Sunil Lale

Manager - Architect - Information Security & IT Governance @ Cosmos Co-Operative Bank Ltd.

About

As a Senior IT Infrastructure Manager and Security Application Owner in the banking sector, I oversee the critical systems that sustain financial operations. With a deep background spanning Data Center Management, Server Operations, and Desktop Management—complemented by CISA, CISM, and CRISC certifications — I specialize in building resilient, compliant, and high-performing IT ecosystems. The Scope of My Expertise: I lead end-to-end infrastructure strategies. This includes managing complex data center operations, overseeing enterprise-level server environments, and serving as a Security Application Owner to ensure robust defense layers across the organization. Whether I am executing core banking migrations or optimizing desktop infrastructure, my focus is always on scalability and security. The Problems I Solve: I bridge the gap between technical complexity and regulatory necessity. I mitigate risk by implementing CIS benchmarks across diverse OS environments and ensure complete audit readiness for high-pressure reviews, such as RBI audits. By aligning infrastructure management with IT governance, I remove the bottlenecks that hinder digital transformation. Why I’m Valuable: I provide a 360-degree view of IT operations. I don’t just manage hardware and software; I own the security and stability of the infrastructure. From optimizing Oracle database performance to securing enterprise communications, I ensure that every layer of the technology stack is fortified and optimized for the demands of modern banking.

Country

India

City

Pune City

Industry

Banking

Skill

Endpoint & Network Security, Privileged Access Management, BCP & Disaster Recovery, ISO 27001 & PCI DSS, Regulatory Frameworks (RBI), IT Audit & Compliance

Experience

Manager - Architect - Information Security & IT Governance

Cosmos Co-Operative Bank Ltd.

2023-1 - Present · 3 yrs 9 mos

Pune District, Maharashtra, India

Regulatory & Audit Leadership: Directed comprehensive preparation and execution for stringent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) system audits, achieving 100% compliance across all regulatory mandates within strict deadlines. Framework & Compliance Implementation: Spearheading the ISO 27001:2022 implementation for enterprise Data Centre operations. Designed and deployed Information Security policies and SOPs aligned with RBI Cyber Security Frameworks. Enterprise Security Hardening: Enforced strict infrastructure security by deploying Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and executing rigorous CIS Benchmark hardening across diverse OS environments, including Windows Server, RHEL, and AIX. Security Architecture Rollout: Architected the enterprise-wide deployment of critical security layers, including SentinelOne EDR, Cisco secure gateways, Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), and ManageEngine Desktop Central (governing DLP, patch management, and BitLocker encryption). Threat & Resilience Management: Orchestrated the BCP program lifecycle and disaster recovery (DR) testing, minimizing RTO/RPO deviation. Optimized enterprise email security architectures and led vulnerability management to proactively mitigate emerging threats.

Key Project Manager- Architect – IT Security Infrastructure

Cosmos Co-Operative Bank Ltd.

2019-4 - 2022-12 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Pune District, Maharashtra, India

Zero Trust Architecture: Engineered a Zero Trust network environment, mitigating lateral movement risks and enhancing defense-in-depth through VMware NSX micro-segmentation. Database Migration & Optimization: Managed the zero-downtime, secure migration of Core Banking and Internet Banking databases from Oracle 12c to 19c. Executed advanced Oracle database performance tuning—including strategic index rebuilding and parallel queries—to maximize transaction throughput and efficiency. Identity & Access Governance: Secured administrative access to critical infrastructure by deploying ARCON Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and fortifying Active Directory (via AD Manager and AD Audit). Endpoint & Remote Security: Deployed VMware Workspace ONE (MDM) and VDI to securely scale remote workforce access. Slashed the organizational attack surface by deploying Deep Security for server workloads and orchestrating comprehensive endpoint patching.

System Administrator & Security Consultant

Cosmos Co-Operative Bank Ltd.

2011-1 - 2019-3 · 8 yrs 3 mos

Pune District, Maharashtra, India

Core Banking Infrastructure: Led the administration, load balancing, and secure transaction processing for the Finacle CBS environment. Spearheaded complex upgrade initiatives, including major migrations to Finacle version 10.2.17, directing cross-functional IT teams through high-pressure, late-night deployment cycles. Data Centre & DR Orchestration: Architected a high-availability virtualization strategy, consolidating 100+ applications on VMware and 400+ desktops via VDI. Successfully orchestrated a zero-data-loss Data Centre migration encompassing physical servers, SAN storage, and security hardware. Statutory Compliance Auditing: Conducted rigorous system and security audits for client banks, delivering strategic roadmap observations to upgrade their Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) and ensure strict statutory compliance. Data Privacy & Systems Hardening: Engineered a custom Linux-based automation system for generating password-protected bank statements to meet stringent data privacy regulations. Hardened the infrastructure footprint by migrating vulnerable legacy Windows servers to a secure Linux architecture.