aces4all00, The Blind SysAdmin

IT Automator, Problem Solver, Solution Builder, and Advisor with strong focuses on Operations and DevOps…that happens to be blind.

Highly Skilled IS&T Pro

I love what I do for a living, and it shows in my work. Where else would I be so challenged to learn, explore, and grow at almost every turn? From storage to compute to communications I get to see, work with, and help manage the ever-evolving ways information systems and technologies are used. When there is a new tool to do what needs to be done, I get to learn something new. If there is not a tool, I get to script one (PowerShell, Python, Perl, Bash). If one cannot be scripted, I get to help create one (C#, F#). It’s hard to get much better than this for me.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

I used to place a large list of all the specific technologies I know here (and still can, if needed) but it just fills too much space. Right now, my strongest skills are tied to:

  • Directory Services (Active Directory, Azure AD, and to a slightly lesser extent Open LDAP)
  • Configuration Management (SCCM/MECM, Intune, plus some Puppet, Ansible, and Salt Stack)
  • PowerShell, Python, C#, F#

Of these, PowerShell and Python are where I spend the most time by far. I do most of my work in all areas using PowerShell and Python.

Relevant Professional Experience

Senior IT Systems Administrator

December 2015 – August 2021
Regional Health System and Medical Center
Moreno Valley, California

With this regional medical center and health care system operated by the County of Riverside, California I helped manage, maintain, and support all areas of IT Operations, primarily focusing on Windows Servers and Enterprise Services like Active Directory and AZURE AD/Microsoft 365, but extending deeply into Enterprise Storage (SANs) as well as networking (LAN/WAN/VPN) and Workstation Management with some Linux thrown in. Starting as a contractor, originally brought in to provide expertise using SCCM to deploy applications and operating systems, I was soon able to prove value in a number of other areas, earning direct employment as a Senior-level Systems Administrator. Returning to help at the start of the pandemic, I was even able to maintain (and in some areas even increase) my level of service over the next year and a half, during which my work was fully remote (from my home office). Some duties and accomplishments include:

  • Managing, maintaining, and supporting more than 15K end users, 10K workstations, 8K mobile devices (and quickly rising), and 500 servers spread across 5 data centers and 4 Active Directory forests, and incidentally about 1 PB of data
  • Implementing, managing, and supporting configuration management solution (Microsoft Endpoint Manager, SCCM & Intune) automating operating system deployment, application deployment, system configuration, and system updates for workstations and servers
  • Developing PowerShell scripts to automate routine and repetitive tasks as well as create tools used by other technicians to assist with common tasks.

Senior Information Systems Administrator

March 2011 – April 2014
Loma Linda, California
Local University, Healthcare Provider, and Medical Center

With this regional healthcare provider spanning 3 hospitals as well as a multitude of clinics I was part of a small team responsible for managing, maintaining, and supporting all areas of the organization’s IT Operations including email, directory services, enterprise storage, virtualization, and Wintel-based server systems. In addition, I was the person primarily responsible for the overall architecture, design and health or our Active Directory and Exchange environments from the parent organization-level down. I extensively used scripting (PowerShell, VBScript, and shell/batch) and in some cases compiled code (C#, VB) to perform complex tasks, automate recurring task, and build tools. Some duties and accomplishments include:

  • Designing, planning, and implementing migration from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010 (approximately 14,000 mailboxes)
  • Administrating, managing, and maintaining the organization’s email systems (Exchange 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013)
  • Designing, planning, and implementing Active Directory user consolidation from the parent organization down (approximately 35,000 user accounts)
  • Insuring the day-to-day health and good operation of the organization’s servers systems (approximately 1,000 servers: Windows 2000 – Server 2012)
  • Designing, administrating, and supporting the organization’s virtualization services (VMware 3.5 – 5.1)
  • Managing and maintaining the organization’s server hardware (HP and Cisco UCS blade and rack servers)
  • Administrating and supporting the organization’s backup systems (Comvault; IBM TSM; Symantec BackupExec and NetBackup)
  • Managing, maintaining, and administrating the organization’s enterprise storage systems (XIO, IBM, EMC)
  • Supporting DBAs with administration of database servers (MS SQL 2000 – 2012; Cache; Oracle)
  • Supporting Desktop Management team’s virtual server (XenServer 5 – 6) and cloud application (XenApp 5 – 6 and Terminal Services Server 2003 – 2012) environments
  • Administrating, maintaining, and managing the organization’s SharePoint environment (SharePoint 2010, 2013)
  • Managing and maintaining the organization’s test and development environments (Hyper-V, VMware, XenServer, Visual Studio 2012, SQL 2012)
  • Administrating, maintaining, and supporting the organization’s Lync environment (Lync 2010 – 2013)
  • Designing, planning, and implementing integration of Office 365 with our on-premises Exchange, Lync, and SharePoint services
  • Leading Wintel Administration team
  • Establishing and maintaining availability-based service level agreements and reporting
  • Helping develop effective network operation center.

Senior Information Systems Techician

October 2004 – August 2005
Corona, California
National Health Insurance, Healthcare Provider, and Medical Center System

With this national Healthcare provider and Medical Center system I helped deploy, manage support and maintain end user workstations throught the organization. Some duties and accomplishments include:

  • Provide end user support enterprise wide across multiple platforms (NT 4 - XP) and applications (MS, Citrix, industry specific) to more than 160,000 users (SMS, Tivoli, Radia)
  • Migrate end-users from more than 100 NT 4 domains to new Active Directory 2003 domain and workstations from NT 4 to Windows 20000/XP (Quest, Altiris, Radia)
  • Administrate Active Directory/Exchange 2003 environment (Tivoli, SMS, Radia)
  • Reduce cost of operations in development of administrative scripts (batch, vbs, WMI, ADSI)
  • Design, administrate, and support department intranet sites and SQL databases (.Net, SQL).

A few closing notes

This resume represents a summary of the knowledge and experience relevant to the position I am inquiring about. Additional detail and references may be provided after a conditional offer is made. Looking for my next opportunity before I need to provides the freedom to help insure I make the best choice. The most notable effects will be seen during any interviews, which will very much be two-way streets. I will be interviewing you, as much as you will me, while we each try to determine if we want me to work with your organization.

Success in my work has had as much to do with my ability communicate and collaborate as with my technical skill. When I was sent to work from home at the start of the pandemic, I knew it was going to last much longer than anyone anticipated, and I was worried that my work would suffer. During short temporary periods I had worked remotely in the past, with the familiar methods I typically used to communicate and collaborate unavailable, work had additional challenges…and because, at those times, working remotely had been short term, it made sense to just go without as I would soon be back in the office.

The Pandemic, however, was not short term, and I could not afford give up a large part of why I had been so effective indefinitely. Like everyone else, I had to develop new skills that would allow me to continue to thrive in this new distributed workforce. Today, I know I can communicate and collaborate at least as well remotely as when my colleagues are just a few cubes away.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my resume. I look forward to the opportunity to meet you and learn a bit more about your organization.