Herson Cruz

Tech Lead | Senior Cybersecurity Consultant | Senior Software Engineer

Summary

With a robust engineering career beginning in 2006 and foundational experience in information technologies dating back to 1998, I have cultivated deep expertise across the full software development lifecycle, with a strong focus on cybersecurity and technical leadership. My professional journey commenced as a software analyst and developer, where I honed my skills in requirements gathering, process analysis, and secure-by-design engineering. I have excelled in directing cross-functional teams, designing robust microservices architectures, and deploying secure IT solutions tailored for financial institutions, NGOs, and government entities. I possess extensive experience in strategic planning in cybersecurity, information security controls, and executing comprehensive technical audits.

My technical toolkit includes a diverse range of programming languages, databases, and cloud platforms (AWS Certified Solutions Architect). I have demonstrated versatility and leadership in roles such as Systems Administrator, Tech Lead, and Security Consultant. As a seasoned professional, I ensure compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 and implement robust defensive strategies. My contributions have been marked by stellar performance in architecting secure infrastructures, automating cloud deployments, leading agile teams, and establishing continuous security monitoring.

Education

  • Universidad de El Salvador (1998 - 2006)
    System Engineer, Information Technology
  • Universidad Europea del Atlántico (2018 – 2020)
    Master’s Degree in Strategic Management of IT

Professional Experience

TELUS Digital (Nov 2024 - Present)
CCaaS Apps Development Admin IV

  • Architect and deploy secure Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) environments, enforcing stringent data privacy and compliance standards.
  • Develop advanced conversational AI workflows and scalable serverless application architectures leveraging AWS Connect, Amazon Bedrock, AWS Lambda, and DynamoDB.
  • Drive rapid technical innovation by leading Proof of Concepts (POCs) for secure integrations across Five9 and Twilio platforms.
  • Establish best practices around high availability, continuous infrastructure security, and zero-trust automations within enterprise communication channels.

Technology Stack: AWS Connect, Amazon Bedrock, AWS Lambda, Serverless, Five9, Twilio, Python.

UST-Xpanxion (2021 - 2023)
Senior Software Engineer

  • Led tech and solutions engineering for Ruby back-end order processing systems.
  • Conducted requirements gathering, analysis, and design of architecture for features and fixes.
  • Maintained and troubleshot the Azure platform.
  • Designed and architected microservices with Azure technologies.
  • Supported mobile and web developers and coordinated feature development.
  • Developed Python scripts for Azure data processing.

Technology Stack: Linux, PostgreSQL, Ruby, MySQL, TypeScript, Python, Azure, JavaScript, Redis, DynamoDB.

Datolab LLC (2021 - Present)
Founder & Tech Lead

  • Led tech and solutions engineering for e-learning, e-commerce, and mobile development projects.
  • Defined strategies and developed services.
  • Integrated platforms with RESTful APIs and secured authentication using SAML, OAuth1/2, and AD Federation with cloud providers.
  • Implemented advanced LTI 1.1/1.3 projects for seamless content delivery to students.
  • Provided level 3 support and maintained the stack.
  • Developed electronic invoicing with digital signature and encryption.

Technology Stack: FreeBSD, Apache, MariaDB & PHP, AWS, Django, Ruby on Rails, SQL Server, AWS CLI.

Mallow Technologies (2014 - 2021)
Project Manager from MVP to Production

  • Created customized goal plans and integrated external APIs to track user progress.
  • Upgraded stacks including unit and functional tests.
  • Developed individual rewards-based systems and redeem rewards pages.

Technology Stack: Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails, Django, Webpack, React, AWS Cloudfront, Nginx, AuroraDB, DynamoDB, Dojo.

Multisistemas e Inversiones (2011 - 2021)
General Manager and Main Consultant

  • Led strategic planning and management, client relationship management, and IT consulting projects.
  • Managed e-learning platforms, e-government, and information security projects.
  • Administered AWS organizations with custom policies.

Technology Stack: Nginx, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails, Java, Linux, Apache, AuroraDB, Python (Django, Flask), PHP (Laravel, Lumen, Symfony), Ionic, TypeScript, jQuery.

Paradiso Solutions (2010 - 2018)
Senior Full-Stack Developer

  • Developed software using Python (Django, Flask, Wagtail) and Java frameworks (Struts, Hibernate, Play, JSF, Spring, Dojo).
  • Worked with Ruby frameworks (Rails, Sinatra, Goliath, Padrino) and PHP frameworks (CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Symfony, Laravel, FuelCMS, Joomla, Nooku, Drupal, WordPress).
  • Expert in Moodle: support, migration, implementation, plugins development, filters, themes, and modules.
  • Managed platform migrations between cloud providers and server management for Windows/Linux/Unix databases.

Technology Stack: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Python, Ruby, AWK, Jenkins, Vanilla.js.

Inversiones Energéticas (2008 - 2009)
Network and Database Administrator

  • Organized the IT department and administered databases with Oracle (ASM), SQL Server, and MySQL.
  • Implemented helpdesk platforms for support tickets and IT assets management.
  • Developed websites and intranets with Plone and Joomla.

Technology Stack: Windows Primary Domain Controller, Apache, MySQL, PHP.

Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa (CEL) (2003 - 2008)
Operating Systems Administrator

  • Planned, designed, optimized, and documented network and communications architecture.
  • Implemented security policies for Windows, AIX, and Linux.
  • Managed Linux servers providing domain, firewall, LDAP, web, Java, proxy, databases, DHCP, and SNMP services.
  • Supported and maintained Lotus Domino for 500 users.

Technology Stack: Nginx, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails, Java, Linux, Apache, AuroraDB, PHP, Ionic, TypeScript, jQuery.

Certifications

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (Amazon Web Services) AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate Badge
  • Strategic Planning in Cybersecurity for Senior Management Workshop (Teknowledge)
  • ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security Management System (Udemy / RIGCERT)
  • AWS Knowledge Badges: Serverless, Amazon Connect Developer (AWS)
  • AWS Partner Accreditations: Cloud Economics Essentials, Technical, Business (AWS)
  • Zendesk Implementation Expert (Zendesk)
  • Zendesk Specializations: Omnichannel Agent, Explore/Analytics, Guide, Messaging, Foundational Support (Zendesk)
  • Oracle 10g: Administration Workshops I & II, Backup and Recovery
  • Systems Administration: AIX Servers, Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes

Skills

  • Operating Systems: UNIX, Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
  • Languages: Python, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, AWK, Bash, Haskell, Elm, C, C++, Delphi/Lazarus, PowerBuilder, Oracle Dev 6i
  • Tools: IntelliJ, Vim, Tmux, XCode, Android Studio, DBArtisan, DBeaver, Pentaho Suite, Docker, Kubernetes
  • Libraries/Frameworks: Django, Flask, Ruby on Rails, Sinatra, Spring, Axios, ExpressJS, VueJS, Laravel, Symfony
  • Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure, Microservices, CDN, Analytics, Data Mining, Migrations, Hosting

Languages

  • Spanish (Native)
  • English (Advanced)
  • French (Basic)