for the management team gaining control on IT data including latest “cyber threats”.
• Big Data: Provisioning and capturing data sets, curation for processing application inadequate. Visualising and storage complexity.
• Smart initiatives: - I initiated the process of for doctors and patients for “health care appointments reservation online”, which allowed resource scheduling. This process was axed and made user friendly. 25% increased in business revenue.
• Risk Management: I initiated a risk “Risk Register” to record and manage reports on risk categories, owners & root cause.
• Core Application: I have replaced the legacy system and with a new (HIMS) ERP, which helped the business to grow by and enhancement in the process of indoor patient management, pharmacy & laboratory function for the hospitals. I co-ordinated the migration strategy with the vendors and made sure that the project was delivered as agreed. There was around 40% decrease in cost and paperless hospital practice. Generate prescriptions less than 60 seconds.
• Project Management: I exercised PM methodology to deliver projects on time, monitor budget, while managing risks and issues. I played a major role to identify, screen and evaluate new opportunities to address (internal & external) requirements. Observations captured at project team meetings and by conducting interviews stakeholders and vendors. An ‘acceptance criteria’ was defined.

Head IT Infrastructure Architect at Forterro Group
  • India - Bengaluru
  • September 2016 to August 2017

 Implement Infrastructure integration plans to support new business acquisitions, internal customers and stakeholders for Forterro Group IT services.
 Sourcing IT Partners to leverage IT operations and cost for global operations
 Manage and drive IT projects life cycle which includes, planning, risk mitigation, resources, delivery and closure ( First pint of contact)
 Manage and execute on a long-term vision to move most of infrastructure to cloud architecture (IAAS, SAAS) for 1500+ ERP customers, Office 365, google Apps.
 Performed Infrastructure systems analysis, design and operational readiness of servers, storage, network, and voice communications
 Drive architecture strategy for the overall IT project portfolio which includes AWS Cloud migration, architecture for R&D and QA Team.
 Conduct proof of concepts to assist in defining technology direction and enabling business strategy
 Responsible for implementation and maintenance of IT infrastructure (ERP delivery oracle HCM, Financial, Applications, network, storage, high availability (HA) architecture.)
 Developed and managed standard operating procedures and processes to ensure that SLA’s are met
 Collaborate closely Group IT services to execute on strategic infrastructure projects and to maximize return on global resources
 Managed domain registrations, SSL certificate renewals, etc. for all business units.
 Follow information IT security guidelines and educate employees on information security best practices
 Manage backup’s DR, BCP on Cloud, High Availability and exercise mock drill
 Managing Cloud security practices with IT vendors’ ( Vulnerability, penetrating testing etc) and define IT Polices
 Assess new technologies and define new infrastructure requirements on-premises and cloud platforms
 Resolve any issues that cause outages that impact business performance in a timely manner
 Manage a security policies across all hardware/software that reduces the chances of a security breach
 Work with IT vendors to ensure we are using the latest techniques to protect our enterprise
 Evaluate technology systems and 3rd party affiliates by conducting IT audits
 Manage CAPEX/ OPEX, procurement and IT vendor. Exercised capacity planning and demand management activities for Group IT
 Create and maintain technical documentation that describes the technical infrastructure, ITAM, Cloud IT Charge back reports.
 Work closely with our helpdesk services to ensure proper levels of support and interaction
 Provide coaching, mentoring and continuing skills development of staff members in the IT business units
 Manage systems deployment, testing and production, data storage and user monitoring
Project Delivery: - AWS EC2 -Sand box, Elastic Load Balancing, Cloud VPC, IAM, and Amazon Work Space. Managed on premises infrastructure (24/7/365) IT environment on Microsoft Hyper V ( 98 Nodes) + IBM Servers, OP Manager ( monitoring & Helpdesk- ITIL), Fortinet and Cisco Firewall & Routers, Data centre, Remote Virtualization servers ( VM 5.5) and EMC Storage and LUN. Production ERP systems support like HRIS, Oracle Financial, Jeeves ERP, OP Manager- LAN/WAN Monitoring

Sr. IT Manager Regional Operations at UAS
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • December 2013 to February 2015

• Role: - Overseeing and managing America, Africa, Europe, ME and Asia specific IT Team, IT Services & IT support, IT infrastructure, network connectivity, IT for the Airline operation, IT infrastructure for BDM, Telephony, and Mobile estate for all regions. Ensure all systems availability, reliability, security, and 24/7 delivery of services and operational support.
• Team Work: - Responsible for IT Team support and provisioning wide IT operations. Formatting sharing and collaboration within the team to ensure resources are best allocated and utilised. Collaboration with Global IT team for UAS global IT operations.
• IT Strategy and Governance: Developed the regional IT strategy providing a clear roadmap for short term and long-term view of IT and alignment with business needs. Aligned the strategy with global IT strategy to carter for global plans. Managed a clear governance model for IT services, structure and support. I recommended streamlining of existing IT operation system and process.
• Infrastructure: Managed Data centre operation 24/7 (ICT) environment Applications including the network, servers, PC and ERP systems. I have managed the Active directory server Windows 2008/12 and administered other servers likes Linux/UNIX. Day to day administration of Exchange 2008/12 (DAG) with mail access, black berry & mobile connectivity for 1500 users with distributed groups. For the BDM and remote office we have a separate hosted exchange 350+ mailbox for. Aero account on Office 365, Lync (Business plan). I have provisioned the hosting for web server (HTTPS) on DMZ zone external-facing services to a larger and untrusted network.
• Core Business Apps: I am responsible for the delivery, management and support of all business critical application. I have provisioned the critical server on virtualized environment VM form EMC storage where our applications like Legal, MS dynamics, Oracle ERP R12 (HCM and Financial) and Travel management system. I have managed the OLTP/OLAP database activities and backups for Oracle and SQL. I have generated MIS reports (V lookup, H lookup, Pivot table) for finance team. I am also responsible for co-ordinating the activities for other reporting tools like BI and TODD, which will allow to work and collaborate accuracy and ease.
• Hosted Third party Apps: I was responsible for the delivery of third party hosted application for Airline ARNIC, SITA on hosted cloud premises. Windows Azure architecture was provisioned to serve as business continuity.
• Monitoring services: I have deployed OP Manager software and assigned several KPi”s for Network and server health monitoring, VoIP Monitoring, Network Mapping, WAN RTT monitoring, Network Traffic. The NOC triggers were alerted via SMS and Emails.
• Project Management: Leading various IT projects with successful delivery on time and within budgets. Assisting in other global projects to ensure successful regional implementation. Managed change & management actives by change control Board (CCB)

Head of IT at 7DAYS ( UK Metro)
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • April 2005 to November 2013

• Role: - I was initially hired to establish an IT Department for start up operation of print and media (BU) in Middle East. Accountable for the ICT Budget, ICT Strategy, IT system and Services, connectivity, compliance and telephone system. Improving service delivery by technology and aligned IT with the needs of the business.
• IT Strategy: - I initially reviewed the complete infrastructure of the business, highlight issues and created solutions targeting short and long term problems. I identified new areas where IT could improve the productivity and save cost. All external contracts were accessed to see whether they were delivering the needs of the business and provided value for money. All services are reviewed at agreed intervals and streamlined IT operation system and process.
• Planning: - All ICT activities are planned 12 months in advance laying out clear picture of what’s due and when in addition to the time required. This includes long term and short term business objectives. All existing and new activities are checked and reviewed at agreed intervals enabling a better insight into IT thus enabling more decisive decision-making.
• IT system Management: - I managed the HP and Dell server HP SAN storage. Ensure maximum server uptime and planning maintenance, upgrades and patching with minimum or no disruption to the end users. Reviewing server’s performance levels, keep improving performance by analyzing reports. Using live migration on virtual machines to ensure both VM’s and servers perform optimally. Reviewing infrastructure health reports to pre-empt issues and improve services. IT “Dashboard” was established.
• Project Management: Every IT change in the business whether it is workstation refresh or a complex Private cloud is best managed if a structured methodology is used. I have successfully used PRINCE 2 to deliver projects on time, under budget, while managing risks and issues.

IT Manager at Pentagon Freight Services
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • December 2000 to January 2005

• Role: I was initially hired to set up a Server based IT System, Telephone system, Internet access, develop web presence and to plan and manage IT. The role then developed into a Senior IT Manager responsible for the complete ICT infrastructure for shore and offshore operations for ME, Asia specific Operations. Follow HSE Standards and guideline as directed from the UK Corporate Office
• IT Planning and Strategy: After the initial review and assessment, I laid out a strategy to develop a comprehensive IT Plan covering the current business requirements and future needs. The execution of the plan started with setting up Server/Client based Windows/UNIX environment, resources management and sharing and centralising services delivery.
• IT Security and Access: Setup secure Internet access via Firewall, VPN for remote users, switches, Active directory, AV and firewall to secure servers and clients, printer management and data backups. I performed network hardening and scrutiny checklist.
• Infrastructure: After completing the implementation and setup I went to resolved issues with the Servers, Workstations, and network to improve resilience and support. Installed new-dedicated Internet connection hence reducing cost and better access to online services that the HQ required and to server the branch office connectivity. Improved servers and workstation patching the OS, brining AV up to date and introduced policies to keep IT updated with lasts updates so that the firm does not halt fall behind.
• Data centre: I designed and supervised Data center setup, working with network teams, facility maintenance, safety and security teams, Server and Applications Teams under all aspects on Space Power, Cooling, Ventilation, Fire Suppression System, Then Rack Space, Wire and Line Management including Distribution for all lines from d-mark to Routers to core Switches then back out to all Facility IDF locations.
• Business Apps: Reviewed business software needs and after care full assessment of various acquired manual Job costing for payroll an fleet management, a gap analysis was conducted. I along with the IT Consultants proposed and introduced Oracle ERP and People Soft HR payroll applications. I prepared the IT team and assigned KPI for the database administrator to perform all activities related with migration of Legacy system. A test plan was created and followed in order to compliment the milestone “GO ALIVE” activities. After live I acted as first line support.
• Team Management: With additional responsibility of Project Manager for projects including work flow, I was also managing a team of 8 members system administrators, developers, database administrator and data entry operators. Keeping projects in check and delivering on time and under budget. Conduct performance appraisal for direct reports.
• User Support: - Provided support for all business application including Sage, SAP, oracle-ensuring users get best in class service and escalating issues to suppliers where needed. Provided IT system support for ships, tugs related with satellite communication.
• Telephone System- Reviewing the current and future needs then went to procure a system that suited the business. Projects delivered successfully, became responsible for managing and support. I negotiated a support contract for phones and call packages for landlines & mobiles with the Tecom operators, reduce sot while maintaining SLA’s
• Contract Management: Set up the new office from the ground and dealing with MEP contractors and service providers to ensure proper SLA’s are maintained on the support delivered on time. I negotiated the costs and AMC’s.
• Training: - Trained the IT staffs and the users on several IT systems on how to better utilise services to improve productivity.

Education

Master's degree, Project Managment
  • at Columbia University
  • March 2005

Overall learning objective in successful initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure of a project.

Specialties & Skills

IT Infrastructure
Project Management
Service Delivery
IT Strategy
IT Operations
IT operations
IT Strategy
IT Security
Networking
Project Managment
Infrastructure Managment
IT Service and delivery

Languages

English
Expert

Training and Certifications

SAP HANA (Training)
Training Institute:
SAP
SIX SIGMA (Training)
Training Institute:
EXIN
Oracle (Training)
Training Institute:
Oracle
CCNA (Training)
Training Institute:
Cisco
MCSE, MCP, MCSA (Training)
Training Institute:
Microsoft
Prince 2 (Training)
Training Institute:
AXELOS
ITIL (Training)
Training Institute:
AXELOS
ISO/IEC 27002 (Training)
Training Institute:
EXIN
COBIT (Training)
Training Institute:
Isaca
Cloud Foundation and Integrator (Training)
Training Institute:
EXIN
PMP (Training)
Training Institute:
Project Managment Institute
Agile and Scrum (Training)
Training Institute:
EXIN

Hobbies

  • Sport
    Cricket, Foot Ball and Basket ball