Lead DataPower Migration Consultant / Architect

Lead DataPower Migration Consultant / Architect

Posted Today by Miracle Software Systems, Inc.

Negotiable
Undetermined
Remote
Remote

Summary: The Lead DataPower Migration Consultant / Architect will oversee the comprehensive upgrade and migration of 11 DataPower appliances across various environments, employing a Secure Backup & Restore methodology. This role requires a blend of technical expertise in DataPower systems and project management skills to ensure successful execution from assessment to post-production support. The consultant will also coordinate physical installations and validate configurations, ensuring a seamless transition and operational stability. Weekly travel to Auburn Hills, MI is required for on-site coordination.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Perform a comprehensive inventory of existing application domains, services, cryptography artifacts, and security certificates.
  • Validate target firmware levels, review High Availability (HA) topologies, and identify potential migration risks.
  • Author and maintain detailed technical migration runbooks and architectural documentation.
  • Coordinate the physical "rack and stack" installation, including power, network cabling, console connectivity, and initial firmware installation.
  • Configure base appliance settings, including management interfaces, secondary interface IP reuse, VLANs, NTP, DNS, SNMP, and Syslog.
  • Implement and validate Role-Based Management (RBM), access controls, and appliance security hardening.
  • Execute the Secure Backup & Restore procedure to migrate service configurations efficiently across identical topologies.
  • Reconfigure and optimize High Availability (HA) clusters and validate Disaster Recovery (DR) failover mechanisms.
  • Partner with networking teams to test and validate firewall configurations and Load Balancer integrations.
  • Lead validation efforts across System Integration Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and dedicated DR testing phases.
  • Plan and execute the production cutover strategy during designated maintenance windows.
  • Provide dedicated, high-touch Hypercare support (2 weeks) post-production to ensure environment stability.

Key Skills:

  • Deep, hands-on experience administering, configuring, and upgrading physical IBM DataPower appliances.
  • Proven track record with DataPower Secure Backup & Restore methodologies and firmware lifecycle management.
  • Strong understanding of network topology, IP routing/reuse strategies, VLAN configurations, and load balancing.
  • Expertise in DataPower security, including crypto objects, certificate management, RBM, and access control validation.
  • Familiarity with data center protocols (NTP, DNS, SNMP, Syslog) and clustering for HA/DR environments.

Salary (Rate): undetermined

City: undetermined

Country: undetermined

Working Arrangements: remote

IR35 Status: undetermined

Seniority Level: undetermined

Industry: IT

Detailed Description From Employer:

Title : Lead DataPower Migration Consultant / Architect Duration : 3 Months Location: Remote in MI but require travel weekly 2-3 days to Auburn Hills MI.

Project Overview
We are seeking an experienced DataPower Migration Consultant / Architect to lead the end-to-end upgrade and physical migration of 11 DataPower appliances across Development, QA, Production, and Disaster Recovery (DR) environments. The migration strategy leverages a Secure Backup & Restore (Lift & Shift) methodology, reusing the existing IP strategy, topology, and data center footprint.
The total estimated project effort is 1,559 hours, spanning assessment through to a 2-week post-production hypercare support window.

Key Responsibilities
1. Assessment & Planning
  • Perform a comprehensive inventory of existing application domains, services, cryptography artifacts, and security certificates.

  • Validate target firmware levels, review High Availability (HA) topologies, and identify potential migration risks.

  • Author and maintain detailed technical migration runbooks and architectural documentation.

2. Infrastructure Setup & Base Configuration

  • Coordinate the physical "rack and stack" installation, including power, network cabling, console connectivity, and initial firmware installation.

  • Configure base appliance settings, including management interfaces, secondary interface IP reuse, VLANs, NTP, DNS, SNMP, and Syslog.

  • Implement and validate Role-Based Management (RBM), access controls, and appliance security hardening.

3. Migration Execution & Validation

  • Execute the Secure Backup & Restore procedure to migrate service configurations efficiently across identical topologies.

  • Reconfigure and optimize High Availability (HA) clusters and validate Disaster Recovery (DR) failover mechanisms.

  • Partner with networking teams to test and validate firewall configurations and Load Balancer integrations.

4. Testing, Cutover, & Hypercare

  • Lead validation efforts across System Integration Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and dedicated DR testing phases.

  • Plan and execute the production cutover strategy during designated maintenance windows.

  • Provide dedicated, high-touch Hypercare support (2 weeks) post-production to ensure environment stability.

Required Technical Skills & Qualifications

  • IBM DataPower Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience administering, configuring, and upgrading physical IBM DataPower appliances.

  • Migration Strategy: Proven track record with DataPower Secure Backup & Restore methodologies and firmware lifecycle management.

  • Networking & Security: Strong understanding of network topology, IP routing/reuse strategies, VLAN configurations, and load balancing.

  • Appliance Hardening: Expertise in DataPower security, including crypto objects, certificate management, RBM, and access control validation.

  • Enterprise Operations: Familiarity with data center protocols (NTP, DNS, SNMP, Syslog) and clustering for HA/DR environments.

Project Logistics & Duration

  • Total Estimated Project Effort: ~1,559 Hours

  • Location: Remote / On-Site (Requires data center coordination for physical hardware validation and cabling phases).