FRANK RALSTON
**** ***** *****, *** ****, CA ****4 **********@*****.*** 408-***-**** cell
Data Center/IT Management/Project Management
-Dedicated to cost-reduction, productivity improvement, and enhanced client services
Years Experience: 40
Job Classifications:
Information Technology, Computer
Systems Administrator
Project Manager
PC Technician
Network Management
MIS Manager
IT Management Strategist or Architect
Help Desk
Desktop Support Specialist Personal Summary:
As a data center/information technology manager with 25+ years of experience, my background includes roles as systems analyst, systems/service manager, consultant, and disaster recovery manager. Able to collaborate with executive teams and diverse business units to assess operations and create custom solutions meeting strategic needs, I am confident I will a benefit your company.
Skills
Project Management
Systems Administration
VMware ESX
Disaster Recovery
Linux
Microsoft Exchange Exchange online
Microsoft SharePoint
Office and O365
Backup exec
Veeam
Over 30 years of experience partnering with executive teams to develop technology infrastructure meeting strategic business needs. Skilled in creating solutions meeting immediate and planned growth. History of saving thousands of dollars in IT costs while instituting more robust, scalable systems. Effective and hands-on team leader able to create consensus among diverse groups and achieve operational/project goals. Building and blending infrastructure in order to meet Disaster recovery and Business continuity needs as a project manager and technical lead. Budgeting and timely completion of projects meeting strategic goals and metrics.
Project Management Network Management Disaster Recovery Capacity Planning
High Availability Systems Server/System Administration Business Continuity Productivity Improvement
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
6/2018-10/2018 BCServices
Project support
oSupport project managers in the tasks for a variety of clients
Helpdesk support
oField support tickets for client issues
11/2015-6/2018 Cloud 1 Solutions
•Responsible for 3 assigned clients
oOne site with 18 servers, 100 + seats and sites across northern California
oOne site 10 servers, 50 seats with offices in California and Kentucky
oOne small site with 10 workstations.
•Maintained laptops, workstations, servers and networks
•Maintained servers and VMware environments
•Took care of backups and restores
•Responsible for malware and virus remediation and prevention
•Maintained common and industry specific software
•On and offsite technical support
•User training and education when required
•Maintain on, off boarding and mail servers and associated resources
•Install and maintain office application and tools
•Building models for Axcient as a business continuity as well as a disaster recovery tool
•Developing and testing all customer recovery procedures
2014-2015 Senior Technician, JusDoItSJ
•Working with customers in the SMB market helping them with their break fix issues along with partnering with them in developing short and long term strategies to help improve their business.
•Building models for use of Axcient as their backup strategy
•Building models for Axcient as a business continuity as well as a disaster recovery tool
•Developing and testing all customer recovery procedures
•Developed matrix for SMB clients to incorporate Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery into their business model
2011 – 2014 Out due to family needs
Manager Network systems, Salud Para La Gente 2010 – 2011
Managed operations of networking, desktop and systems operation. Evaluated and then made recommendations for improving the infrastructure with the end goal to increase productivity and minimize downtime. Developed and hosted end user training on new applications and general best practices. Focus on process improvement using ITIL based model.
•Redesigned network to better facilitate throughput and maximize bandwidth
•Complete audit of hardware and software to build in software compliance
•Evaluated and selected EMR (Electronic Medical Records) system to be utilized within the clinics
•Developed and executed plan to move from dedicated servers to a virtual environment utilizing VMware.
•Implemented NAS storage solution with site replication to ensure business continuity.
Disaster Recovery Manager, CLINITECH INFORMATION RESOURCES 2007-2009
Directed disaster recovery and business continuity for two medical clinics; initiated projects and drove scheduling, progress reporting, analysis, and execution. Spearheaded new processes and techniques to improve systems capability; maintained required documentation for successful event recovery. Partnered with network services department, application support groups, and upper clinic management to write Service Level Agreements in support of core network services and mission critical applications. Promoted use of new technologies including MS SharePoint, data replication, and migration toward VMware for server consolidation and technology refresh.
•Established fundamental requirements for ITIL process implementation and HIPPA compliance.
•Migrated 20% of existing documentation to SharePoint site and created workflows to automate documentation routing and approvals.
(Continued)
Senior Systems Manager, AT&T 2005-2008
Tasked with establishing recovery systems for Intel-based servers. Developed and created methods for recovery of priority 1-5 applications on similar and dissimilar hardware. Over saw technology evaluation, testing, and rapid server deployment. Developed system utilizing VMware as primary tool; managed database of servers; and moderated all disaster recovery exercises. Collaborated with subject matter experts to ensure cross-platform recoverability. Created method to recover servers of different models/manufacturers; within 12 months of testing, recovered 90% of servers in virtual environment and achieved up to 70% less recovery time for OS/application disks.
•Worked with production to develop a standard template for application and server recovery manuals, reducing required time to maintain standard documentation 50%.
•Deployed server from BMR process I developed using PXE and Altaris
•Deployed servers using images saved as vmware .vmx using v2p
•Configured PXE, Dhcp servers to allow for BMR automation
•Modify Bios as necessary
•Configured Fiber Optic cards for boot over fiber
•Setup process for boot from either iscsi or masked luns
This was a state of the art facility designed and built specifically for fast, repeatable and reliable recoverability. As a team we developed the processes necessary for the deployment of servers in either disk or diskless configurations and then mated these recovered servers to their appropriate database or application.
Consultant [AT&T], STSII 2003-2005
Established server and application recovery documentation procedures and performed recovery exercises of priority application for strategy teams. Maintained Intel-based hardware at recovery facility as well as cabling/networking to main trunks and switches. Advised on technical issues and instituted disaster recovery process flows; partnered with production systems administrator and technical architects to determine customer needs.
•Evaluated strategy to implement network and fiber optic cabling in data center to achieve a more robust scalable model; increased network servers 20% while reducing bulk of network at rack level 50%.
Independent Consultant 2001-2003
Advised clients on cost-effective solutions for business needs and continuity/growth planning. Implemented solutions as well as trained clients. Setup, configured, and tested networks; executed server/desktop upgrades.
•Evaluated network operating systems for a client and established new TCP/IP network and standard Windows NT to achieve 20% less traffic, 30% fewer servers, and 20% savings in software.
•Created backup solutions that enabled 100% of critical files to be recoverable.
Manager, NT Services, POSTX CORPORATION 2000-2001
Built technology team from the ground-up; conducted all hiring and cross-training. Configured LAN/WAN services, firewall, IIS servers, system and network security, and infrastructure planning and development. Supported engineering, quality assurance, and finance requirements. Coordinated multiple projects from conception and definition to ROI investments and development and deployment of project plan.
Windows NT Systems Specialist/Technical Architect, VIKING FREIGHT 1999-2000
Developed Windows NT network and strategic plan for future business critical corporate applications and services. Managed 10 technicians in 3 departments; developed/maintained budgets; and partnered with diverse business units to create custom solutions to meet productivity needs. Served on infrastructure, disaster recovery, network services, and change control committees. Advised senior leadership on technology solutions and infrastructure strategy; maintained network systems. Directed enterprise-wide migration to MS Exchange 2000.
•Built a messaging model to eliminate single points of failure to servers; selected HA model of HP servers using MCSC clustering to ensure system availability.
•Reduced backup window 60% during full and incremental backups and decreased consumed bandwidth 75%.
Windows NT Systems Analyst, NEC ELECTRONICS 1992-1999
Orchestrated Vax/Vms support at corporate headquarter and six remote centers. Managed Windows NT servers and back office infrastructure. Maintained network connectivity, system hardware/software upgrades and changes, cabling/network equipment, and mail/messaging systems. Achieved 99.9% system availability and 24x7 support.
•Grew ASIC department from 1 site and 6 engineers to 7 sites with 200+ engineers; directed support of 200+ users with custom all-in-one application supporting ASIC products.
Addendum of Technical Skills
Servers: Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM, Bare Metal Recovery, Server Virtualization, ESX and Virtual Center, System Clustering, Systems HA Configuration
Storage: SAN, NAS, EMC, Netapps
Networking/Security: Pix Firewalls, Checkpoint Firewalls, DNS, HIPPA, Active Directory, DHCP, TCP/IP, SOX
Applications: SharePoint Power User, NetBackup, Office Suite, Exchange, ESX Server, Sitescope, Alitiris, SMS, Monitoring Tools, Insight Manager, Vmware, Virtual Center, HP Openview, RDP, Connectwise, Kaseya, Labtech Axcient, Office365 and most of the Microsoft support tools.
Operating Systems: Linux, Solaris, Vmware, Windows
Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity: Building SLAs, Business Impact Analysis, Recovery Exercises, Training, Disaster Recovery Terminology/Methodology, Change Management
Project Management: Developing Goals, Defining Deliverables, Setting/Maintaining Schedule,
Hosting/Moderating Meetings, Defining and Maintaining Plans for HR-Risk Management-Communication, Process Modeling, Process Automation