Jack Tracey

Building Azure Platforms — Engineering, Product, and Community

Profile

Senior Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft with over 15 years in IT, operating at the intersection of platform engineering and product management. Founded, built, and scaled four Azure-wide platform products from concept to enterprise-scale adoption: Azure landing zone (ALZ), Sovereign landing zone (SLZ), Azure Verified Modules (AVM), and Subscription Vending. Defined the product vision, wrote and reviewed code, shaped roadmaps, prioritised backlogs, and drove cross-functional delivery for each; resulting in platforms used by thousands of organisations globally in production.

Deep expertise in Azure Resource Manager (ARM), the Azure control plane, Infrastructure-as-Code (Bicep, Terraform), Azure Policy, governance, and deployment reliability. Proven track record of translating real-world customer pain and field telemetry into platform strategy, product requirements, and engineering priorities. Ships production-grade platform products spanning reference architectures, governance frameworks, policy definitions, IaC modules, and deployment tooling through open-source repositories and public registries, coordinating cross-functional and cross-organisation delivery across engineering, product management, and field teams at Azure-wide scale.

Microsoft Ignite and Build speaker. Former Microsoft MVP (Azure) and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Co-founder of the Sussex Azure User Group, part of the Silicon Brighton network. Regular presenter at Bicep, Azure landing zone, and Azure Verified Modules public community calls, and guest on Ctrl + Alt + Azure. Recognised technical authority and thought leader in Azure platform engineering, landing zones, IaC, governance, and sovereign cloud across the Azure community, with a blog previously ranked in the top 50 Azure blogs globally.

Before joining Microsoft, Jack was a Solutions Architect at CDW UK, leading pre- and post-sales Azure, AWS, and GCP architecture for enterprise customers. He started his IT career at 17, progressing through IT Genie Limited, JSPC Computer Services, and Acora — where he rose from Technical Systems Engineer to Technical Engineering Lead and Technical Architect, focussing on Microsoft Cloud (M365 and Azure). Deep background in networking, on-premises data centre builds, and the Microsoft technology ecosystem throughout.

Highlights

Azure landing zone (ALZ) - Technical Lead & Product Owner

Matured ALZ to the product it is today from initial internal project "North Star/ESLZ". Defining product vision, engineering the reference architecture, and driving adoption across thousands of enterprise customers globally grounded on real-world customer pain and field telemetry. ALZ is the most widely adopted Azure landing zone, with tens of thousands of customers using it as the platform landing zone foundation of their Azure environments globally.

Sovereign landing zone (SLZ) - Technical Lead & Product Owner

Owner of the Sovereign landing zone (SLZ). The only available offering in the Microsoft Sovereign public cloud space (as of March 2026). Defined the architecture, tooling, guidance, roadmap, and go-to-market strategy built as a variant on top of ALZ for regulated and sovereign workloads

Azure Verified Modules (AVM) - Technical Lead & Product Owner

Built and scaled Azure Verified Modules (AVM) product. Standardised, reusable, Microsoft official Bicep and Terraform modules shipped through public registries and adopted across Azure consumers globally. Over 30 million deployments to date and growing month on month. Defined the product vision, module design, engineering standards, and delivery processes for AVM across multiple engineering teams and product areas within Azure.

Subscription Vending - Technical Lead & Product Owner

Designed and built Subscription Vending — enabling enterprises to automate Azure subscription lifecycle management at scale through Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and the ARM control plane. Drove the product from concept to delivery, defining the architecture, engineering the solution, and driving adoption across the field. Subscription Vending is now a critical part of the customer platform landing zone journey in the path to democratizing Azure subscriptions across their organisations.

Community & Public Speaking

Microsoft Ignite & Build conference speaker, Ctrl+Alt+Azure podcast guest, and regular presenter at Bicep, Azure landing zone, and Sovereign Cloud community calls. Regular social media (LinkedIn) and YouTube videos posted about products such as ALZ and AVM. Blog previously ranked in top 50 Azure blogs globally.

Industry Recognised & Trusted Voice

Former Microsoft MVP in the Azure category for 2 years before joining Microsoft and handing back MVP status. Trusted technical authority across the Azure community on platform engineering, landing zones, IaC, governance, and sovereign cloud through community outreach efforts and product evangelism.

Experience

Senior Cloud Solution Architect – Cloud & AI Platforms (Global) - Technical Success

Dec 2021 - Present

Built Azure landing zone (ALZ), Sovereign landing zone (SLZ), Azure Verified Modules (AVM), and Subscription Vending from the ground up — taking each from concept to widely adopted platform used by thousands of enterprises
Simultaneously operate as product owner and lead engineer — defining product vision, writing and reviewing code, shaping roadmaps, prioritising backlogs, and coordinating cross-functional delivery across engineering, PM, and field teams
Owner of the Sovereign landing zone (SLZ) — the only available offering in the sovereign public cloud space — driving architecture, roadmap, and go-to-market strategy
Deep expertise in Azure Resource Manager, Bicep, Terraform, ARM deployments, Azure Policy, and the control plane — shipping production-grade IaC modules and reference architectures
Translate real-world customer pain and field telemetry into platform strategy, product requirements, and engineering priorities
Technical lead for sovereign cloud strategy, confidential computing, and regulated workload architecture across financial services, government, and defence sectors
Contributor to Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) & Well-Architected Framework (WAF) documentation for ALZ, AVM, Subscription Vending, and other platform engineering topics
Microsoft Ignite 2025 speaker — delivered Labs and theatre sessions on enterprise cloud migration and modernisation with Azure landing zone and Azure Verified Modules
South Coast Summit 2025 speaker — presented "Azure landing zone + Subscription Vending + Azure Verified Modules == The Perfect Azure Journey"
Guest on the Ctrl+Alt+Azure podcast
Regular presenter at Bicep, Azure landing zone, Azure Verified Modules and Sovereign Cloud external community calls & YouTube videos
Speaker on Microsoft Sovereign Cloud strategy and enablement (LevelUp sessions) reaching hundreds of field engineers globally
Architect and deliver enterprise-scale Azure solutions for strategic customers across multiple industries globally
Mentor and enable field engineers, partners, and customers on Azure platform best practices and landing zone adoption

Azure
Terraform
Bicep
GitHub
Azure DevOps
PowerShell
Bash
Sovereignty

Cloud Solution Architect – Customer Architecture & Engineering (CAE)

May 2021 - Dec 2021

Moved into the global Customer Architecture & Engineering (CAE) team, expanding scope from UK to worldwide customer engagements
Led the Enterprise Scale v-team in technical strategy and architecture pillar, directly shaping the framework that became the Azure landing zone product
Authored and reviewed public-facing Azure documentation on ALZ including sandbox guidance, Azure Policies, and networking critical design areas
Identified repeatable customer patterns and began codifying them into what would become Azure landing zone, Subscription Vending, and the foundations of AVM
Developed Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform and Bicep, establishing engineering practices that scaled across the field
Collaborated directly with product engineering teams to feed customer insights and field telemetry back into Azure platform improvements
Created the Azure Baristas internal and partner-facing hack for Azure landing zone enablement
Delivered architecture and engineering solutions for enterprise customers across complex, multi-region Azure environments

Azure
Terraform
Bicep
GitHub
Azure DevOps
PowerShell
Bash

Cloud Solution Architect - UK Subsidiary

Apr 2020 - May 2021

Cloud Solutions Architect in Microsoft's Customer Success Unit (UK), aligned to media, telecoms, and professional services clients
Acted as trusted advisor for customers on Azure architecture, hosting architecture reviews, workshops, and technical meetings
Enterprise-scale architecture for some of Microsoft's largest and most complex customers in the UK and internationally
Led technical strategy for the Enterprise Scale UK V-Team, contributing to public documentation and networking design areas
Active member of the Azure Networking UK Product Champs, presenting at monthly field technical readiness sessions and working with Global Black Belt (GBB) team
Proctored, authored, and attended internal, partner, and customer-facing hacks (OpenHacks, MicroHacks) including Private Link and Azure Virtual WAN
Fed real-world customer feedback directly to product groups, shaping Azure platform improvements from the field
Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) development and customer enablement using Terraform and ARM Templates
Founding member of AzTech (UK Product Champs), leading the technology approach and Azure DevOps build-out

Azure
Terraform
Bicep
GitHub
Azure DevOps
PowerShell
Bash

Solutions Architect – Public Cloud Architecture

Oct 2018 - Apr 2020

Lead pre-sales and post-sales Azure architecture for enterprise customers, designing IaaS and PaaS solutions for migration and modernisation
Delivered customer workshops, architecture sessions, and technical meetings to drive Azure adoption across diverse industries
Produced high-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD), RFP/RFI responses, and comprehensive Azure solution proposals
Azure consumption forecasting and professional services estimations for complex multi-workload environments
Drove internal innovation including Infrastructure-as-Code adoption (ARM Templates, Terraform, Azure DevOps), running internal training workshops and presenting to senior management
Designed and implemented Azure Lighthouse across UK, International, and US divisions for use by all technical staff
Assisted in Azure Expert MSP submission, liaising with auditors on compliance criteria and providing evidence
Built a strong Microsoft partner relationship through contacts and reputation within the Azure community
Awarded Microsoft MVP for Azure during this period in recognition of community contributions and technical leadership
Ran webinars and presented at internal and customer-facing events to inspire Azure adoption and improve company-wide Azure knowledge

Azure
Terraform
ARM Templates
Azure DevOps
PowerShell
Architecture
Pre-Sales

Co-Founder

Apr 2019 - Present

Co-founded a community for IT professionals in Sussex to collaborate and learn about Microsoft Azure
Audience ranges from Azure beginners to Microsoft MVPs, with regular monthly meetups and live podcast recordings
Focus on knowledge sharing, networking, and community building within the Azure community
Organised and hosted sessions with guest speakers from Microsoft and the wider Azure ecosystem
Speaker at South Coast Summit and other regional events, championing grassroots community engagement

Azure
Community

Technical Architect

Jun 2018 - Oct 2018

Internal promotion reporting directly to the Chief Architect and CEO
Pre-sales architecture for Azure IaaS/PaaS, on-premises infrastructure, Office 365, and networking solutions
Produced professional services and Azure consumption estimations, HLDs, and collaborated on RFPs for infrastructure transformation and cloud migration opportunities
Responsible for product selection for the Server, Cloud, and Messaging technology stack across the professional services team
Hosted weekly technology stack team meetings fostering collaboration across professional services engineers and service operations analysts
Acted as technical owner for all Server, Cloud, and Messaging products, bridging low-level specialists and clients during migrations and implementations
Evaluated emerging cloud technologies and drove continuous innovation to keep solutions relevant

Azure
Office 365
Networking
PowerShell
Architecture
Pre-Sales

Technical Engineering Lead

Jul 2017 - Jun 2018

Internal promotion to a hybrid role — 50% hands-on implementations (mainly Azure IaaS and networking) alongside team leadership
Line management of 5–7 Technical Systems Engineers across all technology stacks, including monthly 1-2-1s, professional development plans, and training
Technical lead for all projects delivered by the team, ensuring quality and on-time delivery
Ownership of delivery quality, customer satisfaction metrics, and executive reporting to CFO and CEO
Implemented new induction process for team members and introduced collaboration processes using Microsoft Teams and Forms
Liaised daily with the executive board, Technical Engineering Manager, and Head of Projects to ensure consistent delivery quality

Azure
Networking
Leadership
Architecture

Technical Systems Engineer – Networking & Security

Oct 2015 - Jul 2017

Internal promotion; 1 of 2 implementation engineers responsible for networking and security in the professional services team
Designed and deployed Azure Virtual Networking including VNETs, peering, VPN Gateways (BGP-enabled), ExpressRoute, NSGs/ASGs, ILBs/PLBs, and NVA routing with UDRs
Implemented Palo Alto NGFW (physical and virtual in Azure and on-premises), Juniper SRX/EX, Cisco Catalyst/ISR/ASR/Nexus, and Cisco Meraki platforms
Built and managed Hyper-V 2012R2 clusters (5x 6+ node clusters) with SCVMM, Nexus 1000v integration, and NetApp Clustered ONTAP via SMI-S
Delivered major infrastructure and WAN projects across EMEA including MPLS replacements, office/datacenter relocations, and WAN resilience installations
Winner of Acora's "Dedication to Service" award in first year in the role, recognised as a "safe pair of hands" by management
Acted as technical lead for all project types across the professional services team, not limited to networking

Networking
Security
Azure

Service Desk Analyst – Tier 3

Nov 2014 - Oct 2015

1 of 2 Tier 3 analysts supporting a debt management client with 3000+ users
Managed Windows Server (2000+), Exchange 2010 DAGs and CAS arrays across 2 organisations, and 2 separate AD DS forests with cross-forest transitive trusts
Administered SQL Server failover clusters, Always-On Availability Groups, and log shipping configurations
Supported VMware vSphere 5.0+, Hyper-V with SCVMM, and NetApp FAS/E-Series and Dell EqualLogic SANs
Developed PowerShell automation for repeatable tasks including automated starter/leaver processes and HR reporting across domains

Windows Server
PowerShell
Virtualisation
Networking

IT Technician

Dec 2013 - Nov 2014

Supported 150+ schools and businesses with on-site and remote IT support across West Sussex and surrounding counties
Led large-scale projects during school holidays including wireless installations and entire server infrastructure replacements
Delivered Exchange 2003→2010 and 2010→2013 migrations for customers, managing planning and execution
Migrated 100+ schools' internet connections from council-provided services to JSPC's own internet and web filtering, including domain and email migrations for each school
Managed diverse Windows Server environments including Active Directory, Group Policy, and print services

Windows Server
Networking
Exchange

Field Engineer

Apr 2013 - Dec 2013

Internal promotion from Senior Helpdesk Engineer to dedicated on-site Field Engineer
Provided on-site support to 50–100 SMB customers as their dedicated engineer for all IT needs
Delivered server installations, proactive maintenance visits, and managed escalations from the helpdesk team
Completed several Small Business Server swing migrations (SBS 2003/2008/2011) for various clients
Built strong customer relationships, acting as the trusted technical point of contact for each account

Windows Server
Networking

Senior Helpdesk Engineer

Jun 2011 - Apr 2013

Provided day-to-day support to 75+ customers, each with their own specific infrastructure critical to their business
Supported servers, desktops, laptops, mobile devices, cloud-based systems, web hosting, networking, and internet services
First point of escalation for complex technical issues, mentoring junior helpdesk engineers
Managed Windows Server environments, Exchange, backup solutions, and internet connectivity services
Started IT career at 17, rapidly progressing from entry-level to senior engineer within two years

Windows Server
Networking

Certifications

Transcripts

Microsoft Transcript Credly Profile

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate
Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty
Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals
Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
Microsoft MVP Azure (2 Years - now Alumni as Microsoft FTE)
CCNA Routing & Switching | Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching
JNCIA-JUNOS | Juniper Networks Certified Internet Associate
JNCIS-SEC | Juniper Networks Certified Specialist Security
Palo Alto ACE | Palo Alto Accredited Configuration Engineer
See other badges and awards in Microsoft & Credly transcripts, in links above

Skills

- Azure
- Azure landing zone
- Sovereign landing zone
- Azure Policy
- Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
- Azure Verified Modules
- Microsoft Sovereign Cloud
- Terraform
- Bicep
- ARM
- GitHub Actions
- Azure DevOps
- PowerShell
- Bash
- Azure Networking
- Firewalls (Palo Alto, Juniper)
- Routing & Switching (Cisco, Juniper)
- Load Balancing (F5, Citrix NetScaler)
- Enterprise Architecture
- Pre-Sales
- Public Speaking
- Technical Training
- Mentoring

Languages

English
Native
Spanish
Learning

Interests

Public Speaking
Hyperscale Public Clouds
Platform Engineering
Sovereignty
Coffee
Cricket
Football
Golf
Formula 1 (F1) - McLaren fan
Music & Live Concerts/Gigs