Richard Barton
Platform Architect · Azure Cloud Architecture · Technical Leadership — LinkedIn Profile
Platform Architect and hands-on Azure engineer with 15+ years of enterprise
software experience, progressing from full stack development into software and cross-application
platform architecture. Lead Azure infrastructure and architectural direction across multiple
applications and teams; combine Infrastructure as Code, cloud operations, security, CI/CD, and
performance engineering with developer mentorship and product strategy.
Specialty
Microsoft Azure cloud architecture, platform engineering, Infrastructure as Code (ARM templates,
Bicep, Terraform), Azure DevOps, cloud-native applications, technical leadership, and product
strategy.
Employment
Platform Architect
Feb 2026–Present
- Provide Azure platform architecture and technical direction across multiple enterprise
applications and engineering teams, expanding beyond a single-product scope.
- Design and maintain Azure infrastructure using App Services, Functions, Azure SQL, Front
Door, Static Web Apps, and Key Vault, with attention to scalability, security, and
reliability.
- Author and maintain Infrastructure as Code using ARM templates, Bicep, and Terraform
specifically for Azure, enabling standardized provisioning and repeatable deployments.
- Guide Azure DevOps CI/CD practices, cloud configuration, monitoring, and deployment
approaches across application teams.
- Partner with product and engineering stakeholders on platform strategy, technical
priorities, architectural tradeoffs, and longer-term direction; mentor engineers and
promote sound design practices.
Senior Software Architect
Mar 2022–Feb 2026
- Architected internal and customer-facing applications and REST APIs using Vue.js,
Electron, Node.js, and TypeScript, translating product requirements into maintainable
technical designs.
- Built and supported Azure App Services and Azure Functions workloads, including Flex
Consumption scaling considerations and cloud application operations.
- Improved observability with Azure Application Insights, diagnostics, and Kusto queries
to investigate production issues and application performance.
- Worked with high-volume Azure SQL workloads on query optimization, indexing, statistics,
and database maintenance; troubleshot application performance across service and data
layers.
- Designed Azure DevOps build/release workflows, integrated authentication with Auth0 and
Microsoft Entra ID patterns, and supported application security and MFA considerations.
- Mentored junior and mid-level developers through code reviews, pairing, and architecture
discussions; collaborated with product owners to influence roadmap decisions and
technical investments.
Full Stack Web Developer
Mar 2020–Mar 2022
- Developed enterprise applications using Vue.js, Electron, Node.js, TypeScript, and API
integrations; contributed to reusable UI components and application modernization.
Lead Angular Developer
Aug 2019–Mar 2020
Led enterprise Angular development, API integration patterns, codebase improvements, and
collaboration on Azure-hosted deployments.
Senior Software Engineer
Nov 2018–Aug 2019
Developed Angular/TypeScript applications and .NET Core/C# REST services; designed SQL and
JWT authentication patterns with dependency injection and unit testing.
App Developer
Apr 2015–Nov 2018
Helped modernize a major internal application using AngularJS/TypeScript, Java/Spring REST
services, and SQL.
Web Developer
Dec 2011–Apr 2015
Built analytics dashboards and SharePoint/.NET integrations; supported Azure client sites and
enterprise infrastructure.
Network Engineer
Nov 2010–Dec 2011
Sextant Technology Partners · St. Louis, MO
Automated deployments and upgrades; supported client networks, servers, and SharePoint
installations.
Web Developer
Feb 2010–Nov 2010
Stateamind Watersports · St. Louis, MO
Redesigned and maintained PHP/MySQL website and inventory application.
Education
M.S. in Information SystemsUniversity of Missouri – St.
Louis · December 2011
B.A. in PsychologyUniversity of Missouri – St.
Louis · May 2005