Experience

Executive Leadership:

• Spearheaded IT leadership for a geographically diverse organization, managing 13 offices in India, 2 in Gulf, and 1 office in USA.
• Reporting to my Global Head\CTO. And Leading Team from India with 40 + members including direct repartees of 2 Senior Managers, 1 Manager, SAM and PMO.
• Provided strategic direction and executive oversight, ensuring seamless IT operations across all locations.
• Cultivated and led high-performing IT teams, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment.

Strategic IT Management:

• Aligned IT strategies with business objectives, contributing to the development and execution of
  comprehensive IT roadmaps.
• Successfully implemented technologies to enhance operational efficiency and support business growth.
• Evaluated emerging technologies for strategic relevance, ensuring continuous innovation in IT services.

Project and Operations Management:

• Directed and successfully delivered complex IT projects, adhering to stringent timelines and budget
  constraints.
• Implemented project management methodologies, including Agile, for efficient project execution.
• Oversaw end-to-end project lifecycles and day-to-day IT operations to maintain optimal service levels.

Security and Risk Management:

• Implemented robust security measures to safeguard organizational assets and sensitive data.
• Conducted risk assessments for IT projects and operations, ensuring proactive mitigation of potential issues.
• Ensured compliance with industry standards and regulations, maintaining a secure IT environment.

IT Procurement\Budgeting, Vendor and Contract Management:

• Effectively managed vendor relationships and contracts, negotiating favourable terms and conditions.
• Led vendor selection processes to align technology solutions with organizational needs.
• Maintained strong partnerships with key technology vendors to enhance service delivery.

Financial Oversight:

• Orchestrated IT budgets across multiple regions, optimizing spending and achieving cost savings.
• Conducted rigorous cost-benefit analyses for IT initiatives and investments, ensuring strategic alignment.
• Implemented financial controls and governance for transparent and accountable IT expenditures.
  Incident\Problem\Change Management and Innovation:
• Led IT transformation initiatives, driving a culture of innovation across the organization.
• Managed organizational change related to technology adoption, ensuring smooth transitions.
• Instigated continuous improvement initiatives, encouraging the adoption of industry best practices.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Effectively communicated technical information to non-technical stakeholders, including executive leadership. Prepared and delivered impactful presentations to ensure alignment between IT strategies and business goals.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance communication and synergy across departments.

As the Head of IT, I reported directly to the Managing Director in the UK office and successfully managed the Packt offices and users in India and UK. Leading a team consisting of Senior Managers, Managers, L2 and L1 Service Desk members and L1 Monitoring members, I was responsible for the end-to-end technical operations management of IT services, ensuring compliance with the company’s policies. My key responsibilities included:

• Evaluating technical operations and infrastructure and mitigating risks through enterprise risk management.
• Managing and procuring efficient and cost-effective technology equipment and software, budgeting and IT policy
  formulation.
• Developing IT infrastructure strategies, which included computers, monitoring tools, information systems, and
  security.
• Implementing IT infrastructure, eliminating security risks, and ensuring a smooth transition of all applications, servers, and storage data to the cloud.
• Successfully completing the project of “Work from Home” for all users, reducing the dependency of office infrastructure completely.
• Devising and establishing IT policies and systems to support the implementation of strategies set by the CTO and CEO.
• Analyzing the business requirements of all departments to determine their technology needs and improvising productivity and IT service delivery.
• Handling KRA and SLA to ensure quality service delivery was provided to customers in the US.
• Handling customer senior management escalations and building relationships with multiple IT vendors through vendor management and client servicing.
• Creating cost-effective contracts and deals and renegotiating with vendors for hardware, software, and services to ensure huge savings for the company.
• Providing timely deliverables of projects and services required from all departments and customers as per business requirements.
• Discerning the need for upgrades, configurations, or new systems and reporting the same to the CTO, identifying
  vulnerabilities, proposing strategic solutions, and recommending new systems and software when needed.
• Forming new policies and procedures with SOPs and knowledge base and handling hiring of new talents and training plans to get them more skilled technically and on process.
• Conducted weekly and monthly reviews presenting further to leadership group from the UK office. Created and managed required controls and checks to track members and tasks to support SLAs with reports. Provision and planning, involved in the implementation of monitoring tool configuration, ticketing tool implementation, decommissioning of all hardware, and data center migration to the cloud completely. I created customized
  dashboards in monitoring tools, ticketing tools, along with reports and automation. Additionally, I implemented and
  configured surveys and feedback tools to streamline customer data received and used.

Managed Cloud Services Team for Linedata India offices in Mumbai and Chennai. Led a team comprising of
Managers, Team Leads, L3, L2 Service Desk members, and L1 Monitoring Team members.

• Ensured quality service delivery through KRA and SLA compliance for customers in the US. Conducted weekly
  reviews and reported to each customer’s Business Head. Handled senior management escalations and implemented
  corrective actions.
• Provided 24×7 support for customers in India and across the US regions, ensuring 100% service delivery and support
  for their IT and Cloud. Developed and implemented end-to-end monitoring for customer IT environment, analyzing
  their requirements for enhancements and customizations and providing solutions within agreed delivery schedules.
  Achieved CSAT by ensuring compliance with service quality norms.
• Monitored and handled critical incidents and issues, providing RCA and ensuring SLA compliance for all support
  cases and service provisioning. Developed and maintained support-staffing models to meet and exceed support
  goals, ensuring support is adaptable to changing business needs.
• Overseen and managed all areas of customer support process, policy, and training. Provided leadership, mentoring,
  and coaching for existing and future customer service staff. Conducted reviews of all associated processes and
  provided performance reports to the executive team to ensure the highest quality customer service possible.

Lead the Customer Services Department of 45+ Team with Managers, Team Leads, Software Support Consultants,
and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

• Ensure quality service delivery for all global customers of Open Destinations’ software through managing metrics and
  SLAs.
• Conduct weekly reviews and reporting with each customer Business Head while handling senior management
  escalations.
• Reengineer processes as required to ensure all metrics and SLAs are met while engaging in new customers
  onboarding and ensuring a smooth support process for software services.
• Develop recruitment and training programs for the team as needed.
• Represent the Department in senior management weekly meetings, reviewing key achievements and business plans
  and ensuring that CEO’s vision is followed in providing an exceptional customer experience.
• Evaluate, implement, and administer customer support processes, procedures, policies, training, and support
  technologies for the entire company.
• Oversee the development and implementation of support tools, materials, and procedures for customer support
  operations.
• Provide guidance, direction, and feedback on support metrics and KRAs for CRM tools that provide management
  statistics.
• Create baseline specifications for support tools application use and provide feedback for development and
  deployment.
• Derive and maintain support-staffing models to ensure that the company exceeds support goals and can adapt to
  changing business needs.
• Oversee and manage all areas of customer support processes, policies, and training. Provide leadership, mentoring,
  and coaching for existing and future customer service staff.
• Execute reviews of all associated processes and provide performance reports to the executive team to ensure the
  highest quality customer service possible is achieved.

As Senior Manager of IT Operations, I provided a single point of ownership for the service management division,
internal/external vendors, and management, managing offices in India, USA, and other countries. I integrated the offerings
of change management, problem management, and configuration management while managing service management. I
proposed and influenced management to invest in IT infrastructure upgrades by presenting the benefits in terms of
stability and performance.
I planned and implemented development plans within pre-set budgets, evaluated technical alternatives considering
business needs, technology fit, cost/benefit, security, disaster recovery, and department strategies. I had travelled to the
US headquarters for a short duration for new projects and IT implementation.

Infrastructure Management:
I managed IT applications ensuring the availability of key IT infrastructure and delivered system solutions in a 24 X 5
setup. I reduced business impacts arising from infrastructure/application failures through the implementation of a major incident management process. I provided leadership to manage business-critical situations and met SLAs while managing teams and deploying initiatives to ensure continuous service improvement. I ensured uptime/high availability of web-based applications.

Incident Management:
I monitored escalations, critical incidents, and issues and prepared RCAs following SLA compliance for all support cases. I followed established best practices in handling incidents and provided timely resolution to incidents and tasks. I ensured incidents are assigned, updated, and resolved with high-level quality. I ensured periodic publishing of uptime, problems & incident details for updating stakeholders.

Project Management:
I spearheaded efforts across project-related activities involving project planning, strategizing, execution, and management, covering areas of automation, process improvement, performance improvement, capacity upgrades, technology refresh in tune with the core business objectives. I ensured IT spends were within projected budget and drove technical initiatives to gain cost efficiency. I ensured complete transition of support to centralized teams as part of IT
Transformation project.

Vendor Management:
I identified & developed vendor sources for achieving cost-effective purchases of IT products, systems, services within stipulated time frames. I managed and monitored vendor contracts ensuring timely renewal of contracts and AMC for uninterrupted services. I interacted with different service providers and vendors, ensured they deliver high-quality service & value. I negotiated best commercial terms for procurements and finalized techno-commercial contracts, took initiatives for cost reduction resulting in saving INR 80 Lakhs and more.

Process Improvement Initiatives:
I developed standardized guidelines for IT-related processes to comply with ISO standards. I ensured security compliance
for 100% scores on Security & Policies.

Team Management:
I managed team staffing, including resource planning, recruitment, staffing new projects/programs, performance management, training & development. I implemented a process-oriented culture across the team to create a baseline for achieving standard performance. I led and guided the team, provided guidance to the team while setting performance parameters, deadlines & work delegation for them & provided them various accolades to motivate them.

Rewards\Achievements:
I received Certification from General Secretary for handling the entire data center office moment to new location, involved in IT designing and network implementation for new set up in Nov’15. I was honoured with Quarterly reward from The Director for handling IT processes and Support.

As an IT Manager, I successfully managed India and US offices with 18 Engineers (L1 & L2) working in a 24 X 7 setup, providing top-notch IT services to our US clients. I ensured 100% service and infrastructure availability, while maintaining an updated asset database for all infrastructure components. I effectively managed IT spends within the projected budget and drove technical initiatives to gain cost efficiencies in operations.

My exceptional vendor management and coordination skills ensured smooth functioning of all managed assets, applications, and services, which led to high customer satisfaction (CSAT) through delivery within agreed SLA(s). I ensured complete transition of all support functions to centralized teams as part of IT transformation projects. Additionally, I continuously reviewed performance of various support teams to ensure services and support were delivered as per agreed operational guidelines.

My expertise in proposal writing and presentation influenced management to invest in IT infrastructure upgrades, which
led to improved stability and performance. I reduced business impacts arising from infrastructure/application failures by
implementing a major incident management process. As a single point of contact for all business units, internal/external vendors, and management, I ensured adherence to IT standards and security guidelines, resulting in zero NC findings during the audit of IT function.

I successfully executed various projects using my exceptional planning, design, and implementation skills. As an independent recruiter, I handled recruitment, interviews, and induction training for engineers to provide technical support. I played a key role in getting the ISO certification for the company by implementing policies and procedures and developed a standardized set of guidelines for all IT-related processes to comply with ISO standards. I ensured adherence to ISO procedures in day-to-day operations and drove security compliance for 100% scores on security and policies.

As a liaison with various clients for daily operations and prospective business, I managed major responsibilities in call center operations such as liaison with clients, obtaining raw data, and assigning tasks. Additionally, I motivated my team and prepared various IT reports to ensure efficient and smooth operations.

As an Assistant IT Manager, I have a proven track record of managing a location of 900 users with 7 engineers in a 24×7 setup. I strive to provide 100% service and infrastructure availability, ensuring business continuity in case of exigencies with zero business impact.

My responsibilities include maintaining an updated asset database for all infrastructure components, ensuring IT spends are within projected budgets and driving technical initiatives to gain cost efficiencies in operations. I also excel in internal/external vendor management and coordination to ensure smooth functioning of all managed assets, applications, and services.

Through delivery within agreed SLA(s), I am able to ensure high CSAT, while reviewing the performance of various support teams to check services and support as per agreed operational guidelines. Additionally, I have been responsible for the complete transition of all support functions to centralized teams as part of IT Transformation projects.

As a key member of the team, I have proposed and influenced management to invest in IT infrastructure upgrades by presenting the benefits in terms of stability and performance. I have also implemented major incident management processes to reduce business impacts arising from infrastructure/application failures.

Being the single point of contact for all business units in GSC, internal/external vendors, and management, I have ensured adherence to IT standards and security guidelines which resulted in zero NC findings during audits of IT function. My innovative ideas have resulted in significant cost savings for the company. For instance, in 2008, I saved over 50 lacs by implementing secure print management, double-sided prints, introducing a hibernation policy on desktops, replacing CRT with TFT, and eliminating fax costs to zero using alternate mail systems.

In addition, I drive security compliance for 100% scores on EPO and Foundstone, liaise with various clients for daily operations and prospective business, and motivate the team while preparing various IT reports.

As a Microsoft Exchange Administrator, I represented Microsoft and communicated with customers via voice support, written correspondence, or electronic service to provide accurate and timely technical support. I had advanced troubleshooting skills and collaborated with alternate product teams to provide customers with quicker issue resolution and higher satisfaction.

In my previous roles, I designed and implemented Windows 2000 Domain Controllers and Exchange 2000/2003 servers, administered Exchange Server 2003/2000 and Windows 2000 Server, and performed disaster recovery activities such as restoring online and offline backups. I also troubleshooted various issues such as mail flow, failed setups and installations, public folder replication, and implemented Exchange 2000 Cluster Servers.

My responsibilities included migrating users from Windows NT 4.0 Domain to Windows 2000 Domain and Exchange 2000 Environment to Exchange 2003, creating and managing user accounts, groups, Mail Enabled users, Distribution List, Public folders, configuring replicas, enabling disk quotas, creating site links, subnets, connectors for connecting Exchange routing groups, configuring trust relations, IS maintenance, replication schedules, monitoring the Exchange
servers, queues, processor utilization, and services using server monitors and performance monitor.

I also worked as an Acting Team Manager for Microsoft, handling a team of 15 Engineers and 2 Technical Leaders. My other duties included maintaining activity records, client interaction, monitoring daily activities, preparing weekly and monthly reports, and performing 2nd/3rd level escalated support, configuration management, server hardware/software operations planning and design such as administrative models, disaster recovery, and monitoring internet mail flow configurations.

As an Exchange Administrator, my goal was to provide excellent customer service and technical support while continuously learning and keeping up with the latest technology trends.

The prime motive of the job included excellent customer support along with optimum technical solutions. The profile involved providing Technical Support to Siemens Employees and Clients.

Responsibilities as I.T. Support Engineer: –

• IT Support for Siemens US Employees on Desktop, Software and Hardware Level.
• Support for Lotus Notes and Outlook.

The prime motive of the job included excellent customer support along with technical solutions.

The profile involved providing Technical Support to AT&T Wireless customers. Responsibilities as Senior Customer
Support Executive: –

• Worked on AT&T wireless supporting handsets,
• Provided assistance with the security settings and troubleshooting connectivity issues

The prime motive of the job includes excellent customer support along with optimum technical solutions. Profile involved providing Technical Support to Dell customers for their Dimension series of computer systems.
Responsibilities as Technical Support Associate: –

• Troubleshooting Internal & External H/ w configuration of Dell computers.
• Maintaining/ troubleshooting & Upgrading Operating systems (Windows 9x, ME, XP & 2000).
• Troubleshooting Application Software related issues, i.e. (Installation, & Error rectification).
• Providing System configuration and Upgrade information.
• Meeting Client CPM’s consistently on regular basis, based on which Agent performance is tracked (Stack
  Ranking, Weekly).
• Adapting Multitasking methods to resolve the technical issues while maintaining call handled time as specified by
  the clients.