Batur Orkun

DevOps & Cloud Architect • Linux Guru • Open-Source Enthusiast • AI/MLOps • Software • DataOps • DevSecOps

Summary

Senior DevOps Engineer & Cloud Architect with 30+ years of IT experience, starting from Unix systems in 1994 and passionate Linux advocate since Slackware's early days in 1995. Spent 13 years at Turkey's leading universities managing enterprise-scale infrastructure, Oracle databases, and academic/military projects before transitioning to the international startup ecosystem. Worked remotely and on-site across Turkey, Netherlands, US, and UK, architecting cloud-native solutions for diverse industries from cybersecurity to fintech.

Results-driven specialist combining deep Linux/Unix foundations with modern cloud-native practices. Expert in Kubernetes orchestration (EKS, GKE, AKS, Rancher, OpenShift), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible), and GitOps methodologies across AWS, GCP, Azure, and private cloud environments. Proven track record in DevSecOps, DataOps, and SRE, with hands-on experience in air-gapped military systems, high-availability architectures, and compliance-driven infrastructures. Strong full-stack background spanning databases (Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL), backend development (Go, Python, Java), and automation scripting, enabling seamless collaboration across development and operations teams.

Experience

Principal DevOps & Platform Architect Nov 2024 — Present
Aselsan (REHIS) & BITES Defence Industry Turkey (On-site) • Full-time
DevSecOps • AI/MLOps • Kubernetes Development • Air-Gap • Military Standards
  • Implementing DevSecOps pipelines: Dependency scanning, SBOM generation, and vulnerability management.
  • Integrating comprehensive security controls (SAST/DAST, dependency/container scanning, secrets management, image signing, and policy-as-code) into CI/CD pipelines to meet strict quality and compliance requirements.
  • Integrating AI/RAG technologies into DevOps workflows to enhance operational efficiency (AI/MLOps).
  • Developing custom Kubernetes Operators to automate complex infrastructure tasks.
  • Managing and maintaining Rancher RKE2 Kubernetes clusters in high-security environments.
  • Architecting and managing production-grade Kubernetes ecosystems, focusing on the development of custom Kubernetes Operators to automate complex application lifecycles and infrastructure scaling.
  • Designing and operating systems in Air-Gapped (Offline) military networks.
AI/RAG MLOps Security K8S Operators DataOPS Rancher/RKE2 Python GoLang
DevDataOps Engineer Sep 2024 — Sep 2025
TMEX (Turkish Mercantile Exchange) Turkey (Hybrid) • Full-time
DataOps • Private Cloud Infrastructure • Database Administration
  • Working on DataOps Operations and private cloud Kubernetes infrastructure.
  • Authoring Terraform and HELM IaC to deploy microservices on Rancher Kubernetes.
  • Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and Github Actions.
  • PostgreSQL EDB and PgPool II Cluster management, including database administration, zoning, and high-availability configurations.
  • Implemented monitoring/logging with Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, ElasticSearch.
  • Managing and optimizing Apache Kafka clusters for real-time data streaming and event-driven architectures.
  • Operating Apache Ignite distributed in-memory computing platform for high-performance data processing and caching.
Rancher Kubernetes PostgreSQL Kafka Jenkins Terraform HELM Prometheus Grafana
Strategic Consultant & SRE Jun 2024 — Jul 2024
Brado St. Louis, US (Remote) • Contract
Cloud Architecture • HA/DR • Infrastructure as Code
  • Designed and implemented HA/DR (High Availability & Disaster Recovery) DevOps architectures for SaaS applications on Azure.
  • Established disaster recovery operations including backup strategies, failover mechanisms, and recovery procedures.
  • Terraform coding on the AzureRM provider.
  • Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps.
  • Consulted on migrating applications from VMs to AKS (Kubernetes).
Azure AKS Terraform Azure DevOps
SRE / DevOps & Cloud Engineer Mar 2022 — Jun 2024
Peaka.com CA, US (Remote) • Part-time
Cloud Infrastructure • CI/CD • GitOps
  • Spearheaded cloud infrastructure on AWS EKS and Google GKE Kubernetes clusters.
  • Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Tekton, ArgoCD, and GitHub Actions.
  • Utilized IaC (CloudFormation, Terraform) for resource provisioning.
  • Implemented GitOps practices for infrastructure management.
  • Leveraged Python for scripting and automation.
AWS EKS GKE Kubernetes Tekton ArgoCD GitHub Actions Terraform Python
DevOps Engineer Apr 2022 - Mar 2024
T2Soft Munich, Germany (Remote) • Contract
Defense Industry • CI/CD Automation • Infrastructure Management
  • Contributed to GitLab CI progress for major German defense industry projects.
  • Implemented CI/CD automation and infrastructure sizing with Ansible/Terraform on OpenShift Kubernetes platform.
  • Developed DevOps tools using Golang and Python.
  • Writing test tools and automation frameworks using Python and Golang.
  • Deployed and managed microservices on OpenShift Kubernetes using HELM.
OpenShift Golang Ansible Terraform Python GitLab CI HELM
DevOps & Software Architect Mar 2021 - Mar 2024
T2 Software / Aselsan Turkey (On-site) • Part-time
Military Projects • Private Cloud Architecture • Infrastructure Management
  • Implemented DevOps practices and CI/CD automation for Aselsan military projects.
  • Supported wireless charging unit projects and ensured reliable deployment.
  • Managed infrastructure with Ansible, Terraform, and OpenShift and Rancher.
  • Installed private cloud environments via VMware vSphere and Proxmox.
VMware vSphere Proxmox OpenShift Rancher Ansible Terraform CI/CD Automation
DevOps Engineer & SRE Feb 2019 - Mar 2021
Picus Security Turkey (Hybrid) • Full-time
Cloud Infrastructure • Security • Automation
  • Managed AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda).
  • Developed automation scripts in Golang and Python.
  • Implemented security measures and CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins and Gitlab CI).
  • Established monitoring and analysis systems for infrastructure performance and security metrics.
  • Conducted performance testing and capacity planning.
AWS EC2 S3 RDS Lambda Golang Python Jenkins GitLab
DevOps Engineer Feb 2018 - Sep 2018
Connected2.me Turkey (Remote) • Full-time
Linux System Administration • Cloud Infrastructure • Mobile App Automation
  • Managed and administered Linux systems.
  • Leveraged AWS solutions for cloud infrastructure.
  • Utilized XMPP and Erlang technologies for messaging systems.
  • Used Ruby and Fastlane for mobile app automation.
  • Implemented WebRTC technology and monitoring solutions.
Linux AWS Python XMPP Erlang Ruby Fastlane WebRTC MySQL
Software & Infrastructure Architect Aug 2017 - Feb 2018
Orkutel BV Netherlands (Remote) • Part-time
VOIP Services • Datacenter Management • Software Development
  • Designed scalable infrastructure for VOIP services.
  • Managed datacenter infrastructure and Linux systems in the Netherlands.
  • Created mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms.
  • Developed admin panels and backend services using PHP.
VOIP iOS Android PHP Asterisk
CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Jan 2013 - May 2017
Voxporta Teknoloji Turkey (On-site) • Full-time
Technology Leadership • VOIP Solutions • Video Conference Systems
  • Led technology department for VOIP solutions using Asterisk.
  • Designed WebRTC-based video conference products.
  • Implemented DevOps tasks and automation.
Asterisk WebRTC VOIP
Developer & Project Manager & System Administrator May 2001 - Dec 2013
Bilkent University Turkey (On-site) • Full-time
Web & ERP Development • Linux System Admin • Network
  • Managed integrated IT systems and network infrastructure on Linux environments.
  • Oversaw high-traffic service operations and disaster recovery.
  • Oracle Cluster DBA, SQL tuning, and developed complex Oracle PL/SQL Procedures.
  • Developed a custom ERP system from scratch using Java and Oracle.
  • Developed and maintained various internal web applications and automation scripts using PHP, Perl, and Bash.
Linux Oracle RAC PL/SQL Java ERP PHP Perl Bash Network
Database Developer Mar 1998 - May 2000
Başkent University Turkey (On-site) • Full-time
Full Stack Development • Student Affairs Systems
  • Developed full stack applications for Student Affairs systems.
  • Oracle DBA and PL/SQL development.
  • Designed and implemented database solutions for academic administration.
Oracle PL/SQL
Web Developer Jun 1997 - Mar 1998
Umay Internet Company Turkey (On-site) • Full-time
Web Development • Linux System Administration • Server Maintenance
  • Developed web applications using CGI and Perl.
  • Maintained Apache web servers on Linux platforms.
  • Provided Linux system administration support.
CGI Perl Apache Linux

Education

Hacettepe University / Bachelor of Mathematics & Computer Science Turkey
Başkent University / Master's Degree, Computer Engineering (Scientific Prep.) Turkey