IBM Champion Spotlight: Salman Shaikh 

The Architect Bridging Compliance and Innovation

This month, we proudly highlight Salman Shaikh, a Senior DevSecOps Architect at GOSI (General Organization for Social Insurance) and 3x IBM Champion, whose work at the intersection of security, automation, and compliance is reshaping how critical institutions in Saudi Arabia deliver software.

A Champion’s Code:

Salman’s weapon of choice? IBM UrbanCode Deploy, the backbone of his DevSecOps philosophy. “It’s the Swiss Army knife for secure, auditable deployments in hybrid environments, especially vital for regulated sectors like ours.” he says. His advocacy thrives through community engagement and hands-on product feedback, where he transforms complex pipelines into reproducible blueprints for others.

What fuels his IBM Champion journey? Salman started with a desire to bridge the gap between enterprise operations and modern DevOps practices. Over the years, he realized that sharing lessons learned, especially from high-stakes banking and public sector projects, could accelerate others’ journeys. To Salman, “IBM Champion is more than a title; it's a responsibility to mentor, share, and uplift.”

One standout achievement: Modernizing CI/CD for Saudi banking and public sector giants using IBM UrbanCode and OpenShift, enabling compliant, large-scale software delivery without compromising speed.

One of the best technology events Salman attended, was the IBM Complex Engineering and Software Delivery Symposium & Open Labs, centered around IBM’s vision of a unified and AI-driven DevOps Loop.

His advice to aspiring Champions? “Be consistent, be visible, and be helpful. Start small, blog your solutions, speak at meetups, or engage on IBM TechXchange. You don't need to know everything, just share what you do know with heart and authenticity.”

Mark Your Calendars: Salman Takes the Stage at TechXchange 2025

Salam is an IBM Champion who leads by example, he was selected to speak at the IBM TechXchange 2025 in Orlando, FL (October 6–9), on a powerful session topic:

-       "IBM ELM for All: Scalable Engineering Management for Every Industry"

-       Track: App Development

-       Session ID: 1288

Don't miss his invaluable practical insights in Orlando next October!

Beyond tech, Salman dreams of documentary filmmaking or investigative journalist: “I love storytelling, especially when it unearths deeper truths and helps people see the world differently.” he mentioned.

Lightning Round

·       Superpower: Pause time ⏸️ (to learn/help/rest)

·       Bucket list: Japan 🗾 (tech + tradition)

·       Cake > ice cream 🎂 | Cats > dogs 🐈 | Winter > summer ❄️

·       Evenings = deep thinking 🌙 | Paper books = natural detox 📖

·       TV shows > movies 📺 | Night in with tea & blogs ☕

·       Dip a toe first 🏊 | Drive > fly 🚗 ("More time to think")

Connect with Salman on LinkedIn.

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