Open to opportunities

Ninad Thakare

@ninadthakare

Senior infrastructure security engineer of 14 years of experience specializing in firewall and network security deployments.

India

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead security infrastructure and firewall deployments across hybrid environments (On-Prem, Azure, AWS), owning IPS/IDS and policy changes, supporting migrations, and improving proactive defense with clear SLAs and strong change governance.

I’m a qualified engineering professional with over 14 years of experience in Network Security, focused on deployment, migrations, and managing data center infrastructure involving network security tools like firewalls, IPS/IDS, and content filtering. I design and implement network security solutions that align with information security policies, standards, and regulatory compliance, with strong understanding of SLA, OLA, and the IT service maintenance life cycle.

In my current role as a Sr. Infrastructure Security Engineer at GRUVE TECHNOLOGIES INDIA PVT LTD, I manage client infrastructure with Cisco Firewalls FTD via FMC and Palo Alto Firewalls via Panorama (On-Prem & Azure). I handle firewall security parameters (IPS/SNORTR rules), upgrades, and CVE-driven work, and I also manage Azure network components like IP subnet, NSG rules, and load balancers—while validating security through SNA/Talos analysis. Previously, at RACKSPACE TECHNOLOGIES and HERJAVEC GROUP INC (CYDERES), I led managed services operations, Cisco ASA to Palo Alto migration work, scheduled technical change requests, improved proactive defense posture with threat analysis, and supported monitoring and incident readiness using tools such as SentinelOne, SolarWinds, Cisco Umbrella, and Wireshark.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Sr. Infrastructure Security Engineer

Current

Gruve Technologies India Pvt Ltd

Jun 2025 - Present (9 months)

Manage client infrastructure security using Cisco FTD/ FMC and Palo Alto Firewalls managed via Panorama across on-prem and Azure. Oversee firewall policy/security parameters, upgrades, CVE-driven IPS rule updates, and Azure networking components including NSGs, subnets, and load balancers.

Cisco FMC Palo Alto Panorama IPS SNORТ Rules CVE IPS Rule Management Firewalls

Sr. Network Security Engineer

Rackspace Technologies

Jun 2023 - Jun 2025 (2 years)

Administer client network security across Palo Alto firewalls (AWS/Azure-hosted), Prisma SD-WAN, and Cisco Meraki. Lead on-prem to cloud firewall migration using Azure/AWS networking design (VNets, NSGs, NAT, and load balancers) while managing ServiceNow tickets under SLA and change windows.

Palo Alto Firewalls Cisco Meraki AWS Networking Firewall Migration Load Balancers ServiceNow

Sr. Network Security Engineer

Herjavec Group Inc (Cyderes)

Mar 2020 - Apr 2023 (3 years 1 month)

Provide managed services for client firewalls, including Cisco ASA to Palo Alto migration. Execute scheduled technical change requests (policies, signature updates, security patches and major releases), maintain SLA/CAB-aligned ticket updates, and collaborate with threat hunters to improve proactive defense posture.

Cisco ASA Palo Alto Firewalls FMC FTD Management IPS Policy Change Management Change Request (CAB SLA) Processes Threat Hunting Collaboration VPN And Routing Support Firewall Migration

Sr. Network Engineer

Aurus Technologies Ltd.

Oct 2016 - Dec 2019 (3 years 2 months)

Manage corporate and data center network/security operations for a payment gateway environment, coordinating design and implementation from architecture through go-live. Administer site-to-site VPN connectivity and oversee DMZ/ACL/NAT, intrusion prevention/detection, malware identification, and content/web filtering while ensuring SLA-based resolution via root-cause analysis.

Firepower (IPS Geolocation IP Reputation)Intrusion Detection Malware Identification (AMP)Web Filtering Cisco Umbrella PCI Guideline Performance Testing

Sr. Engineer - Network Management

Wipro Ltd (ThinkApps Solutions)

Dec 2014 - Sep 2016 (1 year 9 months)

Configure and troubleshoot MPLS customer and provider edge routers, including lab testing and turn-up of required configurations. Perform CPE migrations for users and troubleshoot LAN connectivity for branch locations.

MPLS PE CE Configuration Router Testing Turn Up Ethernet Leased Line ATM Connectivity Customer Provider Edge Routing Network Change Validation Troubleshooting

Network Engineer

Sunfire Technologies Pvt Ltd

Mar 2012 - Dec 2014 (2 years 9 months)

Supervise implementation, migration, and troubleshooting for data center, branch, and disaster recovery networking projects while designing tier 2/3 network architecture based on site surveys. Configure and maintain wireless access points, switches, routers, and firewalls, including core/access layer build-out and WAN connectivity firewall setup.

Data Center Networking Disaster Recovery Network Troubleshooting

Desktop Support

Scorg International Consulting Pvt Ltd

Jul 2011 - Feb 2012 (7 months)

Deliver desktop installation and maintenance support, including MS Outlook configuration and antivirus installation. Support users with ongoing upkeep of network-connected device environments.

Anti Virus Installation MS Outlook Configuration User Support Network Device Support