Abhijith is available for hire

Abhijith Narayanam

Verified Expert in Engineering

Systems Engineer and Developer

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Toptal member since July 17, 2025

Expertise

Cloud Engineering VMware Windows Development Linux Python Docker Jira ServiceNow Migration Engineering AWS IAM

Bio

Abhijith is a systems engineer with 8+ years of experience in VMware, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise virtualization. At Ford, he boosted system performance by 30% and halved VM deployment time by automating operations. Abhijith blends innovative thinking with practical solutions, driving impactful change and measurable results. He has led critical migrations, implemented high-availability systems, and optimized hybrid cloud environments across manufacturing, healthcare, and IT services.

Portfolio

Ford Motor Company

VMware, AWS IoT, Red Hat OpenShift, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)...

RCV Innovations

VMware, AWS IoT, Azure, Hardware, HP, Dell, Veeam, CI/CD Pipelines, Jira

Experience

Windows - 8 years
Veeam - 8 years
Cloud - 8 years
VMware - 8 years
Azure - 8 years
AWS IoT - 8 years
Python - 3 years
Docker - 3 years

Preferred Environment

Windows

The most amazing...

...thing I've led is the VMware environment management at Ford, boosting system performance by 30% and cutting VM deployment time by 50%—a proud milestone.

Work Experience

Infrastructure Engineer III

2021 - 2025

Ford Motor Company

Drove a 30% boost in system performance across critical business applications after spearheading VMware environment management at Ford Motor Company, strengthening infrastructure reliability and scalability by optimizing resource allocation.
Reduced VM deployment times by 50% by implementing advanced automation strategies, significantly heightening operational efficiency for the IT infrastructure team and allowing engineers to focus on innovation and process improvement.
Improved onboarding efficiency by 40% by developing comprehensive virtualization documentation and collaborating on high-availability VMware solutions, helping secure 99.9% uptime for vital services during peak business periods.
Deployed vROps 6.7+ monitoring 500+ VMs. Implemented workload optimization, custom super metrics, and predictive capacity analytics. Created automated remediation workflows. Reduced reactive incidents 40% through proactive monitoring.
Deployed clustered vIDM with Active Directory integration. Configured multi-tenancy for business units, SSO with vRA. Managed tenant-specific directory mappings, access controls. Enabled automated user synchronization.
Implemented usage metering and service pricing across hybrid cloud. Created cost allocation models by department/project. Established showback/chargeback mechanisms. Integrated with vROps for cost-capacity correlation.
Automated vRealize Suite deployment/upgrades across dev/test/prod environments. Created IaC templates, automated patching workflows. Reduced deployment time from days to hours. Established drift remediation processes.

Technologies: VMware, AWS IoT, Red Hat OpenShift, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), High Availability (HA), Data Centers, ServiceNow, IT Services

Senior Systems Engineer

2017 - 2021

RCV Innovations

Configured VMware components to boost system performance by 30%, automated workflows to cut manual tasks by 40%, and resolved 95% of technical queries on first contact to ensure high client satisfaction.
Optimized VMware environments to cut downtime by 30% and boost efficiency by 40%. Integrated AWS cloud and GCP services, reducing costs by 25% over two years and raising reliability through best practices.
Spearheaded VMware management, boosting performance by 30% and streamlining workflows with automation for 40% less manual work. Resolved 95% of issues on first contact and enhanced network resilience with advanced NSX security configurations.

Technologies: VMware, AWS IoT, Azure, Hardware, HP, Dell, Veeam, CI/CD Pipelines, Jira

Experience

vCloud Suite Standard Implementation

Deployed VMware vCloud Suite Standard for a mission-critical environment at GMR Airport, Hyderabad, ensuring high availability for essential applications like e-boarding. I also spearheaded vCloud Suite Standard implementation, guaranteeing seamless deployment and high availability for mission-critical applications at GMR Airport.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Implementation

Executed the proof of concept for implementing VDI across five states, successfully facilitating access to high-end virtual desktops. I led cross-functional collaboration with NVIDIA, HP, and Dell teams to implement VDI, ensuring seamless accessibility to virtual desktops across multiple states for Yazaki India Pvt. Ltd.

VMware Inventory Implementation

Executed the setup of VMware inventory from scratch, scaling up to an 18-node cluster, encompassing ESXi, vSAN, VDI, and Veeam technologies. I led the end-to-end implementation of VMware inventory, orchestrating the setup and expansion to an 18-node cluster for Caliber Technologies.

NSX-V to NSX-T Migration

Led the migration from NSX-V to NSX-T, ensuring seamless transition and integration of network virtualization technologies for Ford Motors. I managed cloud migrations, configuring and overseeing Azure Migrate and CloudEndure. I also handled VNet, availability zones, regions, VPC, internet gateway, and network access control list configurations for seamless cloud transitions.

AWS Implementation

Executed the implementation of AWS infrastructure, incorporating automated deployment pipelines, secure VPC architectures, and scalable EC2 instances. I also integrated monitoring, IAM best practices, and cost-optimization strategies to support robust, high-availability solutions.

Azure Migrations

Executed end-to-end Azure migrations by conducting in-depth assessments, planning phased transitions, optimizing resource allocation, and implementing secure, automated pipelines. I ensured minimal downtime, robust compliance, and continuous monitoring for scalable, cost-efficient cloud adoption.

VMware to Red Hat OpenShift Migrations

Led end-to-end migrations from VMware to Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, overseeing assessment, planning, and execution phases. I configured automated pipelines, mapped networks and storage, minimized downtime, and ensured workloads remained secure, scalable, and highly available throughout the transition.

Education

2019 - 2021

Master's Degree in Computing Systems and Infrastructure

Birla Institute of Technology and Science - Pilani, Rajasthan, India

2013 - 2017

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University - Hyderabad, India

Certifications

NOVEMBER 2024 - NOVEMBER 2026

Google Certified Professional

Google Cloud

JUNE 2021 - JUNE 2023

VMware Certified Professional - Digital Workspace 2021

VMware

JUNE 2018 - JUNE 2020

VMware Certified Professional

VMware

NOVEMBER 2017 - NOVEMBER 2019

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

Cisco

NOVEMBER 2017 - NOVEMBER 2019

Microsoft Certified Professional

Microsoft

Skills

Libraries/APIs

Packet Tunnel Provider

Tools

VMware, Jira, VPN, Azure Network Security Groups, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), AWS IAM

Frameworks

Windows PowerShell

Platforms

AWS IoT, Windows, Linux, Azure, Docker, Red Hat OpenShift

Languages

Python

Storage

Data Centers, VMware vSAN

Other

Cloud, Veeam, Cloud Engineering, Active Directory (AD), vCenter, High Availability (HA), VSAN Technology, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Identity & Access Management (IAM), Hardware, HP, Dell, CI/CD Pipelines, ServiceNow, IT Services, Electrical Engineering, VMware Horizon, VMware NSX, Azure Virtual Network (VNet), Azure Migrate, Migration

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