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Anuj Pratap
Verified Expert in Engineering
IT Security Developer
Delhi, India
Toptal member since March 30, 2023
Anuj is an accredited IT security professional with 14+ years of hands-on and academic experience. As a security operations center manager, he has gained extensive knowledge of network security implementation, deployment, configuration, and support. Anuj's areas of expertise are next-generation firewalls, load balancers, IPsec VPN, vulnerability assessment, network intrusion prevention systems (IPS/NIPS), cloud security solutions, solution documents, and high- and low-level designs.
Portfolio
Experience
- Checkpoints - 12 years
- Firewalls - 10 years
- IPsec - 9 years
- Load Balancers - 8 years
- Palo Alto Networks - 8 years
- Vulnerability Management - 7 years
- Azure Cloud Services - 4 years
- AWS Cloud Architecture - 4 years
Availability
Preferred Environment
Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), Load Balancers, AWS Cloud Architecture, Azure Cloud Services, Palo Alto Networks, Checkpoints, Firewalls, Antivirus Software, Zero Trust, SonicWall
The most amazing...
...opportunity I had was to design and configure layers of cybersecurity solutions, implement industry best practices, and conduct thorough security audits.
Work Experience
Cyber Security Consultant
BT Group
- Migrated the customer data center next-generation firewall (NGFW) from Juniper SRX to Check Point R81 firewall.
- Contributed to a migration project of a customer data center's load balancer from Cisco ASE to F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM).
- Deployed Check Point and Palo Alto firewalls on the Azure cloud.
- Managed a vulnerability assessment cycle and worked with the application and server teams to remediate all identified vulnerabilities.
- Designed and implemented the Cisco FTD 4145 and ASA firewalls.
- Handled a Fortigate 3000 firewall, firewall rules, interface configuration, and VDOM creation and management.
Security Track Lead
HCL Technologies
- Acted as the project lead. Managed the customer network security environment and worked with customers to streamline business operations and deployed new security solutions.
- Provided managed security service for multiple accounts. Managed a team of five Level 2 security engineers.
- Delivered several network security projects, like 14 Checkpoint firewall updates, 8 IPSec VPN tunnels set up across the globe, Deployed BlueCoat Proxy solution, UAT testing, etc.
Network Engineer
Accenture
- Worked as part of the Accenture India LAN/WAN team.
- Upgraded Cisco router and switches IOS firmware. Replaced faulty IT network hardware appliances and configured new replacement devices from scratch.
- Involved in implementing and configuring innovative solutions such as Cisco routers, switches, and Cisco PIX firewalls.
Experience
Design and Deployment of Security Solutions for Data Centers
SASE and Zero Trust Solution
Baseline Standards for Cisco Routers, Switches, and Firewalls
Perimeter Next-generation Firewall Design and Implementation
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Design documentation for the high and low levels of the firewall.
• Performed the initial firewall configuration—POST—and interface settings.
• Configured firewall objects and rule bases.
• Integrated the FortiManager firewall.
• Managed several VDOM setups.
• Performed troubleshooting.
Azure ExpressRoute and IPsec VPN Tunnels Setup
Furthermore, we migrated Check Point CloudGuard firewalls and NSG groups based on workloads.
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
Netskope Proxy
CONTRIBUTIONS
• Policy creation
• Collaboration with end users
• Configuration
• Troubleshooting
Upgraded Cisco Firewall Active/Active Failover Configuration and Context Management
FEATURES
• No-downtime capability
• User application testing
• Failure analysis
• Firewall configuration verification
Firewall Migration - Cisco ASA to Palo Alto
DUTIES
• Design
• Review
• Implementation
• Software upgrade
• Integration with Panorama
• ACL, NAT rules configuration
Azure Cloud Native Solution and Palo Alto Firewall Design & Implementation
Key contributions:
Cloud architecture and design: Designed and implemented comprehensive Azure cloud infrastructure utilizing cloud-native services such as Azure Virtual Network (VNet), Azure Load Balancer, and Azure Application Gateway.
Security integration: Integrated Palo Alto Networks VM-series firewalls into the Azure environment, securing both north-south and east-west traffic, ensuring enterprise-grade protection. Configured and deployed firewalls to monitor, inspect, and secure all network traffic, including encrypted traffic.
Cloud-native solutions: Deployed Azure-native services like Azure Load Balancers, Application Gateways, and Enable Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules.
Deployment of Micro Focus ArcSight SIEM for Enterprise Security Monitoring
Education
Master's Degree in Master of Science Information Security
Indira Gandhi National Open University - India
Post Graduate Diploma in Information Security in Information Security
Indira Gandhi National Open University - Delhi, India
Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications
University of Rajasthan - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Engineering Diploma in Electronics and Communication Engineering
Board of Technical Education - Delhi, India
Certifications
Foundations of Cybersecurity
Google | via Coursera
Vulnerability Management
Qualys
Vulnerability Management Detection and Response (VMDR)
Qualys
Vulnerability Management - Foundation
Qualys
AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Microsoft Azure
AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies
Microsoft Azure
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
(ISC)²
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)
Palo Alto Networks
Check Point Certified Security Expert (CCSE)
Check Point
Cisco Certified Network Professional Security
Cisco
Cisco Securing Networks with ASA Advanced
Cisco
Skills
Tools
VPN, AWS IAM, Websense, Azure Application Gateway, Azure Web Application Firewall
Platforms
Azure, Netskope, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Storage
Azure Cloud Services, Azure Active Directory
Industry Expertise
Network Security, Cybersecurity
Languages
Python, C++
Paradigms
Change Management, Azure DevOps
Other
Firewalls, IPsec, Load Balancers, CCNA Security, Checkpoints, Vulnerability Management, IT Security, Network Engineering, System Administration, Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP), Cryptography, Encryption, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), AWS Cloud Architecture, Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, Security, Data Security, Security Engineering, Network Access Control, Check Point, TCP/IP, Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), Networks, Cloud, Cloud Security, IDS/IPS, Cisco Networking, Data Center Management, Application Security, Single Sign-on (SSO), SonicWall, P2P, Digital Electronics, Digital Transmission, Advanced Physics, Applied Mathematics, Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP), Security Operations Centers (SOC), Microsoft Azure Cloud Server, Proxy Servers, Applied Physics, Digital Communication, ASA Firewalls, Cisco Routers, Palo Alto Prisma Cloud, Azure Cloud Security, Next-generation Firewall (NGFW), F5 Networks, BlueCoat Proxy, ISO 27001, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall Configuration, Cisco Switches, LAN, WAN, Incident Management, IT Operations Management (ITOM), Business Continuity Planning (BCP), Security Audits, Vulnerability Assessment, Vulnerability Identification, Content Filtering, Antivirus Software, Zero Trust, Cisco LAN/WAN, VXLAN, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Information Security, Azure IoT, Azure Load Balancer, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), SIEM
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