About Walter Riopedre — Azure Identity & Security Engineer, Tampa FL

Engineering Cloud Excellence with Two Decades of Experience

I’m Walter Riopedre, a Senior Azure Cloud Engineer and IT Consultant with over 20 years of distinguished experience transforming enterprise IT infrastructure. Based in Tampa, Florida, I help organizations navigate the complex journey from traditional on-premises infrastructure to modern Azure cloud environments.

The Journey

My career began in 1999 at the Cuban Telecommunication Company, where I quickly progressed from Senior IT Engineer to IT Director and eventually CIO at a major Medical Research Institute. This foundational experience gave me deep expertise in large-scale infrastructure management, telecommunications, and the critical importance of reliability and security in mission-critical systems.

Since relocating to the United States in 2015, I’ve specialized in cloud transformation—helping organizations leverage Microsoft Azure, Modern Workplace technologies, and advanced identity management solutions. I’ve worked across multiple industries including financial services, insurance, healthcare, and government, always under demanding regulatory environments that require both technical excellence and meticulous compliance.

Current Role

Today, I serve as Senior Cloud Engineer at Slide Insurance, where I’m responsible for the entire Azure cloud infrastructure, Active Directory/Entra ID environment, Intune deployment, and Azure Virtual Desktop implementation. Simultaneously, I maintain an independent consulting practice, helping organizations achieve their cloud transformation goals.

Notable Achievement

One of my proudest accomplishments was leading the complete infrastructure migration of UPC Insurance—a publicly-traded financial services company—from an on-premises datacenter (500+ servers on VMware and Nutanix) to Microsoft Azure across 6 subscriptions. This complex project was completed on schedule with zero downtime to production systems, enabling the company to exit expensive datacenter leases while improving reliability and security.

Core Expertise

Azure Cloud Platform

  • Azure Infrastructure (IaaS/PaaS) architecture and deployment
  • Azure migration (VMware, Hyper-V, physical servers)
  • Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365
  • Azure networking (VNet, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, peering)
  • Azure security (Security Center, Defender, Sentinel)
  • Azure monitoring and management tools
  • Nerdio Enterprise for Azure Virtual Desktop management

Modern Workplace & Endpoint Management

  • Microsoft Intune (Endpoint Manager) deployment and configuration
  • Windows Autopilot implementation
  • Device management (Windows, iOS, Android, macOS)
  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Conditional Access and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Windows Hello for Business
  • Windows Autopatch
  • Information Protection and Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
  • Application deployment and management

Identity & Access Management

  • Active Directory design, implementation, and management (20+ years)
  • Azure Active Directory / Microsoft Entra ID
  • Hybrid identity with Azure AD Connect
  • Group Policy management and migration to Intune
  • Single Sign-On (SSO) implementation
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Conditional Access policies
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Windows Infrastructure

  • Windows Server administration (2008 R2 through 2022)
  • DNS and DHCP management
  • File servers and storage management
  • Backup and disaster recovery
  • Hyper-V virtualization
  • PowerShell automation

Security & Compliance

  • Security operations and monitoring
  • Microsoft Defender (Cloud, Endpoint, Identity)
  • Security compliance in regulated industries
  • Patch management and vulnerability remediation
  • Regulatory compliance (SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, CJIS, NIST SP 800-53)
  • Audit log design and evidence packaging for external auditors
  • Privileged Access Management (PAM) in SOX/HIPAA environments
  • CJIS Security Policy implementation for law enforcement agencies

Certifications

  • Project Management Professional (PMP) - 2019
  • ITIL v4 Foundation - 2020
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - 2017
  • Cisco Meraki Network Operator (CMNO) - 2018
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - In Progress
  • VMware Data Center Operation - 2013

Education

  • Master of Sciences, Telematics - Technological University of Habana, Cuba (2004)
  • Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering - University of Oriente, Cuba (1993)
  • Business Administration - University of Habana, Cuba (2000-2001)

Regulated Industry Experience

The majority of my career has been spent in environments where compliance is mandatory and security failures carry legal consequences. I understand what it means to build infrastructure that satisfies auditors, regulators, and executive leadership simultaneously.

Financial Services & Insurance (SOX / GLBA)

My most significant project was the complete cloud migration of UPC Insurance, a NYSE-listed, publicly traded property and casualty insurer. Every architectural decision — access controls, audit logging, change management, network segmentation — was designed to withstand SOX compliance review and external auditor scrutiny. I currently serve as Senior Cloud Engineer at Slide Insurance, maintaining the same standards under GLBA and Florida state insurance regulations.

Frameworks: Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), SEC Regulation SP

Healthcare & Medical Research (HIPAA)

I served as IT Director at a major Medical Research Institute — a role where PHI (Protected Health Information) protection wasn’t a policy document but a daily engineering discipline. System access was designed with minimum-necessary principles, audit logging was non-negotiable, and Business Associate Agreements governed every vendor relationship.

Frameworks: HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HITECH Act

Law Enforcement — Regional Sheriff Offices (CJIS)

Consulting engagements with Regional Sheriff offices exposed me to CJIS Security Policy (Criminal Justice Information Services) — one of the most rigorous security frameworks issued by the FBI. Requirements exceed typical enterprise standards: mandatory MFA for all CJI access, end-to-end encryption, detailed audit logging, personnel security screening, and strict access control policies that must be verified through regular audits.

Frameworks: FBI CJIS Security Policy, NIST SP 800-53, Criminal Justice Information Services standards

Government Institutions

Consulting work with government entities requiring security controls aligned with NIST frameworks, mandatory access logging, and zero-trust architecture principles.

Telecommunications & Enterprise IT

  • Cuban Telecommunication Company (1999–2015) — Critical national infrastructure engineering, progressing from Senior Engineer to IT Director to CIO-level roles
  • Multiple managed service providers (2015–2019) — Cross-industry experience spanning healthcare, professional services, manufacturing, and retail

Languages

Fluent in English and Spanish, enabling me to serve both English-speaking and Hispanic markets effectively.

Philosophy & Approach

Successful cloud transformation requires more than technical expertise—it demands careful planning, risk management, and deep understanding of business objectives. My approach is:

Methodical: Every migration follows a proven process: Discovery → Planning → Design → POC → Implementation → Testing → Production → Optimization

Risk-Aware: Having managed critical production systems for two decades, I design for reliability, security, and disaster recovery from day one. Zero-downtime migrations are my standard, not my exception.

Business-Focused: Technology decisions must drive business value. I work closely with stakeholders to ensure technical solutions align with strategic goals and deliver measurable ROI.

Compliance-Minded: Extensive experience in regulated industries (financial services, insurance, healthcare) ensures your cloud environment meets all regulatory requirements.

Transfer Knowledge: I don’t just implement solutions—I ensure your team understands how to manage and maintain them long-term.

Current Availability

While I maintain my full-time role at Slide Insurance, I’m accepting select consulting engagements for:

  • Azure migration planning and architecture
  • Modern Workplace (Intune) implementations
  • Identity and Access Management projects
  • Azure infrastructure optimization
  • Strategic cloud consulting

I’m particularly interested in projects serving the Hispanic business community, where my bilingual capabilities add unique value.

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