Muhammad Abdullah Tariq

Professional Summary

Cloud Security Architect and DevSecOps leader with 7+ years across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle Cloud. CISSP (passed first attempt at 22). Led multi-cloud platforms serving 50+ applications at 99.9% uptime, FinOps across 800+ resources, and enterprise NOC/SOC build-outs (Wazuh · Splunk · Grafana). Deep in Zero Trust, IAM governance, Kubernetes security, and incident response — with working fluency in ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and NCA-ECC/PDPL-style Gulf regulatory frameworks. Raised and schooled in Kuwait for 13 years, Arabic-proficient, and culturally native to the Gulf business environment — zero adaptation ramp for GCC enterprises.

Education

Three bachelor’s-level credentials: BSc Cybersecurity & Cloud Computing (ILMA, HEC-verified) · EduQual Level 6 Diploma in AI Operations (RQF 6) · CISSP (RQF 7, master’s-equivalent)
BSc Cybersecurity & Cloud Computing — ILMA University, Karachi · HEC-verified · CGPA 3.75 · conferred 2026 · Advanced Cyber Security Diploma (Post-Graduate) — IBA CICT (2026–) · VAPT labs: Burp Suite · Nmap · Nuclei · ffuf · Metasploit
Hifz-ul-Qur'an (1st Position) & 4-yr Islamic Sciences Diploma — Kuwait · Diploma in AI Operations (EduQual L6, A+) — Al Nafi
A-Levels (Commerce) — ISCP Khaitan · O-Levels (Sciences) — NPIS Hawalli — Kuwait

Professional Experience

ibex — Principal Software Engineer (DevOps) → Enterprise AI Enablement Sep 2025 – Present

Karachi, Pakistan · Hybrid · Full-time · (NASDAQ: IBEX — global CX/technology company, 23 sites)

Leading the CTO's AI transformation agenda across 23 global sites — 8 parallel tracks: SOC automation (SIEM/SOAR), infrastructure AI-ops, and FinOps intelligence.
Built the Enterprise Synthetic Monitoring Platform (PULSE) from zero — multi-site Datadog + SolarWinds integration; FastAPI + React dashboard with RBAC and SLA tracking.
Multi-platform observability at 23-site scale — Datadog (9 synthetic suites, APM) + SolarWinds (Observe, SAM, NetFlow); FinOps across 846 resources at 100% tagging; drove an APM quote from ~$100K to ~$40K/yr; 34 CTO-level briefings.
Hybrid AWS + Azure architecture for a 23-site on-prem → cloud migration program — landing zones, security guardrails, architecture standards; observability extended to Azure Monitor & CloudWatch; authored RCA reports, vendor scorecards, and build-vs-buy memos.

Al Nafi International College — Lead CloudOps Manager Mar 2025 – Dec 2025

Remote (Ontario, Canada HQ) · Full-time

Owned secure cloud infrastructure for 50+ applications at 99.9% uptime; built the enterprise NOC/SOC from scratch (Wazuh · Grafana · Prometheus · ELK/EFK · Splunk).
Delivered 75% cloud cost reduction through FinOps discipline and AI-powered automation; implemented IAM governance, risk assessment, and incident response.

Al Nafi — DevSysOps Lead Manager (6 progressive roles) Sep 2019 – Mar 2025

Remote (Toronto, Canada HQ) · 5.5+ years

Progressed through six roles in 5.5 years — designed secure multi-cloud and private-cloud infrastructure; led security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments.
Deployed SIEM (Wazuh/Splunk) with SOAR-driven incident response; ensured ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI-DSS, CIS Top 18, and SOC 2 compliance; mentored junior engineers into self-sufficient operators.
Built all student compliance & security labs: PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CIS, OWASP WSTG/MSTG, IoT/SCADA/PLC.

SOCIRIS — Founder & CEO Jan 2025 – Present

Karachi, Pakistan · sociris.com

Founded an AI-powered IDS/IPS platform — detection engineering, SOAR workflows, incident-response playbooks, STRIDE threat modelling.

Core Competencies

Cloud & Platform: AWS · Azure · GCP · Oracle Cloud · Kubernetes (EKS/AKS/GKE) · OpenShift · Terraform · ArgoCD · landing zones & migration programs
Security Architecture: Zero Trust · CSPM/CNAPP · IAM/RBAC/least-privilege · SSO · MFA · PAM · STRIDE threat modelling
DevSecOps: CI/CD with SAST/DAST · container & K8s security · IaC security · secret management
Security Operations: SIEM/SOAR (Wazuh · Splunk) · incident response · vulnerability management · SOC build-out
Governance & Compliance: ISO 27001/27017/27018 · PCI-DSS · SOC 2 · NIST CSF · GDPR · CIS Top 18 · NCA-ECC / PDPL (KSA/UAE regulatory alignment)
FinOps: Multi-cloud cost optimisation — 75% cost reduction delivered · chargeback & showback · cloud economics leadership

Signature Certifications

CISSP — ISC² · passed first attempt at age 22; fully certified 2026 · RQF Level 7 (master's-equivalent)
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor — Mastermind Assurance · ISO 27001 Master (27001/27017/27018) — Al Nafi
AWS: Security – Specialty · Advanced Networking – Specialty · Solutions Architect
Microsoft: Azure Security Engineer Associate · Azure Administrator Associate · Cybersecurity Analyst Professional
Google Cloud: Professional Cloud Architect · Cloud Engineer · Google Cybersecurity Professional
CKA (CNCF) · Terraform Associate · Docker DCA · GenAI Cybersecurity & Privacy for Leaders (Vanderbilt)
CompTIA: Security+ · CySA+ · PenTest+ · Network+ · Cloud+ · Linux Foundation: 22+ (DevSecOps · GitOps · Zero Trust · OpenSSF)

100+ certifications across 15 issuers — 32 on credly.com/users/matx104, the rest with each issuer. In progress: CKS · CISM · CRISC · OSCP · CCSP.

References

Omair Aslam — VP of Engineering, Developer Enablement, ibex · Direct manager
omairaslam@gmail.com · +92 322 4683448
Raza Ali Poonja — AI Solutions Architect, Al Nafi · Direct manager
razapoonja@gmail.com · +92 330 3410000
Husnain Suleman — Founder & Lead Security Analyst, Velocor Security · Direct manager at Al Nafi
info@velocorsecurity.com · +92 303 3113164
Wamiq Siddiqui — Azure DevOps Engineer, Mahaana · YC W22) (direct report at Al Nafi
sidwamiq@gmail.com · +92 313 2695966
Aatika Kaleem — Cloud & DevOps Engineer, Al Nafi · Direct report
aatika.kaleem@alnafi.com · +92 334 3562382

Personal Details