Varun Kaushik

Key Responsibilities:

Legacy Modernization & Resiliency:

• Spearheaded the modernization of legacy applications, enhancing their functionality and resilience in production environments.
• Employed architectural expertise and proactive leadership to strategize and execute solutions, successfully completing a 9-month Statement of Work (SOW) in just 5 months with a focus on cloud-centric approaches.

Kubernetes Cluster Migration:

• Conducted proof of concept (POC) and led the design of solutions for rebuilding Kubernetes clusters, aiming to support the transition of workloads to a more cloud-focused infrastructure.
• Utilized Velero for automated backup and restoration of namespaces, and integrated MinIO for secure object storage, laying the groundwork for eventual migration to Azure.

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Directed cross-functional teams, merging fresh talent with seasoned engineers to ensure seamless modernization of applications and readiness for production in a cloud-centric environment.
• Fostered collaboration and established clear project goals, propelling forward momentum through daily status checks and proactive resolution of issues.

Key Achievements:

• Engineered and executed the migration of workloads between Kubernetes clusters with minimal downtime, facilitating seamless transitions with an eye toward future Azure integration.
• Refined backup strategies in a private cloud setup, heightening security and reliability through strategic use of Velero and MinIO.
• Offered technical leadership in complex migrations, achieving key performance and resilience targets.

Tools & Technologies:

• Kubernetes, Velero, MinIO, Docker, designed for transition to Azure, GitLab, Ansible.

Additional Contributions:

• Resolved complex technical issues, enhancing software applications and infrastructure components.
• Conducted thorough architecture reviews and offered strategic improvements, paving the way for cloud-centric solutions.
• Delivered technical guidance and development oversight, ensuring solutions were scalable, secure, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Embedded DevOps principles to foster a dynamic, efficient, and agile delivery environment, setting the stage for enhanced cloud integration.

Key Responsibilities:

DevOps and Infrastructure Automation:

• Engineered and executed DevOps initiatives to streamline operations, focusing exclusively on Azure environments for server provisioning, application configuration, and system updates.
• Leveraged tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Python scripting to automate and enhance the management of Azure infrastructure, boosting operational efficiency and reliability.

Infrastructure modernization:

• Directed the retirement of outdated systems and transitioned to advanced Azure-based infrastructures, mitigating cybersecurity risks, and bolstering system resilience.
• Architected scalable solutions within Azure to ensure robust capacity planning and reliable operations in production environments.

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE):

• Maintained high system performance and uptime by swiftly addressing bottlenecks and conducting root cause analyses in Azure-hosted environments.
• Advanced SRE methodologies within Azure frameworks, improving system resilience and responsiveness to evolving business needs.

Incident Management & Troubleshooting:

• Proactively identified and rectified infrastructure issues, significantly reducing downtime and enhancing service reliability across Azure platforms.
• Facilitated cross-functional team collaboration to troubleshoot and resolve incidents swiftly, optimizing root cause analysis processes in Azure environments.

Key Achievements:

• Significantly improved scalability and reliability through automated Azure capacity planning and infrastructure provisioning.
• Upgraded operational resilience by modernizing and transitioning legacy systems to Azure, applying contemporary DevOps practices.
• Increased operational efficiencies by minimizing manual interventions, and streamlining deployment timelines in Azure environments.
• Authored and executed numerous automation scripts for deploying applications and configurations across Azure servers, enhancing system adaptability and deployment precision.
• Developed and presented insightful technical proposals that highlighted the benefits of Azure solutions to clients.
• Innovated within Azure-centric DevOps frameworks, designing build pipelines and automating workflows for enhanced software deployment processes.
• Conducted comprehensive audits and reviews to pinpoint and rectify inefficiencies in existing DevOps processes, with a focus on optimizing Azure integrations.
• Created and refined Ansible playbooks specifically for deploying software and configuring systems within Azure environments.

Tools & Technologies:

• Proficient with GitLab, Terraform, Ansible, Python; specialized in leveraging Azure for holistic cloud solutions.

Collaboration and Leadership:

• Collaborated with the Platform Engineering Team and Project Team to deliver robust DevOps solutions and enhance data center infrastructure.
• Led Puppet code management and multi-environment deployments, ensuring seamless integration and scalability.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Automation:

• Streamlined infrastructure management using Puppet IAC, automating Linux server configurations to reduce manual effort, and improve reliability.
• Utilized GitLab, Puppet, CD4PE, VMware Private Cloud, Shell Scripts, YAML, and JSON to optimize workflows and ensure infrastructure consistency.

Quality Assurance and Testing:

• Conducted code coverage analysis, unit tests, and integration tests to ensure the stability and reliability of Puppet modules.
• Refined IAC processes, minimizing errors, and streamlining deployment workflows.

Process and system enhancements:

• Designed solutions to automate and secure bank processes, improving scalability and efficiency.
• Introduced a multi-control repository structure for Puppet files, enabling version control, and enhancing modularity and isolation.

Key Achievements:

• Accelerated system deployment through innovative IAC solutions, improving responsiveness to business needs.
• Resolved critical defects within a month, showcasing a proactive, and efficient problem-solving approach.
• Improved infrastructure management by deploying modules with version isolation, enhancing control, and reliability.

Tools & Technologies: Puppet IAC, Puppet CD4PE, GitLab, Shell Scripts, YAML, JSON, VMware Private Cloud.

Key Responsibilities:

Optimizing Development Processes:

• Refined and sustained key facets of the development lifecycle, including CI/CD, build automation, test automation, and system monitoring, ensuring robust and resilient solutions.

Automation and scripting:

• Automated repetitive tasks using Python, Shell scripting, and PowerShell significantly enhance operational efficiency and reduce manual overhead.

Infrastructure Management:

• Consolidated global Puppet Server infrastructure using Foreman, managing over 100 servers for analytics software, streamlining operations, and enhancing system reliability.

CI/CD Innovations:

• Designed and executed CI/CD pipelines incorporating security scans for C# projects via Coverity, ensuring secure and reliable software releases.

Cloud and on-premises solutions:

• Developed and implemented cloud-based and on-premises/SaaS-based CI/CD solutions, facilitating seamless enterprise application deployments.

Tooling Optimization:

• Led the migration of Bamboo plans across multiple servers to a unified setup, reducing costs and improving efficiency.

GitOps and Containerization:

• Adopted GitOps practices with tools such as GitHub Actions, TeamCity, Bamboo, and Jenkins to optimize CI/CD workflows.
• Utilized Docker for build environment management and implemented Azure Pipelines for Azure infrastructure provisioning.

Leadership and mentorship:

• Provided strategic leadership to the DevOps team, fostering a collaborative and growth-focused culture.
• Trained new DevOps team members, imparting best practices to ensure seamless integration into workflows.

Achievements:

• Reduced time to market for project changes by implementing advanced DevOps tooling and automation strategies.
• Resolved global availability issues for large binaries and artifacts, saving significant time and effort, while accelerating game releases.
• Consolidated infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines, achieving substantial cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Tools & Technologies:
Python, PowerShell, Shell Scripts, Puppet, Foreman, Docker, Azure Pipelines, Bamboo, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Coverity, TeamCity

Project Overview: Led DevOps initiatives at Westpac Bank to enhance security and optimize services using the Pega CRM and MuleSoft API layers.

Key Responsibilities: Developed and implemented an automated DevOps platform using Jenkins, Artifactory, Docker, Ansible, and SonarQube on a private Nutanix platform.
Engineered CI/CD pipelines using a 'pipelines as code' approach, significantly streamlining builds and deployments.
Automated infrastructure configurations with Ansible, enhancing consistency and reducing setup times.
Conducted security compliance reviews, and implemented tailored secret management solutions.
Created and deployed Docker images for Pega applications, and designed scalable pipelines for MuleSoft microservices.
Integrated DevOps tools with GitHub, SonarQube, Jira, and Confluence for improved project tracking and collaboration.
Reduced environment setup and deployment times dramatically through automation.
Organized and clarified project documentation in Confluence, supporting team resource needs.
Leadership and Mentorship: Provided strategic leadership and mentoring, enhancing team capabilities, and aligning project execution with business objectives.
Key Achievements: Significantly improved time-to-market and project efficiency through automation and process optimization.
Transformed DevOps workflows, enhancing both the efficiency and reliability of product services.
Tools & Technologies: Pega, MuleSoft, Docker, Jenkins, Ansible, SonarQube, Nginx, VirtualBox, YAML, JSON, Shell Scripts.

Project Overview: Led the migration of Fulfilment API Services, critical for new connections at Telstra, to the cloud. Focused on ensuring seamless transitions, optimal performance, and leveraging cloud-native technologies for scalability and reliability.

Key Responsibilities:

Planned and created detailed Jira stories to guide cloud migration activities.

Designed and implemented a robust AWS infrastructure using services such as VPC, IAM, ECS, ECR, and CloudFormation.

Migrated Java Stack applications to AWS, ensuring seamless integration and system stability.

Managed CI/CD pipelines and implemented Blue/Green deployments for zero-downtime rollouts.

Optimized resource management and auto-scaling policies to enhance performance and cost efficiency.

Secured access management by defining IAM policies and roles using Terraform.

Conducted performance testing, implemented observability practices, and monitored application reliability with Postman and other tools.

Transitioned on-premises Kubernetes environments to AWS ECS/EKS, maintaining stability, and empowering the team with cloud-native skills.

Key Achievements:

Successfully migrated multiple microservices to AWS, improving scalability, agility, and cost efficiency.

Streamlined fulfillment API operations with cloud-native technologies, enhancing system performance and reliability.

Enabled team upskilling in AWS solutions, ensuring the long-term sustainability of cloud infrastructure.

Tools & Technologies: AWS Stack (ECS, EKS, IAM, VPC, CloudFormation), Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Python, Shell Scripts, YAML, JSON, Postman, VirtualBox, Vagrant.

Key Responsibilities:

Designed and delivered scalable microservices solutions, enabling faster deployments, and improving reliability.

Developed micro-container-based API hosting with shared load balancers and Axway API Gateway.

Automated provisioning for HPaaS virtual machines supporting Java and Node.js applications.

Built CI/CD pipelines with Bamboo, CA RA, and integrated security scans using Fortify.

Leveraged container orchestration tools (Kubernetes, Docker EE, Nomad) for scalable deployments.

Automated API test workflows using Postman Automation, Newman CLI, and InSpec, integrated with Splunk for monitoring.

Configured Nginx Plus as a WAF, and improved artifact management with Artifactory.

Key Achievements:

• Improved deployment efficiency by 40% and reduced downtime with optimized CI/CD pipelines.
• Enhanced platform scalability and API reliability through streamlined automation and monitoring.

Tools & Technologies: Docker, Kubernetes, Bamboo, Ansible, Python, Postman, Newman CLI, Nginx Plus, Splunk.

Key Responsibilities:

· Virtualized macOS environments using ESXi 6.0 and automated provisioning with Ansible Playbooks, improving efficiency by 40%.

· Managed Artifactory Enterprise (10TB of artifacts) for Docker repositories, backups, and repository configurations.

· Oversaw TeamCity Enterprise, managing Docker agents and migrating build projects across Windows/Linux.

· Administered GitHub Enterprise, including repository migrations from Bitbucket and LDAP integration.

· Implemented monitoring solutions with AppDynamics and Splunk, enhancing system visibility.

· Automated server provisioning and deployments using Python, Bash scripts, and Ansible.

Key Achievements:

· Reduced manual setup times and streamlined artifact management, improving CI/CD reliability.

· Delivered multiple infrastructure improvements, reducing incident resolution time by 30%.

Tools & Technologies:
ESXi, Ansible, TeamCity, Artifactory, GitHub Enterprise, Python, Splunk, AppDynamics

Project Overview:
Led the Digital Transformation initiative to migrate the PHP-based "Toolbox" application, a critical tool used by over 1,000 brokers nationwide, to the Azure Cloud, enhancing scalability, reliability, and security.

Key Responsibilities:

Azure Cloud Migration:

· Architected and implemented the IaaS model for the Toolbox application on Azure, leveraging virtual machines and scalability features.

· Conducted secure data migration from on-premises to Azure using encryption for data at rest and in transit.

· Automated resource management with Azure Automation, optimizing cost efficiency through scheduled scaling and shutdown processes.

· Set up a PaaS database model using ClearDB, incorporating data masking and refresh processes for enhanced security.

· Performed performance and load testing on Azure environments to size resources for application demands.

DevOps Practices:

· Streamlined build and deployment processes with automated CI/CD pipelines, leveraging tools like Puppet for configuration management and GoCD for continuous integration.

· Implemented Linux server hardening and managed controlled configurations across environments.

· Conducted a proof of concept for Dockerizing the application to explore modern containerization techniques.

AWS Initiatives:

· Supported subnet creation, OpenVPN setup, IAM management, and EC2/S3 configurations for hosting LAMP applications.

Release Management:

· Oversaw builds, deployments, code promotions, and database processes for the Toolbox application.

· Administered Git repositories, managing branching, labeling, and version control.

Key Achievements:

· Successfully migrated the Linux-based Toolbox application to Azure, one of Sydney's first such migrations in 2015, setting a benchmark for innovation.

· Designed a scalable, secure cloud solution for a tier-one application, improving performance and operational resilience.

Tools & Technologies:
Azure, AWS, Puppet, GoCD, Shell Scripts, YAML, JSON, Ruby, PowerShell, Azure CLI, MySQL, MariaDB, Visual Studio, VSTS

• Led IT transformations, including AWS-hosted applications, Kubernetes integration, and Dockerized deployments.
• Streamlined CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Bamboo, and Nexus; automated deployments to AWS.
• Improved build scripts, reduced deployment time, and enhanced system scalability.

• Delivered DevOps solutions for Oracle Banking Platform, optimizing CI/CD pipelines and artifact management.
• Automated deployment with Gradle, Ansible, and Groovy; reduced release cycle time.

• Managed release operations with an 18-member team, achieving a 60% reduction in time-to-market.
• Aligned DevOps strategies with business goals, fostering innovation and cross-functional collaboration.

Earlier Roles

• Multinational Experience (2003–2010): Led release and configuration management for global organizations like Siemens PLM, Fiserv, and Kronos.
• Automated testing, performance optimization, and SCM migrations.

Certifications
AWS Solutions Architect, Terraform, SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, Kubernetes (OpenShift, Rancher), PMP, and more.