Engineer Support

Armando Santamaria

***** ****** ******* **.

Houston, Texas 77095

Cell: 832-***-****

Email: **********@*****.***

BACKGROUND

Since 2003 my primary areas of expertise have been backups and disaster recovery. I have done day to day operations support at large environments such as Chase to medium sized environments like Reliant Energy and Stewart Title. I have also worked as a Backups/Storage Solutions Engineer at ExxonMobil and Sungard Availability Services. My tasks as these various locations have been, but not limited to:

Production support

Client side troubleshooting

Environment-wide troubleshooting

Upgrade support

Solutions recommendations

IT lab preparation

Product testing

Documentation

Custom installation procedures

Best practice recommendations

Troubleshooting guides

Product presentation

Product training

Deployment roadmap

Post rollout product support

Ongoing Level 3 support

In my production support roles I was required to provide day to day support of all production backup environments. This included determining success of backups and restores; troubleshooting issues with individual clients; ascertaining overall health of the environment and acting upon determined issues. Actions items included interfacing with internal client groups; working with vendor support; deployment of in-house and vendor recommended solutions including required upgrades and making recommendations to maintain environment health and deal with data growth.

In my role as an engineer I was required to frequently interface with other IT engineering groups and production support groups before, during and after solutions and product recommendations, testing and implementation. The testing of solutions and products frequently included preparing lab environments to mimic the target production environment including installing various versions of Windows on physical and virtual servers; installing and configuring backup software and other backup and storage related technologies. Thorough documentation of product as it pertained to the environment including installation and troubleshooting instructions was a required and important task. Testing of technologies sometimes required preparing presentations and training seminars for production support personnel. Continued post rollout support was necessary including documentation modification and interfacing with product vendors.

Over my 20+ years of working IT I have also had the opportunity to work in various other support and engineering roles. While still at ExxonMobil I also had a role as a Windows Server Engineer with some of my general tasks including working in Active Directory and supporting the company's Symantec Endpoint Protection product along with other security related products including certificate and PKI support. Earlier in my career I also worked in server support roles, Novell administration and other general support roles. All these different roles over the years have given me the opportunity to touch many different technologies.

Technology Skills

Vertias Netbackup 4.5x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x

Veritas Backup Exec 8.x, 9.x, 10.x

Veritas Appliances 5020, 5220, 5330

CommVault Simpana 10

Veeam

Active Directory

Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012

Novell 3.x, 4.x, 5.x

Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.x, 12.x

Data Domain

EMC Storage

NetApp

Falconstor

IBM Tape Libraries

SUN Tape Libraries

STK Tape Libraries

ADIC Tape Libraries

DLT/SDLT Single Drive Autoloaders

Quantum Tape Libraries

DLT/SDLT Technology Tape Drives

LTO Technology Tape Drives (LTO 4, 5, 6)

AIT Technology Tape Drives

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Infotree Services Client: Sungard Availability Services

Senior Storage Engineer September 2015 to July 2016

My duties at Sungard's various Netbackup Lifecycle projects:

Client Migration and Upgrade Project - The scope of this project was to move clients from backing up to legacy media servers to newer Netbackup 5220 media server appliances. The project involved the creating of Storage Units (STU) and Storage Unit Groups (SUG) that use the media server appliances as the backup servers. I was also required to audit current Storage Lifecycle Policies (SLP) and setup a migration roadmap by creating new Storage Lifecycle Policies pointing to the new STUs and SUGs. I also audited clients to determine what needed to be done to each client, be it a simple migration to the new SLPs, upgrade of the currently installed backup software, migration to new network infrastructure or determining if the client has been decomissioned and what steps need to be taken to complete the decomission. Some of the various Netbackup domains include as many as 1500 clients with all of them requiring some sort of action.

Upgrade of Netbackup Software - This project involved the upgrade of Netbackup Master and Media servers to the latest approved version of Netbackup. Most Master and Media servers were Netbackup 5220 master/media server appliances and some Netbackup 5330 media server appliances. The project involved properly documenting appliance configuration, upgrading the appliances based on Veritas best practices and documenting any required configuration changes. Twelve Netbackup enviroments required a two step process in order to reach the most current version of the software. All upgrades were done during non-production hours to minimize impact to client backups and required constant colaboration with the software vendor to quickly address and resolve issues related to the upgrade.

Hardware upgrade of Netbackup Environment - This required the installation of new Netbackup appliances to expand certain Netbackup domains as well as installing hardware to replace legacy media servers and legacy storage. This involved colaborating with Data Center operations and Network operations to have equipment racked, power and network connectivity provided and all under time sensative deadlines and with minimal interruptions to production backups. In addtion this hardware was seamlessly incorporated in existing environments minimizing down time and direct impacts on backups providing for a continuity of data protection SLAs.

In addition to these 3 specific projects, I have also assisted in various other projects as needed, including the setting up and verification of replication using Netbackup 5020 Puredisk appliances between different Netbackup domains for disastery recovery requirements.

Clearpoint Technology Client: Stewart Title Guaranty Company

Storage and Data Protection Engineer February 2015 to June 2015

Areas of responsibility was supporting the company's Netbackup environment for data protection and disaster recovery. Daily duties included verifying effective backups, troubleshooting issues with individual backup failures and over all environment issues. Responsible for maintaining Netbackup current by deploying software updates to Netbackup servers as well as clients backed up by the Netbackup environment. The backup and data protection environment consisted of 2 distinct and seperate Netbackup domains with multiple media servers running in Linux and Windows backing up data from data centers and remote sites to disk and tape.

TekSystems, Inc Client: ExxonMobil

Windows Authentication and Security Engineer October 2014 to January 2015

My area of responsibility was supporting the Active Directory environment creating, modifying and testing group policy objects and documenting deployment instructions. Also responsible for engineering support of Symantec Endpoint Protection. Major projects included:

PKI Upgrade Project – Project scope was to deploy a SHA2 compliant PKI environment on Windows 2008 and 2012. Project tasks included designing new PKI environment, testing new companion technologies in the lab, documenting lab test results, create implementation roadmap of new environment, plan out migration of certificates from current SHA1 environment to new SHA2 environment, retirement plan for SHA1 environment.

Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) Upgrade Project – Project scope was to upgrade current SEP server environment from version 11 to version 12 RU5. The project was responsible for creating SEP deployment packages using SEP provided tools, testing deployment packages in the lab in various Windows server operating systems, documenting lab test results, roll deployment package into internal custom scripts for production rollout.

Proof of Concept (PoC) testing of various endpoint security products – Scope of the project was to test various security products for possible use in the environment. Products are to be tested in the lab on Windows workstations and Windows servers to prove vendor claims. Testing included product ease of use, performance impact on endpoints, reporting capabilities and actual product deliverables. All results were documented and presented for final decisions on product deployment.

TekSystems, Inc Client: ExxonMobil

Storage and Backup Solutions Engineer January 2010 to September 2014

Duties involve testing backup and storage products in the lab. Major projects:

Netbackup Upgrade Project – Project scope was to upgrade Netbackup 6.5.x environment to Netbackup 7.1. Assisted in testing, documentation and roll out of Netbackup 7.1 to production. Provided custom documentation, training and Level 3 support during the rollout of upgraded environment. Also provided continuous level 3 post rollout support requiring documentation modification, interfacing with Netbackup vendor and solutions testing in the lab.

DDBOOST Deployment Project – The project scope was to deploy Data Domain Open Storage technology known as DDBOOST (formerly OST) to production Netbackup environment. DDBOOST would allow the tight integration of Netbackup with Data Domain appliances using Netbackup Open Storage technology. Was the lead in testing the product in the lab, documenting test results and developing best installation practices. Was also actively involved in training production support in deploying and maintaining DDBOOST backups. Post rollout support included Level 3 support which required working with production support and vendor to resolve any technical issues. Was also lead in subsequent upgrade projects involving DDBOOST.

CommVault Deployment Project – Project scope included proof of concept testing, product deliverables testing, designing new backup environment, creating documentation for product installation, creating training documentation, creating deployment plan for production rollout, developing best practices for running concurrent backup environments (Netbackup and CommVault). My specific area of responsibility in this project was to test IP backups to tape and disk technologies currently deployed in production environment, metrics testing for comparison between Netbackup and CommVault, develop best practices documentation, troubleshooting guides and training material for IP based backups. Worked with other project members to design CommVault backup environment and create deployment plan. Also developed documentation outlining step by step process for retiring Netbackup master and media servers allowing for the orderly retirement of Netbackup and redeployment of tape and disk libraries to the CommVault environment.

Data Domain OS rollouts – Project scope was to test and make available for production implementation of various Data Domain appliance O/S upgrades as they became available. New O/S versions had to be thoroughly tested in the lab, major changes documented and then made available for production rollout. Also provided troubleshooting support.

I have also tested the functionality of Quantum tape libraries such as the i40, i500 and i6000 and related tape drives such as LTO4, LTO5 and LTO6 and documented results for production roll out. Additionally, I have tested Netbackup's functionality with NetApp appliances, tested and documented install procedures for Netbackup BareMetal Restore as well as tested and documented various Netbackup 6.5.4 and 7.x patches and binaries for roll out to production environment. I also interfaced with level 2 and level 3 backup production support to resolve backup issues in production environment. Troubleshooting tasks included determining source of problem, devising a solution, contacting vendor and testing possible solutions in the lab and implementing into production where necessary. Other key duties involved the constant revising of production documentation related to backup and storage products as new versions were released and tested and new products were introduced in the environment. This not only involved thorough documentation but in most cases involved continuous post rollout support of products.

Pride Technologies Client: JPMorgan Chase

Backup Engineer May 2009 to December 2009

As a contractor at JPMorgan Chase, I was part of the Global Backup Deploy Team involved in the migration of Netbackup environments from tape based backups to virtual tape and disk based backups. My duties included mapping out current environment structure, formulating a migration plan of backup clients, and interfacing with line of business administrators to setup deadlines for the migration process. Additional line of business interface for the actual migration included working with system administrators in upgrading Netbackup client software to current company standards, making modifications to locally run backup scripts and final migration of said clients to backup policies reflecting new company backup processes. Additional troubleshooting efforts were also required to fix any issues the migrations might have caused which include further interfaces with line of business administrators and working with Netbackup production support personnel.

Open Systems, Inc Client: JPMorgan Chase

Backup Engineer October 2007 to December 2008

As a contractor at JPMorgan Chase, I was part of the Global Backup Infrastructure and Build Team involved in rolling out NBU 6.5.x environments at various data centers. All roll outs included verifying that OS installs met corporate standards for a Netbackup server and installation of Netbackup on master and media servers including installation of Veritas clustering on master server nodes. All new backup environments I rolled out were on the Solaris 9 and 10 platforms. Configuration of tape and disk libraries as well as presentation of tape and virtual drives in the OS and Netbackup environment were key components to roll outs. In addition, I also configured Shared Storage Options (SSO) on a regular basis in production and new environments. I was also involved in coordinating with the backup production team in making modifications and upgrades to existing NBU environments. I was responsible for the implementation of EMC Clarion Disk Libraries (CDL) and FalconStor VTL’s/SIR’s in production and new backup environments. I was also working with implementing tech refresh projects where legacy equipment was replaced with newer equipment and legacy Netbackup environments were replaced with new Netbackup 6.x environments. In tech refresh rollouts I had to configure master and media Netbackup servers and assist in moving SSO and network backups from legacy environments to new environments.

JPMorgan Chase

Backup Administrator May 2006 to October 2007

Primary responsibilities included day to day support operations for 140 masters with over 12,000 clients. Day to day support included troubleshooting backup issues, handling backup and restore related help tickets as well as coordinating reboots of Netbackup environments as needed. In addition, I was responsible for tape capacity planning over a large majority of these environments. Responsibilities included maintaining scratch levels in robots and on the floor at data centers and ordering new media. I also coordinated with local data center personnel in ejecting media for offsite storage, recalling offsite media for reuse and for restores. I was also responsible for maintaining a master spreadsheet of all media volsers used in these environments. Keeping track of volsers included assigning unique volser ranges as new environments were brought online, assigning additional volser ranges in existing backup environments as backup requirements changed and keeping track of the last volser used in each range. I also worked to improve the recall process of scratches stored offsite that led to the finding of well over 20,000 tapes that could be reused, leading to a savings of close to $1 MM over 1 year in media costs.

Reliant Resources, Inc

Backup Administrator September 2003 to April 2006

Primary responsibilities included backups and restores of applications, files and databases of both scheduled and unscheduled client initiated requests. Tape management activities included, but not limited, to offsiting 160 tapes for DR on a daily basis, as well as loading rotated media for use. Monitoring and troubleshooting alerts of backup operations including backup and restore operations, tuning and periodic upgrades to backup infrastructure, including but not limited to software and hardware patching. Assisted with planning, testing, installation and implementation of backup infrastructure related to normal data growth and additional requirements based on new IT projects. Primarily responsible for maintaining backup environments on Reliant Resources remote servers. There were 39 media servers with 32 clients spread over 33 different sites. Was responsible for installing, configuring and initiating backups on 3 different versions of Backup Exec. Maintained remote backup environments by daily monitoring of backup jobs, troubleshooting alerts, doing patching and upgrades, as well as troubleshooting hardware issues with single tape drives and autoloaders; including contacting hardware vendors to initiate warranty replacements, as well as recommending hardware replacements and upgrades. Also handled all client requests for restores and disaster recovery.

Reliant Resources, Inc

LAN Administrator February 1995 to September 2003

Primary responsibilities included LAN administration, cc:Mail administration, software support, and help desk support in a multi-server/location Netware 3.x environment. Responsible for routine LAN administration and maintenance such as user maintenance, application LAN support, server maintenance, and cc:Mail administration and maintenance. Authored HL&P EDC LAN Operational Procedures and Policies manual. Was involved in upgrade of Netware 3.x environment to Netware Intranetware environment. Upgrade involved approximately 25 servers spread over 12 sites. Upgrade included installation of new server hardware, migration of user accounts to NDS and setup of printers in IP environment using NDPS. All upgrades had to be done with minimal user impact. Formed part of a team responsible for upgrading Netware Intranetware servers to Netware 5.1. Upgrade included installation and configuration of new server hardware. All upgrades had to be done with minimal user impact. Helped to plan and execute upgrade from cc:Mail environment to Lotus Notes. Was part of a team that migrated the Netware 5.1 environment to Microsoft Windows AD. Project included hardware upgrades, including but not limited to setup of new servers, adding memory and disk space to existing hardware, user migration, printer migration and migrating NDS security to Microsoft based security. Migration included reinstallation of various core applications to run in a shared Microsoft environment.

Microcomputer Power

LAN Support Specialist July 1993 to February 1995

Primary responsibilities included LAN administration, hardware support, software support, help desk support for a major nationwide organization. Responsible for routine LAN maintenance such as user maintenance, application support and general user support. Extensive exposure to a user-centric environment. Involvement with multiple Novell Netware file servers. Extensive knowledge of Word Perfect, Lotus products, Quattro Pro, Paradox for Windows and various other packages. Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Windows, extensive experience with configuration, optimization, and support of Windows and Windows application packages. Involved in Token Ring and Ethernet topologies, extensive knowledge of configuring workstation hardware, such as network cards, for optimum Token Ring and Ethernet operation. Client LAN interface included both VLMs and NETX using Novell’s ODI technology.

EDUCATION and CERTIFICATIONS

August 1986 to May 1990

Sharyland High School, Mission, Texas

Graduated with Honors

August 1990 to May 1992

University of Houston

College of Natural Science and Mathematics

Biochemistry Major

November 1994

A+ Service Technician Certification

2001 thru 2002

Novell 3.x and Novell 4.x training

Fall 2003

Netbackup 5.x Install on Solaris and Linux Platforms

Vendor assisted hands on training

June 2005

Netbackup 6.x training

Summer 2007

Netbackup 6.5.x

Vendor assisted hands on training

Spring and Summer 2008

Falconstor VTL and SIR Installation

Vendor assisted hands on training

References

Available on request

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