Philip Martens

Network, Security, Cloud and AI Solutions Engineering

Secure Infrastructure Design, Cloud & Hybrid Architecture, Cybersecurity Engineering, AI Systems & Automation, Scalable Platform Operations

Focused on a holistic, security-first approach to modern IT challenges.

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I design and secure modern infrastructure at the intersection of networking, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI.

Security, Compliance, and Cloud Architecture

Design and implement security-first architectures aligned with NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Embed DevSecOps principles into CI/CD pipelines with continuous monitoring, policy enforcement, and audit readiness.
Architect hybrid and cloud-native environments that balance security, scalability, performance, and cost.

AI Systems, Agents, and Responsible Deployment

Design and operate local AI generation systems to maintain full control over data, privacy, and execution paths.
Build intelligent agents using open-source and custom frameworks with security, observability, and access control in mind.
Apply advanced prompt engineering and workflow design to improve reliability, accuracy, and contextual grounding.
Integrate identity, RBAC, DLP, and logging into AI-enabled systems to support safe enterprise adoption.

Change, Configuration, and Asset Governance

Apply disciplined change and configuration management to reduce operational risk and maintain system stability.
Implement policy-driven configuration and asset governance across on-premise, hybrid, and cloud environments.

Risk Management, Business Continuity, and Incident Response

Conduct risk assessments across infrastructure and AI systems with a focus on data exposure and resilience.
Design business continuity and disaster recovery strategies that are tested, measurable, and realistic.
Leverage SIEM, IDS/IPS, and forensic tooling for detection, response, and post-incident analysis.

Cloud Migration, Optimization, and Operations

Lead secure migrations using virtual machines, containers, SDNs, and cloud-native security controls.
Continuously optimize environments for performance, reliability, cost efficiency, and compliance.

Operating Systems, Platforms, and Principles

Experienced across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Microsoft 365, Azure, and AWS.
Strong emphasis on privacy legislation, secure development practices, and long-term maintainability.

I work best where systems matter, risk is real, and thoughtful design makes the difference. If you're building secure, intelligent, and scalable platforms, let's collaborate.

Sustainable technology isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about responsible innovation that protects data, people, and the systems we depend on.

Skills

General Skills

Cybersecurity engineering with an emphasis on threat modeling and risk reduction
Regulatory and compliance alignment: NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, GDPR, HIPAA
Cloud architecture across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, and Defender
Virtualization and container platforms including Proxmox, Hyper-V, Docker, and VMware
Penetration testing, vulnerability management, and remediation planning
AI deployment, prompt engineering, and secure agent development
Custom AI agent design using open-source frameworks and self-developed tooling
Data access control and identity-aware design for AI-enabled systems
DevSecOps practices with secure CI/CD pipelines
Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform, Bicep, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, and AWS serverless tooling
Programming and scripting: PowerShell, Bash, Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Logic Apps
Operating systems across Windows, Linux, Unix, macOS, Android, and WSL
Network engineering fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, VPNs, firewalls, VLANs, and segmentation

Education

Network design and implementation fundamentals
Windows Active Directory architecture and administration
Linux system administration and service management
Cisco-based network configuration and administration
Cloud and cybersecurity training programs
Microsoft Azure and AWS administration and security
Information systems governance and control frameworks
Business continuity planning and disaster recovery
Risk management and regulatory compliance
Vulnerability assessment and incident response processes
Database management and data handling fundamentals

Experience

Over 20 years working with enterprise and small-to-medium information systems
Providing onsite and remote systems support across diverse environments
Designing and operating cloud-native and hybrid infrastructure
Identity and access management across on-prem and cloud platforms
Designing secure remote access solutions for distributed teams
Designing and implementing generative AI solutions with security controls
Wireless ISP design and implementation
- Backbone-to-client premises architecture
- Tower site surveys and deployment planning
- Motorola Canopy-based wireless infrastructure
System failure recovery and root-cause analysis
Asset inventory management and technical documentation
Supporting government contract proposals and technical requirements
Data analysis to support operational and business decisions

Projects

My projects are grounded in hands-on work across networking, security, cloud, and automation, with a strong focus on building systems that translate cleanly from lab to real-world use. At the core is my personal homelab, built on a mix of NVIDIA and Intel GPUs with dedicated compute, storage, and networking, designed to mirror modern on-prem environments while integrating seamlessly with public cloud platforms. This hybrid approach allows me to prototype architectures locally, extend and validate them in Azure and AWS, and evaluate security, performance, and operational trade-offs under realistic constraints. The projects below highlight how these ideas come together across AI, infrastructure, and cloud-native engineering.

A practical, cost-aware engineering mindset: operating AI workloads under real-world constraints and redesigning network architectures that eliminated significant unnecessary spend - because systems should be efficient enough to pay for the people who run them.

AI

Local Implementation

Designing and deploying local AI workloads for text, image, audio, and video generation
On-device inference to maintain data privacy, sovereignty, and operational control
Implementing AI workloads across both NVIDIA and Intel GPU platforms
Performance tuning and resource management for mixed AI and non-AI workloads
Integrating AI services into existing applications and operational workflows
Evaluating emerging models and techniques with a focus on stability and safety
Applying security and compliance considerations to AI data flows and outputs

AI Agents and Workflows

Designing and implementing custom AI agents using open-source frameworks
Building from-scratch architectures emphasizing transparency and security
Automating tasks and workflows while maintaining strong data governance
Integrating local AI agents with cloud-based services where appropriate
Coordinating multi-agent systems for complex, multi-step problem solving
Applying prompt engineering techniques to improve accuracy, reliability, and safety

Security

Designing access controls for localized LLMs and AI services
Managing user permissions and secure interactions between agents
Integrating AI systems with RBAC, DLP, and audit-ready logging
Aligning AI workloads with privacy and data protection requirements
Performing vulnerability assessments and mitigation planning
Monitoring AI behavior for misuse, drift, or anomalous activity

Programming

Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform and Bicep for repeatable deployments
Using AI-assisted development environments to improve productivity and code quality
Front-end and automation scripting with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Logic Apps
Working across Linux and Windows toolchains (Git Bash, CLI, PowerShell, WSL)
Python scripting for automation, orchestration, and data analysis
Secure CI/CD workflows with GitHub for version control and collaboration
Containerized development environments for consistency across systems

Proxmox Hypervisor

Building and maintaining VM templates and containerized environments
Using provisioned systems for security testing and vulnerability assessment
Experimenting with rootful and rootless container security models
Designing network segmentation using VLANs and virtual switching
Implementing backup strategies and disaster recovery planning
Optimizing compute and storage resources for mixed workloads
Securing access through VPNs, firewalls, and network policy enforcement
Monitoring system health, performance, and availability
Automating deployment and maintenance workflows to reduce operational overhead

Microsoft Azure

Operating dual Azure subscriptions for experimentation and deployment
Managing resources via Azure Portal, Entra ID, CLI, PowerShell, and Bicep
Designing workloads using VMs, App Services, Functions, Logic Apps, and Storage
Implementing secure networking with VNets, NSGs, Azure Firewall, and VPN Gateway
Applying security controls using Defender, Sentinel, Key Vault, and Security Center
Managing identity and device posture with Azure AD, Conditional Access, and Intune
Guiding deployments using Secure Score and Identity Score
Monitoring, logging, and alerting with Azure Monitor
Managing cost, performance, and operational efficiency

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Deploying and managing EC2-based application workloads
Designing secure and scalable storage solutions using S3
Implementing IAM roles and policies following least-privilege principles
Configuring VPCs for network segmentation and isolation
Monitoring and logging using CloudWatch
Applying AWS security and cost-optimization best practices
Using Lambda for event-driven and serverless workflows
Deploying managed databases with RDS
Improving performance and availability using CloudFront
Protecting applications with AWS WAF

Contact Me

Interested in Working Together?

If you are looking to hire a seasoned professional with over 20 years of real-world experience designing, securing, and optimizing modern IT systems. From network architecture and cloud infrastructure to secure AI deployment and automation. I would love to hear from you. I focus on solutions that combine deep technical expertise with a security-first mindset, delivering reliable and scalable results tailored to your business goals. Whether you need help with cybersecurity strategy, cloud migration, AI integration, or complex system engineering challenges, let's connect and explore how I can support your success.

Please fill out the form below to email me directly. I am always open to new opportunities and collaborations.

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