Nicola Naqvi

I am a dedicated cybersecurity professional with extensive experience in Security Operations Centre and Identity and Access Management roles. Skilled in threat detection, incident response, and access control, I excel at safeguarding systems and ensuring compliance with security standards. My expertise lies in monitoring and mitigating risks while streamlining identity governance processes to enhance organisational security posture. Passionate about staying ahead of emerging cyber threats, I bring a proactive and detail-oriented approach to securing critical assets.

Here's a list of my relevant skills:

-Threat monitoring and analysis using tools such as Microsoft Defender, Exabeam, Azure, Intune, Crowdstrike

-Incident detection, triage, and response coordination.

-Malware analysis and mitigation techniques.

-Vulnerability assessment and remediation planning.

-Creation and maintenance of incident response playbooks.

-Managing and escalating critical security alerts.

-Familiarity with threat intelligence frameworks (MITRE ATT&CK).

-Implementation of security controls in accordance with frameworks (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST).

-Risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

-Knowledge of firewalls, IDS/IPS, and endpoint security solutions.

-Cloud security monitoring (Azure).

-Policy creation and enforcement for cybersecurity best practices

-Conducting security awareness training for employees.

-Forensic investigation and evidence collection.

-Compliance with GDPR, PCI-DSS, and other regulations.

-Implementation of role-based access control (RBAC).

-Managing identity lifecycle processes (provisioning, de-provisioning, role reviews).

-Administration of IAM tools.

-User and privilege access reviews to prevent over-provisioning.

-Writing and enforcing IAM policies to ensure least privilege access.

-Automation of identity management workflows.

-Troubleshooting access

My current role is Open Banking, based in London but WFH (remote). 

As an Identity and Access Management (IAM) Specialist, I oversee user onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring secure and efficient provisioning and de-provisioning of system access.

I design and implement access management policies aligned with company security protocols and industry standards.

My expertise in managing Joiners, Movers, and Leavers (JML) processes ensures accurate handling of user access throughout the employee lifecycle.

I regularly review user privileges to maintain compliance with the principle of least privilege and reduce security risks.

I collaborate with cross-functional teams to manage application access and provide guidance on authentication and authorisation best practices.

My responsibilities include auditing access logs, responding to security incidents, and enhancing controls to protect organisational data.

I also design and deploy monthly phishing simulations using Microsoft tools to assess and improve the organisation's security awareness.