I was born in the beautiful city of Peshawar, Pakistan, but after spending 10 years of my life there, we moved to Karachi. The big city life in Karachi was a different kind of fun, to be sure it was a huge change from the simplicity and natural beauty of Peshawar, but the beach, the activity, and of course, lots of family made it an enjoyable time. So there I was, having a grand 'ol time till my father's job took us to Bangkok, Thailand. After my initial cultural shock, I quickly got involved in school activities and experienced many friends from all backgrounds. I attended the International School Bangkok, where I completed my high school education, and received two diplomas. On the side, I was doing computer/network consulting and desktop publishing work for individuals and small companies as a young teenager.
University education took me to Chicago, Illinois, and I was ready for the dorms of the university the students call Illinois Tech. Bidding farewell to my family, I opened a new chapter in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed my education at Illinois Institute of Technology. At the low-level, I did things like designing a 4-bit general purpose microprocessor, writing an instruction set for it, creating digital circuits for computer I/O, memory, serial ports, interrupts, etc, writing a simple operating system in assembly, learning detailed operating systems design, etc. At higher levels, I took several application programming and software engineering classes to learn software design, object-oriented programming, databases, and the complete software development life cycle. I joked that I could create a fully functional computer with applications from scratch with nothing but NAND gates :-) In addition to geeking out in classes, I was heavily involved in extra-curricular activities and on-campus organizations. I graduated with a major in Computer Engineering (Specialization: Software), and a minor in Management.
I was working full-time while at IIT, and after graduating, I continued to work in Chicago for another 2 years. From my early consulting work, I had grown into various helpdesk and PC support roles, and eventually gained experience in Novell, UNIX, Windows NT, Lotus, and Citrix administration. I then taught myself networking, and continued working in environments that allowed me to increase the breadth and depth of my technical knowledge and experience. Simultaneously, I was working on completing IT certifications. Click here to get details on my Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE™) experience. I was profiled in the Personal Best feature of Certification Magazine for my IT certifications. You can see my certification transcript here.
I then moved to Orange County, California when a great opportunity came about. I started work at Broadcom Corporation in a dynamic, fast-paced, and challenging IT environment. Early in my career at Broadcom, I made a shift from the technical track to management through a promotion to the Manager of Networking and Security. Since then, the scope of my responsibilities continued to increase through other promotions, and I am currently the Senior Director of IT Infrastructure. I have always been blessed with challenging job and career growth opportunities where I am constantly learning and benefitting from great experiences. I also enjoy both reading and writing. My publication list (all technical books so far) is available here. If you are looking for an author or reviewer, please take a look at my resume summary. I am currently pursuing my MBA at the Wharton School, and am thoroughly enjoying it!I hardly get a chance to update my web site, but I try to keep it current when possible. To contact me, check out my contact information.
Religion and Personal Development: I have a deep belief in God and am thankful to Him for all that He has given me. As Muslims we believe that Islam is a way of life, and should manifest itself in everything that we do, even things like eating, working, sleeping, or studying. I try to go by this philosophy and am constantly striving to make myself a better person, for one should always strive for perfection of the soul. Asma (my wife) and I do our best to stay constant "students of knowledge", and are always trying to read books, listen to lectures on the iPod, or attend classes.
Relaxing: I love spending time at home with my family. Playing hide-and-seek with Ibrahim (my son), watching him ride his bike, or just putting him to bed can be so much fun! Cuddling with Sarah (my daughter), talking to her, and watching her smile is also amazing!
Computers and Technology: My interest in computers began when I was around eight years old and my mother would use a computer for much of her research work for her PhD thesis. Many years later, I turned this passion into a career in Information Technology. I truly enjoy enabling people and processes through technology. I also like high-tech gadgets, keeping up to date with technology, and reading blogs.
Sports: Some of my favorites include snowboarding, basketball, racquetball, squash, bicycling, table tennis, and kayaking. I also enjoy staying in shape through lifting weights and running.