Kyle Hardiman

Cloud and Infrastructure Engineer with 7+ years of experience building, automating, and operating production platforms across Azure and hybrid environments. Focused on Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD pipeline design, platform reliability, and observability for business-critical workloads. Experienced in provisioning and managing GPU-accelerated compute, designing automated image and artifact pipelines, and building self-service infrastructure patterns that reduce operational overhead and deployment risk. Proven ability to partner across engineering, security, and operations teams to deliver scalable, compliant, and cost-efficient cloud platforms.

In Progress: AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) | Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) | Terraform Associate 004

Cloud & Virtualization: Azure (IaaS / PaaS / SaaS), Azure Virtual Desktop, HPC / GPU Compute (NV-series, H-series), Microsoft 365, VMware, Hyper-V

Containers & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes (CKA in progress), Helm, Container Registries

Infrastructure as Code: Terraform (modules, remote state, drift detection), Bicep, ARM Templates, GitOps workflows

CI/CD & DevOps: Azure DevOps Pipelines, GitHub Actions, YAML pipelines, artifact versioning, release gating

Automation & Scripting: PowerShell, Bash, Python, Azure CLI, Azure Functions, Logic Apps

Identity & Zero Trust: Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA, RBAC, ADDS, Privileged Identity Management

Networking & Security: VNets, NSGs, Private Endpoints, Application Gateway, VPN, Palo Alto, Zscaler

Observability & Reliability: Azure Monitor, Log Analytics (KQL), Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, CrowdStrike, SolarWinds, Auvik

Backup & DR: Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, Veeam, automated failover runbooks

Endpoint Management: Intune, SCCM, JAMF, Packer-based image pipelines

Cloud Operations Engineer - ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, Southfield, MI

November 2025 – Present

• Design, deploy, and operate enterprise Azure Virtual Desktop environments including host pools, application groups, session hosts, and FSLogix profile containers, supporting secure virtual desktop access for 1,000+ users.
• Own the end-to-end CI/CD pipeline for gold image lifecycle management across development, staging, and production deployment rings, ensuring consistent, tested, and compliant image releases with zero-downtime rollouts.
• Author and maintain reusable Terraform and Bicep modules to provision and configure Azure infrastructure and AVD components, enforcing drift detection and policy compliance through automated plan reviews.
• Administer core Azure infrastructure including Virtual Machines, Storage Accounts, Entra ID, and Network Security Groups, managing capacity planning and cost optimization across resource groups.
• Automate image creation, patching, provisioning, and lifecycle operations using PowerShell, Packer, ARM templates, and Intune, reducing manual intervention by over 60% and accelerating deployment cadence.
• Build and maintain observability dashboards in Azure Monitor and Log Analytics using KQL queries to track AVD session health, latency, and error rates, enabling proactive incident detection and faster mean time to resolution.
• Collaborate with Networking, Security, Microsoft 365, and Service Desk teams to deliver secure, optimized virtual desktop operations and drive platform reliability improvements.
• Improve platform stability through FSLogix tuning, Group Policy optimization, and continuous refinement of image configurations, reducing user-impacting incidents by 30%.
• Maintain runbooks, architectural documentation, and incident postmortems to support operational excellence and knowledge transfer across the infrastructure team.

Systems Administrator - OHM Advisors, Livonia, MI

May 2025 – November 2025

• Engineered and managed Azure Virtual Desktop environments with autoscaling, Conditional Access, and FSLogix profile management for engineering teams running compute-intensive CADD and GIS workloads.
• Provisioned GPU-accelerated and HPC-optimized VM families (NV-series, H-series) to deliver low-latency rendering, large-model handling, and parallel compute for AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and ArcGIS.
• Developed advanced autoscaling logic using Azure Monitor metrics, custom KQL queries, and queue-based triggers to dynamically scale GPU/HPC nodes based on utilization thresholds and session concurrency.
• Reduced HPC compute costs by 35% through predictive scaling policies, schedule-based power management, and ephemeral session host strategies while maintaining SLA-grade availability.
• Designed and deployed Azure IaaS architectures (VNets, NSGs, subnets, VMs) using reusable Terraform modules with remote state management in Terraform Cloud, enabling consistent and repeatable environment provisioning.
• Built automated disaster recovery workflows using Azure Backup and Site Recovery, establishing RPO/RTO targets and validating failover procedures through quarterly DR drills.
• Automated Microsoft 365 licensing, resource tagging, and compliance reporting using PowerShell and Azure Functions, eliminating manual reconciliation processes.
• Developed Logic Apps for document approval workflows, SharePoint/Outlook automation, and cross-system event-driven integrations.

Cloud Security Engineer - Michigan Milk Producers Association, Novi, MI

January 2025 – May 2025

• Planned and executed enterprise AVD deployments with role-based access controls, custom scaling policies, and automated image management pipelines.
• Enforced Zero Trust architecture using Conditional Access, MFA, and policy-driven controls, reducing cloud attack surface by 60% as measured by Microsoft Secure Score improvement.
• Built Terraform modules for VNets, NSGs, Key Vault, RBAC assignments, and workload deployments, with remote state management and locking via Terraform Cloud.
• Led migration of on-premises SQL workloads to Azure SQL with elastic performance scaling, achieving compliance alignment and 99.95% availability.
• Created event-driven automation using Logic Apps and Power Automate for security monitoring, alert triage, and remediation workflows, reducing manual response time by 45%.
• Developed Power BI dashboards providing real-time visibility into cloud security posture, resource utilization, and compliance metrics for executive and engineering stakeholders.
• Integrated Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Sentinel SIEM, and CrowdStrike EDR across hybrid environments, establishing centralized threat detection and response.

ODSP Engineer - Microsoft, Redmond, WA

April 2024 – January 2025

• Delivered premier escalation engineering support for SharePoint Online and OneDrive across a fleet of 500,000+ sites, maintaining 95% SLA resolution rate on critical production incidents.
• Diagnosed and resolved complex platform issues spanning authentication, sync, permissions, and storage at scale, reducing OneDrive sync error rates by 15% through Group Policy tuning and configuration optimization.
• Integrated SharePoint and OneDrive with Teams, Outlook, and Power Automate, reducing cross-platform workflow interruptions by 20% and improving end-user productivity.
• Authored internal documentation, troubleshooting guides, and runbooks that reduced onboarding ramp time by 25% for new engineers joining the support organization.
• Ensured platform compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and internal governance controls through audit reviews, policy enforcement, and remediation tracking.

Systems Engineer - Brightline Technologies, Brighton, MI

July 2022 – April 2024

• Led client infrastructure modernization by migrating workloads from VMware-based data centers into Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft 365 Cloud PC environments, enabling cloud-first operations for 300+ users with 98% adoption.
• Designed AVD architectures including host pools, custom images, FSLogix profile containers, and network segmentation tailored to varied client compliance and performance requirements.
• Implemented Intune compliance and configuration policies for 500+ endpoints, reducing security vulnerabilities by 25% and standardizing device onboarding across client tenants.
• Automated routine infrastructure tasks with PowerShell, Bash, and Python scripts, decreasing operational overhead by 40% and freeing engineering time for higher-value platform work.
• Optimized Azure resource consumption through reserved instances, right-sizing, and governance policies, generating $50K per year in savings across managed client environments.
• Administered hybrid identity environments across Azure AD and on-premises Active Directory, reducing access-related incidents by 15% through improved sync and policy configurations.
• Maintained 100+ Hyper-V and VMware ESXi hosts with proactive patching, capacity monitoring, and performance tuning, improving overall uptime by 20%.

Senior Operations Agent - PDI Security and Network Solutions, Commerce, MI

October 2021 – July 2022

• Resolved 200+ technical issues monthly spanning hardware, software, networking, and security, achieving a 95% first-contact resolution rate.
• Managed incident lifecycle through ServiceNow from triage to resolution, maintaining 98% SLA compliance across all support tiers.
• Configured and managed 500+ endpoints using SCCM, Intune, and JAMF, reducing deployment times by 30% through standardized imaging and provisioning processes.
• Deployed and provisioned Windows and Linux server and desktop environments with zero-downtime implementation, reducing setup errors by 15%.
• Managed patch distribution across 500+ devices, achieving 100% compliance with security update schedules and reducing known vulnerabilities by 20%.

Field Service Technician / IT Support - Mobile Communications America, Troy, MI

November 2020 – October 2021

• Served as primary subject matter expert for WatchGuard body-worn and in-car camera systems, handling full lifecycle deployment, integration, and support.
• Led installation and configuration of on-premises WatchGuard Evidence Server environments, including storage provisioning, system hardening, and retention policy setup.
• Integrated Evidence Server with Azure Active Directory for user authentication, role-based access, and audit compliance.
• Delivered hands-on training for officers and administrative staff covering camera operation, evidence upload workflows, and end-user troubleshooting procedures.

M.S. in Computer Science, AI & Machine Learning - Western Governors University

2026 – 2027

B.S. in Cloud Computing - Western Governors University

2022 – 2025

A.A.S. in Cyber Security - Oakland Community College

2020 – 2022