Alan Son

DevOps Cloud Engineer | Future CTO
📧 Contact Me | 🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website | 📂 GitHub

Professional Summary

DevOps Cloud Engineer with over 20 years of experience across a wide variety of industries, specializing in AWS and Azure solutions for private and public sector clients. From humble beginnings on the ZX Spectrum to Kubernetes clusters and complex cloud infrastructures today, I bring a deep passion for automation, integration, and providing great tools to great people. My focus on making a real impact through reliable and secure solutions is the primary driver of my success, making me the right person for your infrastructure.

Technical Skills

• Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS, Azure, Linode, Digital Ocean, Terraform, Kubernetes (EKS), Docker
• CI/CD & Automation: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, ArgoCD, Terraform, Ansible
• Security & Compliance: DevSecOps, IAM, PCI-DSS, SAML, OIDC, Keycloak, Security Scanning (Mend, Xray, KubeLinter)
• Monitoring & Observability: NewRelic, Prometheus, Grafana, CloudHealth, Logging & Performance Monitoring
• Networking & Systems: TCP/IP, VPN, Switching, Firewalling, VMware, Hyper-V, KVM/QEMU
• Scripting & Development: Bash, PowerShell, Python, PHP, JavaScript, Go
• Version Control & Collaboration: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket

Professional Experience

SciBite (Elsevier) | DevOps Engineer

📅 2022 – Present
📍 Full-Remote, United Kingdom

• Re-architected and migrated AWS and Azure infrastructure for a SaaS platform
• Enabled seamless SSO, CI/CD, and observability across environments
• Onboarded new customers, coordinating with their IT departments
• Accompanied and advised multiple development teams

✅ Key Achievements:

• Cut deployment times through improved CI/CD processes and tooling
• Introduced numerous automations improving efficiency across operations

Omnicom Media Group | Infrastructure & DevOps Engineer

📅 2015 – 2022
📍 London, United Kingdom

• Maintained on-premises and cloud infrastructure supporting 126 agencies and ~70k staff
• Assisted with cloud migrations to AWS and Azure
• Integrated new company acquisitions into existing IT infrastructure
• Led security scanning and patching across the entire infrastructure

✅ Key Achievements:

• Established modern DevOps practices, reducing administrative overhead
• Standardized setups and procedures, improving security and efficiency

HyperStream LTD | Owner & CEO

📅 2010 – 2013
📍 London, United Kingdom

• Founded and ran a Web Design & Digital Media Consultancy
• Built WordPress websites and managed VPS-based hosting
• Managed outsourced designers and developers
• Landed high-profile customers such as E.ON and Siemens

✅ Key Achievements:

• Held various leadership roles in Business Network International (BNI)

Home Connections, London | Multimedia Developer & IT Lead

📅 2005 – 2009
📍 London, United Kingdom

• Led a multimedia team at a software development company
• Assisted with IT projects, including server migrations and Google Apps adoption
• Deployed and optimized 3D render farm setups for faster production

✅ Key Achievements:

• Leveraged Quest3D Game Engine to create interactive visualizations
• Introduced green screen technologies for improved production quality

Education & Certifications

🎓 BSc (Hons) Multimedia Systems – Anglia Ruskin University
🎓 GNVQ Advanced Information Technology – Chelmsford College

📜 AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – VUE
📜 DevSecOps – QA
📜 System Center Administration – QA
📜 Sitecore Professional Certification – QA

Core Skills

🖧 Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, MacOS
☁️ Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, Linode, Digital Ocean
🚀 CI/CD Systems: GitHub Actions, GitLabCI, Jenkins, ArgoCD
📦 Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes, Docker-Compose, LXC
⚙️ Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, Terragrunt, CloudFormation
📂 Version Control: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
🔭 Observability: NewRelic, Prometheus, Grafana, CloudHealth
🔒 Security & Authentication: Keycloak, SAML, OIDC, Cognito
🗄️ Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, MongoDB, Redis
🏢 Office Infrastructure: Active Directory, Exchange, Samba

Projects & Open Source Contributions

• Automated DevOps Onboarding: Developed Terraform & Ansible automation for DevOps engineers
• Self-Hosted GitHub Actions Runners: Built a scalable runner solution in Kubernetes
• Open-Source Contributions: Helm charts, Terraform modules, DevOps scripts on GitHub

Speaking & Community Involvement

• Mentor: Actively mentoring engineers in Kubernetes, DevOps, and Cloud Infrastructure
• Speaker: Presented at DevOps meetups and internal tech talks on CI/CD, security, and automation
• Content Creator: Blogging about DevOps, automation, security, and leadership at hyperstream.co.uk

Interests & Future Goals

• Transitioning from Senior DevOps Engineer to CTO, focusing on DevOps strategy, security, and automation
• Exploring AI-driven DevOps, GitOps, and cost optimization strategies
• Growing an online presence via blogs, speaking engagements, and mentoring