Computer Networking and Infrastructure
TALHA AHMED
Purdue Systems Security
Chicago,IL
Work Preference
Work Type
Full Time
Location Preference
On-SiteRemoteHybrid
Location:
Chicago, IL, US
Open to relocation:
Yes
2
Years of experience
4
Certifications
Work History
Security Operations Center Analyst
3 Months
Purdue Systems Security - West Lafayette, IN | 08.2026 - Current
- Monitor 100,000+ user accounts for e-mail phishing and fraud attempts in Microsoft Defender Online by utilizing URLs, attachments, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
- Review e-mail messages flagged for release by users and escalate confirmed incidents to Tier 2 analysts
- Triage user tickets in TeamDynamix and assess patterns from Rapid7 logs based on incident response playbooks
Third Party Risk Intern
2 Months
Crowe LLP - Chicago, IL | 06.2026 - 08.2026
- Supported and billed hours across 7 concurrent clients in healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, and finance
- Created security findings and assigned severity ratings based on SOC 2 Type 2 and Incident Response Reports (IRPs)
- Analyzed Cisco and FortiGate network configurations, firewall rules, and access control logs for a Cybersecurity Assessment (CSA)
- Developed vendor Self-Assessment Questionnaire policy in OneTrust for AI governance to align content with NIST CSF, NIST AI RMF, and ISO 27001
- Integrated new AI-based TPRM tool into client workflow and existing TPRM architecture, decreasing analyst time per assessment by up to 70%
Network Engineering Intern
1 Year 4 Months
Purdue Information Technology - West Lafayette, IN | 01.2025 - 05.2026
- Configured, deployed, and managed Layer 3 network switches across 160 buildings
- Resolved customer-submitted tickets and followed up progress reports
- Diagnosed and repaired network links by testing physical media to improve uptime and reliability
- Documented telecommunication infrastructure compliance for ISO 9001, 27001, and 20000-1
- Verified fiber optic connectivity and documented link status in a centralized database for future network planning
Education
B.S. - Cybersecurity
Purdue University
05.2027
GPA: 3.6/4.0
B.S. - Computer Infrastructure and Networking Engineering
Purdue University
05.2027
Skills
Linux (Ubuntu)
Windows Administration
Active Directory
Bash Scripting
Python
SQL
Docker Compose
Proxmox
Certification
- Fortinet Certified Associate in Cybersecurity (NSE 3) 2026-07
- CompTIA Security+ 2026-06
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) 2025-12
- CompTIA A+ 2024-08
AWARDS
- Dean's List & Semester Honors – Purdue University, 2023-12 - 2026-05
- Eagle Scout Award – Boy Scouts of America, 2023-06
Projects
- Secure Self-Hosted Infrastructure, Present, Migrated 25+ services from VMs to containerized architecture, reducing resource usage by 50%, Automated updates and container deployment, self-hosted version control Git server, standardized deployments through version pinning and tracking configuration file changes, Designed layered access model with a Web Application Firewall, a reverse proxy, centralized SSO, no opened public ports, administrative access through WireGuard VPN, and IoT devices segmented in isolated VLAN and SSID, Monitor cluster health with Grafana/Prometheus, uptime through Uptime Kuma, and notifications through webhooks, email, and instant messaging
- Gouda Gaze, 2026-03 - 2026-07, Developed a self-hosted, Python/Flask full-stack remote camera viewing and control application with separate streaming engine, application backend, and camera control front-end to view cat, Integrated modules with REST APIs for user database, pan-tilt-zoom control, image gallery, and hardware shutoff
Timeline
Security Operations Center Analyst
Purdue Systems Security
08.2026 - CurrentRead more
Third Party Risk Intern
Crowe LLP
06.2026 - 08.2026Read more
Network Engineering Intern
Purdue Information Technology
01.2025 - 05.2026Read more
Purdue University - B.S., Computer Infrastructure and Networking Engineering
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Purdue University - B.S., Cybersecurity
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