Brian Baraka
Shekilango,Ubungo
Summary
Cybersecurity Specialist with 7+ years of progressive experience in financial sector IT operations, security monitoring, threat detection, and incident response. Proven expertise in SIEM, EDR, cloud security (M365 E5), and data loss prevention. Recognized for leading investigations, closing high-impact vulnerabilities, and improving enterprise security posture. Seeking to transition into a Cybersecurity Lead role to drive strategy, lead teams, and secure critical infrastructure.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Specialist Security Operations Center
CRDBBANKPLC
01.2025 - 01.2026
- Lead detection, triage, and escalation of security incidents using Microsoft Sentinel and Security Onion.
- Implemented and fine-tuned alerts, automated responses, and threat mitigation playbooks.
- Decreased organization's external attack surface by 30% through Darktrace, Zerofox and Microsoft Defender monitoring and decommissioning of insecure shadow IT assets
- MTTD/MTTR: Reduced Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) by 40% and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) by 35% through optimized correlation rules
Specialist Cyber Security
CRDB
09.2022 - 01.2025
- Deployed and administered Microsoft 365 E5 Security stack including Defender XDR and Sentinel.
- Enforced data protection policies using DLP (Microsoft & Symantec) across user endpoints.
- Secured SQL and Oracle databases through implementation of AVDF, TDE, and Oracle Vault.
- Participated in the incident response committee; led technical investigations of major alerts.
- Administered patch management (PMP) to mitigate zero-day vulnerabilities bank-wide.
Core Banking System Operations Officer
CRDB
01.2020 - 08.2022
- Executed End-of-Day processes for core banking systems, achieving 30% time efficiency gains.
- Produced critical business and finance reports for internal customers.
- Ensured availability of core services for next-day business operations.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
11.2025 - Current
Bachelor of Science - INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
10.2015 - 08.2018
ACSE - ECONOMICS, GEOGRAPHY & MATHEMATICS
02.2015
CSE - MAJORED IN SCIENCE
Skills
- Incident Response Coordination
- Cross-functional Liason
- Risk-Based Decision Making
- Crisis communication
- Project Management
- SLA & Compliance Enforcement
Affiliations
- ISACA Member
CAREER OBJECTIVE
To obtain a Cybersecurity Lead position in a global or enterprise-level organization where I can apply my technical expertise, leadership experience, and governance capabilities to secure digital infrastructure and influence cybersecurity strategY.
EARLY CAREER EXPERIENCE
Data Center Officer, 01/2019 - 01/2020 CRDB
- Provided first-level support for ATM, system, and network infrastructure teams.
- Managed backup procedures and physical access control in the data center.
- Ensured 99% system availability and conducted daily disaster recovery operations.
Intern, 01/2018 - 01/2019 CRDB
Participated in the Vulnerability task force team, resolved vulnerabilities as identified in the EY auditors report.
CERTIFICATIONS
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) – ISACA, 2022
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) – EC-Council, Apr 2024
- ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management – Pink Elephant, 2020
- Pursuing: CISSP (Expected 2026)
- Pursuing: CEH Practical (Expected 2026)
- Pursuing:OSCP (Expected 2026)
References
- MR MSAFIRI SADALA, PRINCIPAL RELATIONSHIP MANAGER CORPORATE, CRDB, 0754435171, bkaputa737@gmail.com
- MR LACKSON DAVID, DATA SCIENTIST & SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, MUHAS, 0686609294, lacksinho@gmail.com
- MS SUMA MWAKYANDILE, ICT PROJECT MANAGER, CRDB, 0684909290, sumamichaels@gmail.com
Awards
- Award for recognition of Outstanding performance in CRDB Cybersecurity Department.
Hobbies and Interests
- Offensive and Defensive Cybersecurity Research
- Secure Coding and Threat Modeling
- Cloud Security Architecture and Governance
- Information Systems Auditing & Regulatory Compliance
- Threat Intelligence and Vulnerability Assessment
Timeline
EASTERN SOUTHERN AND AFRICAN MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE - Master of Business Administration,
11.2025 - Current
Specialist Security Operations Center - CRDBBANKPLC
01.2025 - 01.2026
Specialist Cyber Security - CRDB
09.2022 - 01.2025
Core Banking System Operations Officer - CRDB
01.2020 - 08.2022
MZUMBE UNIVERSITY - Bachelor of Science, INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
10.2015 - 08.2018
MARIAN BOYS HIGH SCHOOL - ACSE, ECONOMICS, GEOGRAPHY & MATHEMATICS
ROSMIN SECONDARY SCHOOL - CSE, MAJORED IN SCIENCE