Available for engagements

Yakout
Esmat

Network & Cloud Architect — CCIE #9893 — designing enterprise-grade infrastructure that earns approval at review boards and C-level executives.

Principal Consultant at Zeetalk

CCIE Certified 20+ Years Experience Azure Architect Auckland, NZ
Yakout Esmat

Architecting networks
that never sleep

CCIE-certified Network and Cloud Architect with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise-grade infrastructure across New Zealand and Australia. Proven track record spanning dual data centre fabric design, hybrid cloud transformation, and large-scale WAN modernisation — consistently delivering architecture that earns approval at review boards and C-level executives.

Deep technical expertise across on-premises data centre networking (EVPN/VXLAN spine-and-leaf fabrics, HPE Aruba CX, Cisco Nexus/ACI) and Azure cloud infrastructure (Landing Zones, ExpressRoute, Hub-and-Spoke, Azure Firewall, Private DNS). Trusted by major New Zealand organisations across public transport, government, financial services, and insurance to translate complex business requirements into secure, scalable, and board-ready architecture.

Known for producing high-quality architectural artefacts (HLD, DLD, ARB/DRB submissions), effective stakeholder engagement at all levels, and the ability to lead technical delivery independently or within cross-functional teams. Equally comfortable in permanent architecture roles and senior contract engagements.

20+
Years Experience
CCIE
Certified Expert
Gov
+ Enterprise Clients
NZ
Based in Auckland
Data Centre Networking
HPE Aruba CX 10K Cisco Nexus 9K Cisco ACI EVPN / VXLAN BGP EVPN Spine-Leaf Fabric Multi-VRF Hub-and-Spoke Overlay
Cloud — Azure
Azure Landing Zone Hub-and-Spoke ExpressRoute Azure Firewall Private DNS Resolver Private Endpoints Private Links VPN Gateway Azure Bastion NSG / Route Tables Well-Architected Framework
WAN & Connectivity
MPLS IP VPN Megaport IPSec VPN SD-WAN BGP OSPF
Security & Identity
Microsoft Entra ID Identity Governance Entitlement Management Palo Alto VM-Series F5 BIG-IP FortiGate
Architecture & Delivery
HLD / DLD ARB / DRB Submissions Solution Architecture Visio / Draw.io Terraform (awareness) Ansible (awareness) Agile / Scrum

Services & Capabilities

Focused on enterprise and government engagements where accuracy, security, and board-level communication matter.

Network Architecture

End-to-end enterprise network design including spine-leaf data centre fabrics, WAN strategy, and security zone architecture — built to survive Review Boards.

EVPN/VXLAN MPLS BGP Cisco

Data Centre Design & Migration

Greenfield and brownfield data centre transformations — from collapsed core to modern EVPN/VXLAN spine-leaf, single and dual DC designs, and live migrations.

Spine-Leaf DC Migration 100Gbps Dual DC

Azure Cloud Architecture

Azure Enterprise Landing Zones, hub-spoke topologies, ExpressRoute integration, and hybrid connectivity — aligned to CAF and the Well-Architected Framework.

Azure ExpressRoute Landing Zone CAF

Architectural Documentation

Board-ready HLDs, LLDs, and Reference Architecture documents structured for both C-level and engineering audiences — clear, precise, and approval-ready.

HLD LLD ARB DRB

IoT & CCTV Network Design

Large-scale IoT and surveillance network architectures — including MPLS IP VPN designs for thousands of endpoints across geographically distributed sites.

IoT CCTV MPLS Multi-VRF

Advisory & Review Board Support

Independent technical advisory for Architecture and Design Review Boards — including peer review of existing designs, risk identification, and gap analysis.

Advisory Peer Review Risk Gap Analysis

Project Portfolio

A selection of enterprise engagements across government, transport, and financial services. Client details anonymised where required.

PROJECT / 01

Dual DC EVPN/VXLAN Fabric & Azure Hybrid Connectivity

Auckland Council-Controlled Organisation · Auckland, NZ · 2024–Present

Designed a cloud-scale, multi-tenanted dual data centre overlay network using HPE Aruba CX 10K EVPN/VXLAN spine-and-leaf fabric with multi-VRF segmentation, integrated security zones, and hub-and-spoke topology providing hybrid connectivity between on-premises and Azure NZ North. Separately designed a fully redundant Azure ExpressRoute solution connecting both DC sites to Azure.

HPE Aruba CX 10K EVPN/VXLAN Multi-VRF ExpressRoute Azure NZ North
PROJECT / 02

Azure New Zealand North Landing Zone

Auckland Council-Controlled Organisation · Auckland, NZ · 2024–Present

Developed the high-level architecture for an Azure NZ North Landing Zone aligned with the Microsoft Well-Architected Framework and Landing Zone principles for scalability, governance, and operational excellence. Authored reusable architectural templates and standards enabling consistent delivery of networking modules across single and dual DC deployments.

Azure Landing Zone Hub-and-Spoke Azure Firewall WAF Governance
PROJECT / 03

All-of-Government Cross-Agency Identity Architecture

Central Government Agency · New Zealand · 2023–2024

Designed a secure identity and access management architecture using Microsoft Entra ID (Identity Governance and Entitlement Management) to control cross-agency access to shared physical and virtual resources in a pioneering All-of-Government shared accommodation initiative. Architecture approved by ARB and templated for reuse across other government shared-resource initiatives.

Microsoft Entra ID Identity Governance Entitlement Management ARB Approved
PROJECT / 04

Azure Hub-and-Spoke & Private DNS — Acquisition Integration

Financial Services Organisation · New Zealand · 2022

Designed a new Azure Hub-and-Spoke networking architecture (Azure VNet, Azure Firewall, Azure VPN Gateway) as the connectivity foundation for a major acquisition integration programme. Designed centralised DNS using Azure Private DNS Resolver with conditional forwarding, Private Endpoint and Private Link configurations for Azure Storage Accounts.

Azure Hub-Spoke Azure Firewall Private DNS Resolver Private Endpoints VPN Gateway
PROJECT / 05

Data Centre Modernisation — Cisco Nexus 9K / ACI

Major NZ Retail Bank · New Zealand · 2019–2022

Authored the comprehensive High-Level Architecture for a major data centre modernisation programme — the first significant platform upgrade in nearly eight years. Defined a standards-based Cisco Nexus 9K spine-and-leaf fabric underpinned by Cisco ACI, encompassing current state assessment, future state design, and phased migration strategy. Approved by NZ and Group stakeholders.

Cisco Nexus 9K Cisco ACI Spine-Leaf HLD DC Migration
PROJECT / 06

RWC 2011 — Public Transport & Stadium Infrastructure

Leading NZ Telecommunications Provider · 2005–2011

Designed a highly redundant core/access network using Cisco C3560X/C2960S with Dark Fibre primary and Layer 3 MPLS failover for a major public transport organisation — delivered as a precursor to the Rugby World Cup 2011. Separately architected a major Auckland stadium's LAN using Cisco 6506E with VSS technology and 10GigE trunks, supporting 300+ Digital Media Players and IPTV.

Cisco 6506E VSS Dark Fibre MPLS IPTV RWC 2011

Experience & Credentials

Over two decades across enterprise, government, and financial services in New Zealand and beyond.

// Work Experience
Sep 2024 — Present
Networks Architect
Auckland Transport (AT) · Auckland, NZ · Permanent
Defining network architecture vision and standards underpinning AT's hybrid cloud programme. Providing technical leadership across internal teams and external delivery partners, guiding submissions through AT's Architecture and Design Review Boards.
May 2023 — Apr 2024
Solution Architect
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) · Contract
Engaged for a pioneering All-of-Government shared accommodation initiative. Designed secure identity and access management architecture using Microsoft Entra ID — approved by ARB and templated for reuse.
Mar 2022 — Oct 2022
Solution Architect — Networking & Cloud
Fidelity Life Insurance · Contract
Responsible for all networking and cloud connectivity architecture required to integrate environments and migrate acquired applications following Fidelity Life's acquisition of digital assets from Westpac NZ.
2019 — Mar 2022
Principal Architect
Westpac New Zealand · Permanent
Appointed to lead architecture strategy for a major data centre networking refresh — the first significant platform upgrade in nearly eight years. Authored comprehensive HLD for Cisco Nexus 9K / ACI spine-and-leaf fabric, approved by NZ and Group stakeholders.
Apr 2017 — 2019
Senior Technology Architect
Westpac New Zealand · Contract
Member of the Westpac Cloud Squad — building and supporting new cloud infrastructure platforms. Designed networking environments for enterprise production platforms including Kubernetes on-premises infrastructure for the Westpac Digital Wallet.
Oct 2016 — Apr 2017
Solution Network Designer
ANZ Bank · Contract
Designed the Perimeter Security Network architecture for ANZ's new data centre facility, encompassing all security and perimeter appliances and the cutover strategy from the incumbent data centre.
Jun 2015 — Sep 2016
Senior Architect
Westpac New Zealand · Contract
Designed and led WAN migration strategy as part of Westpac's data centre relocation programme. Oversaw migration of IPSec VPN tunnels, F5 load balancers, and established AWS account structure and initial VPC environment.
Mar 2014 — May 2015
Technical Consultant
Dimension Data New Zealand
Delivered network designs for major clients including Cisco ASR 9000 border router replacement, LAN infrastructure refresh for an airline services company, and Partner Connectivity Programme for a major power company.
Sep 2011 — Mar 2014
Network Engineer
HP New Zealand · Contract
Designed client networks in HP's Next Generation Data Centres (NGDCs) in preparation for client migrations, including HLD and Implementation Plan documentation.
May 2005 — Aug 2011
Network Architect
Gen-i Telecom New Zealand
Designed Auckland Transport's networking infrastructure for RWC 2011, architected Eden Park's LAN for the Rugby World Cup, led WAN migrations for Fonterra and TVNZ to Gen-i OneOffice MPLS, and delivered large-scale Cisco VoIP solutions for Noel Leeming Group.
Download Full CV
// Certifications & Education
  • CCIE
    CCIE #9893 — Routing & Switching
    Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert · Cisco Systems
  • MCSE
    MCSE — Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
    Microsoft
  • CCNA
    CCNA — Cisco Certified Network Associate
    Cisco Systems
  • BCMSN
    BCMSN — Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks
    Cisco Systems
  • MCP
    MCP — Microsoft Certified Professional (SQL Server)
    Microsoft
  • BSc
    B.Sc. — Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry)
    University of Alexandria, Egypt
// Engagement Models
Contract
Day-rate contracts for project-based delivery. Available for full-time and part-time engagements.
Consultancy
Advisory and documentation delivery for Review Board submissions and architectural assessments.

Let's work together

Available for contract and consultancy engagements across enterprise and government in New Zealand. If you have an upcoming project, a Review Board deadline, or need an independent architectural review — reach out.

Auckland, New Zealand

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Claude — Architecture Assistant
Hello Yakout. I'm your private architecture assistant, pre-loaded with your technical context — Aruba CX, Cisco, FortiGate, F5, Azure, EVPN/VXLAN, MPLS and your document standards. How can I help you today? You can ask me to draft an HLD, work through a design problem, review an architecture, or produce ARB-ready documentation.
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// Document