IBM · Sr. IT Automation Solutions Engineer · AIOps & FinOps 30% incident reduction · replicated across 4 organizations NBC Peacock · Super Bowl & Olympics live ops NOC Multi-Monitor Dashboard · 24/7 · Barnes & Noble M&A IT Onboarding · Amazon / AWS global subsidiaries OTRS Helpdesk Build · task coordination · Barnes & Noble Workload Automation Modernization · IBM WS & AutoSys · IBM TBM / APPTIO · millions in cloud savings identified Targetprocess · SAFe Agile portfolio & PI planning JetBlue · ServiceNow ITSM · 20,000+ employees CMDB / CSDM · Navy Federal Credit Union 15+ Years · 6 Industries · Field-first practitioner IBM · Sr. IT Automation Solutions Engineer · AIOps & FinOps 30% incident reduction · replicated across 4 organizations NBC Peacock · Super Bowl & Olympics live ops NOC Multi-Monitor Dashboard · 24/7 · Barnes & Noble M&A IT Onboarding · Amazon / AWS global subsidiaries OTRS Helpdesk Build · task coordination · Barnes & Noble Workload Automation Modernization · IBM WS & AutoSys · IBM TBM / APPTIO · millions in cloud savings identified Targetprocess · SAFe Agile portfolio & PI planning JetBlue · ServiceNow ITSM · 20,000+ employees CMDB / CSDM · Navy Federal Credit Union 15+ Years · 6 Industries · Field-first practitioner
IT Operations & AIOps Leader

Ashok
Gunnia

Sr. IT Automation Solutions Engineer · IBM

Field-first practitioner turned enterprise AI architect. Built NOC dashboards overnight, deployed ticketing platforms from scratch, and onboarded M&A subsidiaries hands-on — now driving AIOps, TBM, and automation for Fortune 500 companies at IBM.

15+Years
6Industries
30%Incident ↓

Career at a glance

Six companies.
One through-line.

01

IBM · 2022–Present

Sr. IT Automation Solutions Engineer

AIOps · FinOps/TBM · workload automation · Targetprocess · Fortune 500

02

JetBlue · 2022

Manager, ServiceNow ITSM

20,000+ employees · ITSM roadmap & platform ROI

03

NBCUniversal · 2020–2022

ITSM Program Manager — Peacock

Super Bowl & Olympics ops · 30% fewer service interruptions

04

Hays / Navy Federal · 2020

ServiceNow ITSM Consultant

CMDB/CSDM · Targetprocess · SAFe AWS DevOps modernization

05

Amazon / AWS · 2014–2019

Global IT Program Manager

M&A onboarding · workload scheduling · 30% incident reduction

06

Barnes & Noble · 2009–2013

Network Operations Center Engineer

Multi-monitor NOC dashboard · 24/7 ops · 30% outage reduction

$M+

Cloud savings identified via TBM & FinOps

30%

Incident reduction — replicated across 4 orgs

20K+

Employees on ServiceNow at JetBlue alone

15+

Years from NOC floor to enterprise AI

🛠
Practitioner's Perspective

Built from the floor up. Every framework and platform I deploy has been lived firsthand — overnight NOC shifts during Black Friday peaks, building OTRS helpdesk coordination systems at Barnes & Noble, supporting workload modernization across IBM Workload Scheduler and AutoSys platforms, and onboarding M&A subsidiaries hands-on in data centers. My approach is field-first: practical, operational, and grounded in what actually works when systems go down at 2am.

The Arc

Hands-on → Architected
Operational → Strategic
Reactive → Predictive

Turning IT complexity
into business outcomes

AIOps, cloud operations, Agile delivery, workload automation — with deep roots in enterprise ITSM and field ops.

AIOps & Intelligent Automation

Agentic workflows for incident management, CVE vulnerability analysis, and AI-driven event correlation using IBM Watson AIOps and Instana APM to eliminate alert noise at scale.

Watson AIOpsInstanaEvent CorrelationIncident Prediction

APM & NOC Observability

Full-stack APM and network performance monitoring. Built multi-monitor NOC dashboards across 24/7 ops — Nagios, SiteScope, HP OpenView, Splunk, Kibana integrated into single-pane-of-glass views.

Instana APMSplunkNagiosKibanaF5 GTM/LTM

FinOps & TBM

Technology Business Management via APPTIO to align IT spend to business value. Identified millions in cloud savings. FinOps-driven cost visibility, optimization, and governance across cloud environments.

APPTIO TBMFinOpsAWS Cost Opt.IT Financial Mgmt

ITIL / ITSM & ServiceNow

Led ServiceNow platforms for 20,000+ employee orgs. Full lifecycle ITSM — Incident, Change, Problem, Asset, CMDB, CSDM — across healthcare, aviation, media, finance, and big tech.

ServiceNowITIL v4CMDBCSDMOTRS

Agile & SAFe — Targetprocess

SAFe Agile program management using Targetprocess for portfolio backlog, PI planning, epic tracking, and sprint velocity dashboards. Bridges Agile delivery with ITIL change and release governance.

TargetprocessSAFe AgilePI PlanningPortfolio MgmtEpics & Backlog

Workload Automation Modernization

Led workload automation tool modernization engagements at IBM — migrating and optimizing enterprise batch environments across IBM Workload Scheduler and AutoSys (CA Workload Automation). IaC with Ansible and Terraform. AWS multi-cloud infrastructure and CDN configuration for streaming at scale.

IBM Workload SchedulerAutoSysAnsibleTerraformAWSCDN

Where IT instincts
were forged

4+ years running 24/7 Network Operations Center at Barnes & Noble — monitoring retail POS and NOOK digital platforms across multi-monitor KPI dashboards. Black Friday. Every minute of downtime costs real money. That pressure shaped everything that followed.

NOC Toolstack

F5 GTM/LTMNagiosSiteScope HP OpenViewSplunkKibana
30%Infrastructure outage reduction
24/7Coverage & on-call rotation
4+Years NOC operations
2Platforms: Retail + NOOK Digital

Full-lifecycle ITSM coverage

Every discipline — applied across healthcare, aviation, media, financial services, and big tech.

🔔

Incident Management

Incident COE at Amazon reducing major incidents 30%. Proactive risk scoring at NBC Peacock cutting interruptions 30%.

🔄

Change Management

Change governance via ServiceNow for Super Bowl, Olympics, and Peacock launch. Navy Federal and Amazon infrastructure change control.

🔍

Problem Management

Repeat incident identification at Mount Sinai. COE correction-of-errors frameworks at Amazon reducing systemic failures.

🏷️

Asset Management

Full asset lifecycle — hardware procurement, software licensing, SCCM/JAMF endpoint management across Amazon NYC offices.

🗄️

CMDB

Led CMDB at Navy Federal mapping application dependencies — enabling accurate impact analysis and risk management.

🔗

CSDM

Common Service Data Model aligning business services with technical CIs for change impact analysis and incident classification.

📋

Service Catalog

Self-service request management and KPI dashboards for Navy Federal and JetBlue with full leadership visibility into IT performance.

📈

CSI & Governance

Monthly VP-level business reviews. ITSM gap analysis, platform roadmaps, and operational control improvements across Fortune 500.

Built, not just managed

Real platforms designed, deployed, and operated hands-on — with measurable outcomes on every one.

Barnes & Noble · 2009–2013

NOC Multi-Monitor IT Observation Dashboard

Designed and operated a multi-screen NOC environment covering Barnes & Noble's retail POS and NOOK digital platforms — consolidated KPI views across load balancers, servers, network endpoints, and application layers in a single pane of glass.

  • 30% reduction in infrastructure outages via proactive threshold alerting
  • Monitored F5 GTM/LTM, Proliant servers, and network endpoints in real time
  • Maintained uptime through Black Friday — zero-tolerance, revenue-critical environment
  • Integrated Nagios, SiteScope, HP OpenView, Splunk, and Kibana into unified dashboard
  • Managed on-call rotation and production deployment pipeline coordination
NagiosSiteScopeHP OpenViewSplunkKibanaF5 GTM/LTM

Barnes & Noble · 2009–2013

OTRS Helpdesk Coordination Platform

Built and configured an OTRS ticketing system at Barnes & Noble to coordinate tasks between the helpdesk team and operations — enabling structured ticket routing, escalation tracking, and cross-team task visibility across the retail and NOC support environment.

  • Configured OTRS queues to route helpdesk tasks between NOC, field support, and operations teams
  • Enabled structured escalation paths for retail and NOOK digital platform issues
  • Improved cross-team task visibility and follow-through during incident and change activities
  • Supported on-call coordination and ticket handoff workflows across shift rotations
OTRSHelpdesk CoordinationQueue RoutingEscalation WorkflowsNOC Support

Amazon / AWS · 2017–2019

M&A IT Services Onboarding Program

Led end-to-end IT integration for Amazon's M&A subsidiary portfolio — network connectivity, identity, endpoint provisioning, security tooling, and ITSM access across global acquired sites.

  • Expedited subsidiary onboarding reducing time-to-operational readiness
  • Playbooks covering MDF/IDF setup, VPN tokens, A/V hardware provisioning
  • Aruba WIFI, SCCM/JAMF, Airwatch MDM, and UPS provisioning for new sites
  • Migrated DIA circuits to CPOP; managed COE risk through integration transitions
M&A IntegrationAruba WIFISCCM/JAMFAirwatch MDMYubiKey/GemaltoCPOP

Navy Federal · IBM Clients · 2020–Present

TBM, FinOps & Agile Portfolio with Targetprocess

Applied Technology Business Management via APPTIO to map IT cost towers to business services. Used Targetprocess to manage SAFe Agile portfolios, PI planning cycles, and backlog visibility alongside ITSM governance.

  • Identified millions in cloud savings by aligning cost data to business value streams
  • Configured Targetprocess for portfolio backlog, epic tracking, and PI planning boards
  • Bridged Agile delivery teams with ITIL change and release management workflows
  • Executive-facing KPI views combining Agile velocity data and ITSM SLA metrics
  • Supported SAFe transformation during Navy Federal's AWS DevOps modernization
APPTIO TBMTargetprocessSAFe AgilePI PlanningFinOps

NBCUniversal · 2020–2022

NBC Peacock Streaming IT Operations Launch

Led IT operations standup for the NBC Peacock streaming platform — AWS and CDN infrastructure coordination, ITSM governance, and live event ops for Super Bowl and Olympics broadcasts from day one.

  • Proactive risk scoring reduced service interruptions by 30%
  • Coordinated AWS and CDN configurations for Super Bowl and Olympic events
  • Managed critical change release activities through ServiceNow for high-profile launches
  • Monthly VP-level business reviews on platform health and investment priorities
AWSCDNServiceNowChange MgmtLive Event Ops

The complete record

Every role, every industry — a progressive track from NOC floor to enterprise AI.

IBM

Jun 2022 – Present

Sr. IT Automation Solutions Engineer

  • Spearheaded IT operations modernization for Fortune 500 companies through AI and automation
  • Developed agentic workflows for incident management and automated CVE vulnerability analysis
  • Identified millions in cloud savings using APPTIO TBM and FinOps frameworks
  • Led workload automation tool modernization — migrating and optimizing batch environments across IBM Workload Scheduler and AutoSys (CA Workload Automation) for enterprise clients
  • Targetprocess for SAFe Agile portfolio and PI planning management alongside ITSM programs
  • Leveraged Ansible, Terraform, and IBM AIOps stack with ServiceNow for operational efficiency

JetBlue

Jan 2022 – Jun 2022

Manager, ServiceNow ITSM

  • Oversaw ServiceNow ITSM platform supporting 20,000+ employees in aviation operations
  • Significantly reduced major incident downtime through enhanced team collaboration
  • Created strategic roadmap improving platform ROI and operational controls

NBCUniversal

Sep 2020 – Jan 2022

ITSM Program Manager — NBC Peacock

  • Led IT operations standup for NBC Peacock streaming platform launch
  • Implemented proactive risk scoring decreasing service interruptions by 30%
  • Coordinated AWS and CDN configurations for Super Bowl and Olympics live events
  • Monthly business reviews with VP-level stakeholders on platform health and investment

Hays / Navy Federal

Jan 2020 – Aug 2020

ServiceNow ITSM Consultant

  • Enhanced ITSM across Incident, Change, Problem, and Service Catalog at Navy Federal
  • Drove CMDB and CSDM initiatives mapping application dependencies for risk management
  • Targetprocess and SAFe Agile program support during AWS DevOps modernization
  • Developed KPI dashboards and analytical reports for IT leadership visibility

Amazon / AWS

Dec 2014 – Nov 2019

Global IT Program Manager → Sr. Technical Support Admin

  • Managed global IT programs including M&A subsidiary IT onboarding across global sites
  • Reduced major IT incidents by 30% through Incident/Problem Management COE framework
  • Provisioned SCCM/JAMF, Airwatch MDM, Gemalto VPN, YubiKey for acquired subsidiary sites
  • Facilitated Annual Multi-Site Game-day Disaster Recovery drills — NYC and Seattle HQ

Mount Sinai

Dec 2013 – Dec 2014

Lead Technical Support Administrator

  • Supervised IT team ensuring prompt support with EPIC clinical systems in hospital setting
  • Reduced urgent IT application support tickets by 30% through process improvements
  • Implemented repeat incident identification process for operational efficiency gains

Barnes & Noble

Aug 2009 – Dec 2013

Network Operations Center Engineer

  • Designed and operated multi-monitor NOC observation dashboard — retail and NOOK digital platforms
  • Reduced IT infrastructure outages by 30% through proactive F5 and server monitoring
  • Built OTRS helpdesk coordination platform to route and track tasks between NOC, helpdesk, and field teams
  • Integrated Nagios, SiteScope, HP OpenView, Splunk, and Kibana into unified KPI dashboards
  • Managed on-call rotation and production deployment pipelines for 24/7 uptime
  • Maintained operations through Black Friday peaks and malware/security incident response

Tools & Technologies

AIOps & Monitoring

  • IBM Watson AIOps
  • Instana APM
  • Nagios / SiteScope
  • HP OpenView
  • Splunk & Kibana
  • F5 GTM / LTM

ITSM & Ticketing

  • ServiceNow ITSM
  • ITIL v4 Framework
  • CMDB & CSDM
  • OTRS (Helpdesk Coord.)
  • Incident / Change / Problem
  • Asset Management

Cloud, IaC & Automation

  • AWS / Azure / GCP
  • Ansible & Terraform
  • IBM Workload Scheduler
  • AutoSys (CA Workload)
  • SCCM / JAMF / Airwatch
  • FinOps / APPTIO TBM

Agile & Leadership

  • Targetprocess
  • SAFe Agile / PI Planning
  • DevOps Practices
  • COE Frameworks
  • KPI Dashboards
  • DR & Business Continuity

Ready to modernize
your IT operations?

Open to consulting engagements, speaking opportunities, and enterprise IT advisory roles. Let's talk about what field-tested, AI-driven operations can do for your organization.