I design, deploy, and operate Azure platforms that power AI workloads - Databricks environments, data pipelines, and mission-critical systems. 25+ years in the machine room taught me one thing: anything done twice by hand deserves to be automated.
- ⚙️ Building and operating Databricks platforms - clusters, jobs, models, pipelines - with performance, security, and compliance in mind
- 🔁 Automating operations end-to-end with IaC, CI/CD, and orchestration: fewer manual steps, more reliability
- 🤝 Partnering with Data Science, AI, and IT teams to turn business needs into scalable cloud solutions
- 📊 Applying MLOps and DataOps practices: model lifecycle, data governance, monitoring, observability
- 🎓 Finishing a University Certificate in Data Science and competing on Kaggle
Because a profile should be reproducible, here is mine - as code:
# ~/playbooks/dominic.yml
- name: Deploy Dominic D'Apice
hosts: montreal.quebec.canada
gather_facts: true
vars:
role: "Developer - Azure Infrastructure AI"
experience: "25+ years"
core_stack: [azure, databricks, ansible, terraform, python]
fuel: [espresso, curiosity, starlight]
tasks:
- name: Automate everything that moves
ansible.builtin.command: iac --no-manual-steps
register: reliability
- name: Train models, ship pipelines, compete on Kaggle
loop: [mlops, dataops, machine_learning]
- name: Look up at the night sky
when: cloud_cover == 0 # the only time fewer clouds is better
notify: stay_curious
handlers:
- name: stay_curious
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "Per aspera ad astra ✨"
🔬 Full equipment manifest
| Domain | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Cloud & Data Platforms |    |
| IaC & Automation |      |
| Languages |     |
| Operating Systems |     |
| Systems Management |   |
| Databases |     |
| CI/CD & DevOps |        |
Core strengths: Cloud Infrastructure · Infrastructure as Code · Automation & Scripting · DevOps & CI/CD · MLOps / DataOps · Security & Compliance (NERC, CIS) · Azure & Databricks · Team Collaboration
timeline
title From the server room to the AI cloud
1998 : IT Technician & System Administrator
2001 : Linux System Administrator : a decade of servers & Linux appliances
2011 : Linux System Administrator : physical & virtual deployments
2015 : IT Standardization SysAdmin : fleet of 1000+ servers, patching at scale
2018 : Cloud / Linux Admin & IaC Developer : self-service cloud, NERC-regulated environments
2026 : Developer - Azure Infrastructure AI : Databricks · MLOps · DataOps · CI/CD
🎓 Education & Certifications
- Bachelor Certificate, Information Technology Management - UQAM, Université du Québec à Montréal
- Diploma of College Studies (DSM) - Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne
- University Certificate in Data Science (almost finished!)
Specialized training: Red Hat RHCE Rapid Track (RH299) · Red Hat Ansible / Tower · Red Hat Satellite · VMware Infrastructure & Aria Suite · IBM AIX Power System · F5 Big-IP LTM & APM · MS SQL · Security & Network Administration · Azure Cloud · Azure DevOps · Azure DevOps → GitHub Actions migrations
After 25 years of managing clouds, I still spend my clearest nights looking at the real ones.
| 🌌 Astronomy | Exploring celestial objects and following the latest discoveries - from JWST deep fields to backyard skies |
| 🧠 Artificial Intelligence | Studying ML advances and how they translate into real-world impact - then testing myself on Kaggle |
| ⚛️ Physics | Fascinated by the fundamental laws that describe our universe - the original distributed system |
These passions feed my work: the same curiosity that scans the night sky also debugs the pipeline at 2 a.m.
"Delivering scalable, secure, and efficient infrastructure solutions aligned with business strategy."
#Azure #MLOps #DataOps #DataScience #MachineLearning #Kaggle #IaC #ContinuousLearning
