Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Languages
Timeline
Generic

Abbey Banks

Dallas,TX

Summary

Dynamic Cloud Engineer with extensive experience specializing in Azure architecture and DevOps practices. Proven track record in automating CI/CD pipelines and implementing Infrastructure as Code, enhancing operational efficiency. Adept at troubleshooting and optimizing cloud environments, driving a 10% reduction in operational costs while ensuring high service availability.

Overview

12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Cloud Engineer /DevOps

Verizon
02.2021 - Current
  • Architected and delivered secure, scalable Microsoft Azure environments, deploying core services including App Service Plans, Logic Apps, Function Apps, and Azure Automation to support enterprise cloud transformation initiatives.
  • Designed and implemented highly available, fault-tolerant infrastructures leveraging Availability Sets, Availability Zones, and multi-region architectures to strengthen disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities.
  • Provisioned and administered Azure Virtual Machines for multi-tier web applications, integrating Load Balancers and Virtual Machine Scale Sets to enhance scalability, reliability, and performance optimization.
  • Developed and executed comprehensive disaster recovery strategies utilizing Azure Recovery Services Vault, Azure Backup, and Azure Site Recovery to safeguard critical workloads and reduce downtime risk.
  • Led end-to-end service deployment processes, including infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, validation testing, and successful production go-live execution.
  • Implemented enterprise-grade monitoring and observability solutions using Prometheus and Grafana to enable real-time performance tracking, alerting, and proactive incident management.
  • Managed Azure IaaS infrastructure and networking/application services to support cloud expansion, modernization, and operational excellence.
  • Administered Azure SaaS platforms, including Azure Active Directory, Intune, Azure AD Connect, and Microsoft 365, strengthening identity governance, endpoint security, and access management controls.
  • Directed cloud migration initiatives by transitioning on-premises Hyper-V environments to Azure using Azure Migrate and migrating databases and application services through Azure Database Migration Service and App Service Migration tools.
  • Oversaw Azure DevOps implementations by establishing organizations, managing projects and workflows, and developing automated CI/CD pipelines with Azure Pipelines to accelerate release cycles.
  • Configured and secured NGINX reverse proxy environments with SSL/TLS encryption to ensure secure authentication and encrypted communication channels.
  • Applied modern cloud-native architecture principles and automation best practices to optimize cloud and virtualization platforms.
  • Partnered with cross-functional DevOps and cloud engineering teams to design and sustain scalable CI/CD frameworks supporting continuous integration and continuous deployment initiatives.
  • Enhanced database performance by optimizing workload design and implementing read replicas to reduce latency and increase throughput.
  • Drove a 10% reduction in operational costs through strategic capacity planning, infrastructure optimization, and performance tuning while maintaining high service availability standards.

Cloud Engineer /DevOps

GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE)
01.2017 - 01.2021
  • Architected and enforced Azure Cloud Governance, Security Controls, and Compliance frameworks aligned with Zero Trust and enterprise security best practices across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS environments.
  • Designed and managed YAML-based Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines, enabling automated build, test, release, and deployment processes in Agile environments.
  • Implemented Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, ARM Templates, and PowerShell, automating provisioning of Azure VMs, VNets, subnets, storage accounts, and networking components.
  • Deployed and managed containerized applications using Docker and orchestrated workloads with Kubernetes (AKS), configuring Deployments, Pods, Services, ReplicaSets, and autoscaling policies.
  • Applied GitOps methodology using Argo CD to maintain declarative Kubernetes deployments and centralized configuration management.
  • Built secure and scalable ingress architectures using Azure Front Door, Application Gateway, Web Application Firewall (WAF), Azure Firewall (Standard/Premium), Load Balancers, and Network Virtual Appliances (NVA).
  • Strengthened cloud security posture through Network Security Groups (NSGs), Azure Bastion, Just-in-Time (JIT) VM Access, Conditional Access Policies, MFA, and Identity & Access Management (IAM) controls.
  • Administered hybrid identity solutions integrating Active Directory (AD), Azure AD, ADFS, and Microsoft 365, enabling SSO, enterprise app integrations, and device compliance enforcement.
  • Implemented DevSecOps practices, including secure SDLC, key management, data encryption, secrets management, and application security controls.
  • Automated configuration management and operational workflows using Ansible and PowerShell, reducing manual intervention and improving deployment consistency.
  • Monitored cloud and containerized environments using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Prometheus, and Grafana, enabling observability, alerting, and proactive incident response.
  • Provided Tier III production support for AKS clusters, handling upgrades, pipeline troubleshooting, performance tuning, and cluster lifecycle management.
  • Managed Azure Storage (Blob & File Storage) with encryption, Shared Access Signatures (SAS), and secure key management practices.
  • Configured and optimized load balancing (internal/external) to ensure high availability, scalability, and traffic distribution across distributed systems.
  • Maintained and supported Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) clusters for big data workloads and performance optimization.
  • Conducted root cause analysis (RCA) and implemented corrective actions to improve system reliability, availability, and operational efficiency.
  • Partnered with software engineering teams to translate application requirements into scalable, secure, and cost-optimized cloud-native architectures.
  • Reduced operational overhead and improved deployment velocity through automation, performance tuning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Provided technical support to internal stakeholders, diagnosing and resolving complex issues related to the organization''s cloud environment.

System Administrator

Optimum Healthcare IT LLC
09.2013 - 11.2016
  • Logged, tracked, and resolved incidents using Salesforce ticketing systems, ensuring timely issue resolution and adherence to SLA requirements.
  • Deployed, configured, and maintained applications and services across Windows Server and Linux (RHEL/CentOS) environments.
  • Administered user accounts, group policies, file permissions, and access controls to maintain secure system operations.
  • Managed Active Directory environments, including sites, organizational units (OUs), Group Policy Objects (GPOs), and domain-level policy enforcement.
  • Configured and maintained network infrastructure components including routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points, and DHCP services.
  • Collaborated with operational leadership during outages, providing technical expertise and root cause analysis to restore services efficiently.
  • Monitored server health and performance using Linux system tools (top, iostat, vmstat) and implemented proactive performance tuning and capacity planning.
  • Administered Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems using native Linux utilities and Bash scripting for automation and operational efficiency.
  • Partnered with development teams to troubleshoot production issues, minimizing downtime and ensuring system stability.
  • Configured and managed NFS and Samba file sharing services, enabling secure cross-platform file access for client systems.
  • Performed patch management and vulnerability remediation, applying monthly updates and resolving critical security findings in coordination with cybersecurity teams.
  • Managed Logical Volume Manager (LVM), including volume group creation, logical volume expansion, disk partitioning, and persistent mounts to support storage growth.
  • Provisioned RHEL/CentOS virtual machines in VMware ESXi environments using templates and cloning methodologies.
  • Monitored system logs, processes, crash reports, memory utilization, and swap space; performed password recovery and system troubleshooting as required.
  • Utilized enterprise monitoring tools such as Nagios and Zabbix to track system availability, resource utilization, and resolve infrastructure alerts.
  • Registered and maintained DNS records, domain registrations, and SSL certificates to ensure secure and reliable web services.
  • Managed Microsoft Exchange Server and Windows Server roles and features to support enterprise messaging and infrastructure services.
  • Administered SSH services, system processes, disk space management, and systemd services (systemctl, journalctl) for secure and stable server operations.
  • Installed infrastructure application patches, planned system upgrades, and implemented enhancements to maintain system reliability and performance.
  • Developed and supported web-based applications for content management, search functionality, and network analysis, integrating APIs and external data sources.
  • Delivered timely resolution of IT-related issues, maintaining high system availability and operational continuity.
  • Established effective communication channels between IT support staff and end-users, leading to improved issue resolution times overall.

Education

Master of Science - Industrial Engineering

Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville
05-2015

Bachelor of Science -

Kaplan University
Fort Lauderdale, FL
06-2011

Skills

    Cloud Platforms: Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

    DevOps & CI/CD: Azure Pipelines, GitHub Actions, GitOps, Argo CD

    Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Terraform, Ansible

    Message Bus: Apache Kafka, HornetQ

    Operating Systems: Linux (RHEL/CentOS 7 & 8, Ubuntu), Windows Server 2012/2016

    Big Data Technologies: Hadoop, YARN, ZooKeeper

    Databases:SQL Server, MySQL, HBase

    Networking:TCP/IP, TCP/UDP, DNS, DHCP, SMTP, SSH, Load Balancing

    Scripting & Automation: PowerShell, Bash, Python, Azure CLI, JSON, YAML

    Monitoring & Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, SiteScope, APM, BPM, RUM

    Core Competencies: Troubleshooting, Security Protocols, Cloud Computing

Certification

· Microsoft Azure Administrator- AZ-104

· Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect – AZ-305

· CompTIA Security Certification

· AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

· Terraform Associates Certified

· Project Management Professional (PMP)

Languages

English
Native or Bilingual

Timeline

Cloud Engineer /DevOps

Verizon
02.2021 - Current

Cloud Engineer /DevOps

GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE)
01.2017 - 01.2021

System Administrator

Optimum Healthcare IT LLC
09.2013 - 11.2016

Master of Science - Industrial Engineering

Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Bachelor of Science -

Kaplan University