SAIF HUMAID
Frankfort,IL
Summary
Senior Disaster Recovery, Cyber Recovery & Data Protection Engineer with 15+ years of enterprise infrastructure experience. Specialized in ransomware protection, cyber recovery, and large-scale cloud and hybrid resiliency. Hands-on expertise with Dell Cyber Recovery, CyberSense, Elastio (AWS), Rubrik, and Dell backup platforms (NetWorker, Avamar, PowerProtect Data Manager, Data Domain, NetBackup, Commvault). Strong foundation across VMware virtualization, Citrix/VDI, Microsoft Exchange (on-prem & Online), and Windows Server environments. Currently responsible for protecting Microsoft 365 environments exceeding 100,000 objects, managing backup and DR for 175+ AWS accounts (EC2, RDS, S3, AWS Storage Gateway Volume & VTL, 2 PB) and 5 PB of on-premises workloads. Proven technical leader, mentoring engineers, automating recovery workflows, and delivering executive-level reporting using PowerShell, Power Automate, and Power BI.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Systems Engineer, DR, Cyber Recovery & Data Protection Lead
TIAA
01.2018 - Current
- Architect and operate enterprise disaster recovery and cyber recovery solutions across on-prem, Azure, AWS, and Microsoft 365 environments.
- Manage backup and DR strategy for 175+ AWS accounts, ensuring scalable, compliant, and ransomware-resilient protection.
- Managed protection for Microsoft 365 environments with over 100,000 objects, including Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, ensuring data integrity and availability.
- Designed and operate on-prem ransomware recovery vaults using Dell Cyber Recovery with CyberSense integrity scoring to identify clean restore points.
- Implemented AWS ransomware detection and recovery using Elastio, validating clean recovery points prior to restore.
- Lead Microsoft 365 mass recovery operations using Rubrik and Azure AD group-based targeting.
- Conduct routine DR and cyber recovery testing to validate RTO/RPO objectives and recovery readiness.
- Led team of 5 engineers, delivering architectural guidance, operational oversight, mentoring, and support for escalations to enhance team capability.
- Administered enterprise backup platforms such as Rubrik CDM, Dell NetWorker, Avamar, PPDM, and Data Domain, optimizing backup and recovery processes.
- Provisioned and managed AWS resources including EC2 instances, S3 storage, and AWS Storage Gateway (Volume Gateway & VTL) for backup and DR orchestration.
- Automate recovery workflows, compliance evidence collection, and operational reporting using PowerShell and Power Automate.
- Develop Power BI dashboards to visualize backup compliance, DR readiness, and recovery performance trends.
- Serve as Tier-3/4 escalation for ransomware incidents, large-scale recoveries, and data loss events.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer
Nuveen Investments
Chicago, Illinois
05.2013 - 12.2017
- Designed, implemented, and operated VMware-based disaster recovery using Zerto, supporting near-real-time replication and recovery testing.
- Performed DR failover and failback testing to validate application recovery objectives.
- Managed backup, restore, and DR operations for virtualized and physical workloads, ensuring data integrity and availability.
- Directed infrastructure and DR alignment initiatives during mergers and acquisitions to streamline integration processes.
- Supported enterprise VMware virtualization, Citrix VDI, and Microsoft Exchange environments, enhancing operational stability and user accessibility.
- Provided Tier-3 support for Active Directory, Exchange, virtualization, and storage platforms.
- Led engineering projects from concept to completion, ensuring design integrity.
- Managed data migration processes to ensure seamless transitions between systems.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify migration requirements and timelines.
- Designed and implemented Citrix environments for remote access solutions.
Senior Systems Engineer
SGK / Schawk
Chicago, Illinois
12.2009 - 05.2013
- Administered enterprise VMware and Hyper-V environments to ensure reliability of business-critical applications.
- Managed Citrix-based VDI environments to streamline user access services.
- Supported on-prem Microsoft Exchange upgrades, migrations, and recovery scenarios.
- Administered backup and recovery platforms including NetBackup and Commvault.
- Performed backup, restore, and DR operations across multiple platforms.
- Managed Windows server environments to ensure optimal performance and reliability.
- Implemented system updates and patches to protect against vulnerabilities.
- Installed, configured and managed Active Directory Domain Services, DNS, DHCP services.
- Troubleshot hardware problems related to Dell PowerEdge Servers and HP Proliant Servers.
- Documented system configurations and processes to facilitate knowledge sharing and improve team efficiency.
- Authored technical documentation and SOPs for infrastructure and recovery procedures.
- Monitored network performance to determine adjustments needed.
IT Support Specialist
CreateASoft
Naperville, Illinois
01.2008 - 06.2009
- Delivered Level 1 and Level 2 support for 200+ end-users, managing Windows 2003 Active Directory, Citrix Metaframe, Outlook, and network resources to ensure operational continuity. Managed file permissions, roaming profiles, imaging, and application deployment via Altiris while maintaining printers, scanners, and FTP servers to facilitate smooth user operations. Troubleshot hardware, software, and network issues for on-site and remote locations, contributing to minimal downtime and enhanced user experience.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology
American University of Dubai
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesSkills
- Cyber Recovery & Ransomware
- Dell Cyber Recovery
- CyberSense
- Elastio (AWS)
- Immutable backups
- Air-gapped vaults
- Clean-room recovery
- Backup & DR Platforms
- Rubrik CDM
- Dell NetWorker
- Avamar
- PPDM
- Data Domain
- NetBackup
- Commvault
- Cloud and SaaS scale
- AWS
- Azure
- Microsoft 365
- Hybrid DR architectures
- EC2
- S3
- Storage Gateway Volume & VTL
- Virtualization & VDI
- VMware vSphere
- ESXi
- Hyper-V
- Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops
- Microsoft Platforms
- Windows Server 2012–2022
- Active Directory
- Azure AD
- Entra ID
- Exchange
- Automation & Analytics
- PowerShell
- Power Automate
- Power BI
- Splunk
- Enterprise Operations
- DR testing
- Cyber recovery validation
- RTO/RPO planning
- Audit readiness
- SOPs
- EOL/EOS lifecycle management
Certification
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect Associate, AWS, 03/01/19
- Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions, Microsoft, 03/01/15
- Citrix Certified Administrator for XenApp 6, Citrix, 05/01/14
- VMware Certified Advanced Professional 6.5 – Data Center Virtualization Design, VMware, 03/01/13
- MCITP: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008, Microsoft, 09/01/11
- MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration, Microsoft, 09/01/11
- MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration, Microsoft, 09/01/11
- MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration, Microsoft, 08/01/11
- MCPS: Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft, 02/01/09
Core Technical Skills
Dell Cyber Recovery, CyberSense, Elastio (AWS), immutable backups, air-gapped vaults, clean-room recovery, Rubrik CDM, Dell NetWorker, Avamar, PPDM, Data Domain, NetBackup, Commvault, AWS (175+ accounts), Azure, Microsoft 365 (100K+ objects), hybrid DR architectures, EC2, S3, Storage Gateway Volume & VTL, VMware vSphere / ESXi, Hyper-V, Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops (VDI), Windows Server 2012–2022, Active Directory, Azure AD / Entra ID, Exchange (On-Prem & Online), PowerShell, Power Automate, Power BI, Splunk, DR testing, cyber recovery validation, RTO/RPO planning, audit readiness, SOPs, EOL/EOS lifecycle management
Timeline
Senior Systems Engineer, DR, Cyber Recovery & Data Protection Lead
TIAA
01.2018 - Current
Senior Infrastructure Engineer
Nuveen Investments
05.2013 - 12.2017
Senior Systems Engineer
SGK / Schawk
12.2009 - 05.2013
IT Support Specialist
CreateASoft
01.2008 - 06.2009
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology
American University of Dubai