$ whoami  →  cloud-engineering-student

Karim
El Atfy

Cloud & Infrastructure Engineer @ Politecnico di Milano

Computer Engineering student at PoliMi, building real cloud infrastructure skills from scratch. I don't wait to be hired to start learning — I deploy, break things, fix them, and move on to something harder.

AZ-900

Certified

4+

IaC Projects

PoliMi

Computer Engineering


About Me

Building real infrastructure skills beyond the theory — one deployment at a time.

I'm a Computer Engineering student at Politecnico di Milano, and my goal is simple: build practical, demonstrable cloud skills as early as possible — before anyone gives me the chance to.

I focus on Azure Cloud Engineering, Infrastructure as Code with Terraform, and Linux system administration. Each project in my portfolio is deployed on real Azure infrastructure, follows a clear progression in complexity, and applies patterns I'd actually use in production.

I'm currently preparing for AZ-104 and CCNA, while building toward more advanced infrastructure designs — private networking, monitoring, modular IaC, and proper security from the start.

// Tech Stack

Azure Terraform Linux Bash Networking NSG Git / GitHub cloud-init Nginx ARM / Bicep SSH Python
karim.json
{
  "name": "Karim El Atfy",
  "location": "Milan, Italy",
  "university": "Politecnico di Milano",
  "degree": "Computer Engineering",
  "focus": [
    "Cloud Engineering",
    "Infrastructure as Code",
    "Linux Administration",
    "Networking & Security"
  ],
  "certifications": {
    "AZ-900": "passed",
    "AZ-104": "in_progress",
    "CCNA": "in_progress"
  },
  "languages": [
    "Italian (native)",
    "English (C1)",
    "French (conversational)"
  ],
  "available": true
}

Certifications

Validating hands-on knowledge through industry-recognized certifications.

☁️
AZ-900
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Passed
⚙️
AZ-104
Microsoft Azure Administrator
In Progress
🔗
CCNA
Cisco Certified Network Associate
In Progress

Projects

Real Azure infrastructure built with Terraform — progressively more complex, following enterprise patterns.

📦
Azure Terraform Linux VM
First IaC project: deploy a Linux VM on Azure with custom networking, NSG rules, SSH key access, and automated Nginx provisioning via cloud-init.
Terraform Azure Linux cloud-init NSG Nginx
HCL
🏗️
Secure Two-Tier Infrastructure
Segmented two-tier Azure environment with management and web subnets, subnet-scoped NSGs, dedicated admin VM, and automated provisioning across multiple VMs.
Terraform Azure VNet Subnet Design ARM64 Multi-VM
HCL
🔒
Secure Private Platform
Private-first infrastructure design: no public VM IPs, Azure Bastion for secure admin access, Key Vault, Log Analytics, and modular Terraform structure.
Azure Bastion Key Vault Log Analytics Private VNet Modules
HCL
⚖️
Load Balanced Web Platform
Public Azure Load Balancer fronting two private ARM64 Ubuntu backend VMs, with Bastion admin access, health probes, NSG-based security, and cloud-init automation.
Load Balancer Backend Pool Health Probes High Availability ARM64
HCL

Currently Learning

Always improving, always building. Here's where I'm focused right now.

☁️

Azure Administration (AZ-104)

Deepening knowledge of Azure services, identity management, governance, and administration workflows beyond the fundamentals.

Progress55%
🔗

Networking (CCNA)

Studying routing, switching, VLANs, subnetting, and core networking protocols — essential for real cloud infrastructure design.

Progress40%
🐧

Linux Operations

Building operational confidence with file systems, process management, SSH hardening, and scripting for cloud VM environments.

Progress65%
🏗️

Terraform Best Practices

Moving toward modular, reusable, and production-grade IaC — remote state, workspaces, and enterprise-pattern infrastructure design.

Progress70%

Learning by building,
not just reading.

University gives you theory. Projects give you understanding. Every concept I study, I try to deploy on real Azure infrastructure. Break it, debug it, understand why, fix it, move to something harder.

I'm a junior, and I'm not pretending otherwise. But I'm building the kind of portfolio that shows what I can already do — and the direction I'm heading.

⌨ See My Work on GitHub
01
Real Environments

Every project is deployed on actual Azure infrastructure, not simulated or mocked.

02
Progressive Complexity

Each project builds on the last — from single VM to load-balanced multi-tier platforms.

03
Enterprise Mindset

Adopting security, modular design, and monitoring patterns from the start — not as an afterthought.


Let's Connect

Open to opportunities
and conversations.

Looking for internships, junior cloud roles, or just want to talk infrastructure. Find me on LinkedIn or explore my projects on GitHub.