My Career Journey
Over 15 years building and leading IT infrastructure across leading fintech and banking institutions.
IT Manager
PAPEL
Aug 2025 – Jan 2026 · İstanbul (Hybrid)
- Managed end-to-end planning, deployment and optimization of IT infrastructure on Turkcell Financial Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
- Led the Data Center renewal tender, achieving 60% cost optimization through strategic vendor negotiation while ensuring scalability.
- Directed a company-wide zero-downtime migration from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
- Ensured full infrastructure compliance for PCI-DSS and CBRT (Central Bank) audits; designed HA and DR systems.
- Managed critical security controls — IAM, cross-system access, and encryption — and GDPR/KVKK data security policies.
Project Leader
TEB (Türk Ekonomi Bankası)
Feb 2025 – Jul 2025 · İstanbul (Hybrid)
- Led strategic infrastructure projects and supported digital transformation initiatives within the bank.
IT Manager
Fibabanka
Aug 2017 – Dec 2023
- Led IT infrastructure and operations for a full-stack, mission-critical environment spanning databases, servers, virtualization, networks, and security.
- Built and led a new Unified Communications team from scratch — hiring, structure, and delivery.
- Led the Fibabanka Data Center migration and established Disaster Recovery centers for corporate and contact-center infrastructure.
- Architected and delivered system-integration projects across core banking, CRM (MS Dynamics 365), and voice platforms using API/SOA.
- Designed and implemented the bank’s alternative digital distribution channels — video banking, chat, self-service.
- Consolidated distributed PSTN lines into SIP-based trunks across two data centers; centralized branch IVR (CUCM–Genesys).
- Managed CAPEX/OPEX budgets and led vendor negotiations for IT infrastructure systems.
Platform Architect
Akbank
Feb 2016 – Jul 2017
- Served as Platform Architect for collaboration and customer-channel transformation programs.
- Led the planning and migration of the bank’s next-generation collaboration infrastructure, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems.
- Architected and delivered a robust Disaster Recovery infrastructure for business continuity.
- Implemented Nuance voice verification and speech analytics, strengthening security and customer identification.
- Collaborated with network and server teams; produced full architecture documentation for maintenance and knowledge transfer.
Associate Project Leader
TEB (Türk Ekonomi Bankası)
Feb 2013 – Feb 2016
- Designed and implemented contact-center and core-banking integration projects tailored to business-unit requirements.
- Led the planning and implementation of a Disaster Recovery center, ensuring business continuity and minimal downtime.
- Drove digitalization and alternative-distribution-channel initiatives: mobile live-agent chat and video-based customer onboarding (Genesys).
- Integrated Sestek speech analytics and voice verification with Genesys for advanced analysis and enhanced security.
Product Support Engineer
Nortel Netaş
Feb 2008 – Feb 2013
- Provided global support for network communication devices: wireless switches, secure routers, H.323 and SIP gateways.
- Implemented custom features and bugfix patches across products.
Key Achievements
Cost Optimization
Achieved 60% data center cost reduction via strategic vendor negotiation during an infrastructure renewal tender.
Zero-Downtime Migration
Directed a company-wide Windows 10 → 11 migration with no business interruption.
Regulatory Compliance
Delivered audited compliance for PCI-DSS and CBRT, coordinating technical evidence with Internal Control.
Resilience by Design
Architected HA and Disaster Recovery systems across banking environments to minimize downtime.
Skills & Technologies
Hybrid CloudMicrosoft AzureAWSKubernetesVirtualizationSolution ArchitectureCore Banking IntegrationDisaster RecoveryBusiness ContinuityPCI-DSSISO 27001IAMGenesysSIP / VoIPAI & ChatbotsIT BudgetingVendor ManagementDigital Transformation