Shaima Siddiqua
I am currently pursuing my MBA at XLRI – Xavier School of Management after close to 5 years of experience in enterprise infrastructure and storage engineering, where I most recently worked as a Technical Lead supporting large-scale business-critical storage environments. Throughout my professional journey, I have worked at the intersection of operations, cloud technologies, and infrastructure transformation, helping organizations improve reliability, scalability, and efficiency across complex systems. Over the years, I have contributed to modernization initiatives by helping teams transition from traditional infrastructure setups to more agile and cloud-enabled ecosystems. I have also worked on improving operational efficiency through automation and process optimization, enabling teams to reduce manual effort and enhance consistency in daily operations. Beyond technical responsibilities, I have actively collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders across engineering, business, and vendor teams to align technology decisions with broader organizational objectives. Outside of academics and work, I have been passionate about communication, public speaking, and community engagement. I have actively participated in debate and elocution competitions during my school and college years. I have also been involved in volunteering initiatives and community-driven activities, which allowed me to work closely with diverse groups of people and contribute toward meaningful social impact.
Work experience
57 months in total
- Cognizant Technology Solutions57 months
Career highlights
- Managed end-to-end storage operations across hybrid and cloud environments — provisioning, performance tuning, and capacity planning — maintaining 98% availability for critical business applications
- Executed a major data migration across hybrid and cloud storage platforms with zero data loss, reducing cutover downtime to under 2 hours through structured risk mitigation and phased planning
- Spearheaded decommissioning of legacy systems and led full transition to cloud-integrated, automated infrastructure, cutting operational overhead
- Resolved infrastructure issues across 3+ environments by collaborating with cross-functional teams, maintaining project timelines and reducing escalation frequency by consistent proactive intervention
- Served as primary technical liaison across engineering, product, business, and vendor stakeholders — translating requirements into actionable plans and aligning technical decisions with broader business objectives
- Built automation scripts and operational workflows that eliminated repetitive manual tasks, reducing processing time and improving consistency across day-to-day operations
Achievements
- Awarded Cognizant Cheers 5 times across tenure for taking complete ownership, recognising excellence, and leading from the front.
