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Hao Najjar

Principal Security Specialist

Brisbane · Brisbane, QLD, Australia · hao.najjar@data3.com.au

Principal Security Specialist focused on Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR and Zero Trust

Higher EducationProfessional ServicesState Government

About

Hao Najjar is a Principal Security Specialist at Data#3 with deep expertise in Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, and zero-trust architecture. He has successfully led end-to-end SOC transformation programs and security architecture engagements across state government, higher education, and professional services sectors. With over 16 years of industry experience, Hao holds SC-100 and CISSP certifications and is recognised for translating complex security requirements into practical, measurable outcomes.

Experience

  1. 2022-03 — Present
    Current
    Principal Security Specialist
    Data#3

    Leads complex security architecture and transformation programs with a focus on Microsoft security stack and zero-trust principles.

    • Architected and delivered two full SOC build programs from requirements through to operational handover
    • Leads pre-sales and delivery for Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR engagements
    • Advises CISO-level clients on zero-trust roadmap and implementation
  2. 2018-06 — 2022-02
    Senior Security Consultant
    Deloitte

    Provided security consulting services to government and education clients with a focus on cloud security and SOC maturity.

    • Designed security architectures for two major Queensland Government departments
    • Led SOC maturity assessments and transformation roadmaps
  3. 2015-01 — 2018-05
    Cyber Security Architect
    The University of Queensland

    Responsible for enterprise security architecture and incident response within a large higher education environment.

    • Implemented Microsoft Sentinel as the central SIEM platform
    • Developed zero-trust network access strategy adopted across the university
  4. 2009-02 — 2014-12
    Security Analyst
    PwC Australia

    Began career in professional services performing security assessments, penetration testing and compliance work.

    • Conducted numerous security risk assessments for ASX-listed clients
    • Developed foundational SIEM deployment playbooks still used internally

Projects

  1. SOC Transformation Program
    2023-05 — 2024-06
    Queensland Department of Education · State Government · as Lead Security Architect

    Designed and implemented a modern 24x7 SOC that reduced mean time to detect from 48 hours to under 4 hours and consolidated three legacy SIEM platforms.

    Microsoft SentinelMicrosoft Defender XDRAzure Logic AppsKusto Query LanguageMicrosoft Entra ID
  2. Zero Trust Architecture Implementation
    2022-08 — 2023-04
    University of Melbourne · Higher Education · as Principal Consultant

    Delivered a comprehensive zero-trust framework adopted across 85,000 users, resulting in a 62% reduction in successful phishing incidents within the first year.

    Microsoft Defender for CloudAzure AD Conditional AccessMicrosoft SentinelPalo Alto NetworksZero Trust principles
  3. Microsoft Sentinel SOC Build
    2021-11 — 2022-07
    Queensland Health · State Government · as Security Lead

    Built and operationalised a centralised security operations centre handling over 18 billion events per month, improving threat detection coverage by 74%.

    Microsoft SentinelDefender XDRAzure MonitorLog AnalyticsPower BI
  4. Defender XDR and Sentinel Migration
    2020-09 — 2021-06
    KPMG Australia · Professional Services · as Technical Architect

    Migrated legacy SIEM to Microsoft Sentinel platform, reducing licensing costs by 41% while increasing automated response actions from 12% to 68% of incidents.

    Microsoft Defender XDRMicrosoft SentinelAzure LighthouseEntra IDSOAR automation
  5. Cloud Security Posture Management
    2019-03 — 2019-12
    Griffith University · Higher Education · as Senior Security Consultant

    Implemented continuous security posture management across multi-cloud environment, remediating over 1,200 high-severity misconfigurations and achieving 94% compliance score.

    Microsoft Defender for CloudAzure PolicySentinelTerraformCIS Benchmarks
  6. Incident Response Capability Enhancement
    2017-06 — 2018-02
    Department of Transport and Main Roads (QLD) · State Government · as Incident Response Lead

    Developed and tested comprehensive incident response playbooks that reduced average breach containment time by 65% during simulated exercises.

    Microsoft SentinelDefender for EndpointAzure ADPower AutomateMISP