Axelliant

I lead end-to-end Microsoft security architecture for global enterprise customers with a core focus on cloud-native Azure security, Microsoft 365 compliance, and zero trust enforcement at scale.

Operating at the intersection of strategy, architecture, and execution, I design and deliver secure Microsoft ecosystems that are AI-ready, regulation-aligned, and built to handle real-world complexity.

🛡️ Key Contributions & Impact:
• ✅ Reduced SOC alert fatigue by 61% via advanced tuning of Defender XDR and Sentinel rules
• ✅ Designed multi-region secure Azure Landing Zones for financial and public sector clients
• ✅ Delivered Copilot security enablement for two large tenants with zero data boundary violations
• ✅ Achieved ISO 27001 alignment using Azure Policy as Code + Microsoft Purview mapping
• ✅ Built hybrid security architecture with Private Link, VPN failover, and Firewall Premium
• ✅ Automated classification for 100K+ files using Purview + sensitivity labels
• ✅ Conducted strategic roadmap sessions with C-levels and board-facing stakeholders

Specialization Areas:

Cloud-Native Security (Defender for Cloud, Secure Score, CNAPP)

Microsoft Sentinel | Threat Detection | MITRE ATT&CK Framework

Entra ID Governance | PIM | CA Policies at Scale

Azure Governance (Policy, Tags, Blueprints, Management Groups)

Microsoft Purview | DLP | Compliance Center

Secure Copilot Deployment | AI Readiness Frameworks

At Axelliant, I don’t just implement Microsoft security, I define its architecture across multiple industries, ensuring clarity, resilience, and control from day one.

Microsoft Security Solutions Architect

Microsoft

As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), I deliver in-depth training on Microsoft technologies such as Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365. I develop tailored curriculam, facilitate hands-on labs, and prepare individuals for Microsoft certification exams. My role includes providing technical support, mentoring participants, and staying updated with the latest Microsoft advancements to ensure top-notch education and guidance.

Microsoft Certified Trainer

Royal Cyber Inc.

Implemented a Microsoft Zero Trust Security Model in the organization and
enhanced their security by 80%
• Developed and implemented comprehensive information security strategies, and
Compliance for best value proposition for the clients.
• Provided leadership as the subject matter expert for Microsoft security solutions,
providing guidance to clients and internal teams.
• Designed and implemented security architectures for on-premises and Azure
environments, focusing on Microsoft technologies.
• Leading a team for managing security incidents, risk assessments, security control,
implementation and strategies maximizing confidentiality, integrity, availability,
functionality, performance, and financial costs

Microsoft Security Lead

Dynamics Solution and Technology

Enabled 12 organizations to adopt Modern Workplace methodologies through
Microsoft Azure, EMS & M365
• Designed cost-effective and efficient architectures for complex scenarios by reducing
their expenditure to 25%
• Led successful project deliveries in the EU region.
• Worked in collaboration in 30 Pre-sales activities in the EU and US region

Microsoft Azure & Security Architect

TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE CONSULTING

•	Deployed Dynamics 365 FnO On-Premises and On-Cloud in 5 Organizations.
•	Performed security assessments with Microsoft Threat Analytics and implemented Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection and enhanced their security by 60%
•	Designed and Deployed availability sets for on-premises data centers to make them 100% highly available.
•	Designed and deployed complete Azure environments with Azure firewall, Hub & Spoke architecture, Azure Site Recovery and Azure VPNs for 10 clients

Enterprise Cloud & Security Lead

Techaccess Pakistan

•	Deployed Microsoft solutions for both On-Premises and in the Cloud, for 15 clients in the Central Region
•	Conducted security assessments and implemented security solutions in 3 major banks in the country to enhance their business processes.
•	Migrated 8 universities to Office 365.
•	Worked in collaboration for 6 RFP Tender and played a crucial role in Pre-Sales for
Microsoft projects

Microsoft Infrastructure Consultant

Plumz Studio

•	Developed 5 applications for Microsoft Windows Store using C# and XAML.
•	Managed App Store Optimization strategies to enhance product visibility and monetization and increased their revenue by 20%

Microsoft Apps Developer

Microsoft Security Architect | AI-Enabled Strategy | Building Global-Scale Microsoft Ecosystems

I don’t just build secure Microsoft environments, I design clarity and confidence for teams operating in high-stakes, high-trust environments.

From banks securing regulated workloads, to founders building SaaS platforms, to government teams navigating compliance, I’m trusted to architect Microsoft cloud infrastructures that stand up to scrutiny, scale, and stress.

My work lives at the intersection of:

•	Security that’s intentional, not reactive
•	Architecture that aligns with business, not just best practices
•	Compliance that enables innovation instead of restricting it

I specialize in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Defender, Sentinel, and Purview and I’ve led cloud transformations involving multi-tenant migrations, zero-trust enforcement, and global security posture design.

My goal isn’t to "deliver a solution."
My goal is to be the architect they call when the margin for error is zero and trust is the real deliverable.

100 Cybersecurity Tools and Their Uses in Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Analysis

Cybersecurity has evolved far beyond firewalls and antivirus tools.

 Today, organizations require strategic alignment between security controls, business risk, and regulatory expectations.

This is where GRC becomes essential:
Governance → Defines policies, responsibility, ownership, and accountability
Risk Management → Identifies and prioritizes threats based on business impact
Compliance → Ensures alignment with frameworks, laws, and customer trust obligations

Understanding the tools that strengthen each layer is now a core skill for security leaders, auditors, analysts, risk officers, and GRC practitioners.

Why This Matters
A company can invest millions in cybersecurity, yet remain vulnerable if:
Access is not governed
Privilege is not controlled
Data is not classified
Vendors are not assessed
Controls are not monitored
Evidence is not maintained

Security is not just about defense, it is about visibility, verification, and governance.

The Full List: 100+ Tools Categorized by GRC Function - Find attached

Every tool in the list has been mapped according to:
 ✔ Primary function
 ✔ Strength of utility
 ✔ Best usage scenario in real environments

This ensures that technology decisions support governance and business value, not just technical preference.

The Strategic Insight
The strongest organizations are no longer asking:
“What tools should we buy?”
They are asking:
“How do our tools support measurable governance, reduced risk, and provable compliance?”
This shift reflects a reality:
Cybersecurity is not a tool stack. It is a business operating discipline.

The future belongs to organizations that treat cybersecurity as a strategic business function, not an IT expense.

#CyberSecurity #GRC #RiskManagement #Compliance #Governance #InfoSec #CyberRisk #SecurityTools #DataProtection #CyberResilience #SecurityLeadership #CyberStrategy #RiskAssessment #SecurityCompliance #CyberAwareness #ISMS #CyberGovernance #SecurityFrameworks #TechRisk #CyberMaturity

Rana Usman Ahmad

Microsoft Security Architect | AI-Enabled Strategist | Building Global-Scale Microsoft Ecosystems

100 Cybersecurity Tools for Stronger GRC Frameworks

New Feature: Restore Deleted Cloud Security Groups in Microsoft Entra ID

For those managing Microsoft Entra environments — a small but powerful update dropped. You can now restore deleted cloud security groups directly from the Entra portal.

Previously, this recovery option was limited to Microsoft 365 groups — meaning a mistakenly deleted security group often required a full rebuild. Now, Entra gives admins up to 30 days to recover those deleted groups before permanent removal.

Why this matters:

Prevents downtime caused by accidental group deletions.

Protects access controls tied to apps, resources, and roles.

Simplifies recovery through the Deleted groups blade in Entra ID.

It’s the small updates like this that make a big difference in daily admin life. Fewer rebuilds, faster recoveries, and one more reason to appreciate how Entra keeps evolving.




#MicrosoftEntra
#IdentityManagement
#Intune
#EndpointManagement
#AzureAD
#ModernWork
#microsoftmentor

Are Passwords Evolving… or Just Getting Weirder? 

I saw a mug today that said your password now needs:
8 characters, upper/lowercase, a symbol, a hieroglyph, a haiku, a musical note, the feather of a hawk… and a drop of unicorn blood.

Honestly? Doesn’t even feel that far off anymore. 😂

But it got me thinking: even with all the cool new tech, passkeys, biometrics, passwordless logins the core issue hasn’t really changed.

People still want things to be easy.
Attackers still want things to be easier.
And companies still haven’t fully agreed on what “secure” actually means.

We’re moving in the right direction, for sure. Passwordless is exciting, MFA is (mostly) helping, and the tools are getting smarter. But the human side? Still a work in progress.

So yes, we’re heading toward a future without passwords…

…but until then, I’ll be over here sacrificing another mythical creature just to log in. 🦄🔑😅

#CyberSecurity #Passwordless #InfoSec #TechHumor #Authentication #DigitalIdentity

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🔥Zero Trust Architecture🔥

1️⃣ Identities
Strong identity security is at the heart of Zero Trust. Microsoft Entra ID secures identities with centralized authentication, Conditional Access, risk-based protection, and governance. Defender for Identity detects identity-based attacks using behavioral analytics and real-time alerts.

2️⃣ Zero Trust Policies
Microsoft Entra Conditional Access enforces risk-based access policies for apps and data, integrating device compliance, network location, and identity risk. Entra Internet & Private Access extends secure access to SaaS, on-premises, and private resources.

3️⃣ Endpoints
Endpoints are critical control points. Microsoft Intune ensures device compliance through mobile device/app management, while Defender for Endpoint delivers EDR, vulnerability management, and incident response across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

4️⃣ Data
Data is the crown jewel. Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Priva provide threat detection, data loss prevention, insider risk management, and information protection for email, documents, structured data, and more.

5️⃣ Apps
Defender for Cloud Apps and GitHub Advanced Security protect SaaS applications and DevSecOps workflows. Defender for APIs extends lifecycle protection to APIs—critical for modern app ecosystems.

6️⃣ Infrastructure & Network
Microsoft Defender for Cloud secures multi-cloud and hybrid workloads (Azure, AWS, GCP, on-premises) with XDR + CSPM capabilities. Azure Arc extends security and management to hybrid environments, while Azure Networking adds built-in firewalls and routing controls.

7️⃣ Modern Security Operations
Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM + SOAR) integrates with Defender XDR to provide unified detection, investigation, and response across endpoints, identities, email, SaaS, and infrastructure—powered by AI capabilities of Microsoft Security Copilot.

NEW: Microsoft Entra introduces soft deletion and restoration for cloud security groups!

This feature allows deleted groups to be restored within 30 days, preserving their settings, ownership, and membership, reducing the need to rebuild access models from scratch.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧:

Public preview: Rollout began in late in October 2025 and is expected to complete by early November 2025.

General availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in late February 2026 and is expected to complete by early March 2026.

hashtag

#Microsoft365 
#MicrosoftEntra

When half the internet broke today, we all felt the same thing

Confusion.
Refreshing the page.
Thinking our WiFi died.
Checking other apps.
Refreshing again.
Then finally seeing the news.
Cloudflare is down.

It is funny how one company having a rough morning can affect millions of people instantly.

But here is the part I kept thinking about today:

The internet feels huge. But behind the scenes, it runs on a very small number of critical pipes. And when one of those pipes gets blocked, the entire world feels it.


 What today reminded me
	•	Our systems look strong until one invisible dependency shakes
	•	Teams blame themselves first even when the issue is global
	•	People realise how fragile the internet actually is
	•	A simple traffic spike in the wrong place can create global chaos

We talk so much about cloud, resilience, high availability.
Yet almost none of us think about the services running under our services.

Today forced everyone to notice them.

 The human side:

It was interesting to watch how people reacted.
Some joked.
Some panicked.
Some got free time because half their tools were down.
Some companies probably had mini crises.
And some engineers were fighting fires on dashboards that were not even their fault.

This is the modern internet.
We depend on each other more than we realise.


 My takeaway

Today was a reminder that technology is powerful, but it is also human.
Engineers built it.
Engineers maintain it.
And sometimes, it breaks.

What matters is learning from it.
And building systems that expect failure, not fear it.


#Microsoft365 #AzureAD #InfoProtection #SensitivityLabels #DataSecurity #MicrosoftSecurity #CloudSecurity #Compliance #M365Admin #CyberSecurityTips #DefenderForCloud #DefenderForOffice365 #EnterpriseSecurity #ModernWorkplace #ZeroTrust #DataLossPrevention #DLP #AzureSecurity #CloudComputing #MicrosoftCloud #InfoSecCommunity

CodeRED emergency alert system CodeDEAD after INC ransomware attack

Towns and cities across the US are currently without access to the CodeRED emergency alert system following a cyberattack on vendor Crisis24. The INC ransomware group claimed responsibility, compromising names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and passwords of users.

Municipalities have had to resort to alternative alert methods, including social media and door-to-door notifications, while Crisis24 works to bring a new, fully audited and secured platform online. Residents are strongly advised to change their CodeRED passwords and ensure credentials aren’t reused elsewhere.

While Crisis24 confirms the attack was limited to CodeRED and no other systems are compromised, this incident underscores the growing threat of ransomware targeting critical public safety infrastructure. Proactive cybersecurity measures are now more important than ever.

#CyberSecurity #Ransomware #CodeRED #PublicSafety #CrisisManagement #InfoSec #CyberAwareness

Pro tip for anyone about to roll out Microsoft Security Copilot:

Before you switch it on everywhere… disable automatic Incident Summary generation.
(Or limit it to High severity only.)

Why?

SCUs burn fast.

Example:
A company with 1,000 M365 E5 licenses receives 400 SCUs total
which means only ~0.5 SCU per hour available.
Yet Incident summaries alone cost 0.11 SCU each.

If you let every alert auto-summarize, you’ll drain your SCUs before analysts even get value from the system.

My recommendation:
	1.	Prioritize SCUs for Security Copilot Agents
That’s where you gain true operational advantage.
	2.	Use Sentinel & Defender MCP servers
for LLM-powered contextual queries through VS Code or Copilot Studio Agents.

Start with intentional usage.
Scale up only when the numbers make sense.

Smart configuration = maximum value.

Data Protection Impact Assessments are evolving.

With the DPDP Rules 2025, organizations can no longer treat DPIAs as a checkbox. They must now become integrated, continuous, and risk-driven governance practices.

To make it easier for privacy and security teams, I mapped out a complete DPIA structure aligned with DPDP 2025 requirements. It includes:

• Context and scope of processing
• Legal & regulatory basis
• Data mapping & architecture
• Purpose, necessity, proportionality
• Risk identification and impact on data principals
• Controls & safeguards (technical + organizational)
• Residual risk evaluation
• Governance, approvals, and accountability
• Documentation & reporting
• Integration with enterprise cybersecurity frameworks

Why this matters:
	1.	Regulatory obligations under DPDP enforce lawful basis + minimization
	2.	High-risk processing demands auditable risk controls and remediation
	3.	Businesses must embed DPIAs into SDLC, vendor onboarding, and change management
	4.	Personal and children’s data brings enhanced safeguards and oversight

Whether you are redesigning your data governance model, preparing for regulatory audits, or scaling privacy engineering practices, this DPIA framework helps move organizations from compliance on paper to compliance in action.

If you want the editable version to use internally with your teams, feel free to reach out.

AI isn’t inherently smart. What it does best is reflect the way we think.

Two people can be given the same AI prompt and get completely different results:
One finds clarity and actionable insight.
One ends up confused and stuck.
Why the difference? It’s not about technical skill. It’s about how clearly they think.

AI mirrors:
Your assumptions
Your logical structure
Your decision-making patterns
Your communication style

The most effective users of AI aren’t always the most technical, they’re the ones who already think clearly and systematically.
The takeaway: mastering AI isn’t just about learning tools, it’s about refining your own thinking to get the most value.

 How do you see clear thinkers leveraging AI in your organization?

#ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AIMindset #Productivity #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #FutureOfWork #TechLeadership #AIinBusiness #MachineLearning

AI Mirrors Thought, Not Skill

What I really like about this guide is that it moves the conversation away from “checklists” and toward end-to-end thinking, gateway patterns, identity flows, authZ depth, abuse controls, and how OWASP API Top 10 maps to real platforms.

In reality, APIs fail where teams assume:
 • the gateway is enough
 • OAuth = security
 • rate limits = abuse protection
 • microservices magically pass identity correctly

They don’t.
 Security has to be designed across every hop, every trust boundary, and every integration.

This guide does a solid job of showing that API security is not a single control, it’s an ecosystem.

Strong share.

#APISecurity #CyberSecurity #ZeroTrust #CloudSecurity #InfoSec #DevSecOps #IdentitySecurity #APIManagement #CloudArchitecture #OWASP #SecurityEngineering #MicrosoftAzure #TechLeadership

Global Cybersecurity Leader | Innovating for Secure Digital Futures | Trusted Advisor in Cyber Resilience

🚀 End-to-End API Security: From Gateway to OWASP Top 10 (Free Guide) 🔐

APIs are now the backbone of digital business — but they also expand your attack surface with every new integration, partner, and mobile app you expose. This End-to-End API Security guide walks through how to design, deploy, and operate secure web service APIs, step by step. 

🧠 Key Topics Covered

API Gateway Pattern – Central point for routing, auth, rate limiting, and threat protection.
Strong Authentication Options – Basic auth pitfalls, OAuth 2.0 grant types, OIDC, API keys, and mutual TLS.
Granular Authorization – RBAC, XACML, OPA, and Speedle+ for policy-driven access control.
Abuse & DoS Protection – Smart rate limiting strategies to throttle abusive clients without breaking UX.
API Protection Controls – CORS hardening, bot detection, malicious payload filtering, data masking/redaction, and fraud detection patterns.
Security Context Propagation – Passing identity and authorization data safely across microservices.
OWASP API Security Top 10 – How each risk maps to real-world API designs and how to mitigate them.

🎯 Ideal for:
API security engineers, platform teams, architects, and anyone building large-scale API programs who needs a practical, end-to-end view rather than isolated checklists.

📥 Want the End-to-End API Security PDF with diagrams, examples, and control patterns?
Drop a 🔐 in the comments or DM me, and I’ll share the link.

#APISecurity #ZeroTrust #OAuth #OIDC #DevSecOps #Microservices #CloudSecurity #OWASP #InfoSec #CyberSecurity

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