ALI RAMZAN

-CompTIA Linux + Certified

-Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified

-Red Hat Certified System Administrator 7 (RHCSA)

-Red Hat Certified System Administrator 8 (RHCSA)

-Cisco Certified CCNA

-Cisco Certified Specialist- Enterprise Core

-Az-900 Certified

-Certified Kubernetes Administrator

ABOUT ME

Accomplished Unix/Linux (RedHat, Ubuntu, Solaris, FreeBSD) & Windows Support Engineer with more than 14 years of Experience in managing virtualization platform such as VMware vSphere ESXi, vCenter, Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2, S3, RDS, Route 53. Excellent knowledge of shell, bash, Perl scripting and automation. Cross- cultural experience, having worked in Canada & Pakistan.

CAREER PROGRESSION

Technical Specialist Post Media Winnipeg, Canada

Network Coordinator

Mexia

Winnipeg, Canada

IT Operations Lead

AdMaxim Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer Remote Seat Lahore, Pakistan

System Engineer NextBridge Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer

Nexlinx

Lahore, Pakistan

IT Support Engineer

BMA Capital Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer

Beaconet Lahore, Pakistan

Ali Ramzan Page 1 of 7

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Volante Systems

System Admin and Cloud Specialist

July 2021 – Continue

Key Achievements

Configure, maintain and support Java application deployed on Google Kubernetes Engine

Monitor and tune Apache web proxy to deliver smooth experience for end customers

Develop custom OS images based on CentOS and Ubuntu for POS terminals; build and maintain CI pipeline for OS development

Provide tier-3 technical support for issues related to Linux image and terminal hardware

Work with security vendors to address vulnerabilities and improve security posture

Manage backup of production virtual machines and databases; draft disaster recovery plan

Canada Life, Winnipeg, Canada

DevOps Specialist

Jan 2019 – June 2021

Reporting to Operations Manager and Manager Technical Solution. The position is responsible for:

Provide L2/L3 support for OS related issues in Unix environment

Performance Tuning and capacity planning for Redhat infrastructure

Managing physical and virtual server infrastructure including patches, upgrades and server builds

Experience on Solaris 10 and RHEL 4/5/6,7,8 implementation Administration, Installation & Maintenance

Integration of various network related services like NFS, NIS, DNS, FTP and Samba Server.

Troubleshooting skills with network protocols such as DNS, TCP/IP, SMTP & SNMP.

Hands on experience with ticketing tools such as Remedy,BSA and service now

Strong technical background in Storage, Disk Management, Logical Volume Management (LVM) and logical partitioning.

Installation of SSL certificates Linux servers.

Monitoring and administering Sun-Solaris servers and Red hat Linux servers.

Installation of Patches, Hardware, software's and Firmware upgrades.

Ability to handle multiple tasks and work independently as well as a team member

Provided on-call support and worked with Vendors on system issues and bugs for its resolution

Key Achievements

Migrated storage connectivity from VirtualSCSI to N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV). Storage connectivityMoved Aix Unix servers from EMC to new storage.

Migrate windows DNS server to linux dns server.

Migrate on premise Linux server to Azure

Post Media, Winnipeg, Canada

Technical Specialist

Apr 2016 – Dec 2018

Reporting to Linux/Unix System Supervisor. This position is responsible for installation, configuration, and administration of Red Hat Linux, Solaris systems. Integrated the Linux environment with Active Directory providing a Single SignON feature. Deployed Redhat Satellite Server with custom repositories to provide a stable management solution for the Linux environment. Manages Network File System (NFS) for storage. Decommissioning of the old/new servers using service-now, software package and patch administration. Implemented Samba for sharing of resources between Linux and Windows environments, configuration of LVM (Logical Volume Manager) to manage volume group, logical and physical partitions and importing new physical volumes.

Key Achievements

Created a Linux cluster with 2 nodes on Red Hat/CentOS to maintain application high-availability.

Reduced Company Operations costs by migrating more than 350 Linux Servers from Montreal to Winnipeg.

Installed the checkMk server in Winnipeg DMZ network and added Linux servers for monitoring purpose.

Secured users logins by Integrating checkMk(Nagios) logins with Active Directory.

Enhanced the system efficiency by writing scripts to check alerts regarding expired SSL certificates.

Built mysql replication to circumvent the user’s data.

Ensured data recoverability by implementing system and application level backups.

Automated administration tasks through scripting.

Implemented more frequent backups to increase environmental security.

Installation and configuration of Windows and Linux servers for backup using Commvault & veeam backup software.

Mexia, Winnipeg, Canada Network Coordinator

July 2015 – Apr 2016

Reporting to President. This position was responsible for planning and implementation of the tasks that support ongoing operations & maintenance of the network. Provide regular feedback to management regarding performance, technical or administrative issues and operational enhancements. Maximized network uptime and promptly repair network failures including hardware failure. Maintained & diagnosed physical and network connectivity issues of links between routers, switches and customer facing services. Installed, tested and troubleshoot complex faults on active components of wireless devices. 24/7 assistance to network repair/incidents as and when required.

Key Achievements

Backup and documentation of computer and security systems.

Personally handled onsite analysis, inspection and implementation of proposed solutions.

Monitored service quality involved in daily connection with end-users to troubleshoot and resolve problems.

Developed and controlled planned maintenance upgrading and patching, insuring physical safety of devices on network to prevent faults and occasional incidents.

Maintained inventory of existing software, hardware and network systems to provide planned upgrade in order to increase efficiency and reliability of IT infrastructure.

Worked closely with Help Desk staff to maximize work efficiency and to receive immediate feedback from customer.

Build an ELK stack for MySQL monitoring and provides real-time log analytics service for other 4 systems

Admaxim, Lahore, Pakistan IT Operations Lead

Jul 2012 – Jul 2015

Reporting to Vice President Engineering. This position was responsible for designing the deployment, managing RackSpace/Amazon Servers by providing extensive support in code deploy, change management and application level troubleshooting for the Developers environment. Deployed applications files on multiple Servers/Clusters and maintained load balancing. Managed Database Servers (MongoDB & MySQL), Keeping Track of Services running on different servers and generation for regular reports. Ensured timely execution of backups and restoration policies. Coordination with internal and external technical team members for resolution of issues. Managed Linux Servers’ setup and configured with Fedora and CentOS, Ubuntu. Tagged released version in the SVN server. Management of Mongo DB servers in accordance with the Adserver.

Key Achievements

Developed, coached and Supervised team of 4 System Engineers.

Added Rackspace; 150 servers in Nagios to reduce the service downtime

Reduced cloud usage billing to 70% by migrating AdMaxim platform from RackSpace to AWS without interrupting production services.

Automated deployment with bash script on 210 Servers that minimized the deployment time.

Controlled unwanted traffic on local network by Installing the pfsense firewall and secured the network form virus attacks.

Developed local samba shared drive for 24 PHP, Rubi&Rail developers.

Created secure VPN tunnel to connect 290 Amazon servers through SSH to avoid attacks.

Remote Seat, Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer

Oct 2011 – Jun 2012

Reporting to CEO. This position was responsible for Administration of Microsoft Active Directory, DNS Server, DHCP Server, and WSUS Server. Installation and configuration of cisco switches and routers, Troubleshooting of Radio Link and DSL connections. Resolved technical problems of LAN/WAN & other systems. Managed Linux web server through Plesk panel and Command line (Shell). Installed SSL certificate on domains. Managed hosting settings & implemented JIRA for bug tracking. Installed subversion on Linux server for centralized repository. SVN account setup & monitoring of system logs/activity on servers.

Key Achievements

Reduced Server costs by successfully deploying VMware virtualization solution in the internal network to reduce bandwidth overheads and faster access and availability of testing web servers for internal development environment.

Minimized 50% webhosting expenditures by transferring WordPress MU to Cpanel.

Shifted 110 Cpanel users email accounts on Google Apps to enhance the email delivery and security.

Reengineered company’s systems setup by establishing automated server generation routines, optimizing system performance, installing upgrades/patches, establishing system monitoring and maintaining security protocols.

Drove a 25% decrease in website downtime by migrating server sites and online stores to Linux server. Corrected server configuration problems, wrote bash scripts to ensure smooth server/reboot functioning, and assisted with a variety of Linux-based inquiries and concerns.

Stabilized, expanded and protected client network and PC environment. Built new file servers to maximize web hosting, terminal server, file/print sharing and domain control performance.

Resolved system slow down issues through network migrations, reconfigurations, integrations, and troubleshooting.

NextBridge, Lahore, Pakistan

System Engineer

Dec 2010 – Oct 2011

Reporting to Manager Operations. This position was responsible for escalating problems to L2/L3 in accordance with IT Service Desk escalation processes. Record incident resolutions in the Help Desk tool. Manage network in Linux environment. Install, configure and deploy (Linux Flavors. Redhat, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu etc), Apache, Rails, Qmail server, Postfix, Samba server, Squid, Linux virtualization, Linux firewalls. Troubleshoot networks, systems & work closely with clients and efficiently handle client complaints regarding their servers. Configuration and setup of all new server systems required internally for the company's activities. Monitoring of critical servers and networks using Nagios, and pfSense. Maintenance of VPN Infrastructure to connect remote sites. Setup and management of virtual infrastructure using VMware ESXi server and XEN. Setup, maintain and upgradation of Linux/Unix servers. Backup of critical data using Bacula and Clonezilla. Performed combine multi-node software deployment, ad hoc task execution and configuration manangement using Anisble .

Key Achievements

Performed P2V of 30 physical servers into 10 physical servers by using VMware ESXi.

Interlinked 3 branch offices through secured VPN to share internet and SABA services.

Created one PHP server for 150 PHP developers to test their codes.

Installed Bacula Server to take backup of 150 PHP servers.

Enhanced office email functionality by migrating local email server to Postfix email server so that email can be sent globally.

Maintained Linux based computer network setup in the office. Various services provided by this network were: web services, email collaboration, web caching and content filtering, bandwidth control, network protection, file sharing and printing.

Deployed and managed open-source databases: PostgreSQL and MySQL on Linux platforms.

Promoted Linux, related Open-Source Technologies to clients, and assisted them in adopting the Linux/Open- source office automation model for their respective offices and IT departments.

Comprehensive experience in project planning, budgeting, and implementing effective cost controls.

Nexlinx, Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer

Apr 2009 – Dec 2010

Reporting to Network Manager. This position was responsible for development & maintenance of IT infrastructure. Installed, configured and maintain cache/proxy servers, open source NMS (Nagios) for monitoring servers & services. Managing company mail & web servers. Server backup using rsync. Linux servers/desktops installation, upgrades & patching. Providing support to customers related to web hosting, email setup, connectivity issues, DSL operations management. Documenting the network designs.

Key Achievements

Deployment of VMware vCenter 5.5.0 for centralized administration of ESXi Infrastructure.

Deployed, configured and administered the Dell Blade Center M-Series.

Deployed, configured and administered the IBM Blade Center H-Series.

Successfully migrated domains and its email from Exchange Server to Google Apps.

Upgradation & Extension of existing VMware ESX Infrastructure from 3.5 to ESXi 5.5.0 by vMotion with minimum downtime strategy, initiative to hardware consolidation.

Reporting to Manager Operations. This position was responsible for setting up workstations and laptops for new employees. Installed, configured & administered Windows 2003 Server products, including Primary DC, MS Exchange, FTP Server, File Server, ISA Server and Print Server. Network Services including DNS, DHCP & IIS, Centralized Anti- Virus Services EScan Corporate Edition & Symantec. Wireless LAN Access Points (D-Links, Link-Sys). Managed Printers with print server devices (Dlink, Repotec). Addressed all hardware issues, General Administration of IT equipment i.e. Multimedia Projectors, PC’s etc.

Key Achievements

Deployment of new systems using WSUS 2008.

Designed secure VPN in order to connect remote offices.

Centralized Anti-Virus Services eScan Enterprise Edition & Symantec.

Designed backup disks for each server in order to prevail over environmental disaster.

Migrated the whole network of BMA Lahore branch from workgroup to Domain environment.

Beaconnet, Lahore, Pakistan

Network Engineer

Jul 2004 – Jul 2007

Reporting to Network Manager. This position was responsible for providing LI support for any technology issue and problems. Provided assistance by phone, email and/or using a ticket management system. Maintained user accounts including rights, permissions and systems groups. Escalate problems as and when required to Tier 2 and Tier 3 support teams, Follow up on tickets at pre-define intervals until problem are resolved. Installed, configured Network monitoring tools (MRTGs) for various SNMP enable devices routers, cache and firewall. Installed, configured and maintained DNS, HTTP, FTP, DNS, Proxies servers. Configuration of web hosting, dedicated hosting/shared hosting. Technical assistance to Dial-up, ISDN, DSL and wireless clients. Managed DSL deployment and support teams.

Key Achievements

Implementation & Troubleshooting of end user problems regarding LAN / WAN.

Lead and managed ISP Call center.

Centralized Wireless Devices management.

Developed new polices and ensure effective implementation of developed policies and prevalent procedures.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

RED HAT CERTIFIED SYSTEM ADMINSTRATOR

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATIONS

Microsoft Certified Professional

Microsoft Specialist

(Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center Specialist)

MCSE 2003 Certified

MCSA Messaging Certified

MCP Certified

ORACLE SOLARIS 10 CERTIFICATIONS

Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional, Part I

Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional, Part II

CompTIA Linux+ LX0-102

JUNIPER NETWORKS CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Internet Specialist (Enhanced Services Track)

Certified Internet Specialist (Enterprise Routing Track)

Certified Internet Specialist (Enterprise Switching Track)

Certified Internet Specialist (JUNOS Security Track)

Certified Internet Associate (JNCIA-JUNOS Track)

TRAININGS & WORKSHOPS

Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA)

Corvit Systems, 2010

RH133: Red Hat System administration

RH033 Red Hat Linux Essential

RH253 Red Hat Networking

Techno Head, 2010

Microsoft Certified Engineer

Corvit Systems, 2008

EDUCATION

Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore 2010

BS (Hons.), Computer Sciences and Information Technology

Lahore, Pakistan

ad13fl@r.postjobfree.com

Unit 712, 88 Eric Street, Winnipeg, Canada

+1-204-***-****

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-ramzan-24378bb8/

System Admin & Cloud Specialist

Volante Systems

Winnipeg, Canada

DevOps Specialist

Canada Life

Winnipeg, Canada

ComTIA Linux + (Powered by LPI) CERTIFICATION

CompTIA Linux+ LX0-101

(2009)

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