System status - online

Technology Systems Architect. Cloud, AI & Security Engineer. Writer. Systems QA - empathy at heart.

20+ years turning complex technology into practical outcomes - from AWS Trust & Safety, Windows cloud infrastructure and AWS AI systems, to technical writing, mentoring and independent products built for real people. Howard, HD, Howie, Howza, Jamboo Tech Support, HDJ - same rare kind: hands-on, grateful, and ready for serious Systems QA, cloud, DevOps, AI automation, web and training engagements.

FLEXIBLE: ONSITE / HYBRID / FULL-TIME REMOTE - 083 785 8389 - HOWARDJAMBO@GMAIL.COM

Get in touch What I can do for you View experience log

20+

Years in technology

7 yr 1 mo

Amazon Web Services

AWS roles held

Ventures founded

About

Howard is a self-taught technologist from Ndirande, Safarawo, Blantyre. His foundation was built in electronics labs, internet cafes, libraries and real customer environments - repairing devices, researching without easy access to books, and turning limited resources into working knowledge.

That path became a 20+ year technology career across Malawi and South Africa. At Amazon Web Services, he progressed through four roles over seven years, became an EC2 Windows Subject Matter Expert, contributed to official AWS documentation, mentored graduate and intern talent, and worked across Trust & Safety, Windows cloud infrastructure and AWS AI systems.

Today he is building SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu and Architect: practical technology services, web apps, hosting, cloud support, AI automation, training and grassroots digital access. The story is not about what failed - it is about resilience, recovery, and the first real opportunity to soar.

He brings technical depth, user empathy and hard-earned resilience to Systems QA, cloud/infrastructure consulting, AI automation and training. Flexible for onsite, hybrid and full-time remote work.

"Then Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come, and see."

Brenda Fassie - Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu

Certifications & Published Work

Certifications & published work

+ AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03), Mar 2025 -> Jan 2028

+ CCNA Cybersecurity Operations - Cisco Global Cyber Ops Scholarship, 2018

+ Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Mobility, 2017

+ Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows 10 / Windows 8

+ HP Accredited Platform Specialist, 2005 - CompTIA A+, 2005

+ Technical writer - AWS re:Post Knowledge Center: troubleshooting EC2 Windows instance reboots

Music, Audio & Live Systems

Music, audio & live systems

Alongside his technology career, Howard has a lifelong passion for music and audio. He worked as a sound engineer at his church in Malawi and went on to work with top Malawian musicians during live recording sessions - setting up live sound for recording, monitoring system load and troubleshooting glitches in real time under performance conditions. That live-systems background carries directly into his professional work with Crestron boards and other smart AV/control systems, and into IoT device integration, where the same real-time monitoring and system-design instincts now combine with his AWS cloud and networking skills.

+ Sound engineer, church audio systems - Malawi

+ Live recording sessions with top Malawian musicians - live sound setup, system load monitoring, real-time glitch troubleshooting

+ Crestron boards and other smart/AV control systems

+ IoT device integration, combined with AWS cloud and wired/wireless networking skills

Capability

Cloud & Windows infrastructure - migrations, troubleshooting, operational readiness

Multi-cloud - AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud capability

Infrastructure as Code - CloudFormation, Terraform and production-oriented environment design

Cloud-native DevOps - CI/CD, Jenkins, AWS CodeDeploy, GitLab and Agile delivery

Microservices - containers, Kubernetes, serverless and distributed application architecture

Monitoring & logs - CloudWatch, Kafka, Logstash, Splunk, Elasticsearch and Kibana awareness

AI systems - applied experience supporting AWS AI systems

Systems QA - empathy-led, user-first quality assurance

Technical writing - customer-facing documentation, AWS re:Post contributions

Wired & wireless networking - LAN/WAN/VPN, wireless antennas, VoIP

Live audio & smart AV/IoT systems - Crestron, live recording, control systems

Experience Log

22+ years, now led by SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu - SME technology services, web apps, hosting, cloud, AI automation and training - while open for Systems QA, cloud/infrastructure and consulting roles.

FULL CAREER - 2004 -> PRESENT22+ YRS

Computech

Teem College

Mudi SACCO

Velocity Trade

AWS Cloud Support Eng. I

AMAZON WEB SERVICES - MAY 2019 -> MAY 20267 YRS 1 MO

Customer Service

Trust & Safety

Cloud Support Assoc.

Cloud Support Engineer I

SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu Main focus now

Founder-led SME technology services - Cape Town / Africa

2026 - PRESENT

Current main work: practical technology services for SMEs and communities - web apps, websites, hosting, cloud/infrastructure consulting, AI automation, free tech support, training, used/new sales and grassroots mentoring. Open for Systems QA roles, cloud/infrastructure consulting, gigs, speaking and training opportunities while building SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu.

Cloud Support Engineer I - Windows EC2 Windows SME

Amazon Web Services / Amazon Development Centre South Africa - Cape Town

MAY 2022 - 31 MAY 2026

Owned complex technical support cases for Windows workloads on AWS. Became the team's EC2 Windows Subject Matter Expert (SME); served as an internal AWS mentor and trainer, mentoring AWS Graduate Programme students from several South African universities; worked on AWS AI systems and contributed as a technical writer to AWS re:Post Knowledge Center documentation.

Cloud Support Associate Windows

Amazon Web Services - Cape Town

JUL 2021 - MAY 2022

Technical support for AWS services and Windows workloads; troubleshot Windows Server, Exchange, SQL Server, IIS and networking while developing advanced AWS support capability.

Trust & Safety Associate

Abuse Investigation & Prevention - Amazon Web Services

MAY 2020 - JUL 2021

Investigated reports of AWS resources causing third-party harm - misuse, spam and compromised resources. Direct, hands-on Trust & Safety experience, not theoretical security knowledge.

Technical Customer Service Associate Core

Amazon Web Services - Cape Town

6 MAY 2019 - MAY 2020

Frontline AWS account, billing and service support in a high-volume customer environment; acted as customer advocate and built detailed product knowledge.

IT Helpdesk Administrator

Oasis Group Holdings - Cape Town

JUN 2018 - APR 2019

Supported Exchange, Windows Server, VMware ESXi/vSphere/Horizon, VoIP, VLANs and Group Policy environments; resolved application, hardware and access incidents.

Desktop Support

Velocity Trade Capital (Pty) Ltd - Cape Town

1 AUG 2015 - MAY 2018

First point of contact for infrastructure and user support across a forex trading office and call-centre environment. Administered Active Directory, Azure AD, Exchange Online, VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix and Fortigate firewalls. The start of his South African career.

IT Officer

Mudi SACCO - Blantyre, Malawi

AUG 2011 - AUG 2013

Led helpdesk and technical support activities and contributed to the organisation's computerisation programme - administering Windows Server, Active Directory, Exchange, SQL Server, LAN/WAN/VPN, backups and endpoint security.

Information Technology Trainer

Teem Development College - Malawi

OCT 2008 - AUG 2011

Prepared and delivered lectures, tutorials and practical classes in computer systems and business applications; managed student databases, networks and Sage Pastel environments.

Electronics & Servicing Lab

Blantyre School of Business Studies - Blantyre, Malawi

BEFORE 2004

Learned electronics while earning a living - servicing and fixing the electronics items people brought into the school's open electronics lab, led by our teacher Bra Bra. It was here he first became fascinated with the internet: reading Internet Explorer manuals and Windows 95/98 help files in free periods, then practising at the internet cafe opposite National Bank, Victoria Avenue.

Customer Engineer

Computech Business Services Ltd - Malawi

APR 2004 - MAR 2007

Managed workshop operations and diagnosed hardware, software and networking problems - installing and repairing desktops, servers, printers and electronic equipment. Built on the self-taught foundation from Ndirande and the school lab at Blantyre School of Business Studies.

Ventures & Portfolio

Independent products and services built outside the day job - each one moving deliberately from idea to evidenced, working product.

Architect

Platform

A modular technology console and product architecture spanning dashboards, projects, deployment workflows, servers, sites, domains, databases, products, payments, customers, integrations, AI operations, security and documentation.

SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu

Venture

Cloud consultancy, cybersecurity, QA, automation, IoT, e-commerce and technical training built for small businesses and underserved communities.

AI & Local-First Technology

Ongoing

Combining paid AI tools, local/offline models and automation to build cost-controlled, low-dependency technology workflows for SMEs.

Hardware & Systems Integration

Hands-on

Physical-layer diagnostics - GPU, PSU, docking and power-path work - extending the cloud/software profile down into hardware.

PRODUCT APPROACH - IDEA TO REVENUE

Idea -> Architecture -> Prototype -> GitHub / build record -> Demo -> First user -> Case study -> Revenue

Services & Engagements

Systems QA

Engagement

Empathy-led, user-first quality assurance for technical systems and customer-facing platforms - bringing the same care for the person on the other end of a ticket into how systems are tested.

Outcome: fewer incidents in production, faster feedback, systems that feel reliable to the people using them.

Cloud Infrastructure Consulting

Services

AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Windows environments: migrations, troubleshooting, operational readiness, security hygiene, documentation, IaC and production support.

Outcome: root cause found and fixed, documented so your team can run it.

DevOps & IaC Delivery

Cloud native

CloudFormation, Terraform, CI/CD, Jenkins, AWS CodeDeploy, GitLab, Agile delivery, access control, upgrades, monitoring, reliability and performance improvements.

Outcome: repeatable infrastructure, safer releases and systems your team can maintain.

Containers, Serverless & Migration

Modernisation

Microservices and distributed architecture across containers, Kubernetes and serverless, with AWS compute awareness including EC2, ECS, EKS, ECR, Fargate, Lambda, App Runner, Elastic Beanstalk, Lightsail, Batch, Outposts, Wavelength and VMware Cloud on AWS.

Outcome: practical cloud choices matched to the workload, budget and operating model.

Discovery, Operations & Support

Run and improve

AWS Application Discovery Service, AWS Transform and AWS MGN awareness, plus user access, passwords, hardware/software upgrades, secure web and messaging support, monitoring, training and troubleshooting.

Outcome: clearer environments, better migrations, stronger operations and fewer repeat failures.

AI Automation & Systems Consulting

Services

Connecting AI, automation, cloud and local infrastructure for SMEs while controlling recurring costs.

Outcome: automation that pays for itself and survives budget review.

Technical Training & Writing

Services

Cloud fundamentals, Windows troubleshooting, cybersecurity awareness, practical AI adoption, and customer-facing documentation.

Outcome: teams and users who stop calling you for the same thing twice.

Education & Certifications

EDUCATION

Advanced Diploma in Information Technology / ICT Systems Support

2008 - 2010

Malawi Polytechnic Continuing Education Centre

ICT equipment and systems, customer support, network hardware and software integration, ICT support-service planning, software deployment and network management.

Malawi School Certificate of Education

2000

Kaphuka Private Secondary School

Additional technical education

+ Electronics Servicing Certificate Part III - Microprocessor Computer Systems, 2003

+ Electronics Servicing Certificate Part II - Digital Electronics, 2002

+ Electronics Servicing Certificate Part I - Electronics Systems, 2001

+ Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 / Transact-SQL training

+ Microsoft Certified Professional

Gratitude

I and I - the old school, the teachers, the supporters

This is Howard David Jambo speaking in my own voice: Howard, HD, Howie, Howza, Jamboo Tech Support, HDJ, Icho Rasta, Jah Man, Fireman, Howardihno, Shehe, Iwe Mbozi, technician, engineer, that guy, my man, king son. Many names, one person: a rare kind, built by grace, pressure, old-school lessons and people who took time to show me the way.

Thank you to everyone who always took time to support I and I - the ones who offered to teach, opened a lab, shared a book, explained a command, gave a chance, fixed my thinking, corrected me, prayed for me, fed me, trusted me, or simply said: keep going. I carry that gratitude into every ticket, every system, every customer and every young builder I train.

The tone is urban and corporate because both worlds made me: street-smart enough to survive, disciplined enough to deliver, grateful enough to give back, and technical enough to build at scale.

Advocacy

Resilience and access

Technology and digital-access advocacy with a documented backbone: digital safety, platform accountability, cybersecurity awareness, and African technology access. Grounded in Trust & Safety and infrastructure experience - not a declared cause alone.

Open the advocacy page ->

Work With Howard

Hire a systems thinker who turns complex infrastructure into working outcomes: Systems QA, cloud and infrastructure consulting, AI automation, web apps, websites, hosting, training, speaking, and SmartBwana / Bwana Khasu technology services.

EMAIL howardjambo@gmail.com

PHONE 083 785 8389

WHATSAPP 083 785 8389

LOCATION Flexible: onsite, hybrid, full-time remote