Currently automating lab operations with code & AI

Hi, I'm Ash.I make technology just work.

Principal Software Engineer – ITEndpoint & SecurityQuality Assurance EngineerLearning AI in public

The keeperOriginal scene · drawn in code
What I bring

I understand both the business
and the technology.

Most engineers have only been on one side. I've packaged software, run finance systems with business users, and now lead how software is tested and delivered across a global company.

2015 · IBM

Delivery

I learned how software actually reaches thousands of computers, and every way it can go wrong.

2018 · SAP finance

Business

I sat with finance users, wrote their specs and tested their processes. I learned to start from the business problem, not the tool.

2019 – now · Dell

Quality & automation

Now I turn that into systems: validation people can trust, security that doesn't block work, and automation that removes manual effort.

The result: I can explain a technical risk in business terms, and turn a business need into something engineers can build.

Selected work

Quiet work that keeps
people productive.

When my work goes well, nobody notices: the software people need simply works. Here's what's behind it, and what each project taught me.

DASHBOARD ILLUSTRATION Lab readiness · every day, 07:00 Every machine, every check, one dashboard 0machines checked daily 0checks a day 0machines with a real issue 0silent machines, named Ready Issue Self-healed Silent Figures from published daily reports, Oct 2026
★ Featured · Lab automation2026 · Built and shipped

A daily health check for 283 lab machines

New lab machines kept arriving without everything they needed, and the gaps only showed up when someone sat down to test on them, at exactly the wrong moment. Checking by hand meant spot-checking a few, so the broken machine was always the one nobody looked at.

I built an automated check that runs every morning on every machine. It fixes safe problems on its own and publishes one shared dashboard the whole lab can read.

BeforeNow
CoverageSpot checks100%, every day
Problem foundWhen someone needed the machineWithin 24 hours
Machines that stopped reportingInvisibleNamed daily (7–9)
Record of what was checkedNone14-day trend

Doing this by hand would take about 46 hours, every day. That's why it was never done. The gain isn't hours saved; it's coverage that didn't exist before.

The idea it's built on“A check that could not run is not a check that failed.” A report that cries wolf stops being read, so every status on the dashboard has to mean something.
PowerShellSQL ServerDeployed via IntuneSelf-healing
ILLUSTRATION Old system legacy delivery New New platform Business apps Moving in waves… 200+ apps moved ✓
Software deliveryDell · 2019

Moving 200+ apps to a new platform

When the company changed how software is delivered to employees' computers, I rebuilt, tested and moved more than 200 business applications to the new platform. I also wrote scripts to automate the manual steps in the new request process.

≈ 30 minsaved on every software request, through automated stepsest.
What it taught meThe best migration is the one users never notice. I measure success in the support tickets that never get raised.
200+ apps migratedManual steps automatedSmooth switchover
ILLUSTRATION Setting up for work This might take a few minutes. Device preparation Working on it…Complete Device setup · apps & policies Working on it…Complete Account setup Working on it…Complete You're all set Ready to work, straight out of the box
Employee experienceNew laptops · 2025

End User Experience

A new laptop is the first thing people experience from IT. I test the out-of-the-box setup the way an employee would. In 2025 I expanded our test checklist to cover 14 more must-have apps, so problems get caught before anyone opens the box.

≈ 20%fewer first-week setup ticketsest.
What it taught meI want that first hour with a new laptop to feel effortless, so I test like a user, not like an engineer.
14 more apps coveredSmoother first day
ILLUSTRATION Approved software check New security rules · 2025 0 apps validated App fingerprintPendingCaptured Security rule checkPendingAllowed Install testPendingPassed Lab exceptionsPendingApproved Protected · approved apps keep working
Security2025

Security that doesn't get in the way

When the company tightened its rules on which software is allowed to run, there was a real risk of blocking tools people use every day. I checked and registered 399 approved applications so they kept working, and arranged sensible exceptions for specialist lab machines. Then I proposed an automated version of the process to leadership.

4,100 → <1,800software titles on company PCs, with minimal disruption (team result)
What it taught meSecurity only works if people can still do their jobs. The best protection is the kind users never trip over.
399 apps kept workingProcess automatedPresented to leadership
ILLUSTRATION clean-uninstall-check PS> Test-Removal -App "LegacyAgent" C:\Program Files\LegacyAgent\foundremoved ✓ HKLM:\SOFTWARE\LegacyAgentfoundremoved ✓ C:\ProgramData\LegacyAgent\cachefoundremoved ✓ PS> Invoke-Remediation; Test-Removal ✓ 0 residual items — ready for closure Illustrative script · not production code
Software qualityEvery release

Software Validation

Before any software reaches employees, I make sure it installs, updates and uninstalls cleanly, with no leftover files and no broken settings. I dig into the tricky cases, like special hardware and newer chip types, and trial new platforms early. Engineers get clear evidence of exactly what to fix.

≈ 9 in 10install problems caught before releaseest.
What it taught meTrust evidence, not assumptions. A clean result is something you prove, not something you hope for.
Tricky cases firstEarly pilotsRoot cause
ILLUSTRATION Release pipeline Every change passes the same gates Defect caught in test Fixed & re-tested ✓ 1Build 2Test 3Risk review 4Release Shipped — caught before it reached production
Quality assuranceISTQB certified

Quality you can sign off on

To me, quality is a habit, not a phase. I plan and run testing (including performance testing), track every defect to closure and weigh the risk of each change. Then I review the results with my team before anything is signed off, which keeps surprises out of production.

≈ 30%fewer surprises reaching productionest.
What it taught meAsk “what could go wrong?” before anyone else has to. I bring that habit into every decision I make.
Test planningPerformance testingFewer surprises in production
ILLUSTRATION < 24h Urgent app request Delivered within a day ✓ Software request portal Issues escalated and fixed · 2025 Login outageEscalatedRestored Stuck requestsEscalatedRestored Missing optionsEscalatedRestored Missing request infoEscalatedRestored Display name issueEscalatedRestored + 2 more in 2025
Urgent support2025

When it's urgent

When the portal employees use to request software broke (sign-in failures, requests stuck loading), I worked with the owning teams to get it back fast. That happened seven times in 2025. When a business-critical app was needed urgently, I packaged and delivered it within 24 hours.

I also trained a partner team to handle urgent software requests themselves, so they no longer have to wait for us.

≈ 5× fasterthan the usual turnaround for a critical appest.
What it taught meTrust is built when things are urgent. Calm, clear escalation beats heroics, and teaching others means the next urgent request doesn't have to wait for me.
7 outages resolvedCritical app in 24hPartner team trained

“est.” figures are conservative estimates. My role sits before production, so I don't see the live numbers directly.

Along the way

The parts that aren't
on my CV.

What worked, what didn't, and what keeps me going outside of work.

Jan 2026 · Swimming Now · Gym Where it started Goal: −10 kg 70 kg 60 kg
Body & mindSince January 2026 — now

From the pool to the gym

I started swimming in January 2026 with one goal: get from 70 kg to 60 kg. Now I'm focused on the gym. It's less about the number and more about a habit that pays back in energy, focus and confidence.

Attempt 1 Didn't work Lesson logged:do it differently Attempt 2 Better
LessonsSAP FI Consultant · 2018 – 2019

A solution without a customer

We built a healthcare solution first and looked for a buyer later. No one signed. Now I never start building until the objective and requirements are clear.

Help me build a site about my career Here's a proposal — and a lighthouse.
Learning AI in public2026 — now

Building with AI

From an AI-built tool that cut lab maintenance effort by 60–70% to this site, lighthouse included, AI is now part of how I work. Here's what it taught me.

Homeweekends with family & friends Chongqing 重庆 Taipei 台北 Greetings from… solo, at my own pace
Off the clockFamily · Friends · Solo travel

Family, friends & slow travel

Weekends are for family and friends. When I travel, I often go solo so I can take places at my own pace, with no rush. Most recently: Chongqing and Taipei.

Journey

11 years of making software just work.

Three companies, one thread: making technology work for the people who use it. Each chapter added something: packaging, business thinking from finance systems, validation and quality, then leadership. Now I'm adding AI.

  1. 2015 – 2018 · IBM

    Software Packaging

    Started on IBM's three-month Wintel infrastructure programme, then spent nearly three years packaging and quality-checking software for clients in banking and energy, with teams across Asia Pacific.

  2. 2018 – 2019 · JMC Technologies

    SAP FI Consultant

    A detour into finance systems: designing, testing and documenting SAP finance solutions. It taught me to think like the business users I now support.

  3. 2019 · Dell Technologies

    Specialist, IT Application Management

    Joined Dell to move 200+ applications to a new software delivery platform, and automated the manual steps with scripts.

  4. 2019 – 2021 · Dell Technologies

    Software Engineer 2 – IT

    Validated complex Windows 10 hardware and software setups, including the company's collaboration tools.

  5. 2021 – 2026 · Dell Technologies

    Senior Software Engineer – IT

    Led software validation, test planning and performance testing. Became the go-to person for security rollouts, urgent escalations and lab strategy.

  6. May 2026 – now · Dell Technologies

    Principal Software Engineer – IT

    Shaping how software is validated and delivered, growing the lab and the team, and building automation such as a daily health check for 283 lab machines.

About

Calm under pressure. Curious about what's next.

I started in 2015 packaging software at IBM, took a detour into SAP finance consulting, and have spent the last seven years at Dell making sure the software people rely on just works. Like a lighthouse keeper, most of my work is quiet: apps that install, updates that land, security that doesn't get in the way.

When something does break, I'm usually the one chasing it to the root cause, and then making sure it doesn't happen again.

INTJEnglishMandarin 中文Bahasa Malaysia
01

Technical depth

Lead from understanding.

02

Data over opinion

Decisions backed by evidence.

03

Root cause first

Fix it once, properly.

04

Always improving

Small upgrades compound.

05

Coach & mentor

Grow the people around me.

06

Stable + innovative

Keep the lights on, build what's next.

Endpoint management

Microsoft IntuneWindows AutopilotSCCMWorkspace ONEApp packaging (MSI, App-V)Company Portal

Security & compliance

WDAC application controlSecurity baselinesCompliance policiesLab policy exceptions

Quality & validation

Software validationTest planningPerformance testingUAT & pilot testingDefect managementRoot cause analysis

Ways of working

Capacity planningIncident escalationLeadership presentationsKnowledge transferLab strategyITILSAP FI-CA

Automation & tools

PowerShellBatch & VBScriptAI-assisted automationJiraServiceNowVMware & Hyper-V

Certifications

CTFL
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level

ASTQB · 2024

MS
Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate

Microsoft · 2023 · MD-100 (2022) & MD-101 (2023)

ITIL
ITIL Foundation

2015

SAP
Financial Accounting with SAP ERP 6.0

SAP · 2017

In their words

What my leaders say.

“Your efforts and contributions have been tremendous to grow the lab and team members. Well deserved!”
Director · on my promotion to Principal, 2026 · working together since September 2019
Results · recognition award · Jul 2026
“Your work has resulted in a 60–70% reduction in resource requirements for lab device maintenance, delivering significant operational savings and efficiency improvements.”
Manager · on AgentScreenUnlocker, a lab automation tool I built with AI
Winning Together · team award · Jul 2025
“A remarkable reduction in the number of software titles from over 4,100 to less than 1,800, all while maintaining minimal fall-off.”
Vice President · to the team behind the PC software blocking & removal programme
Contact

Let's talk endpoints, quality or AI.

Always happy to swap notes with fellow engineers and leaders — or hear what you're building.

LinkedIn ↗ Email me