Michal Kurgan

Backend/DevOps Developer | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Professional Overview

Michal Kurgan is an experienced Backend/DevOps Developer with a strong background in software engineering and cloud infrastructure management. He specializes in designing and optimizing scalable, high-performance backend systems and automating DevOps workflows to drive efficient and reliable software delivery.

Experience Summary

Current Role

Michal currently serves as a Backend/DevOps Developer at Showbie, a leading educational technology company. In this role, he is responsible for developing and maintaining robust backend services, managing cloud infrastructure, and implementing CI/CD pipelines to ensure seamless application deployment and scalability. Michal's expertise in leveraging containerization, orchestration, and cloud-native technologies has been instrumental in enhancing Showbie's platform reliability and performance.

Career Progression

Prior to his role at Showbie, Michal held various software development and DevOps engineering positions, including:

• DevOps Engineer at Gfycat, where he played a crucial role in modernizing the company's infrastructure and streamlining deployment processes.

• Systems Developer at Granify, where he developed and maintained mission-critical backend systems, contributing to the company's growth and success.

• Senior Services/DB Programmer at Fluik Entertainment Inc., where he designed and implemented robust database solutions and backend services for the company's mobile gaming platforms.

Throughout his career, Michal has demonstrated a strong ability to tackle complex technical challenges, optimize system performance, and drive continuous improvement through the adoption of best practices and emerging technologies.

Academic Background

Michal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Alberta, where he focused on software engineering and distributed systems.

Areas of Expertise

• Backend development using Node.js, Python, and Go

• Cloud infrastructure management (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)

• Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines

• Database design and optimization (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)

• Distributed systems and scalable architecture design

• Monitoring, logging, and observability solutions

• Agile software development methodologies

Professional Impact

Michal has made significant contributions to the projects and teams he has been a part of. His technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and collaborative approach have enabled him to drive impactful improvements, such as:

• Implementing a highly scalable and fault-tolerant microservices architecture that significantly enhanced the availability and performance of Showbie's platform.

• Automating deployment workflows and reducing manual interventions by 80%, leading to faster time-to-market and improved reliability.

• Optimizing database configurations and query performance, resulting in a 40% reduction in response times and improved user experience.

Conclusion

With a proven track record of delivering high-quality backend and DevOps solutions, Michal Kurgan is a valuable asset to any organization seeking to build and maintain scalable, efficient, and reliable software systems. His diverse technical expertise, coupled with his passion for continuous improvement, make him a strong candidate for senior-level Backend/DevOps roles.