Cybersecurity Expertise Meets Technical Innovation

I’m M Afzal Yousaf Cybersecurity Engineer. Compliance Consultant. Technical Consultant. PMP Project Manager. Entrepreneur.

I provide expert cybersecurity consulting, compliance solutions, and technical strategies to help businesses achieve resilience, secure infrastructure, and drive digital transformation with confidence.

Find Me

About Muhammad Afzaal - Journey Section

About Muhammad Afzaal

From €50/week to building Europe's premier cybersecurity and compliance consulting practice

The Journey So Far

At 18, I arrived in Dublin with just €50 per week. Over 242 weeks of relentless work, I transformed that struggle into expertise.

Today, I hold an MSc in Cybersecurity from UCD, am pursuing CISA certification, and am building CTechSol—an integrated legal, technical, and AI governance consultancy serving European financial institutions and regulated sectors.

mafzaal.com is where I share what I'm learning: DORA implementation strategies, GDPR compliance roadmaps, AI governance frameworks, and the real lessons from building a consultancy while studying and working full-time.

"Afzaal was an exemplary student, with self motivation and organisational levels second to none. He undertook an almost global commercial launch while holding down a job and self-financing his studies. It will be astounding the level of work that he will produce."

— Griffith College Project Supervisor

Final Year Project Assessment, 2021

7+ Years Consulting
Experience

2 Master's
Degrees

50+ Projects
Delivered

5+ Professional
Certifications

Education & Credentials

MSc Cybersecurity

University College Dublin

2023 - 2024

Advanced cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance frameworks

Level 9 Micro-Credential

Specialized Institution

2024 - Present

Advanced specialization in emerging technologies and compliance

Professional Certifications

Multiple Bodies

Ongoing

CISA, PMP, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, and more

Community & Mentoring

Volunteer Leadership

Rent Ireland Community – Co‑Founder & Admin

Dublin, Ireland · 2021 – Present · 1,000+ members

After arriving in Dublin as a student and experiencing the housing challenges first‑hand, I co‑founded Rent Ireland to help Pakistani students and professionals find safe, fair accommodation.

Built and moderate a 1,000+ member community connecting newcomers with verified housing options.
Facilitated 200+ successful accommodation matches, reducing settlement time from 6+ weeks to 2–3 weeks.
Defined and enforce anti‑fraud rules to prevent exploitation and scams in a high‑risk rental market.

Career Mentoring

CV, LinkedIn & Career Guidance – Volunteer Mentor

Remote / Dublin · 2023 – Present · 100+ students mentored

Provide free, practical career guidance for Pakistani students and professionals entering the Irish job market—covering CV review, LinkedIn optimisation, interview prep and settlement support.

Mentored 100+ students and early‑career professionals with personalised CV and LinkedIn reviews.
Coached candidates for behavioural and technical interviews, helping many secure roles in tech, finance and compliance.
Created reusable templates and checklists that are now used across wider Pakistani‑Irish student networks.

What I Do Section

Solutions That Drive Resilience & Growth

Cybersecurity and Compliance Consulting & Technical Solutions for Digital Transformation

Empower your business with expert Cybersecurity and Compliance Consulting combined with Technical Solutions for Digital Transformation. We help organizations strengthen resilience through DORA and GDPR compliance, secure infrastructure engineering, and advanced network security. As a certified project manager and technical consultant, we deliver end-to-end strategies that protect critical assets, optimize IT operations, and accelerate modernization. From audits and risk management to cloud security and infrastructure design, our solutions turn compliance into a competitive advantage. Start your transformation today.

Cybersecurity Audits & Assurance

Strengthen security with ISO 27001 and NIST CSF audits, Gap analysis, and actionable remediation plans for compliance and resilience.

DORA Readiness & Gap Assesment

Achieve DORA and NIS2 compliance with expert guidance on ICT risk, incident reporting, and resilience testing for EU regulatory readiness.

GDPR Compliance Audit for SMEs

End‑to‑end GDPR review covering data mapping, lawful basis, DPIAs, records of processing, data subject rights, and security of processing, delivered as a prioritised action plan for Irish/EU SMEs.

Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPO)

Outsourced DPO services for GDPR compliance, DPIAs, and governance to safeguard data and reduce regulatory risk. .

Cloud & Identity Security

Protect cloud environments and identities with MFA, Zero Trust, and advanced security controls for resilience and compliance.

Cybersecurity Training & Awareness

Reduce human risk with cybersecurity training, phishing simulations, and awareness programs tailored to your organization.

Penetration Testing & Validation

Discover and fix vulnerabilities with expert penetration testing and validation for stronger security and compliance.

Policy, Risk & Governance

Develop and implement robust security policies, risk registers, and governance frameworks aligned with ISO 27001, NIS2, and leading cybersecurity standards to ensure compliance and resilience

Vendor & Third-Party Risk 9

Reduce supply chain risk with vendor assessments, compliance checks, and continuous monitoring for third-party security assurance

Infrastructure & Network Engineering

Build secure IT infrastructure with advanced firewalls, network hardening, and optimized configurations for resilience and performance.

AI Software Development

Build AI-powered applications for automation, analytics, innovation, and agentic workflow systems with secure, scalable software development.

Secure Digital Transformation

Drive secure technical transformation with cloud migration, architecture reviews, and modernization strategies for resilience.

Features

What I Do

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Web Development

a one-sentence blurb.

Resume Section for WordPress

7+ Years of Experience

My Resume

2006 - 2010

Education Quality

B.Sc in Computer Science

University of DVI (2006 - 2010)

The training provided by universities in order to prepare people to work in various sectors of the economy or areas of culture.

AS - Science & Information

SuperKing College (2001 - 2005)

Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education.

Secondary School Education

Kingstar Secondary School (1998 - 2000)

Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale.

2010 - 2022

Job Experience

Sr. Software Engineer

Google Out Tech - (2017 - Present)

Google's hiring process is an important part of our culture. Googlers care deeply about their teams and the people who make them up.

Web Developer & Trainer

Apple Developer Team - (2012 - 2016)

A popular destination with a growing number of highly qualified homegrown graduates, it's true that securing a role in Malaysia isn't easy.

Front-end Developer

Nike - (2020 - 2011)

The India economy has grown strongly over recent years, having transformed itself from a producer and innovation-based economy.

About Me

A passionate and results-driven with over 7 years experiece i experic and user-friendly websites. My expertise lies in front-end technologies, but I am i back-end allowing me to build comprehensive ions from the ground up.

I thrive on solving complex problems and dedhee writing clean, anant code. My goal is to leverage my skills to build innovative web solutíors at only meet client provide on exceptional user experience.

Compliance

GDPR DORA ISO 27001 NIST PCI DSS

Security

Penetration Testing Security Audits Risk Assessment Incident Response

Cloud

AWS Security Azure Security Cloud Architecture IAM

Tools

SIEM Firewalls IDS/IPS Vulnerability Scanners

Insights & Stories

Cybersecurity & Founder Insights

Explore practical security guidance and behind‑the‑scenes founder stories designed to help you build resilient, compliant digital operations.

🔧 Technical

Understanding DORA Compliance: A Technical Guide

📅 Dec 15, 2025 • ⏱️ 8 min read

Deep dive into Digital Operational Resilience Act requirements and how financial institutions can implement robust security frameworks.

Read Article →

✍️ Founder Diary

Building a Cybersecurity Consultancy in Ireland

📅 Dec 10, 2025 • ⏱️ 6 min read

Lessons learned from the first year of CTechSol: navigating client expectations, building trust, and staying ahead in a fast-paced industry.

Read Article →

🔧 Technical

Zero Trust Architecture:

Get In Touch

Let's Work Together

Have a project in mind? Let's discuss how I can help secure your organization and strengthen your compliance posture.

Contact Information

Ready to enhance your cybersecurity and compliance posture? Reach out to discuss your specific needs and challenges.

📧

contact@mafzaal.com

📞

Phone

+353 XX XXX XXXX

📍

Location

Dublin, Ireland

Quick Response I typically respond to all enquiries within 24 hours during business days. For urgent security matters, please mention it in the subject line.