Monday, February 4, 2008

Mani Akella Ph: 908-240-9232

1200 Rt 22E, Ste 2000, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 email: mani@consultantgurus.com

MANI AKELLA (CISSP)

Experienced IT Security professional - 360° view of enterprise operations, with experience in network, system and application security management for high-tech startup companies and large-scale, complex organizations , especially global financial organizations (25,000+ employees).
Experienced project manager - For Security setup of data centers, Internet-facing application farms, assembled cross-functional teams, and managed project lifecycle (definition, design, engineering, development, testing, provisioning, documentation, support).
Customer/vendor relations manager - Excellent communications, team-building, and conflict management skills. Diplomatically resolved issues involving vendors (international telecom leaders), internal customers, and client companies.


Professional Summary:


  • Security professional with experience in risk management, regulatory compliance, and identity, authentication and authorization management

  • Project Manager / Architect with extensive experience managing large-scale, enterprise-wide infrastructure projects

  • Experienced Web and System Security Analyst

  • Certified Solaris Administrator - certified by Sun Microsystems

  • Microsoft Certified Professional (Windows NT 4.0)

  • Total experience of fourteen years encompassing:

  • Risk Management, Business Continuity, Compliance and project architecture – Designing security structures and architectures following standard compliance and risk management practices; adapting existing infrastructures to new security technologies – especially with M&A activity

  • Web and E-commerce Security: Secure Single-sign-on, Web Security (Netegrity SiteMinder, Tivoli Identity Manager and Tivoli Access Manager, Entrust GetAccess), Entrust PKI Administration, Certificate Management, ACE Server/Client management

  • Firewalls/Security: Checkpoint Firewall1 (on Sun Solaris), NAI Gauntlet (on Sun Solaris), IPF, Packet filters, IDS, securing Solaris systems, OS hardening (Solaris, Linux, Windows NT/2000/XP) Web Server Hardening (Apache, Netscape/iPlanet, IIS), LDAP and proxy servers

  • Administration: installing, maintaining, upgrading and trouble shooting Sun Sparc Systems - System Administration, Networks Administration, Web Administration and Database Administration, Jumpstart Server Administration, System Engineering

  • Firewalls/Security: Checkpoint Firewall1 (on Sun Solaris), NAI Gauntlet (on Sun Solaris), IPF, Packet filters, IDS, securing Solaris systems, OS hardening, LDAP and proxy servers

  • Networks: LANs/WANs, Routers, Switches, VSATs, and Firewalls

  • Shell Scripts, Perl, C and Java programming

  • Extensive experience of UNIX kernel configuration, performance tuning, installation of software, compilers, system administration and network administration tools, performance analysis and crash recovery of data at OS and RDBMS level.

  • Simulating, solving and analyzing escalated hardware problems, operating system and RDBMS related calls at the head office for effective customer support.


Professional Experience:


Technical Director – Consultantgurus Inc.


  • Directing the Information Security practice of Consultantgurus, targeting the security practices of SMBs

  • Responsible for the technology and education selection and direction for the consulting practice.

  • Budget management to achieve the stated goal of reducing customer costs by 15% while improving productivity by at least 20%

  • Managing the public relations aspect of Consultantgurus as the company strikes out in new directions in the security and compliance spaces


Web and Perimeter Security Project Manager – Consultantgurus Inc.

  • Barclays Capital (February 2006 – Current)

  • Risk management and compliance – working with new division acquired through M&A – designing and integrating DMZ and security infrastructures into current standard infrastructures

  • BCM (Business Continuity Management) coordinator for all perimeter security infrastructures and processes for the Americas

  • Security (Web and Perimeter Defense) role – involves working with various Security Devices/methodologies for web and perimeter security support. Includes:

  • Firewalls: Sunscreen, Checkpoint and Fortigate

  • Web Servers: IIS, Apache, Netscape

  • Proxy Servers: iPlanet/SunOne

  • LDAP servers

  • Cisco VPN Server and Client (both IPSec and SSL)

  • Cisco Router security

  • Host hardening (Solaris, Linux and Windows)

  • Virus and blocked content screening

  • IDS (intrusion detection system) installation and management

  • IPS (intrusion prevention system) installation and management


System and Security Consultant – Sunrise Systems Inc.

  • JP Morgan Chase (July 2001 – January 2006)

  • Infrastructure Architect / Solutions Developer role – involves working with various Application Developer Teams, project and program managers and Risk Management to design infrastructure solution designs for new/upgrade project requirements while ensuring Firm’s systems and risk management guidelines are strictly adhered to.

  • Application Security Role: Entrust GetAccess single-sign-on product maintenance and engineering for application security

  • Web Server (iPlanet/Covalent Apache/IIS) hardening, maintenance and security scanning

  • Content scanning (virus/bad scripts/insecure scripts/malicious content)

  • Customizing web servers and getAccess per client requirements

  • Installation of Entrust Digital Certificates and Entrust PKI setup

  • ACE server/Client setup and management

Key achievements:

  • Responsible for large-scale merger inter-Bank and intra-Bank infrastructures, including applications and implemented the same for web applications, security applications, firewalls and network equipment.

  • Currently architecting migration of GetAccess infrastructure and business rules to SiteMinder infrastructure (GetAccess 4.0 to Siteminder 5.5)

  • Scripted host discovery and resultant security/functionality remediation of hosts for multiple OS’es (MS Windows/RH Linux/Solaris)

  • Engineered a plugin to add two-factor authentication using Entrust client certificates to Entrust GetAccess for selected users automatically.

  • Created scripts and processes (shell/perl/java/SQL) to parse GetAccess and PKI logs and generate security report in MS Excel spreadsheets and graphs.

  • Automated import of Gauntlet and ipf firewall rules into flat files and export to FW1 rules.

  • Created scripts to fully automate GetAccess runtime migration from version 3.2 to 4.0, and Implemented upgrade project for 400 runtimes over two consecutive weekends.

  • Exceeded expectation in bringing project completion in record time and under budget to harden iPlanet web-servers

  • Created continuous monitoring scheme to monitor web-servers for vulnerabilities and report real time on a web-page.

  • Created and implemented training program for Service Delivery personnel to train them on updates to GetAccess, Entrust PKI and Solaris security

  • Scripted latency tests for web and network infrastructures using Mercury LoadRunner and Radview WebLoad. Also created application tests using SPI Dynamics WebInspect.

  • Scripted automated tests for security vulnerabilities using Nessus, MBSA, HFNetChk , GFI Languard, Tripwire, AIDE and Big Sister (for system monitoring)

  • A&E Television Networks (May 2001 – June 2001)

Security Consultant:

  • Established internet security guidelines and trained staff on best practices

  • Managed security compliance project, including NAT and DMZ design and implementation

  • Checkpoint Firewall-1 installation and rule creation

  • Solaris System installation, OS hardening, OS and network tuning, Sendmail and DNS (Bind 8.x and Bind 9.x) concepts, Proxy and LDAP servers

  • Content scanning (virus/malicious content) , PKI and Digital Certificates

  • Cryptography – concepts and applications

  • Alliance Capital Management (January 2001 – May 2001)

Security Consultant :

  • Managed integration of Sanford-Bernstein internet and security infrastructure into Alliance Capital’s infrastructure

  • DM Z design and implementation

  • NAT design, migration and implementation/ Installation of Digital Certificates and PKI setup

  • Firewall-1 installation and maintenance

  • Solaris System installation, system hardening, OS and network tuning / Sendmail and DNS (Bind 8.2.3 and Bind 9.1.0) installation, configuration and securing

  • Firewall migration from Gauntlet on Solaris and BSDI to Checkpoint FW1 on Solaris

  • Content scanning (virus/malicious content)

  • Installation of CacheFlow proxy servers

  • UPS (June 2000 – December 2000)

Security Consultant/Project Manager:

  • Managed Solaris System installation, system hardening, OS and network tuning, jumpstart administration / Sendmail (8.9.x) and DNS (Bind 8.0.2) installation, configuration and securing

  • IDS implementation (Snort, Tripwire) and OS Hardening – Windows NT, Sun Solaris

  • Proxy and LDAP servers – performance and security improvements

  • System re-engineering and kernel /application tuning

  • Cryptography – ssh, sftp and Installation of Digital Certificates and PKI setup

  • Content scanning (virus/malicious content) and Firewall-1 maintenance


Pearson Education, Inc. Manager, Systems (March 1997 – May 2000)

Manager of Internet Infrastructure Group:

  • Managing a team of System/Database/Network Security engineers – including annual budgeting, cost control, regular individual and team appraisals, team-building activities, project management, time and cost analysis for various projects, personnel requirement definitions, time and equipment planning

  • Capacity planning and system configuration/performance tuning for VLDB and large web server farms

  • Netscape/ Apache/ IIS Web server installation/maintenance/performance tuning

  • Vignette Story Server (ver3.5, 4.1,4.2) installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, tuning, upgrades

  • Raptor firewall installation, maintenance and administration on Sun Solaris

  • Checkpoint Firewall1 installation and testing on Sun Solaris

  • ColdFusion (ver4.0, 4.1, 4.5)/NetDynamics/AolServer installation and maintenance


Datacraft RPG (January 1995 – February 1997)

Technical Support Manager/Network Architect :

  • Designed and implemented WAN as per customer network case study and cost analysis.

  • Setup remote offices for support of remote clients (Calcutta/Dhaka) – involved locating office space, hiring of staff, equipping office, creating and working with operating budgets, setup of staff appraisal systems, setup of office and client support and sales networks

  • Installed and commissioned VSAT/X.25 networks based on Heterogeneous network operating systems and networking protocols, System integration as per customers’ network requirement.

  • Netscape/ Apache/ IIS Web server installation/maintenance/performance tuning

  • Performance tuning and monitoring customer network availability.

  • Conducted corporate Training on VSAT, WAN Protocols and Network Operating System.


Employer: Wipro Infotech Limited (September 1990 – December 1994)

Systems Engineer:

  • Sun Solaris Server Administration, Network administration, and Unix LAN/WAN Infrastructure maintenance/ Solaris server tuning for file system performance/Solaris Kernel tuning

  • Oracle/Sybase/Unify database administration

  • Designed and implemented WAN as per customer network case study and cost analysis.

  • Support for remote locations, WinNT Server / clients at remote sites and WAN links over TDM/TDMA, DAMA/PAMA VSATs, Leased line international connectivity over frame relay protocol, Dial up network at Non VSAT locations.


HCL Computers Limited (July 1989 - August 1990)

Systems Engineer:

  • Installation of UNIX Operating System and configuration.

  • Installation of Apollo NEXUS CAD stations.

  • Network Designing

  • PC Hardware installation and maintenance

  • Developed custom solutions combining LAN, WAN and telephony technologies to meet customer needs in mixed legacy equipment environments. Installation, Maintenance of LAN and WAN connectivity, Modem connectivity for remote operation.




Education:


  • 2007: MS in Information Assurance – Norwich University, VT

  • 2007: CISSP from (ISC)2 – Certificate # 100038

  • 1998: Oracle Certification: Advanced Database Administration and Tuning

  • 1997: Microsoft-Certification – MCSE

  • 1996: Sun-Certified Solaris Administrator

  • 1990: Bachelor of Engineering – JNTU Institute of Technology (Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

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