Venkata Samudrala

Release Management expert with a decade of experience in the IT industry, specializing in Program Management, Project Management, and Release & Deployment Management. Currently serving as a Release Delivery/Deployment Manager & DevOps Management, excelling in new process development and establishing lasting working relationships with stakeholders. Skilled in managing customer expectations, addressing complaints effectively, and maintaining high CSAT scores. Known for exceptional vendor management skills and a track record of successfully leading diverse teams across different geographic locations with zero disruptions to project deliverables. Adept at managing complex infrastructure projects from planning to execution, ensuring seamless collaboration and delivering results in dynamic environments. Ready to drive impactful projects focused on efficiency and reliability, with a proven track record of overseeing end-to-end project lifecycles and contributing to team success through a collaborative approach and adaptability.

• Proven expertise in building and managing high-performing, cross-functional teams, conducting appraisals, retaining top talent, and establishing performance standards aligned with organizational frameworks.
• Designed and executed release management strategies, policies, and processes to ensure timely, efficient, and high-quality software delivery.
• Conducted quality reviews, testing audits, and validation activities, providing actionable feedback to ensure adherence to high standards.
• Designed and implemented HA and DR strategies across regions and availability zones.
• Steered the designing and performing the migration from on-prem resources to the azure cloud with the Azure Migration manager.
• Collaborated with engineering and DevOps teams to configure, manage, and enhance CI/CD pipelines, improving automation and release efficiency.

• TESCO Technologies, Infrastructure Project Manager, Tesco Bank, 04/23/24, 10/24, Participated in stakeholder requirement sessions and documented actionable user stories., Created detailed project schedules including cost/resource forecasting, meeting critical business deadlines., Drafted and maintained project documentation including risk registers, mitigation plans, and change logs., Defined project scope, estimated effort, and tracked deliverables using Agile methodologies., Led sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog grooming, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to ensure Agile process adherence., Acted as a Scrum Master, facilitating removal of team impediments and coaching on Agile best practices., Collaborated with Product Owners for backlog refinement and delivery prioritization aligned with strategic goals., Enabled cross-functional collaboration ensuring projects were delivered on-time and within scope.
• Kasmo Technologies Pvt Ltd, Project Technical Manager, Tesco Bank, 07/21, 03/23, Responsible for leading the successful design, implementation and maintenance of infrastructure solutions that meet the requirements of the organization and ensure the most cost-effective approach is taken., Implement HA, DRS configurations, and troubleshoot virtualization networking issues including VLAN creation and NIC adjustments., Supported Office 365 upgrades, including SharePoint Online migrations, Microsoft Teams rollout, and Exchange Online Archiving setup., Built custom monitoring dashboards and alerts, leading to 30% faster incident detection., Play a stellar role in planning and preparing for the domain restructure for your organization and successfully migrating accounts and resources to an Active Directory domain., Develop technical documentation (WI, DLD, TRD) for operational procedures ensuring standardization and knowledge sharing.
• Protera Technologies, Senior Infrastructure Manager L3, 04/20, 11/21, Engaged in building on new company strategies looked for new projects; administered Sales and Marketing teams to procure cloud business., Validated Azure Benefits: proposed IaaS and PaaS IaC solutions based on customer discussions., Designed on-prem DevOps Server with DR on Azure solution for a company in USA; delivered some medium-sized solutions on Azure for various customers throughout the globe., Attention to Detail: Strong focus on accuracy, quality, and process adherence, especially in complex, high-stakes releases., Change Management: Skilled in managing organizational change, particularly in driving process improvements and technology adoption., Performed rigorous unit testing of software packages, OS images, and configurations using manual and automated testing frameworks., Conducted discussion with top management on project proposals; trained teams to equip with Azure Apps Developments., Guided developers about the available solutions and their benefits in Azure., Developed ARM templates for quicker new deployments., Utilized Azure CLI extensively to take advantage of cross platforms., Identified existing problems within a business that may be negatively impacting profitability or harming the company’s brand image.
• Cognizant Technology Solutions, Senior Associate – Infrastructure Team Lead, 05/16, 04/20, Migrated Exchange 2016 to O365 in Hybrid Mode – Moved mailboxes, Resolved Email Address Policy issues, Responsible for DNS changes and First point of contact for any advice related Cut over., Expertise in the installation and configuration of Active directory along with the planning and implementation of Active Directory Migration., Supervised daily Event, Incident, Problem, and Change Management processes to ensure issues are proactively managed to resolution, impacts mitigated, and root cause eliminated., Experience with Azure Active Directory, O365 and Synchronization of entities between On-Premises and Cloud Directories., Spearheaded deployment, installation & configuration of Exchange 2016 & 2019., Provided support for on premise different versions of Exchange., Responsible for overall administration of Microsoft Windows Server, Exchange servers and Active Directory Infrastructure.
• HCL Technology, Technical Specialist – Infrastructure Windows AD, 06/13, 04/16, Ensured all lines of support for more complex incidents, requests, events, and/or problems through the effective coaching and training of IT technical support engineers., Undertook regular reviews to ensure that the assigned infrastructure is configured, installed, tested, and operational., Resolved calls and identified the root cause of incidents, events, and problems to ensure proactive future management., Updated incidents, requests, problems, and/or events with progress and resolution details.
• I Support, Windows AD & ADFS Administrator, 06/09, 05/13

• PMP
• Agile Process
• AZ-500
• MCSA-70-743
• ITIL Certification from HCL

• Passport Number: Z5138675
• Date of Birth: 06/05/85
• Nationality: Indian
• Visa Status: Active H1B VISA Valid thru 02/2031