Sharaden Cole

Cybersecurity & GRC Engineer | Cloud Compliance & Automation Specialist

About Me

I'm a Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Engineer who specializes in transforming complex regulatory requirements into practical, automated security controls that protect organizations while enabling business growth. With deep expertise spanning multiple regulatory frameworks and security standards, I bridge the critical gap between compliance mandates and operational security by architecting solutions that embed controls directly into business processes.

My approach centers on control automation, continuous monitoring, and DevSecOps-aligned compliance, leveraging AWS security services, Power Automate, and cloud governance frameworks to shift organizations from manual, point-in-time assessments to continuous compliance monitoring. I excel at translating dense regulatory language and technical security concepts into actionable safeguards that stakeholders at all levels can understand and implement.

Skills & Expertise

Cloud Security & Infrastructure

  • AWS Security Services (GuardDuty, Security Hub, Config, CloudTrail)
  • Identity & Access Management (IAM, SSO, SCP, Organizations)
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, CDK)
  • Network Security, VPC Design, Data Protection & Encryption

DevSecOps & Automation

  • CI/CD Security (GitHub Actions)
  • Policy as Code & Security Testing
  • Cloud Automation (Lambda, Step Functions)
  • Workflow Automation (Power Automate)
  • API Integration (REST APIs, AWS SDK/Boto3)

Programming & Scripting

  • Python (Boto3, Pandas)
  • PowerShell & Bash/Shell
  • SQL, JSON, YAML
  • Git/GitHub, GitBash

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)

  • Frameworks: NIST CSF 2.0, PCI DSS 4.0, ISO 27001, SOC 2, CIS Controls
  • Risk Assessment & Mitigation
  • Audit Support & Evidence Collection
  • Continuous Compliance Monitoring
  • Vendor & Third-Party Risk Management

Tools & Platforms

  • AWS Console & CLI
  • VS Code, Windsurf IDE & Cascade
  • ChatGPT & Claude AI
  • Power Automate

Featured Projects

AWS Account Governance & Security Implementation Guide

Configured AWS IAM Identity Center, CloudTrail, Config, and Security Hub to implement control automation and continuous monitoring.

Audit and Risk Assessment Lab

Developed a hands-on lab simulating IT risk assessment workflows, control testing, and vulnerability management.

Vendor Policy Gap Analysis

Conducted systematic reviews of vendor policies against PCI DSS requirements, identifying gaps in security controls.

Certifications & Training