Apaar Bhola

About Apaar Bhola

As a highly skilled Network Security Engineer with over 7 years of hands-on experience, I specialize in designing, implementing, and managing secure enterprise network infrastructures. My core expertise spans Palo Alto, Juniper SRX, Checkpoint, Cisco ASA, and Fortinet firewalls, VPN configurations, and SIEM tools including QRadar and Splunk. I have led numerous firewall migration projects, implemented complex security policies, and played a key role in data center deployments, working with technologies like F5 Load Balancer, Bluecoat Proxy, and Imperva WAF. I am adept at working in high-pressure environments, handling change requests, incident resolution, and policy creation. My experience spans LAN/WAN architecture, OSPF/BGP/MPLS routing, and security operations using advanced threat detection tools such as FireEye, Sourcefire, and Wireshark. Core Competencies: Firewall Engineering • Network Security Architecture • SIEM & SOC Support • VPN/IPsec/SSL • Load Balancers (F5) • Threat Prevention • IDS/IPS • Routing & Switching • Cloud Security Concepts • Technical Documentation Let’s connect if you\'re looking for someone to secure, optimize, and scale enterprise networks with resilience and precision. Apaar Bhola a••••••••@gmail.com ‪(20••••••17‬

Experience

1. Network Security Engineer Firewall Engineer

   Spectrum

   Dec 2023 — Present · Fort Lee, NJ, US

   As a Network Security Engineer at Spectrum, I lead the design, deployment, and support of enterprise-grade firewall and security solutions across a complex IT infrastructure. My role involves end-to-end firewall configuration, change management, threat detection, and policy enforcement using industry-leading tools.Key Contributions:Deployed and configured Palo Alto (VSYS) and Juniper SRX firewalls, incorporating App-ID, URL filtering, security profiles, VPN, threat prevention, and data filtering.Managed and optimized firewall rule sets, implemented zone-based policies, and handled full-cycle firewall upgrades (e.g, PAN-OS 6.1.5 to 6.1.10).Utilized Forti Manager for centralized FortiGate policy administration and dashboard reporting.Worked extensively with QRadar and Splunk for SIEM monitoring, alert creation, and log analysis.Configured and maintained Site-to-Site IPsec VPNs, Split tunnels, and Cisco ASA VPNs across multi-client environments.Supported Imperva WAF upgrades and applied hotfixes for advanced web protection.Conducted deep packet inspection using Wireshark, TCPdump, and Snort for forensic analysis and troubleshooting.Ensured Qualys policy compliance to mitigate internal and external vulnerabilities.Participated in weekly change review boards, contributing to secure network architecture planning and migration to Next-Gen firewall platforms (Checkpoint & Palo Alto).Experienced in data center operations, console-level device handling, and BGP, OSPF, VLAN, STP protocol configurations.

Education

• New Jersey Institute of Technology

  Bachelor of Science - BS