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Ahmed Shakir

Ahmed Shakir · IT Network & Security Engineer

From the cable to the code.

I design networks and security for businesses in Iraq, then build the software that runs on top of them.

See the workIT services
Ahmed Shakir standing in front of a projected terminal running ping

Hardware and software I work with

  • Cisco
  • UniFi
  • Fortinet
  • Cloudflare
  • Linux
  • Ubuntu
  • Docker
  • Caddy
  • Python
  • FastAPI
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Node.js
  • Tailwind CSS
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
  • Vite
  • Git

Work that runs every day

Most of these are in daily use at real businesses in Iraq. Each one is marked with where it actually stands.

F1 Gaming Empiremenu.firstwinner-iq.com

One client, every layer

A gaming centre with PCs, PlayStations, billiards, a cinema and a café. I audited and documented the network and cameras, then built the software the floor runs on.

  1. Network

    Live

    7 Cisco switches audited read-only with Python and Netmiko: models, serials, firmware, every port and VLAN, uplinks mapped from CDP and LLDP.

  2. Cameras

    Live

    Dahua NVR and cameras inventoried, with each camera traced to the switch port it is plugged into.

  3. Digital menu

    Live

    Arabic QR menu with a hidden admin panel where the owner changes prices and photos. Live since September.

  4. Operations system

    In trial

    Stations, sessions, billing, café orders, expenses and reports for 6 staff roles, with 291 automated tests on the money paths.

  5. IT reports

    Live

    A daily IT checklist for the technicians. HR downloads the PDF or Excel themselves instead of asking on WhatsApp.

Cisco IOSUniFiDahuaPythonNetmikoCloudflare WorkersD1React
The F1 operations system showing the floor of 48 stations
The F1 digital menu on a phone
Shabiba Café & LoungeLive since 2 October 2026

Website, menu and staff system, ready for opening day

A bilingual website and menu, plus the app the café runs on: cashier, captains and owner in one system, with tables, billiards and console time merged on one bill.

  • Receipts and orders printed on thermal printers through a small print agent
  • End-of-day report, blind cash count at shift close, and a log of every action
  • Owner reports for sales, best sellers, cost per item and net profit, in Excel or PDF
shabiba.cafemenu.shabiba.cafe
The Shabiba website home page
The Shabiba website on a phone
ReactReact RouterTailwind CSSCloudflare WorkersD1PWA
Al-Murabit Security ServicesIn production since 5 October 2026

Vehicle records for armoured convoys

Team leaders run missions from the field with a vehicle check, defects and photos. Fleet managers get a live board, a defect queue, and alerts for annual registration and oil service.

Next.jsTypeScriptSQLiteDockerCaddyLeaflet
36
checks per vehicle, every mission
GPS
odometer synced nightly from the trackers
VPS
self-hosted, because it holds personnel data
A multi-company groupEngine tested, web app in progress

Attendance that HR used to do by hand

Reads punches from the fingerprint readers, applies the attendance rules and builds the monthly payroll grid.

  • WWorked
  • 7:45Short day
  • ?Missing punch
  • OffDay off
  • LPPaid leave
  • HHoliday
  • Night shifts that end after midnight count toward the day they started
  • Worked time is cut to whole minutes and never rounded up into a full day
F1 Gaming Empire

Bulk account setup, no clicking

Creates game accounts in a gaming-centre portal from a spreadsheet, through the portal’s own API.

$ python cyberx_enroll.py configs/f1-steam.json --apply
  • Dry run by default, writes only with --apply
  • Never creates the same account twice
  • Reads every account back to verify it

Experience & education

  1. 2026 - Present

    Now

    IT Consultant

    Freelance

    Networks, cameras and business systems for clients including F1 Gaming Empire and Shabiba Café & Lounge.

  2. Mar 2026 - Present

    Now
    Harlow Group

    IT Operations Specialist

    Harlow Group

    IT for the group’s headquarters and its companies: helpdesk and tickets, network monitoring, fingerprint and door access, devices and accounts, and internal systems such as the Al-Murabit vehicle records system.

  3. Jan 2022 - Dec 2025

    Al-Hayat Scientific Office

    IT Officer

    Al-Hayat Scientific Office

  4. Oct 2021 - Jan 2022

    Al-Budoor Hospital

    IT Technical Support

    Al-Budoor Hospital

  5. 2018 - 2021

    ISP Agent

    Network Technician

    ISP Agent

    Connected and looked after homes and shops in the area over wireless links from the local tower.

Education

Al-Nisour University

Cybersecurity Engineering

Al-Nisour University

2nd year

Studying alongside full-time work.

What I do

Two halves of one job. Most clients need both, which is why I do both.

Infrastructure

  • Network design, cabling and Cisco switching
  • Wi-Fi for staff and guests
  • CCTV with NVR recording and mobile viewing
  • Fingerprint attendance and door access
  • Servers, monitoring and backups
  • Security audits and hardening

Software

  • Websites in Arabic and English
  • ERP, POS and booking systems
  • Internal tools with PDF and Excel reports
  • Automation with Python and APIs
  • Hosting on Cloudflare or your own server

Need this for your business? The services site has the full list and how a project runs.

IT services

About

I work on both sides of IT: the network and security underneath, and the software a business runs on. I’m in my second year of cybersecurity engineering, studying alongside a full-time job.

As a freelance consultant I take businesses end to end. I audit and fix the network, install the cameras and attendance, and build the system they run on.

How I work

Read before I write

Audits are read-only and my tools default to a dry run. Nothing changes until the plan is approved.

Exact to the dinar and the minute

Money and time are calculated exactly and covered by tests: 291 of them on the F1 billing code alone.

Your accounts stay yours

Domains, subscriptions and admin accounts are registered to the client, never to me.

Written down

Network maps, device lists and how-to notes are handed over, so whoever comes next isn’t starting blind.

2026 so far

  1. Aug

    Started with F1 Gaming Empire: network, cameras and the operations system.

  2. Sep

    F1 digital menu went live. All 7 switches and the camera system audited.

  3. Oct

    Shabiba live on the 2nd, Al-Murabit VRS in production on the 5th, F1 IT reports live on the 6th.

Training and teaching

Ahmed presenting a FortiGate network diagram
Presenting a FortiGate high-availability design
Ahmed in a training room under an EC-Council CEH banner
Ethical hacking course, EC-Council CEH
Ahmed taking notes during a network training session
Fortinet training

Have a network to fix or a system to build?

Tell me what you have and what you need, and I’ll suggest where to start.