SAURABH PAREEK
Brussels
Summary
Senior Network & Security Operations Leader with 18+ years of experience delivering highly available, secure, and scalable enterprise and service-provider infrastructures. Proven track record of leading global 24x7 operations, managing mission-critical hybrid cloud and data-center environments, and driving service reliability through ITIL-aligned processes, automation, and operational excellence. Extensive experience in network transformation programs, large-scale migrations, cybersecurity operations, and stakeholder management across telecom, insurance, and enterprise domains.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Technical Lead - Network & Security
Proximus NXT
01.2021 - Current
- Lead 24x7 Network & Security Operations supporting 100+ private cloud and on-premise infrastructures.
- Manage and mentor Network & Security Engineers; drive performance management and skills development.
- Primary escalation point for P1/P2 incidents; own incident, problem, and change management.
- Lead solution consulting, architecture design, implementation, and operational support.
- Own SOW, HLD, LLD, BOM, migration strategies, and delivery documentation.
- Plan and execute large-scale data-center and network transformations (ACI, VXLAN, BGP, NGFW).
- Collaborate with security, cloud, and application teams on vulnerability remediation and hardening.
- Leading IT service provider for B2B customers, Belgium
Technical Lead - Network & Security
HCL Technologies Ltd
12.2007 - Current
- Lead 24x7 Network & Security Operations supporting 100+ private cloud and on-premise infrastructures.
- Manage and mentor Network & Security Engineers; drive performance management and skills development.
- Primary escalation point for P1/P2 incidents; own incident, problem, and change management.
- Lead solution consulting, architecture design, implementation, and operational support.
- Own SOW, HLD, LLD, BOM, migration strategies, and delivery documentation.
- Plan and execute large-scale data-center and network transformations (ACI, VXLAN, BGP, NGFW).
- Collaborate with security, cloud, and application teams on vulnerability remediation and hardening.
Team Lead - Network & Security
UNUM
01.2017 - 01.2021
- Led enterprise LAN/WAN, VPN, SD-WAN, wireless, and data-center network operations.
- Acted as escalation point for complex L3/L4/L7 incidents.
- Planned and executed network upgrades, patching, and hardware refresh programs.
- Optimized network performance, bandwidth utilization, and service reliability.
- Ensured compliance with enterprise security and governance standards.
- Global Insurance Provider - USA & Europe
Senior Network Consultant
Belgacom / Proximus
01.2010 - 01.2017
- Managed ISP core network and remote site connectivity across multiple data centers.
- Designed and supported MPLS backbone, L2/L3 VPN services.
- Worked with MPLS, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, HSRP, VRRP, UDLD.
- Supported Nokia/Alcatel 7750 and Cisco 2600-7200 platforms.
- Acted as technical escalation point; collaborated with Cisco & Nokia TAC.
- Leading Telecom Provider, Belgium
Network Engineer
Cisco ROS - Remote Operations Support
01.2007 - 01.2010
- Remote configuration, provisioning, and troubleshooting of Cisco routing & switching.
- Supported T1, ISDN, DSL connections and migrations.
- Implemented OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, VLANs, ACLs, IP tunnels.
- Performed service activations, MACD, validation, and documentation.
- Global Enterprise Customers
Network Support Engineer
Tulip IT Services
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Level 1/2 network support, LAN/WAN troubleshooting, SLA-driven operations.
Customer Support Engineer
Reliance Infocomm (via iGATE IMS Ltd.)
01.2004 - 01.2006
- Telecom operations support, incident handling, service restoration, customer communication.
Education
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) - Computer Science & Engineering
Rajasthan University
01-2004
Skills
- 24x7 Network & Security Operations Leadership
- Service Delivery,Project Leadership
- Global Team Leadership
- Enterprise/Data Center Networking
- LAN/WAN, MPLS, VPN, Firewall, SDN
- Cisco ACI, VMware NSX,VXLAN
- Hybrid/Private Cloud Architecture
- Private Cloud Architecture
- Cloud Networking
- Cloud Security
- Cybersecurity Operations
- Vulnerability Management
- Risk Management
- Incident Management,Problem Management,Change Management
- Major Incident Management
- Business Continuity/DR Planning
- Cisco Meraki Cloud Solution
- Compliance Management
- Operational Resilience
- Vendor Management
- Contract Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Budget Management
- Capacity Planning
- Cost Optimization
- Performance Management
- Networking
- Security/NGFW
- Cisco Nexus,Cisco Catalyst,Palo Alto,F5,Juniper,Riverbed,Nokia/Alcatel 7750,Infoblox
- SDN,Virtualization,VMware vSphere,Hyper-V
- BGP,OSPF,EIGRP,RSTP,HSRP,VRRP
- ServiceNow,BMC Remedy,Power BI,Clarify
- ITIL
- Agile
- DevOps
Accomplishments
- Led Cisco ACI Multi-Pod Spine-Leaf upgrade with near-zero downtime for hosting and customer services.
- Migrated data-center platforms from legacy Nexus 5K (EoS) to modern Cisco ACI fabric, improving scalability and resilience.
- Spearheaded enterprise firewall modernization to Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) platforms, strengthening security posture and compliance.
- Improved incident resolution efficiency and service stability through structured RCA frameworks and ITIL governance.
- Successfully delivered multiple network refresh and modernization initiatives across regions with zero unplanned downtime.
Language
English
French
Websites, Portfolios and Profiles
linkedin.com/in/saurabhpa
Timeline
Technical Lead - Network & Security
Proximus NXT
01.2021 - Current
Team Lead - Network & Security
UNUM
01.2017 - 01.2021
Senior Network Consultant
Belgacom / Proximus
01.2010 - 01.2017
Technical Lead - Network & Security
HCL Technologies Ltd
12.2007 - Current
Network Engineer
Cisco ROS - Remote Operations Support
01.2007 - 01.2010
Network Support Engineer
Tulip IT Services
01.2006 - 01.2007
Customer Support Engineer
Reliance Infocomm (via iGATE IMS Ltd.)
01.2004 - 01.2006
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) - Computer Science & Engineering
Rajasthan University