About

I’m Jacques Murray — a software engineer, IT manager, and systems practitioner based in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa.

With over 17 years of experience in the technology sector, my work spans enterprise systems architecture, full-stack software development, cloud infrastructure, and technical team leadership. Over the years, I’ve designed and maintained high-availability server farms (managing over 200 servers across multi-farm topologies for MTN), led engineering teams building high-volume e-commerce platforms, engineered enterprise solutions for South African National Treasury, and founded Lagari Consulting.

Technical Philosophy & Focus

I focus on building reliable, well-architected systems that stand up to real-world demands:

• Resilience & Security Hardening: Beyond shipping functional code, I place a heavy emphasis on security. I actively engage in penetration testing and bug bounty hunting to understand attack surfaces and build systems that are structurally resilient against adversaries.
• Polyglot Stacks: My foundational expertise lies within the Microsoft enterprise ecosystem (.NET Core 8, .NET Aspire, C#, Microsoft SharePoint, Azure), complemented by extensive hands-on development in Python, Go, Flutter, Dart, PHP, and modern web frameworks (React, Angular, Django REST Framework).
• Cloud & Infrastructure: I architect and manage containerized environments across Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Linode, and DigitalOcean, utilizing CI/CD pipelines and proactive real-time alerting systems.
• Engineering Leadership: As an IT Manager and Development Team Lead, I prioritize unblocking engineers, establishing clear governance, maintaining SLA rigor, and mentoring developers to elevate overall craftsmanship.

Beyond the Code

Outside of professional systems and engineering work:

• Writing & Published Works: I’m the author of The ADHD Adult’s Bill-Paying System That Actually Sticks (published on Amazon Kindle), a practical guide translating systems-engineering principles and zero-memory automation into hands-off financial architectures for neurodivergent adults.
• Homelab & Self-Hosting: I run an active homelab environment where I test new infrastructure setups, experiment with local LLMs and AI agent workflows, and evaluate self-hosted tools.
• Visual Arts: I hold a formal Diploma in Photography and have a keen eye for visual storytelling, composition, and lighting.
• Interests: Gaming, keeping pace with cybersecurity and tech advancements, and exploring thoughtful writing across technology and culture.

You can inspect my full career history on my Resume, check out my Books & Publications, browse articles on the Blog, or connect directly via LinkedIn.