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Network Security Architect. What I have done before.

I design and harden networks where firewall rules, IDS/IPS tuning, VLAN segmentation, remote access and documentation have to survive support handover, audits and supplier change.

Areas of capability

Network security delivery experience behind Magrathean: segmentation, firewall and IDS/IPS work, secure remote access, validation and handover.

  • Network architecture and design across 1 Gb–10 Gb infrastructure
  • Firewall, access point and remote-access configuration
  • Intrusion detection and prevention system tuning
  • VLAN segmentation, routing and switching protocol selection
  • VPN and remote-access design with strong identity binding
  • Penetration testing and network vulnerability assessment
  • Zero-trust policy and segmentation modelling
  • Encryption, certificate management and access control mechanisms
  • Disaster recovery and business continuity planning
  • Documentation, governance and supplier handover

Results from the role

A 1 Gb to 10 Gb upgrade delivered in phases, with segmentation and firewall rules re-validated after each one.

What changed when I ran IT in-house
Network backbone
  • Before1 Gb
  • After10 Gb
From my in-house IT roles before Magrathean, where I also took the organisation through Cyber Essentials Plus first time. More about my background.

Network controls in UK businesses

Firewalls are common; VPNs for remote staff and user monitoring are not.

Controls UK businesses have in place
  • Updated malware protection81%
  • Cloud backups74%
  • Password policies74%
  • Network firewalls74%
  • Restricted admin rights73%
  • Two-factor authentication47%
  • VPN for remote staff36%
  • User monitoring30%
Source: Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 (opens in a new tab), DSIT and Home Office, April 2026. UK businesses.

See the broader practice

The same control-first approach spans identity, endpoint, tenant security, readiness and AI adoption.

Meet the founder

Selected experience

What changed, how it was checked and who could keep it running.

  1. 01

    Designed and executed a 1 Gb to 10 Gb network upgrade in collaboration with Cisco engineers, sequencing the rollout to avoid service interruption and re-validating segmentation, firewall rules and high-availability paths after each phase.

  2. 02

    Configured access points, wireless networks and remote-access pathways with strong identity binding to Entra ID and Conditional Access, reducing the dependency on static credentials.

  3. 03

    Implemented intrusion detection and prevention systems with log-driven tuning rather than vendor defaults, removing alert noise that internal teams cannot triage.

  4. 04

    Conducted vulnerability assessments and structured penetration tests to evaluate real network resilience rather than assumed control posture.

  5. 05

    Documented the resulting network architecture, change history and disaster recovery procedures so that the operating model can be inherited by an incumbent MSP, internal IT successor or auditor without re-discovery work.

Questions teams ask first

Why does this matter to me?

I have run these systems myself, so the fixes I make are ones your IT team or provider can keep running.

Do I need to prepare anything?

No. A 30-minute call is enough to see whether I can help. No logins or screen sharing are needed.

Other backgrounds

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