Abhijit Deshpande
IT & Information Security Leader
An adaptable leader with 27-plus years of rich experience strategizing IT infrastructure and
Information Security at the global level. Specifically- designed, implemented & supported IT
Operations, IT Enabled Services, and Information Security across multiple geographies globally,
across varied industry domains, viz. BFSI, Insurance, Supply Chain Management, Professional
Services, Education, etc. I enjoy being a people leader.
Contact
Phone
-
Email
-
Address
303, Khadge's Orchard, Near Manohar Vihar,
I have driven areas like Digital Transformation, Cloud strategy, Risk Management, Threat
Management, Security engineering, Cyber Security, Enterprise architecture, compliance & Audits,
Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Budgets, IT Service Management, etc.
A hands-on person with implementations, support, and management of Hybrid Cloud
environments, large corporate networks, numerous security solutions, Unified Collaboration &
enterprise call centers, etc.
I enjoy being a people leader; have built, mentored, and developed dynamic teams that have solved
numerous business problems, delivered exceptional value, and met organizational goals,
consistently.
Experience
Hazaripahad, Nagpur 440007
July 2022 - Present
Wipro Limited | Pune
LinkedIn
Principal Consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijit-cdeshpande/
Education
Successfully managed multiple transformation and/or technology implementation/migration
projects for large enterprises in the Middle East, European Union as well as ANZ regions.
Driven Cloud & Infrastructure Security practice initiatives for the Middle East region,
including revenue growth, practice support, Project Delivery, RFP Responses, Delivery
Assurance, Resource Management, Skill and capability upliftment, etc.
1997
Dip. Electronics & Telecommunication
Board of Technical Education, Mumbai
Expertise
IT Strategy, Infrastructure Planning
Digital Transformation & Cloud Strategy
Information Security Management
Jan 2021 - June 2022
InfoCepts Technologies Pvt. Ltd | Nagpur
Chief Information Security Officer
I transitioned into a full-time role as CISO for the global org, with a strong focus on enabling &
supporting businesses to meet stringent customer requirements of Information Security &
Data Privacy. Successfully certified and sustained ISO 27001 and multiple compliances like
GDPR, HIPAA, NIST, PDPA, CCPA, etc. as applicable in different geographies globally.
Defined InfoSec roadmap and budget and enabled businesses to go after additional markets
that demand stringent Information Security & Data Privacy practices. Architected effective IT
& Information Security framework to support "Virtual ODC" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Core responsibilities also included program & stakeholder management of all key initiatives.
Cloud Security
Privacy Compliances (GDPR, PDPA,
CCPA, DPDPA), etc.
July 2017 - Dec 2020
InfoCepts Technologies Pvt. Ltd | Nagpur
Technology Migration & Adoption
Head - IT & Chief Information Security Officer
Consulting
Played dual global roles of Head-IT and CISO. I have strategized & transformed IT from a
support function to a business enabler & a revenue-earning function, globally. Through
massive cross-skilling initiatives built the team on multiple technologies. Established Security
Operations Center, IT, and Information Security Practices and successfully delivered client
projects in Southeast Asia. Successfully engineered high-performance, and highly resilient
hybrid IT infrastructure & services for a global user base. Implemented and managed Multiple
Offshore Development Centres for large global MNCs, and maintained compliances.
Established information security & data privacy culture in the organization. Successfully
implemented DR and BCP for InfoCepts.
Program & Project Management
People Management
Collaboration & Call Center
Offshore Development Center
Contract Management
Budget Management
Certifications
Palo Alto
CYBERFORCE: Defender
PSE Prisma Cloud Associate
Microsoft
Azure Data Fundamentals
(DP-900)
Security, Compliance, and
Identity Fundamentals
(SC-900)
Azure Fundamentals
(AZ-900)
Technologies
Microsoft
M-365, Azure, Windows Server,
Mar 2011 - Jun 2017
InfoCepts Technologies Pvt. Ltd | Nagpur
Manager IT
Functionally, served as Head of IT at InfoCepts. Successfully transformed IT from a support
function to a business enabler and a revenue-earning function. Designed & Implemented highperformance and resilient IT Infrastructure for all facilities of InfoCepts across India to
support business operations & enable growth. Cost-optimized Internal Systems & cloud
environment. Defined, Implemented, and sustained, Information Security framework using
ISO 27001. Using open source solutions, designed, implemented & supported enterprise
voice, consisting of 700+ conference bridges globally. Successfully Delivered multiple IT &
Security implementation projects in the South East Asia region, for InfoCepts. 100%
Compliance with client ODCs & instituted periodic audits. Built Team through marathon
cross-skilling initiatives on multiple BI technologies.
Oct 2009 - Mar 2011
Ebix | Nagpur
IT Head - India
Managed Pan-India IT operations for Ebix. Streamlined IT support function of Ebix and
acquired companies, integrated networks and systems across Ebix and acquired companies,
and aligned new teams and India IT to Global IT initiatives. Ensured compliance of erstwhile
SAS-70, SoX, ISO 27001, QMS, Tick-IT, and other certifications. Aligned new acquisitions
from an IT perspective, and supported Centralized IT systems and applications, Infrastructure,
and Information Security initiatives. Restructured IT Operations for efficient pan-India
operations.
Active Directory, Exchange,
Nov 2003 - Sep 2009
Premier Technology Group Private Limited | Nagpur
Defender, SharePoint, Lync,
Head - MIS
Skype for Business, Federation
Managed support to the entire IT, Information Security, and ITES Infrastructure, NOC, and
Call Centre. Implemented a solution for multi-location source code management that saved
200 Hours/day for India-based associates, while also ensuring effective DR out of multiple
locations. Designed and implemented IT infrastructure for the new facility and carried out IT
migration in record time. Successfully implemented ISO 27001, Disaster Recovery and
Business Continuity Site. Restructured IT and Telecom infrastructure to achieve high
resiliency, optimal usage, and cost optimization. Designed & Implemented a call center to
support a global product user base.
Services, Sentinel, Threat
Management Gateway,
Unix
RHEL, SUSE, HP-UX, Solaris,
Ubuntu, CentOS
Security & Networking
Palo Alto, Checkpoint, Cisco,
Fortinet, pfSense, IPTables,
Motorola, Nortel, Extreme
Language
English
Mar 2000 - Nov 2003
AFL PVT LTD | Mumbai
Asst. Manager - Technical Services (Corporate IT)
Designed, Implemented, and supported a network spanning more than 3000 nodes and 125+
Leased lines that served the core business systems and enterprise voice at AFL. Managed
enterprise security. Implemented Enterprise Security Manager, firewalls, IDS/IPS, and
endpoint security solutions. Successfully implemented Lotus Notes solution for pan India
users (1000). Successfully certified on ISO 27001 and Implemented DR for critical business
applications. Drove multiple technical / evaluation projects leading to subsequent adoption,
and case studies with OEM.
Hindi
Nov 1999 - Mar 2000
CMS Computers Limited | Mumbai
Marathi
Senior Engineer
Performed server administration, and supported network and IT helpdesk for a leading bank
located in South Mumbai. A key player in Y2K readiness to ensure a smooth transition of
endpoints and servers. Integrated Novell Netware, IBM SAA gateway, and OS2 for a unified
associate experience while accessing core banking systems. Managed 32 bank branches
across India for IT helpdesk support.
May 1997 - Nov 1999
ADCC Research & Computing Centre Pvt. Ltd. | Nagpur
Network Specialist
Designed and implemented IT infrastructure at the new facility, and managed servers &
applications. Provided IT infrastructure support to its clients in the region.