[ SEC_LEVEL: ARCHITECT ] · NEW DELHI, IN

Saurav Sinha builds infrastructure the way architects build vaults.

AVP – IT Infrastructure · Security by Design & Policy Leader — Cloud Transformation · Financial Services

15+ years across global financial services. Currently leading IT infrastructure at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Security is never the afterthought — it is the load-bearing structure.

ID: S.SINHA — AVP, SMBC 28.61°N 77.20°E

CHAPTER 00 — THE PHILOSOPHY

“I design infrastructure and applications the way an architect designs a vault — security is not a layer added on top, it is the structure itself.”

Security by Design means threat modelling before the first VM is provisioned. Security by Policy means every user, system, and vendor operates within a governed, auditable boundary. I have applied this philosophy across data centers, cloud environments, network topologies, payment systems, and regulatory compliance programs throughout my career.

Security by Design

Threat modelling before the first VM is provisioned. Zero Trust, least-privilege and defence-in-depth designed into every network segment and cloud workload — never bolted on after.

Security by Policy

Every user, system and vendor operates within a governed, auditable boundary. 20+ policies authored from scratch across three organizations — with years of zero audit findings to show for it.

CHAPTER 0X — THE EVIDENCE

A career measured in numbers, not adjectives.

40%

Infra Cost Reduction

Centralized Data Center build-out and VDI rollout across 15+ branches at MUFG India — on time, under budget, zero downtime.

6 YRS

Zero Audit Findings

Six consecutive years of zero non-conformances, underpinned by a Security by Policy framework built from scratch.

60%

On-Premise Reduction

Azure cloud-first redesign at Pepper India with Security by Design controls — 99.9% uptime within 6 months.

35%

MTTR Improvement

Infrastructure automation and monitoring uplift at MUFG Bank in a compressed 9-month tenure.

22%

Cloud Cost Cut

FinOps discipline, tagging governance and rightsizing across AWS, Azure and GCP at SMBC — within 6 months.

200+

Staff Trained

IT Security Awareness Program across 15+ branches — reduced user-generated security incidents by over 60%.

PCI-DSS Findings

Zero critical configuration findings across all Corecard client environments via CIS-benchmark hardening.

99.9%

System Uptime

Achieved at Pepper India after building the entire IT infrastructure function from ground zero.

Zero-Downtime Relocations

Complete branch office relocations executed with no business interruption and no data loss.

CHAPTERS 01 — 07 · 2009 → TODAY

The journey, chapter by chapter.

[ CH.01 ] — Apr 2009 – Jun 2011

Where It All Began

System Administrator · Micromax Informatics & Aaks InfoTech

Gurgaon, India

Every vault starts with a single lock. Two system administrator roles taught the fundamentals — servers, networks, and users — that everything since has been built on.

▸Managed core system administration across Windows environments, Active Directory, and end-user infrastructure
▸Built the operational discipline that would later anchor a career in regulated financial services

[ CH.02 ] — Jun 2011 – Nov 2021

The Decade of Building

Manager – IT Engineering & Infrastructure · MUFG Bank Ltd (KDDI India)

Mumbai, India

Ten years. One bank. A data center built like a vault — physical zoning, trust-level segmentation, encrypted storage and SIEM from day one. It passed its first regulatory audit with zero security findings.

▸Delivered 40% infrastructure cost reduction through Centralized Data Center build-out and VDI replacing 300+ physical desktops across 15+ India branches
▸Authored 8 foundational security policies from scratch — zero non-conformances in annual regulatory audits for 6+ consecutive years
▸Architected CBS (Core Banking Solution) rollout and NPCI/CCIL payment systems integration with zero production incidents at go-live
▸Designed WAN/LAN standardization across 15+ branches (EIGRP/OSPF, QoS, firewall policies); executed 2 zero-downtime branch relocations
▸Launched org-wide Security Awareness Program training 200+ staff — reduced user-generated incidents by over 60%
▸Built and mentored a 15-person IT team with an 80% internal promotion rate

[ CH.03 ] — Nov 2021 – Jul 2022

The Payment Fortress

Configuration Lead Engineer – IT Infrastructure · Corecard Software India Pvt Ltd

Mumbai, India

Inside PCI-DSS scope for a US payment card platform serving global banks — where a single misconfiguration is a headline. There were none.

▸Implemented ITIL-aligned change management for global banking clients, cutting deployment errors by 40%
▸Applied CIS benchmarks and pre-release security configuration reviews — zero PCI-DSS configuration findings across all client environments
▸Coordinated audit-ready environment builds for new banking client onboarding with global DevOps and security teams

[ CH.04 ] — Jul 2022 – Dec 2022

The Fintech Sprint

VP – IT Infrastructure · Digikredit Finance Pvt Ltd

Mumbai, India

A fintech startup moving at startup speed — with banking-grade security holding the line.

▸Directed all IT infrastructure and technology strategy for digital lending operations under RBI fintech and NBFC IT regulations
▸Enforced a Security by Design checklist before provisioning — prevented 4 architectural vulnerabilities from reaching production
▸Led vendor selection and RFx across cloud, security and telecom — 20% cost reduction while raising the vendor security baseline

[ CH.05 ] — Dec 2022 – Feb 2024

Ground Zero

Senior Manager – IT Infrastructure · Pepper India Business Services Pvt Ltd

Mumbai, India

A UK-backed financial services firm entering India with no IT function at all. Fourteen months later: cloud-first architecture, a full policy framework, and a first external security audit passed with zero critical findings.

▸Built the entire IT infrastructure function from ground zero; Azure cloud-first architecture cut on-premise dependency by 60% at 99.9% uptime
▸Drafted all foundational security policies from scratch — the organization's first formal IT security structure
▸Architected all third-party API integrations with mutual TLS, API gateway controls and token-based authentication
▸Delivered IT infrastructure for 3 new office launches on time and under budget; stood up SOC monitoring and first VAPT

[ CH.06 ] — Feb 2024 – Nov 2024

Return to Banking

AVP – IT Infrastructure · MUFG Bank Ltd

Mumbai, India

Back inside a global bank — nine months, three audit cycles, zero major findings.

▸Managed end-to-end IT infrastructure for 500+ users across 4 branches; reduced MTTR by 35% through automation and monitoring
▸Implemented micro-segmentation, application-layer firewall rules and encrypted inter-segment traffic to cut lateral movement risk
▸Executed vendor renegotiations achieving 18% cost reduction on annual IT spend in the first quarter
▸Harmonized India infrastructure with global standards across Japan, US and APAC teams — zero repeat RBI observations

[ CH.07 ] — Nov 2024 – Present

The Present Chapter

AVP – IT Infrastructure · Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)

New Delhi, India

Leading all IT infrastructure strategy for SMBC India — hybrid cloud, data center, network and cybersecurity for 500+ users across 3 branches. Every workload designed with Zero Trust before deployment, never after.

▸Operationalized 12+ security policies aligned to RBI IT Master Direction and SMBC global security standards
▸Lead BCP/DR programs with quarterly drills — RPO < 4 hrs, RTO < 8 hrs, zero DR test failures since joining
▸Remediated 3 critical vulnerabilities ahead of the annual RBI IT audit — zero audit findings
▸Established FinOps discipline across AWS, Azure and GCP, reducing unplanned cloud spend by 22% in 6 months
▸Manage strategic vendor relationships with Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and cloud providers

THE ARSENAL

Nine disciplines, one structure.

Security by Design

Zero Trust ArchitectureThreat ModellingDefence-in-DepthMicro-segmentationCIS BenchmarksSecure SDLCAPI Security

Security by Policy

Security Policy AuthoringData GovernanceAccess Management PolicyVendor Security PolicyUser Awareness ProgramsAudit & Compliance

Cloud

AWSMicrosoft AzureGoogle Cloud PlatformCitrixVMwareVDIFinOps / Cost Governance

Cybersecurity

SIEMVAPTIAMDLPSOC OperationsCisco ASAJuniper FirewallEndpoint Protection

Networking

LAN / WANTCP/IPEIGRPOSPFMPLSCisco Routers & SwitchesQoSNetwork Segmentation

Servers & OS

Windows Server 2003–2022Red Hat LinuxActive DirectoryDNS / DHCPSQL ServerExchange

Storage & DR

IBM SANNAS (Buffalo, Thecus, Seagate)Symantec Exec BackupBCP / DR DesignRPO / RTO Management

Compliance

SOXPCI-DSSRBI IT Master DirectionITILISO 27001GDPRRegulatory Reporting

ITSM

ServiceNowWSUSFSRMSLA ManagementIT Asset ManagementChange & Incident Management

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAINING

Credentials

[01]
ITIL Foundation – IT Service Management
AXELOS
[02]
MCSE – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Microsoft
[03]
AWS, Azure & GCP Cloud Training
Completed
[04]
CCNA, CCNP, CISSP Training
Completed
[05]
Internet Security & Ethical Hacking
APPIN Technologies
[06]
Data Science Engineering
Simplilearn (In Progress)

EDUCATION

Foundations

MBA – Information Technology

Swami Vivekanand Subharti University

Diploma in Computer Science Engineering (3 Yrs)

RGITM

LANGUAGES

English — Professional · Hindi — Native

FINAL CHAPTER — OPEN CHANNEL

Initiate secure protocol.

Open to conversations on infrastructure strategy, security architecture, cloud transformation — or the next chapter.

sauravsinha1320@hotmail.com +91 9311688857

New Delhi, India

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