Gurunath M

Leading enterprise-wide IT infrastructure strategy and operations with direct accountability for ~33% of the bank’s IT budget and leadership of a 170+ hybrid workforce (on-roll + vendor staff). Represent the IT function in board meetings, strategic steering committees, and regulatory interactions—ensuring technology is aligned with business continuity, compliance, and transformation agendas. 🔹 Key Leadership Highlights: Core Banking Transformation (Finacle): Led infrastructure readiness, partner coordination, and phased execution for CBS migration—ensuring minimal risk and zero-impact rollout. Cloud Strategy & Execution: Spearheaded targeted cloud migrations (AWS, Azure, OCI) for core banking non-prod environments and infra components to enable agility and cost control. Infrastructure Modernization: Strengthened data center and branch connectivity, introduced redundancy, and optimized storage, compute, and virtualization (VMware, Nutanix). Cybersecurity & Resilience: Implemented advanced security controls including ZTNA, Cloud WAF, and VPN upgrades—enhancing threat defense and compliance posture. Cost Optimization: Delivered measurable OPEX savings through vendor renegotiations, lifecycle cost rationalization, and automation in infra operations. Strategic Governance & Risk Engagement: Active participant in CXO-level risk, audit, and compliance forums—ensuring regulatory alignment and infrastructure resilience. Leadership & Culture: Manage a 100+ member hybrid team; championed ownership, service accountability, and cross-team collaboration across IT operations.

Spearheading cross-functional technology strategy encompassing infrastructure, application delivery, and operations. Accountable for a third of the bank's IT budget and leadership of 170+ professionals. Actively engaged in board meetings and regulatory forums. Leadership Highlights: - Led Finacle CBS migration from infrastructure and delivery architecture through to execution. - Directed cloud transformation with migrations across AWS, Azure, OCI for CBS and business apps. - Strengthened security posture with modern architectures (SASE, Cloud WAF, VPN). - Oversaw end-to-end app lifecycle, ensuring uptime, incident response, SLA compliance. - Introduced DevOps workflows and agile releases across app portfolios. - Institutionalized automation for infra/app operations; improved efficiency and OPEX. - Built resilient data center operations including VMware, Nutanix, storage, endpoint and AD environments. - Represented IT in cross-functional strategic forums, risk and compliance governance bodies.

Key Roles: Program Management, Strategic leadership, Heading overall banking infrastructure function overseeing multiple verticals, Audit and compliance. Key Result Areas:  Improve the operational stability of the support teams.  Manage the overall IT Infra operations of the RBL and ensure its effective functioning.  Handling multiple teams of highly technical SMEs in IT Infra Management,  Managing mission critical Operations and keep the lights on 24x7x365. Operations / Technologies  Provide leadership for running 24- 7 mission critical operations. Offer stable services - Measure Improve uptimes and performance by way of Service Improvement Plans, Improvement of Service Management Processes or Technology Refresh. Establish metrics, key performance indicators, and service level agreements to continually improve.  Oversee Program/Project Deliveries across the function. Drive Timely and within Budget Project Deliveries.  Ensure comprehensive disaster recovery architecture is maintained and operations are in place to ensure compliance with required RPOs and RTOs during Business continuity events.  Handling Internal and External Systems Audit covering key areas Highlights:  Significantly reduced OPEX spends YoY by ~23% using various innovative techniques.  Focused on improving stability, was part of 3 member core team that executed an enterprise level program.  Drove first-in-org class automation initiatives that gave immediate results in terms of resource optimization, early warning systems, self healing, and right-first-time objectives  Drove the shift-left agenda and achieved phenomenal results. Was able to reduce ~15% of specialized technical FTC.  Heading the RTB and CTB function for Bank wide Infra function

Handling the complete IT operations for NSE Clearing functions.

Managing the overall IT Operations of NSE Clearing, handled the end to end operations of all applications in the vast area of Clearing and settlement along. In addition also handled the DBA, enterprise tooling and regulatory application functions. This job involved creating the strategic IT roadmap including transformational projects, sustained tactical governance and handling variety of additional functions including involving in steering committee decision making process, handling enterprise audits.

 Implemented the complete ITIL service lifecycle  Managing end to end product operations with 24 * 7 teams, shifts, extended hours, weekend working.  Managing multiple highly technical and specialized teams  Managing multiple clients and continuous analysis of QoS and best practices  Cost and revenue analysis, taking decisions for revenue maximization  Strategizing and implementing new processes and improving existing ones for better service delivery  Creating and implementing strategies for scaling up and down to meet demand and sizing capacity requirements  Implementing procedures for service continuity and information security  Governing Vendor management by build or buy decisions, vendor selection process,  Freezing contracts, SLA,OLA,QoS, measuring output, communication,  Responsible for scheduling, tracking and controlling Releases, providing inputs for product upgrades and operational UAT,  CAB go/no-go decisions, risk management, stakeholder communication,  Understanding the changes, analyzing test results, ensuring minimal unpredicted impact on the operations, appropriate stakeholder communication about the change and any known limitations,  Managing day to day operational activities by optimizing cost and quality, and enabling business to meet objectives by effective functioning of components  Enabling efficient incident and request fulfillment process, proactive early warning systems and update communication with key stakeholders  Involved in various senior management aspects of recruitment, retention, R&R, conflict resolution , expectation management, performance measurement, career development, planning trainings, mentoring the team  Managing senior management and client expectation by appropriate reporting and perception management

Activites : Implemented the complete service lifecycle Building and Managing a team of 18 including two direct reporting managers Executed projects and managed services of several projects on technologies like J2EE, Websphere, Sybase, Oracle, ETL, Unix Service governance, designing, transition and operations Determine, negotiate, document and adhere to SLAs Change control, break glass decisions Schedule management, Responsibility allocation, Effort estimation, resource loading and Scheduling Meeting required SLA, timeliness and accuracy of business reports; People and performance management, Conflict resolution Escalation procedures, continuous performance feedback, stakeholder management, Working with split multi-timezone team Early escalation, BCP, Disaster recovery planning, Call tree testing Plan and procure CIs as required like licenses, machines Providing leadership and focus to the team; mentoring them to achieve their aspirations. Achievements : Was awarded the “Best Team” award by CIO in 2009. Achieved very low talent turnover rate (0% in 2009) Rated in the top band in appraisal process Well appreciated and recommended by reporting and other interfacing managers (Linkedin) Hands-on working on Unix, Java, Perl, Sybase, Oracle, Unicenter, Control-M Increased supported applications count by over 60% with no addition to headcount Increased credibility of team by delivering complex deliverables, reducing onshore dependency, providing faster turnarounds, achieving near 0% SLA miss of critical applications, proactively fine tuning batches and monitoring scripts for reducing high priority tickets; reduced turnaround times for adhoc reports by more than 50% Improved quality of deliverables by creating application SMEs , increased knowledge sharing and appropriate documentation Improved profitability by absorbing additional functions Engaging team in interesting work, raising the bar, increasing employee work satisfaction

 Implemented the complete service lifecycle  Building and Managing a team of 18 including two direct reporting managers  Executed projects and managed services of several projects on technologies like J2EE, Websphere, Sybase, Oracle, ETL, Unix  Service governance, designing, transition and operations  Determine, negotiate, document and adhere to SLAs  Change control, break glass decisions  Schedule management, Responsibility allocation, Effort estimation, resource loading and Scheduling  Meeting required SLA, timeliness and accuracy of business reports;  People and performance management, Conflict resolution  Escalation procedures, continuous performance feedback, stakeholder management, Working with split multi-timezone team  Early escalation, BCP, Disaster recovery planning, Call tree testing  Plan and procure CIs as required like licenses, machines  Providing leadership and focus to the team; mentoring them to achieve their aspirations.

Managed various projects