Taiob Ali

About the Speaker

• Tell us about yourself: career, family, passions

  From navigating oceans to leading global tech teams, my journey has been defined by resilience and innovation. After 11 years in the merchant marine, traveling across continents and mastering adaptability at sea, I transitioned into a 19-year data architecture and management career.

  Today, as a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Database Solutions Manager at GMO LLC, I lead a team across three continents, driving cloud migrations, automation, and modernization initiatives. My work spans the Microsoft Data Platform, MongoDB, Azure AI, and Python, helping organizations make smarter, data-driven decisions.

  Beyond my role, I’m passionate about community: I've presented at over 100 events worldwide, served on the board of the New England SQL Server User Group, founded the Database Professionals Virtual Meetup Group, and contributed to Microsoft Learn. I believe in sharing knowledge, building connections, and pushing the boundaries of what data can achieve.

• What is your icebreaker for PostgreSQL events?

  How did you start using PostgreSQL, as you spent most of your career in SQL Server and MongoDB?

• What would you say is your superpower?

  Attention to detail

• What is your favorite hobby?

  Long, easy run or walk

About the Talk

• Tell us about your talk? Why did you choose this topic?

  I chose this topic because our team recently inherited several Azure PostgreSQL instances with inconsistent configurations. That experience highlighted how easily gaps can form—and how important it is to have clear, uniform standards to meet regulations like GDPR, SOX, PCI DSS, and HIPAA. I wanted to share these lessons and a practical roadmap that others can apply immediately in their organizations.

• Who would benefit the most from your talk and why?

  This talk will benefit anyone responsible for managing, securing, or auditing Azure PostgreSQL databases, including database administrators, cloud architects, DevOps engineers, and compliance or security professionals.

• What are you looking forward to, the most, during your talk?

  I am most excited about providing attendees with a clear, practical checklist they can use immediately. A lot of information is available about database security, but it is not always organized, prioritized, and directly tied to compliance needs. I look forward to the discussions after the session, hearing how others approach these challenges, and learning from their experiences.

• What existing knowledge should an attendee have?

  Some familiarity with Azure services and PostgreSQL would be helpful, but deep technical expertise isn’t required.

About PostgreSQL

• What inspired you to work with PostgreSQL?

  As the supervisor of the database operations team, I did not have a choice :)

• What is the single thing that differentiates PostgreSQL most from other databases?

  Licensing cost.

• What advice would you give to someone starting their journey with PostgreSQL?

  If you are coming from another RDBMS system, try using your existing knowledge to see how it differs from PostgreSQL. That might make learning easier.

• Could you share a memorable experience or challenge you faced while working with PostgreSQL?

  In the first week, I inherited several Azure Database for PostgreSQL instances. I noticed we were using a Single Server, which was slated for retirement on March 28, 2025. My first marching orders were to migrate these to a flexible server. You do not expect to migrate or upgrade in the first week when you are introduced to a new product.

Open Forum

• Is there anything you’d like to share with the Postgres community attending this year’s POSETTE: An Event for Postgres?

  I spoke at over 100 events, mostly covering all flavors of SQL Server, including Azure, but this is my first session about PostgreSQL, and I am super excited about it.