About

Thanks for stopping by. Read below to learn more about myself and my background.

Picture of Darren Carter

Background

I’m Darren Carter — a South African ICT solutions architect, cybersecurity advisor, and entrepreneur with a passion for building secure, scalable, and smart technologies. With over a decade of experience spanning infrastructure, software engineering, and cloud services, I’ve helped businesses modernize, automate, and protect their digital ecosystems.

My journey includes founding CarterCo, a boutique ICT consultancy offering software development, hosting, IT support, and smart automation solutions. I enjoy connecting technology with human impact, which is why my recent projects include building a secure email relay system, designing smart access control devices, and developing custom VPN software for privacy-focused networks.

I thrive in cross-functional environments where innovation meets impact. Whether it's working hands-on with hardware and firmware, developing backend APIs in Node.js or Go, or orchestrating full-stack solutions using modern web technologies—my focus remains on excellence, security, and reliability.

Education

Certifications and continuous learning play a key role in my growth. I’m currently pursuing specialized training in cloud-native architectures, embedded Linux development, and post-quantum cryptography. I believe that staying current is vital in our fast-paced digital world.

Skills

  • 🔐 Cybersecurity & Encryption (AES, RSA, TLS, WireGuard)
  • 🧠 System Architecture & DevOps (Docker, CI/CD, Buildroot, OpenWRT)
  • 🧰 Programming (Node.js, Go, Rust, PHP, Python)
  • 📡 IoT & Embedded Systems (ESP32, MQTT, custom firmware)
  • 🖥️ Full-Stack Web Development (Vue.js, Astro, Express)
  • 📈 Database Engineering (MySQL, TimescaleDB, Redis)
  • 🚀 Product Design & Technical Leadership