Nikolay Milyaev

About

About

Mission Critical Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft · United Kingdom

I am a Mission Critical Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, working across identity, XDR, endpoint management, and AI operations.

I have 19+ years of Microsoft experience and have contributed to more than 50 large-scale enterprise cybersecurity and endpoint management projects.

My public writing and interviews focus on Zero Trust, cloud transformation, endpoint management, AI governance, prompt engineering, and practical enterprise security operations.

Track record

Experience summary

  • 19+ years at Microsoft spanning consulting delivery and mission-critical cloud architecture.
  • 50+ large-scale enterprise security and endpoint management projects across global organizations.
  • Current focus on identity, Defender XDR, endpoint strategy, Windows 365, and practical Security Copilot adoption.

Technical focus

Skills

Identity & Access

  • Entra ID
  • IAM
  • Conditional Access
  • MFA resilience
  • Privileged access

Endpoint Management

  • Intune
  • Windows 365
  • Device compliance

Threat Protection

  • Defender XDR
  • Microsoft Sentinel
  • Detection as Code
  • SIEM / SOAR
  • Threat modeling
  • Security posture management

AI Operations

  • Security Copilot
  • AIOps for SecOps
  • Agentic workflows

Credentials

Selected certifications

Active certifications
11
Microsoft exams passed
26
Certification history
Since 2000
View verified Microsoft Learn transcript
  • Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)

    Microsoft · active

    Public profile
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate

    Microsoft · active · Earned · Expires

  • Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Specialist: Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Administering and Deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

    Microsoft · active · Earned

Certification foundations

  • Microsoft Certified Professional
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
  • MCTS: SCCM
  • MCTS: SCOM
  • MCTS: Business Desktop Deployment
View 7 more active certifications
  • MCSA: Windows Server 2012

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Professional

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows Server 2008

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration

    Microsoft · active · Earned

  • Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008

    Microsoft · active · Earned

Academic background

Education

State University of Management

Master’s degree in Information Technology Management

Nikolay Milyaev wearing a Trust me, I’m an architect T-shirt

Off the clock

Trust me, I’m an architect.

Architecture is serious work. Taking yourself too seriously is optional.