Zachary McCarter
Email: mccarterz@outlook.com
Security Portfolio
Overview
This portfolio provides a comprehensive overview of the projects and initiatives I have contributed to as a Security Analyst and as a Security Engineer. It highlights my experience designing, implementing, and supporting security solutions across multiple environments, with a focus on strengthening organizational security posture and reducing risk.
This portfolio highlights work across CIS Microsoft 365 benchmarking, vulnerability management, identity and access management, security infrastructure migrations, endpoint hardening, device compliance, and overall maturation of security operations. Each project demonstrates a focus on precision, adherence to industry standards, and delivering meaningful, measurable security improvements.
This collection is intended to demonstrate not only technical capability but also a thoughtful and disciplined approach to security, balancing risk, usability, and business needs.
Dig deeper into what I have to offer…
Explore a few of the job functions I have been directly responsible for.
Certifications
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Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)
Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC-900)
Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals (MS-900)
Microsoft Applied Skills: Defend against cyberthreats with Microsoft Defender XDR
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CompTIA Security+
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ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity
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Rapid7 Certified: Vulnerability Management (InsightVM) Certified Administrator
Rapid7 Certified: SIEM (InsightIDR) Certified Specialist
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Mimecast Certified: Email Security Cloud Gateway Fundamentals (L1)
Mimecast Certified: MSP Email Security, Cloud Integrated Certification
Mimecast Certified: Awareness Training Certification
Explore the skills and hands-on knowledge in tools I bring to cybersecurity and IT management.
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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint – Enterprise endpoint security and threat protection.
Microsoft Defender for Servers – Server security and threat detection.
Microsoft Intune – Device management and policy enforcement.
Carbon Black – Advanced endpoint threat detection and response.
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Microsoft Defender for Cloud – Cloud infrastructure security and posture management.
Microsoft Defender for Vulnerability Management – Continuous vulnerability scanning and remediation.
Microsoft Entra ID – Identity and Access Management, Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management.
Conditional Access Policy Architecture - Configurations that control access to resources based on user, device, location, and risk signals
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Taegis XDR – Unified detection and response platform.
Rapid7 InsightIDR – Cloud SIEM and threat detection solution.
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Microsoft Defender for Office – Email and collaboration security.
Mimecast – Email security, archiving, and threat protection.
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Inforcer – Automated enforcement and compliance monitoring.
PowerShell - Check Microsoft 365 settings against benchmark baselines to identify and remediate deviations.
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NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) – Provides a risk-based approach to managing and improving cybersecurity practices across an organization.
CIS Microsoft 365 Benchmarks – Security configuration guidelines for Microsoft 365 services to meet industry best practices.
ISO/IEC 27001 – International standard for information security management systems (ISMS) and continuous risk-based improvement.
SOC 2 Type 2 – Audited framework verifying security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy controls over time.
Education
BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science: Information Technology
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Master of Arts: Curriculum and Instruction
Bachelor of Arts: Psychology | Minor: German
Insights from the colleagues and leaders I’ve had the privilege of working closely with…
A recommendation from my direct manager,
“I had the absolute pleasure of working with Zachary and serving as his direct manager on our Information Security team. He consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a genuine desire to learn. He approached his responsibilities with curiosity and energy, asked thoughtful questions, and showed a real commitment to growing his knowledge and skills.
Zachary has a genuine passion for information security, and that kind of drive matters in this field. He was engaged, dependable, and always looking for ways to grow and contribute to the team. He communicated with confidence when supporting internal stakeholders and customers, and he also showed sound judgment by being honest when he needed to research something further and follow back up with a well-informed answer. I appreciated the effort and commitment he brought to his work, and I wish him the very best in his future opportunities.
Zachary would be a huge asset to any organization that is lucky enough to have him on their team!”
A recommendation from one of my seniors,
“I have known Zachary for years as a kind, courageous individual who puts others before himself and is committed to doing his best in every endeavor. It came as no surprise to me then that Zachary has become an amazing Security Engineer, whom I had the pleasure of working with for years. His strong work ethic quickly made him the first person people turned to for help or guidance on difficult projects and demands. He was fully committed to every project, every ticket or incident, and was not just a fantastic team member but a friend and someone you could count on both at work and on a personal level.
Zachary never got complacent. He was always pushing himself to get a new cert, to learn a new skill, to take on new projects and responsibilities to help the team and the company be the best we could be. His enthusiasm for security is intimidating and infectious, and any team he joins will be made a better and more efficient one, on day one.
There is no doubt in my mind, that he is destined for great things. I know this reads more like an obituary or a glow up, than a professional recommendation, but the hyperbole is earned. Zachary is by far the most tenacious, enthusiastic, capable and dedicated Security professional I have ever worked with or seen, including myself. I was routinely in awe of just the sheer amount of things he was capable of doing in the same 24 hours I had, and just being in proximity to him made me want to do more and be better even though he was junior to me.
I mentored him, but in retrospect, I wonder if I was the one being taught. Taught a new glimpse of what is possible in this field. What hard work and a good attitude can do for someone, and for those around them.
If you are reading this, you can do no better. I assure you. The list of certifications and achievements this man has looks like a typewriter threw up in his bio. He has tackled more projects, investigated more alerts and incidents, and secured more environments than the next 5 applicants combined. But the part that in my opinion, can't be taught or bought, is the drive. The drive for a relentless pursuit of excellence. That drive to secure and protect. The deep-seated positivity and humbleness that will make you question your own paradigms and inspire you to be better and do better, well, Zachary has that in spades.
Hire this man! Give him your trust and respect, and he will enable you to soar right along with him! Though I am sad that this part of our professional relationship has ended, I am excited to see where he will go, and I will be cheering him on from the grandstand as he blasts off to a new horizon.”
Recommendations From Other Colleagues
“Zachary’s impact on the organization was evident to me from my first day. He was instrumental in my onboarding, but more importantly, I inherited a high-functioning environment that Zachary had strategically optimized to ensure my success as an analyst. Zachary was my go-to for nearly any question.
Throughout our two+ years of working together, I saw up close how Zachary goes above and beyond for the benefit of people and the organization. Zachary is a rare all-around talent: an exceptional security engineer, technical project manager, and a top-tier communicator.
Zachary really shines because his passion and technical expertise is balanced with his commitment to kindness and collaboration. I count myself lucky to have worked alongside and learned from Zachary. I can't recommend him enough.”
— Former Colleague“I have had the pleasure of working with Zachary at K2 Services and Opensity Solutions. His vast knowledge of Security topics, including Microsoft configurations, licensing, MFA, Teams Phones, Trusted Sites, Cisco Umbrella, Carbon Black, Microsoft Defender, Taegis, Rapid7, and so much more proved to be a valuable contributor to ensuring the security of many clients. Zachary was also instrumental in providing proactive email security exercises and training for clients to ensure they were educated on these topics to help prohibit future attacks. His collaborative nature and strong work ethic made him an important part of the team. He has been highly regarded and considered an expert by the various clients that he has worked with. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work along side of Zachary and look forward to working together again in the future.”
— Former Colleague“Zachary is the perfect candidate to not only provide expertise within his field but to lift his teammates alongside him. His level of commitment and dedication to learning and helping those around him is second to none. Every conversation I've had with Zachary during our time working together brought smiles, laughter, and knowledge. It was truly inspiring to see the path he has taken, and I know with his drive for knowledge, his potential is limitless. If you want a hardworking, caring, bright and shining individual, you should definitely hire Zachary.”
— Former ColleagueSee more on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-mccarter/