Open to new opportunities
Emeka Apugo
Cloud Platform Engineer
I build secure, scalable cloud platforms and internal developer infrastructure.
A technology leader and Systems Engineer with 15+ years architecting enterprise platforms at Amazon, Comcast, and high-growth startups. My work spans the full stack—from Kubernetes orchestration and cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP) to real-time systems built on WebRTC and AI-driven data pipelines.
I build platforms where security, scalability, and developer velocity converge. Whether it's designing CI/CD automation, standing up ML infrastructure, or orchestrating AI agents that turn raw data into executive-ready insights—I partner with product and engineering teams to ship in fast-moving, regulated environments. Dual-certified in AWS Solutions Architecture and Google Cloud.
Currently based in New York, NY & Washington D.C. When I'm not architecting systems, I'm exploring the edge of behavioral intelligence,voice AI, and agentic workflows.
About
Education
Penn State University
B.S. Systems Engineering
Certifications
- Google Cloud Professional Architect
- AWS Solutions Architect – Professional
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
"Function-first and event-driven architectures, designed for reactive systems and proactive evolution. I build platforms that act as intelligent guardrails—accelerating delivery while upholding uncompromising standards for security, reliability, and scale."
Experience
System Engineering Lead, Platform Architecture
Cloud9 (Symphony)- Led platform enablement for a global, security-first communication platform supporting regulated financial institutions.
- Designed Kubernetes-based hybrid cloud architectures integrating on-prem and cloud environments, reducing integration time by 82%.
- Built reusable platform patterns and deployment workflows accelerating partner onboarding by three weeks.
- Collaborated with product and engineering teams to standardize CI/CD pipelines and secure service templates.
Technical Advisor, Security & Infrastructure
Charta Inc.- Designed cloud-native platform architecture with compliance, auditability, and scalability as first-class concerns.
- Led infrastructure threat modeling, security posture reviews, and Kubernetes hardening strategies.
- Built infrastructure automation and partner integration workflows supporting rapid iteration.
System Development Engineer, Enterprise Solutions
Amazon- Architected large-scale datacenter-to-cloud migrations supporting 1M+ server infrastructure.
- Built automation tooling that reduced migration complexity by 70%.
- Enabled internal and partner engineering teams on cloud security best practices, IAM, and compliance frameworks.
Global SRE Lead, Security & Platform Engineering
Symphony.com- Built and operated security-first cloud platforms supporting global financial services customers.
- Designed Kubernetes-backed platform architecture emphasizing resilience, observability, and compliance.
- Established platform standards, operational runbooks, and internal certification programs improving engineering readiness by 85%.
WebRTC Application Engineer
Comcast- Built secure, real-time WebRTC platforms for enterprise customers.
- Developed deployment patterns, monitoring strategies, and security models for real-time systems.
Senior Engineering Manager
nexVortex (Acquired)- Led platform engineering teams delivering carrier-grade VoIP infrastructure.
- Built internal platforms, automation tooling, and security frameworks supporting large-scale deployments.
Skills
Cloud Platforms
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- AWS
Containers & Orchestration
- Kubernetes (GKE)
- Helm
- Docker
Infrastructure as Code
- Terraform
- Terragrunt
CI/CD & DevEx
- ArgoCD
- GitHub Actions
- Jenkins
Observability
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- Datadog
Security
- IAM
- Zero Trust
- Network Segmentation
- Compliance
Languages
Articles & Insights
Thoughts on cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, and building systems that scale. Subscribe on Substack for updates.
Why Your Kubernetes Costs Are Out of Control (And How to Fix Them)
A deep dive into right-sizing workloads, implementing resource quotas, and using spot instances effectively. Real strategies that saved my team 40% on cloud spend.
The Platform Engineer's Guide to Developer Experience
Internal developer platforms aren't just about tooling—they're about empathy. How to build platforms that developers actually want to use.
Zero Trust in Practice: Lessons from Healthcare Tech
Implementing zero trust architecture in a HIPAA-compliant environment. The trade-offs, the wins, and what I'd do differently.
Terraform at Scale: Patterns That Actually Work
After managing 100+ Terraform modules across multiple teams, here's what I've learned about state management, module design, and avoiding drift.
The Hidden Complexity of Multi-Region Kubernetes
Service mesh, global load balancing, data sovereignty—the real challenges of running Kubernetes across regions and how to architect for them.
From SRE to Platform Engineering: What Changed?
My journey from firefighting incidents to building golden paths. How the industry shifted and why platform engineering is the future.
Get in Touch
I'm currently open to new opportunities and interesting projects. Whether you have a question, want to discuss a potential collaboration, or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out!
Let's work together
I specialize in cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, and building secure, scalable platforms. If you're looking for someone to help architect your next project, I'd love to hear from you.