Azure Architect · Cleveland, Ohio

Data platforms built to hold up under scrutiny.

I've spent 20 years delivering technology in environments where the work matters and the stakes are high. That includes supporting a major law firm during the Madoff litigation, where technology played a critical role in managing and analyzing complex case data, as well as working on pathology lab automation for Cleveland Clinic.

That experience has shaped how I approach technology today. I work with medium-sized organizations across manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and law in the greater Cleveland area — not large enterprises, but companies that need senior engineering and aren't big enough to keep it on staff. I take on the complex work that needs senior experience, from legacy modernization and cloud data platforms to AI within your own environment and projects that have stalled. I focus on getting the technology working, solving the problems others have struggled to move forward, and delivering something that holds up in the real world.

Start a conversation See selected work

Founder & Principal Software Architect at Expert Tech Pilot. Previously at Baker & Hostetler LLP and Cleveland Clinic.

Enterprise software expertise, without the consulting bureaucracy.

Twenty years of delivery, and you work directly with the engineer doing the work. No account managers, no layers to relay through, no junior team learning your system at your expense.

What I get called in for

  1. Rescuing systems that have stalled

    Projects that have run long, lost their architect, or were left half-built by people who have since moved on. I read the system as it actually is, find where the design turned, and get it moving again.

  2. Legacy application modernization

    Applications that still run the business on a stack nobody wants to touch: VB.NET, ASP.NET, on-premises SQL Server. Moved to Azure in stages, without a rewrite that stops the business for a year.

  3. Data platforms and the applications on them

    Lakehouse architecture on Synapse, Data Factory and Databricks, with the ETL, governance and reporting around it, plus the .NET applications, APIs and document-system integrations that sit on top.

  4. AI inside your own environment

    For organizations whose data cannot leave the building: retrieval over your own documents and systems, deployed into your Azure tenant, under your controls and your retention rules.

Three ways to engage

Pick the one that matches where you are. Most start with the assessment, because it is the cheapest way to find out what you are actually dealing with.

  1. Engineering engagement

    When you already know what needs building.

    • .NET, Azure and API development
    • Legacy modernization and cloud migration
    • Database, ETL and reporting work
    • Integrations with the systems you already run

    Scoped in weeks and delivered by me, not handed to a team you have never met.

  2. Typical first step

    Architecture & Modernization Assessment

    One to two weeks inside the system.

    • Architecture, source code and infrastructure
    • Database, security and deployment pipeline
    • Technical debt, and what it is costing you
    • AI opportunities worth pursuing

    You get a written roadmap you can act on, with me or without me.

  3. Fractional CTO

    Eight to twenty hours a month of senior technical leadership.

    • Architecture and platform decisions
    • Hiring: role definition and technical interviews
    • Cloud, vendor and AI strategy
    • Roadmaps and development process

    Advisory that frequently turns into the development work.

Capabilities

Eight areas of practice, grouped by the kind of problem rather than the kind of product. Most engagements pull on three or four of them at once.

Legacy Modernization

Modernizing long-running .NET and Microsoft applications without disrupting the business.

  • Legacy .NET application modernization
  • .NET Framework to modern .NET
  • ASP.NET / ASP.NET Core
  • Windows services and background processing
  • Web application modernization
  • API development and integration
  • Application architecture and technical remediation
  • Monolith decomposition and modernization
  • Legacy system integration
  • Technical debt reduction
Cloud & Azure

Designing and delivering practical Azure solutions that fit the existing environment.

  • Azure application architecture
  • Azure App Service
  • Azure Functions
  • Azure Storage
  • Azure SQL
  • Azure Data Factory
  • Azure Synapse Analytics
  • Azure Data Lake Storage
  • Azure Key Vault
  • Azure Automation / Runbooks
  • Azure API Management
  • Azure DevOps and CI/CD
  • Hybrid and on-premises to Azure migration
Data Platforms & Engineering

Building reliable data platforms and pipelines from existing systems to modern cloud architectures.

  • SQL Server and Azure SQL
  • Data warehouse architecture
  • Lakehouse architecture
  • ETL / ELT development
  • Azure Data Factory
  • Synapse Analytics
  • Databricks
  • Data Lake Storage
  • PolyBase
  • Data integration and migration
  • Relational database design
  • Query and workload optimization
  • Indexing and performance tuning
  • Data quality and governance
AI in Your Environment

Practical AI solutions that work with your data, systems, and security requirements.

  • AI application integration
  • Private / controlled AI environments
  • Enterprise data integration for AI
  • Document and knowledge extraction
  • Retrieval-augmented applications
  • Microsoft AI and Azure services
  • Secure access to internal data
  • AI integration with existing applications and workflows
Microsoft & .NET Development

Twenty years of hands-on Microsoft development across applications, integrations, data, and infrastructure.

  • C#
  • .NET / .NET Framework
  • ASP.NET / ASP.NET Core
  • Web APIs
  • Windows applications and services
  • VB.NET
  • PowerShell
  • T-SQL
  • Microsoft Graph
  • SharePoint
  • Power BI
  • Enterprise application integration
Systems Integration

Connecting systems that were never designed to work together.

  • REST APIs
  • Microsoft Graph API
  • OAuth 2.0
  • Identity and authentication
  • Document management systems
  • SharePoint integration
  • Enterprise application integration
  • Data synchronization
  • Custom integration services
  • Third-party system integration
Performance & Problem Solving

Finding the problems that don't show up on a technology checklist.

  • SQL and application performance tuning
  • Troubleshooting complex production issues
  • Architecture reviews
  • System profiling and diagnostics
  • Bottleneck identification
  • Failed project recovery
  • Legacy system assessment
  • Technical debt assessment
  • Production stabilization
Delivery & Modernization

Taking difficult projects from "stuck" to working.

  • Technical leadership
  • Architecture and design
  • Proofs of concept
  • Legacy system assessment
  • Cloud migration
  • Application modernization
  • CI/CD implementation
  • Azure DevOps
  • Agile delivery
  • End-to-end project delivery

Selected work

Three engagements, and what they changed.

Madoff Ponzi Scheme litigation platform

A 12-year national trial required a data platform that could ingest, index, and analyze docket filings at a scale and standard of defensibility the firm had never needed before.

  • Architected a Lakehouse data platform on Azure Synapse, Data Factory, and Databricks.
  • Built ETL pipelines using PolyBase for bulk and parallel data movement, indexing and compressing records before load.
  • Created a Databricks intelligence platform for unified data governance, reducing storage and compute costs.
  • Built discovery portals letting defending counsel negotiate document costs and give opposing counsel secure self-service download access.
  • Designed the firm's custom Madoff case management system, integrating with Azure Proxy so external users could reach on-premises applications.

Azure Synapse · Data Factory · Data Lake Storage · Databricks · PolyBase · Power BI · Key Vault · Azure Proxy

Critical Values Real-Time Monitoring

Federal guidelines required caregivers to be notified of critical phlebotomy values. The lab was reaching 3% of them. The failure was silent, and it was a patient-safety problem.

  • Designed a real-time monitoring system that raised the notification rate from 3% to 100%.
  • Ranked #1 of 1,550 entries for Best Scientific Session, Pathology Informatics Conference 2013.
  • Also delivered a Test Information Management System covering 3,000+ orderable tests, with 100+ managed data elements per test.

VB.NET · Entity Framework · ASP.NET 4.0 · SQL Server

Return to Workplace

A firm of 1,900 people across 18 offices needed to reopen safely, then prove where people had actually worked for tax purposes.

  • Delivered a COVID-19 contact tracing application on Azure App Service with 2-D barcode floor check-in and health certification.
  • Logged employee sign-in data through the Microsoft Graph API People Endpoint into a relational database.
  • Let the firm distinguish home from designated-office work for tax audit purposes.
  • Built a centralized OAuth 2.0 token store integrating with the firm's document management system.

Azure App Service · Microsoft Graph API · OAuth 2.0 · SQL Server · SharePoint

What the work produced

83¢ per dollar
Recovered for victims of the Madoff Ponzi Scheme, through a Lakehouse platform that ingested and analyzed docket filings for a 12-year national trial. Served as technical liaison between SIPC and the enterprise development team throughout.
3% 100%
Caregiver notification rate for critical phlebotomy values at Cleveland Clinic, against federal guidelines. Ranked #1 of 1,550 entries at the Pathology Informatics Conference, 2013.
1,900employees
Served by a Return to Workplace system spanning 18 offices during COVID-19, combining Azure App Service with 2-D barcode floor check-in and health certification.
20years
Designing and delivering enterprise applications and cloud data platforms, from LabVIEW test automation on a manufacturing floor to firm-wide litigation infrastructure.

Experience

Twenty years in Cleveland, across manufacturing, healthcare, and legal.

  1. to Present

    Founder & Principal Software Architect

    Expert Tech Pilot · Cleveland, OH

  2. to

    Enterprise Applications Development Manager

    Baker & Hostetler LLP · Cleveland, OH

    Managed the firmwide application development group, serving the firm's largest clients and matters — Madoff, PG&E, Caterpillar, and many more.

  3. to

    Senior Developer, Enterprise Applications Group

    Baker & Hostetler LLP · Cleveland, OH

    Built Madoff discovery portals and a centralized OAuth 2.0 token store integrating with the firm's document management system. Delivered releases through Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines and progressed the application estate toward cloud migration.

  4. to

    Developer, Enterprise Applications Group

    Baker & Hostetler LLP · Cleveland, OH

    Designed a custom Madoff case management system integrating with Azure Proxy for external access to on-premises applications. Delivered 30+ custom SharePoint solutions integrating with Microsoft Graph.

  5. to

    Systems Analyst III

    Cleveland Clinic Foundation · Cleveland, OH

    Built the Test Information Management System covering 3,000+ orderable tests, and designed the Critical Values Real-Time Monitoring System.

  6. to

    Systems Analyst II

    Cleveland Clinic Foundation · Cleveland, OH

    Developed a custom Device Management System streamlining device lifecycle processes and automated clinical form assembly with Microsoft Word content placeholders.

  7. to

    Software Developer, Custom Solutions & Integrations

    ABB Automation Control Systems · Wickliffe, OH

    Developed custom software and integration solutions interfacing with ABB automation control systems. Built an internal time entry system in C# with a SQL Server backend.

  8. to

    LabVIEW Automation Developer

    Zircoa Inc. · Solon, OH

    Developed 10+ LabVIEW automated test systems measuring dimensional compliance and physical properties of zirconia ceramic components, deployed across the Quality Control Laboratory and production floor.

Credentials

Certifications

  • AZ-305 Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
  • AZ-104 Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Education

  • 2021 Master of Business Administration, Cleveland State University
  • 2008 Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Ohio University

Start a project

Tell me what's not working.

If you're carrying a data platform that's outgrown its design, an integration nobody wants to touch, or a migration that keeps slipping, describe it in a few lines. I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right person for it.

Email
Gene.Farber@ExpertTechPilot.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/gene-farber
Based in
Cleveland, Ohio. Working with teams on-site and remotely.

Which of these do you need?

Engineering engagement, Architecture & Modernization Assessment, or Fractional CTO. Pick the closest one and describe where you are.