About
I'm Salim Reja a Senior Solution Architect with over 20+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, cloud governance, and large-scale technology programs across regulated industries and financial services in Canada and internationally.My work sits at the intersection of technical architecture and organizational complexity designing systems that need to be secure, scalable, and actually deliverable within the constraints of real programs.I hold certifications including Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Cybersecurity Architect Expert, TOGAF 9, and Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) from Scrum.org.Earlier in my career, I served as Senior Faculty Member at NIIT, teaching software engineering and networking programs in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. That experience shapes how I approach mentorship today I understand the journey many South Asian IT professionals are on, because I've walked alongside it.Today I share what I know through video, templates, and 1:1 mentorship built from real practice, not theory.
Certifications:
Microsoft Certified:
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Cybersecurity Architect Expert
• Azure Security Engineer Associate
• Azure Fundamentals
• Azure AI FundamentalsArchitecture & Agile:
• TOGAF® 9 Certified
• Professional Scrum Master (PSM I)Leadership:
• Leadership Essentials: Schulich Executive Education, York University, CanadaBased in Ontario, Canada. Available for mentorship in English or Bengali
ARTICLES
Writing
Practical writing on enterprise architecture, cloud governance, and technology leadership published on Medium.
TOGAF in the Real World
What the Exam Doesn't Teach You. A decade of applying the ADM on real programs taught me
— beyond what the certification covers.
The Solution Architect's Guide to Stakeholder Management:
Nobody tells you that the hardest part of the job isn't technical.
Zero Trust on Azure – The Practical Blueprint Architects Actually Use
Zero Trust is one of the most discussed concepts in enterprise security. Here’s what it actually means to implement it on Azure beyond the marketing.
Azure Landing Zones for Regulated Industries: The Missing Guidance Microsoft Doesn’t Publish
The official documentation is excellent. It just assumes you’re not dealing with strict data residency rules, layered compliance standards, or a procurement process that takes eight months.
How to Write an Architecture Decision Record — With Real Examples:
The four-section structure, three complete worked examples, and five habits that make ADRs actually stick.
Azure Cost Optimisation — What Architects Get Wrong
The biggest Azure bills aren't caused by runaway workloads. They're caused by architectural decisions made months earlier.
AI Fluency Is Just Governance – Here’s What Enterprises Keep Getting Wrong
Every few months, a new “AI literacy” framework shows up promising to teach people how to work with AI tools. Most of them reduce to prompt-writing tips dressed up as strategy better phrasing, longer context windows, a handful of “power user” tricks that expire the moment the underlying model changes.
Architecture Review Boards in 30 Days – A Week‑by‑Week Playbook for New Practices
A week-by-week guide for architects tasked with building governance from scratch.
Architecture Documents I Approve – The 10 Signals of a High‑Quality Design
Ten things that separate a document that drives good decisions from one that generates more questions than it answers.
Hub & Spoke vs Azure Virtual WAN How to Choose
The network topology decision you make early in a Landing Zone design is one of the hardest to change later. Here’s how to get it right the first time.
DIGITAL PRODUCTS
Architecture Kits
Production-ready templates built from real enterprise programs. Not academic. Not generic. The actual artifacts. Available on Gumroad and Etsy.
Enterprise Architecture Starter Kit
Description:
13 templates covering the governance foundations every architecture practice needs built from real programs, not from frameworks.What's included:
- 7 Architecture Decision Record templates (cloud platform, API design, data residency, authentication, integration, security, IaC)
- Full ARB Governance Kit (charter, intake form, scoring rubric, meeting agenda)
- ARB Decision Log Tracker (Excel) with live summary dashboard
- Quick-Start Guide how to stand up an ARB in 30 daysWho it's for:
Solution and Enterprise Architects formalizing their practice.
Enterprise and regulated industry IT teams building governance structures. Consultants onboarding into new environments.
Azure Landing Zone Design Kit — Regulated Industry Edition
Description:
6 documents for architects designing Azure Landing Zones
in regulated environments — covering the decisions Microsoft's
documentation glosses over.What's included:
- Network Topology Decision Guide — Hub & Spoke vs Virtual WAN
- Policy & Compliance Checklist — regulated industry compliance baseline, data residency
- Identity & Access Design Checklist — Entra ID, PIM, Conditional Access
- Subscription & Management Group Design Guide — CAF-aligned
- Security Baseline Checklist — CIS Benchmarks, Sentinel, Key Vault
- Go-Live Readiness Scorecard (Excel) — 57 controls, RAG statusWho it's for:
Azure architects in regulated industries and enterprise technology programs.
Zero Trust Architecture Checklist for Azure
Description:
47 controls across 5 pillars — Identity, Network, Device,
Application, and Data — for architects implementing Zero Trust
on Azure. Beyond the marketing, into the actual configuration.What's included:
- Identity Pillar Checklist — Entra ID, MFA, 12 Conditional Access policies, PIM
- Network Pillar Checklist — Azure Firewall, Private Endpoints, NSGs
- Device Pillar Checklist — Intune, compliance policies, PAWs
- Application Pillar Checklist — Managed Identities, API Management, DevSecOps
- Data Pillar Checklist — Classification, encryption, Key Vault, DLP
- Zero Trust Maturity Assessment Scorecard (Excel) — 47 controls, maturity dashboardWho it's for:
Azure and Security architects implementing Zero Trust.
Architects preparing for AZ-305 or SC-100 certification.
Organizations responding to Zero Trust mandates.
Solution Architecture Career Accelerator Kit
Description:
The career guide for architects that nobody wrote — until now.
From developer to Director, built from 20+ years of practice
and real mentorship conversations.What's included:
- Career Roadmap — Developer to Director, 6-level ladder
- Certification Roadmap Guide — Azure, TOGAF, PSM sequenced
- Architecture Portfolio Guide — build one from scratch
- Resume Template & Guide — Canadian market format
- LinkedIn Optimization Checklist — 50+ items
- Interview Preparation Guide — STAR framework, system design
- 30-60-90 Day Plan — for new roles and transitions
- Self-Assessment Scorecard (Excel) — 40 competenciesWho it's for:
Developers targeting their first SA role. Mid-level architects
going senior. Internationally trained IT professionals
navigating the Canadian job market.
Azure Security Bundle (Landing Zone + Zero Trust)
Complete Architect Toolkit (all 4 kits)
Watch on YouTube:
Practical video content on cloud architecture and IT career growth in English and Bengali.
I share what I've learned across 20+ years in enterprise architecture through short, practical videos - career roadmaps, certification guidance, and real architecture thinking, without the fluff.
Latest Video:
Your promotion doesn't start with new skills it starts with a new mindset Going from Junior to Senior to Architect. Watch on YouTube:
This video covers the external layer the specific, visible things that make other people see you as senior, sometimes before your title even changes.Watch on YouTube:
Most engineers get stuck at "intermediate" for years — not from lack of skill, but because nobody explains what actually separates intermediate from senior. In this video, I break down the 6 specific shifts that make that jump happen, based on 20+ years watching engineers grow into seniors and architects.
Most junior engineers spend their first two years learning the wrong things. In this video, I break down the 7 skills that actually get junior engineers noticed and promoted — based on 20+ years watching engineers grow into seniors and architects.
CONTACT / CONNECT
I share new videos on YouTube and post regularly on LinkedIn. If you have questions about the kits, want to discuss enterprise architecture, explore mentorship, or just want to connect LinkedIn or YouTube are the best places to reach me.
Subscribe on YouTube 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn 🛒 Browse Gumroad & Etsy 📖 Follow on Medium
© 2025 Salim Reja · salimreja.ca
Enterprise Architecture video, templates, and mentorship for practitioners.