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Rajender Ponnala

@rajenderponnala

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I build scalable Azure cloud and GenAI solutions, leading teams to deliver secure enterprise systems.

India

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a team where I can architect secure Azure cloud platforms and GenAI solutions, lead technical delivery, and translate strategy into scalable systems that improve uptime, performance, and business impact.

I’m a 14-year Azure Cloud Solution Architect who designs and delivers scalable Azure cloud migration and modernization, alongside .NET, data, and AI/ML/Generative AI consulting. I focus on turning complex requirements into reliable architectures, end-to-end SDLC delivery, and measurable outcomes.

I lead technical guidance across cross-functional teams (onsite and offshore), often supporting up to 12 members, with accountability for project quality and delivery. I’ve delivered 10+ enterprise-grade applications and platform/integration initiatives, improving efficiency by 30%, and driving scalable cloud infrastructure that increased system uptime by 98%.

My work spans modern Azure infrastructure, integration, and data platforms—designing secure cloud strategies (including RBAC and Key Vaults), building monitoring with Azure Monitor and Application Insights to reduce incident resolution time by 35%, and implementing CI/CD with Azure DevOps. I also build GenAI RAG solutions using Azure AI Foundry LLMs (GPT, Claude, Gemini), OpenAI, Hugging Face, Vertex AI, and Azure OpenAI, with Python-based development.

I bring a strong data engineering and analytics mindset too, from ETL/ELT pipelines and dashboards (Power BI) to big data processing (Hadoop, Hive, MapReduce). I’m motivated by pragmatic architecture, clear communication with stakeholders, and continuous innovation through solutions that improve performance, scalability, and decision-making.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Cloud Architect & Technical PM

Persistent Systems Ltd

Apr 2025 - Oct 2025 (6 months)

Designed and deployed RAG-based GenAI solutions on Azure AI Foundry and Python for Integra LifeSciences. Implemented Azure Monitor/Application Insights to reduce incident resolution time by 35% and led secure, scalable Azure IaaS/PaaS architectures for 10+ enterprise apps, improving uptime by 98%.

Azure AI Foundry RAG Azure OpenAI Python azure monitor Application Insights Azure RBAC Azure Key Vault

Freelance Software Architect

Freelancer

May 2024 - Apr 2025 (11 months)

Modernized legacy on-premises applications to Azure PaaS, improving distributed system performance by up to 50% while minimizing downtime. Built Azure cloud-native AI/ML solutions in Python and engineered data pipelines using Azure Data Factory and Azure Databricks, improving team productivity by 30%.

PaaS Distributed Systems Python AI ML Azure Data Factory Databricks Unity Catalog Project Management

Power BI & Salesforce Data Analyst

USA University

Jan 2023 - Nov 2023 (10 months)

Built data models, ETL/ELT pipelines, and Power BI dashboards integrating Salesforce data, improving reporting speed by 40%. Implemented Azure Data Factory pipelines into Azure Data Lake Storage and used Azure Databricks with Unity Catalog for bronze/silver layered data processing.

Power BI Salesforce Data Modeling Azure Data Factory Azure Storage Databricks Unity Catalog ETL Dashboard Development Data Pipelines

Lead Data Engineer

NEC Software Solutions

May 2021 - Oct 2021 (5 months)

Modernized KMD's database systems using Hadoop, Hive, and MapReduce, enabling 10TB+ of data processing and improving query performance by 50%. Designed ETL pipelines and Power BI reports to deliver actionable insights for business decisions.

Hadoop Hive MapReduce ETL Power BI Query Optimization Data Integration Data Engineering

Technical Lead (.NET Azure)

Optum Global Solutions

Feb 2018 - Mar 2021 (3 years 1 month)

Delivered 5+ Azure cloud migration applications with CI/CD pipelines, reducing production errors by 30%. Mentored 8 engineers on Azure infrastructure and platform services, improving team productivity by 25%.

.NET Azure Migrate CI CD Pipelines Azure Services Production Support Mentoring Azure Infrastructure Agile Delivery

Senior Software Engineer

United Health Group

Apr 2015 - Feb 2018 (2 years 10 months)

Developed multi-tier ASP.NET MVC web applications and Angular 10 components, reducing page load latency by 35%. Designed SQL Server databases, stored procedures, and SSRS reports supporting 200+ end users with accurate reporting.

ASP.NET MVC SQL Server Stored Procedures Multi Tier Web Application Performance Optimization Web Application Development

Software Engineer

IBM India Pvt Ltd

Apr 2013 - Mar 2015 (1 year 11 months)

Developed Shell Fuel Save Partner web application modules and resolved 200+ production incidents through debugging, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis, improving reliability by 70%. Implemented reusable .NET components and WCF services, reducing development time by 30%.

.NET WCF Web Applications Debugging Troubleshooting Root Cause Analysis Reliability Engineering

.NET Full-Stack Developer

Vasudhaika Software Solutions Pvt Ltd

Nov 2011 - May 2013 (1 year 6 months)

Designed and developed an e-tendering system using C#, ASP.NET, WCF, and SQL Server, improving procurement processing by 40%. Delivered backend services and full-stack features to support end-to-end tender workflows.

C#ASP.NET WCF SQL Server Full Stack Backend Services