True integrity is refined under pressure, like gold tested in fire. Leaving JK Info Solution was not just a career step; it was a personal line in the sand. The environment around me had turned toxic. Night shifts were dominated by a group whose values were completely alien to mine—drinking on duty, chaotic vulgarity, and an environment driven by a short-sighted "anything goes" attitude.
I refused to let that culture infect my future or tarnish my image. To create a firm barrier, I had told them a polite lie: that I was already married and utterly committed to my wife, so I wouldn't join in on their late-night escapades. It protected my distance, but the atmosphere was suffocating. I needed an exit, yet without a solid secondary offer in hand, quitting outright wasn't an option.
Then came the turning point. My friend, Mr. Charjeet, tipped me off about an off-role opening at AITPL (Airtel) at their Sainik Colony facility in Jammu. When I walked into that venue on December 10, 2010, I knew what was at stake. This wasn't just another job interview; it was a "do or die" moment. It was my single path toward preserving my values, my work ethic, and my identity as a disciplined, high-integrity professional.
The interviewers put me through a rigorous technical battery. They were looking for someone who understood networking down to the bare metal, someone who could handle high-pressure uptime requirements, and someone who possessed the discipline to take total ownership. I didn't just answer their questions; I walked them through precise packet flows, VLAN trunking logic, and routing table dynamics with absolute clarity. My preparation, early arrival, and sharp demeanor spoke for themselves. By the end of the day, I wasn't just offered the role—I was entrusted with the entire IT setup of the unit as a IT Executive (L1). But I was disappointed — I did get the job, but it was L1 instead of L2, and that too in IT execution. I was also a bit happy though, because last time I had only set up networking for one floor, and now I had to set up the entire infrastructure.
^ Establishing the Standard at Sainik Colony
December 10, 2010, marked the start of a transformative 5-year and 2-month journey that would run through January 30, 2016. The venue at Sainik Colony, Sector-C, Bye-Pass Jammu, was a high-volume, high-stakes operational node. From Day One, I set a personal standard that became my trademark: punctuality, absolute technical accuracy, and unwavering ownership.
While the scheduled shift began in the morning, my routine started far earlier. Arriving well before anyone else allowed me to perform pre-flight checks across the entire core setup before the floor burst into full operational velocity: End Point - Access Switches - L3 Switch - Provided the services from server and interconnected with Airtel by OSPF & BGP Deployment: Multi-area OSPF was implemented to handle internal routing across subnet boundaries efficiently, using distinct LSA area definitions to isolate topology updates. For external transit, BGP attributes were tuned to prioritize primary ISP paths while ensuring automated failover.
^ Architecture & Team Leadership
The cornerstone project of my tenure was designing and implementing the infrastructure for a 200+ agent inbound and outbound call center, while maintaining a total network footprint serving 300+ workstations. Handling desktop support and network management for 300 workstations alone meant I had to work exceptionally smart. To solve this, I built a custom IT support Application Programe Interface (API). Instead of walking across the facility for minor software issues, this API automated central ticketing, desktop asset tracking, and remote troubleshooting requests. It streamlined floor service, giving agents immediate uptime and allowing me to manage massive infrastructure single-handedly without compromising quality. After this initiative, management decided that I would work as both an AM and a TL, but I would be promoted to Senior IT Engineer (L2).
: Mentorship and Leadership
As a Team Leader, my focus was on establishing an empowering, clean, and disciplined environment—the total opposite of what I had left behind. I mentored junior technicians, trained agents on basic troubleshooting protocols, and instituted strict network security practices. I showed my team that technical precision, honesty, and mutual respect were the keys to running a world-class IT facility.^ System Security and Daily Resilience
Active Directory & Group Policy: Managed Active Directory Services (ADS) for 300+ users, deploying granular Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to restrict unauthenticated device access, enforce password policies, and lockdown corporate endpoints.Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) were frequently pressing the divert button in the Avaya Dialer client software to disconnect customer care calls. This behavior created major operational disruptions and caused significant frustration for management.
To solve this issue permanently, I implemented a targeted Group Policy Object (GPO) across the client endpoints that disabled the divert button inside the Avaya Dialer software. This simple yet effective technical solution completely eliminated call manipulation on the floor, restored call center reliability and relieved management's stress.
Network Security Lifecycle: Due to a firewall configuration gap, several CSRs found ways to secretly bypass restrictions and surf the hidden internet. Furthermore, by obtaining the password to the SLA tracking application from someone, agents were checking their exact login hours. Once they saw they had met the required 7:30 hours of active time within their 9 hour shift, they would log off and leave work early. This created sudden spikes in unanswered call flows, placing an unfair load on the remaining team and making network and operational maintenance extremely difficult to manage.
Recognizing the root cause of these productivity leaks, I designed and executed a automated solution using custom scripts. My scripts restricted unauthorized web access and secured the SLA system interface, putting an immediate end to early sign-offs and stabilizing the call flow across the floor. And Ensured full compliance with Cisco and Avaya secure development lifecycles, regularly patching router firmware, updating switch access control lists (ACLs).
^ Career Milestones and Human Virus in love
| Responsibility Domain | Technical & Leadership Executions |
|---|---|
| Call Center Design | Designed, wired, and configured network infrastructure for a 200+ agent outbound/inbound call center. |
| Network Architecture | Configured and managed OSPF (LSA-Area), BGP attributes, static routes, and Inter-VLAN routing across Cisco 7200/2600 routers and Cisco 3560/2960/2950 switches. |
| Voice & Telephony | Integrated Avaya dialers and terminal numbers with network switches to ensure crystal-clear VoIP service. |
| Automation & Software | Built a custom IT Support Application from scratch to handle service tickets and remote desktop support efficiently across 300 workstations. |
| Security & Systems | Active Directory Services (ADS), Group Policies, EMS, FNS, and VM host environments. |
| Leadership | Served as Team Leader, creating an ethically grounded, high-performance work environment built on discipline and technical precision. |
Human Virus in love : This was the Airtel BPO. Here, one could witness all kinds of human nature—some so intense that eyes could reach places where a writer couldn’t even imagine. There were those who completely disregarded relationships, treating them with utter disrespect. Others seemed to have a virtuous, ancient nature, like people from Sat-Yuga who had inexplicably arrived in Kali-Yuga.
On the positive side, I saw some meaningful connections: eyes would meet, they would enter a relationship, and eventually, get married. However, I also witnessed a negative aspect where relationships were formed only to be misused.
I would also receive such offers indirectly, but my standard response was, 'Brother, I am already married.' The female colleagues were always surprised, saying I 'didn't look married at all.' Even my IT Head, Mr. Muzamil Rizvi, always told me, 'Mate, you should get into a relationship and enjoy yourself. A beauiful lady was actually talking to me about you; if you want, I can take things forward.' To this, I replied, 'Sir, this is why I feel like I'm in a trance; the dreams that align with my thinking don't even let me sleep.' Hearing that, he felt proud and dropped the topic.
My communication with the Airtel Data Center team was seamless and frequent. Through regular discussions with their Data Center Administrator, I gained deep insights into its internal operations, daily activities, and underlying architecture. Watching that infrastructure in action sparked an intense ambition within me—I knew my next step had to be working directly in a data center environment.
As the saying goes, "As you think, so shall you become." That focus and drive eventually paid off. I secured my next role as a Network Administrator in a semi-government organization: the Jammu & Kashmir State Data Centre.
By January 30, 2016, as I concluded my 5-year and 2-month tenure at AITPL, I left behind an infrastructure that ran with clockwork precision and a team that operated with complete integrity.
Taking that leap of faith during the interview back in December 2010 was the best decision of my career. It proved that sticking to one's core values, working with smart dedication, and refusing to compromise on ethics always leads to professional triumph.
Would you like to move on to structuring Chapter 3 for your role at the J&K State Data Centre?
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