eNett
Infrastructure Manager
August 2012 - June 2020
Infrastructure Manager at eNett - Deeper Role Notes
This page provides expanded insights into my infrastructure leadership role during eNett’s rapid growth from startup to global payments platform.
Growth Context and Scale Challenges
Joined eNett when it was processing modest transaction volumes with a two-person operations team, and scaled to supporting billions in annual payment processing with a 20+ person infrastructure organization.
Organizational Growth Journey
- 2012: 2 system administrators, reactive support model
- 2016: 10+ infrastructure professionals across specialized teams
- 2020: 20+ professionals across infrastructure, security, database, and operations
Technical Scale Challenges
- Payment volume growth from millions to billions annually
- Geographic expansion requiring global infrastructure
- Regulatory compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, SOX)
- High availability requirements for financial services
Team Building and Organizational Development
Scaling from Generalists to Specialists
Transformed a small generalist team into specialized functional groups.
Team Structure Evolution:
- Infrastructure Engineering: Platform architecture and automation
- Database Administration: Performance optimization and high availability
- Information Security: Compliance, monitoring, and incident response
- Operations: 24/7 monitoring and first-line support
- Network Engineering: Connectivity and performance optimization
Information Security Function Development
Built information security from scratch into a standalone organizational capability.
Security Program Development:
- Created comprehensive security policies and procedures
- Implemented security monitoring and incident response capabilities
- Established compliance programs for PCI-DSS and other requirements
- Built security awareness and training programs
- Developed vendor security assessment and management processes
Technical Architecture and Infrastructure
High Availability Database Architecture
Led the re-architecture of core payment databases to eliminate planned downtime.
Database Transformation:
- Migrated from single-instance databases to clustered, high-availability architecture
- Implemented zero-downtime maintenance procedures
- Created automated failover and recovery capabilities
- Established performance monitoring and optimization processes
Business Impact:
- Eliminated planned maintenance windows that previously required customer notification
- Improved database performance and query response times
- Enhanced data protection and disaster recovery capabilities
- Reduced operational risk through automated processes
Infrastructure Automation and Standardization
Introduced automation and standardization practices that scaled with business growth.
Automation Initiatives:
- Implemented configuration management and infrastructure as code
- Created automated deployment and testing procedures
- Established monitoring and alerting standards
- Built self-service capabilities for development teams
Cross-Functional Incident Management
Integrated Incident Response
Created incident management processes that brought together customer service, business, and technology responses.
Incident Management Framework:
- Established clear escalation procedures and communication protocols
- Created shared incident tracking and communication tools
- Implemented post-incident review and improvement processes
- Built customer communication and update procedures
Business Integration:
- Connected technical incident response with customer impact assessment
- Created business impact analysis and prioritization frameworks
- Established customer communication and notification procedures
- Built metrics and reporting for business stakeholders
Compliance and Risk Management
PCI-DSS Compliance Implementation
Led the implementation of PCI-DSS compliance across all infrastructure and operations.
Compliance Framework:
- Conducted comprehensive gap analysis and remediation planning
- Implemented network segmentation and access controls
- Created audit logging and monitoring capabilities
- Established vulnerability management and patch management processes
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Developed comprehensive risk management practices for financial infrastructure.
Risk Management:
- Created risk assessment frameworks for infrastructure changes
- Implemented change management and approval processes
- Established business continuity and disaster recovery procedures
- Built vendor risk assessment and management processes
Professional Development and Team Growth
Building Technical Expertise
Developed deep expertise across multiple infrastructure disciplines during tenure.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Financial services infrastructure architecture
- High availability and disaster recovery design
- Information security and compliance frameworks
- Team leadership and organizational development
Industry Recognition and Contribution
Participated in industry groups and contributed to financial services technology community.
Professional Contributions:
- Participated in financial services technology forums
- Contributed to industry best practices development
- Mentored professionals entering financial services technology
- Shared expertise through conference presentations and industry publications
Key Projects and Achievements
Global Infrastructure Expansion
Supported eNett’s geographic expansion through infrastructure scaling.
Global Infrastructure:
- Designed and implemented infrastructure for new geographic markets
- Created network connectivity and performance optimization for global operations
- Established local compliance and regulatory requirements support
- Built disaster recovery and business continuity across multiple regions
Payment Platform Modernization
Led infrastructure components of payment platform modernization initiatives.
Platform Improvements:
- Enhanced transaction processing performance and scalability
- Improved integration capabilities for new partners and customers
- Strengthened security and fraud prevention capabilities
- Created analytics and reporting infrastructure for business insights
Transition to Head of Engineering Role
Career Progression and Expanded Scope
Promotion to Head of Engineering - Platforms expanded responsibilities beyond infrastructure to include platform and data engineering.
Scope Expansion:
- Added data engineering and analytics capabilities
- Included platform architecture and development support
- Expanded team leadership to include software engineering functions
- Increased involvement in product and business strategy decisions
Knowledge Transfer and Continuity
Ensured smooth transition of infrastructure leadership responsibilities.
Transition Management:
- Promoted internal team members to senior infrastructure roles
- Created comprehensive documentation and knowledge transfer processes
- Maintained involvement in critical infrastructure decisions
- Established clear escalation and support procedures
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
Scaling Technical Organizations
- Hire for potential and cultural fit, then develop technical specialization
- Create clear career progression paths that retain top talent
- Balance specialization with cross-training for operational resilience
- Invest in automation and standardization early to enable scaling
Financial Services Infrastructure
- Security and compliance must be integrated into architecture from the beginning
- High availability requirements demand redundancy at every level
- Change management becomes critical as systems become more complex
- Customer communication during incidents is as important as technical resolution
Team Leadership and Development
- Regular one-on-one coaching and career development discussions
- Create opportunities for team members to work on challenging projects
- Recognize and reward both technical excellence and collaborative behavior
- Build team culture that values continuous learning and improvement
For more insights into infrastructure scaling and team development, read my blog posts on technical leadership and organizational growth.