HOWARD BARNES

San Diego, CA

619-***-****

ad2qr9@r.postjobfree.com

www.linkedin.com/in/howard-barnes-7495b27

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL

Network/Systems Administrator and Navy Veteran with 28+ years of progressive managerial oversight for computer hardware and software installation, systems maintenance, and help desk service delivery in fast-paced, deadline driven organizations. Supervised and trained cross-functional teams of up to 35 diverse personnel to troubleshoot and resolve customer issues efficiently and professionally. Possesses a comprehensive background in installation of workstations and peripherals, server maintenance, and ensuring system/information security through use of firewalls and industry best practices. Career supported by a Master’s in information systems, Master’s in Business Administration, and bachelor’s in information technology.

Process Improvement

Customer Service

Budget

Desktop & Network Security

Quality Assurance

CISCO Routers/Switches

Active Directory

Oral/Written Communication

Microsoft Office Suite

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS

Master of Science, Information Systems University of Phoenix San Diego, CA – 2015

Master of Business Administration University of Phoenix San Diego, CA – 2011

Bachelor of Science, Information Technology University of Phoenix San Diego, CA – 2009

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Thales Group April 2021 – Present

Support and Maintenance Engineer

Detailed to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office to support the Cogent Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (CAFIS). Resolves customer reported issues and inquiries via phone, emails, onsite, or remote access. Creates and provides documentation on reported issues and provides regular status reports to internal stakeholders and external customers.

Converted from Contractor status at Ian-Martin to full time regular Thales Employee

Maintains client/server application environment for the Cogent Automated Fingerprint Identification System (CAFIS) troubleshooting and resolving client and server process and communication issues

Supporting a distributed Data Center consisting of 15 Windows and 7 SUSE Enterprise Linux servers spread across 2 datacenters and two physical locations.

Installs and maintains Windows workstations in a law enforcement environment ensuring compliance with physical and network security procedures and that systems are kept up to date with latest windows security patches

Maintains the local Windows System Update Server (WSUS) to ensure servers and workstations receive all needed security updates and patches

Created run books for performance of routine system activities to ensure consistent results

Created applications and scripts to parse system and application logs to check for error messages across 5 servers and 80 applications reducing the time to review the logs from about 6 hours to about 5 minutes, allowing system problems to be identified more rapidly and reducing the possibility of downtime

Created program using Python for reading application logs on Linux systems for displaying application errors within the logs potentially saving hours of time compared to manually scanning the logs by hand.

Created application to check all system logs for specific information, allowing administrators to trace specific transactions to be traced through the application stack making it easier to capture specific information about a transaction or error.

Creating and modifying SQL scripts to work on an Oracle database and troubleshooting problems with our database and our applications to assist in fault isolation and to ensure the applications are working as efficiently as possible

Created python scripts to parse application logs to trace transactions to assist with error isolation on the Cafis Backend processes

Maintains 30 virtualized Windows Server 2019 servers in a VMWare ESXI high availability environment

Configured Zabbix server to monitor all servers and critical application processes to ensure timely notification in case of server or critical process failure

Installed Zabbix in a test environment to allow testing various application configurations without affecting production servers or environment

Installed a Veeam instance in a test environment to allow testing and learning about various configurations and identifying how to manage the application and retrieve backup logs.

Installed and configured Veeam Backup software in primary and disaster recovery sites to backup critical application information in our environment to ensure data resilience and recoverability in case of server or disk array failure

Ian Martin March 2020 – April 2021

Remote Support and Maintenance Engineer

Detailed to Thales Group in support of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office supporting the Cogent Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (CAFIS). Resolves customer reported issues and inquiries via phone, emails, onsite, or remote access. Creates and provides documentation on reported issues and provides regular status reports to internal stakeholders and external customers.

Maintains client/server application environment for the Cogent Automated Fingerprint Identification System (CAFIS) troubleshooting and resolving client and server process and communication issues

Supporting a distributed Data Center consisting of 15 Windows and 7 Suse Linux servers

Installs and maintains Windows workstations in a law enforcement environment ensuring compliance with physical and network security procedures and that systems are kept up to date with latest windows security patches

Maintains the local Windows System Update Server (WSUS) to ensure servers and workstations receive all needed security updates and patches

Created run books for performance of routine system activities to ensure consistent results

Created documentation for the upgrade and user acceptance of 52 windows 7 workstations to windows 10 to ensure consistent results and proper functionality with existing applications.

Created application to parse system and application logs to check for error messages across 5 servers and 60 applications reducing the time to review the logs from about 6 hours to about 20 minutes, allowing system problems to be identified earlier and reducing the possibility of downtime

Creating and modifying SQL scripts to work on an Oracle database and troubleshooting problems with our database and our applications to assist in fault isolation and to ensure the applications are working as efficiently as possible.

Robert Half Technology January 2020 – April 2020

Information Technology Support Technician (On Call)

Provides hands-on expertise for the installation and troubleshooting of network and workstation components for clients supported by Robert Half Technology

Performed the installation, calibration, and testing of Kepler client tracking device

Disconnect/Reconnect computers in a facility relocation of a financial services office.

FS24-7 November 2019 - April 2020

Smart Hands Corporate Contracts (On Call)

Provides Hands-On expertise for the installation/troubleshooting of network and workstation components for organizations supported by FS24-7 while maintaining high quality and repour with customers.

Installs and provides preliminary configuration for network equipment being installed on customer premises

Installs and configures personal computers, monitors, printers, and virtual desktop equipment

Provides onsite installation, diagnosis, and troubleshooting of installed audio/video equipment

Provides network diagnostics to help isolate problems in site networks

Self Employed – San Diego, CA December 2016 – Present

Independent Consultant – Information Technology Support

Delivers technology support to small businesses (under 10 employees) on a contract basis to aid owners in the management of their desktop, laptop, mobile, network, and security systems as a cost-efficient solution to having a full in-house IT department

Advised owners on cost/benefit analysis for replacement assets to support daily needs with a focus on Intuit QuickBooks saving the owner $3K in purchase and sustainment costs

Manages a group of 12 physical and virtualized Ubuntu and Centos Linux servers providing DNS, DHCP, web, database, and samba file services, maintains customers Windows 2008 R2 and Server 2019 servers; managing Active Directory users/groups, services, and Global Policy Objects (GPO)

Installed a Cisco Catalyst 2960G switch to provide network connectivity with all the computers and servers in my home lab

Diagnoses, troubleshoots and resolves a range of software, hardware and connectivity issues, excels in asking probing questions and researching, analyzing and rectifying problems

Provided businesses technical support via telephone and TeamViewer remote access software saving the businesses additional down time and trip charges saving the businesses up to 45 minutes of downtime and up to 20% of the incident charge

Constructed home lab consisting of one VMware 6.5 server, one Windows Server 2008R2 and two Windows Server 2019 Physical Servers, 8 Centos7 Virtual servers, 2 RedHat Enterprise virtual servers, and 4 Windows 2016 virtual servers to provide an environment for building and testing servers and services for training and testing purposes

Created active directory domain for testing and training purposes, also implemented active directory DNS server for name resolution within the test network

Protected network by installing, configuring, and monitoring supported applications, diagnostic utilities, and an Untangle firewall with ZERO instances of intrusion or compromise

Installed and configured Ansible on Debian System for configuring and updating Windows and Linux systems on my test network

Installed OpenLDAP server on network to serve as central authentication server for all Linux systems in my network

Configured central authentication for Linux systems using OpenLDAP

Implemented windows server distributed file system (DFS) to replicate certain files between servers on the network to provide for load balancing and fault tolerance

Implemented iSCSI connection to connect servers to Network Attached Storage Device to provide fault tolerant storage for multiple servers on my network

Installed and configured Veeam Backup software to backup critical application information in our environment to ensure data resilience and recoverability in case of server or disk array failure

VACO – San Diego June 2018 – January 2019

Network Operations Center (NOC) Systems Administrator

Detailed to San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU). Supported the technical operations of SDCCU and maintains the established service and availability standards established by monitoring network and server performance and status using SolarWinds and Nagios monitoring systems, and by patching and remediating various computer and network systems to maintain security and maximize availability. Provides first contact for datacenter issues and initiates escalation procedures, contacting vendors and staff engineers as needed to ensure the fastest resolution of the issues

Created, provisioned, and maintained VMware ESX/ESXI 6.0 and 6.5 virtual servers, installing VMware on new or recovered hardware, troubleshooting performance issues, applying required updates to VMware and the underlying hardware

Build new Windows 2016, RedHat, and Centos Linux servers and rebuild or repurpose existing servers to meet the changing storage and processing needs of the organization

Supported a distributed data center with 500 to 700 physical and virtual servers supporting the banking industry maintaining 99% availability for our users and our customers

Utilized SolarWinds, Nagios core, and New Relic Synthetics for the continuous monitoring of networks, servers and the associated services

Created Visio Drawings of the network racks located in the San Diego Data Center to include make, model, hostnames, function, and IP addresses to enable new and current NOC employees to quickly find devices in the rack

Integrated rack drawings into SolarWinds application to provide for quick location of faulty devices

Performed maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of HP and Dell blade chassis

Managed Windows DFS to replicate files from old file servers to newly created fileservers to maintain file synchronization until the cutover to the newer servers

Installs system and application patches and updates on physical and virtual servers and remediating servers that do not properly start on reboot following the patching

Maintained active directory and exchange messaging systems by adding/removing users, updating user attributes, adding or removing skype for business (LYNC) capabilities, user profile locations, and user permissions

Created PowerShell scripts for gathering diagnostic data required for service monitoring across several servers providing a 50% savings on the time required to manually acquire the required information

Performed testing, troubleshooting, and repair of Dell Compellent SAN performing swap out of failed drive components and reintegrating replacement drive back into drive array

Trains or mentor’s junior or less experienced technicians/administrators as necessary to ensure consistent capabilities and actions on each shift

Engility Corporation – San Diego, CA January 2013 – December 2016

Senior Network Administrator

Oversaw daily operations of 13 technicians in the support for 1500 end-users though the management of service desk requests for desktop computing systems and mobile devices; network and system administration to include firewall and server monitoring; and troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing local and remote workstations.

Protected out-of-band guest network by installing, configuring, and monitoring supported applications, diagnostic utilities, and an Untangle firewall with ZERO instances of intrusion or compromise

Supported Apple iOS and Android platforms for 1200 mobile users using the AirWatch MDM application; configured the agent application to communicate with the Engility AirWatch server and corporate exchange server allowing employees the ability to work outside the office increasing the productivity by 80%

Provided level 2 IT support to non-technical personnel within the company nationwide

Maintained active directory and exchange messaging systems by adding/removing users, updating user attributes, adding, or removing skype for business (LYNC) capabilities, user profile locations, and user permissions.

Always demonstrated professionalism and courtesy with customers

Answered client inquiries in person, email and via telephone concerning systems and network operations.

Provided technical assistance to customers via telephone, email or in person.

Created and detailed trouble tickets and entered them into a database and correctly refer them to the appropriate team members.

Provided assistance to users via remote control service in order to install software or resolve an issue

Created and removed customer accounts via Active Directory

Installed Cisco Catalyst switches in each lab in new building to provide communications between the different labs and the users workstations

Created Gold image for Windows 7 laptops and desktops using Microsoft Sysprep and Symantec Ghost to provide for rapid deployment of preconfigured Windows deployments providing 90%-time savings over manually installing windows, software, and updates manually

Created PowerShell script to run on newly imaged Windows 7 and Windows 10 workstations to ensure the necessary project related software is installed, and provide a method to update or install missing or out of date software on the workstation providing a 70%-time savings over manually installing or checking for the existence of the required software

Created Windows-PE boot image to allow offline boot of Windows workstations to allow data recovery from workstations that will not boot from hard drive because of hardware problems, or problems with the hard drive encryption software

Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve a range of software, hardware, and connectivity issues. Excel in asking probing questions and researching, analyzing, and rectifying problems

Analyzed department workflow processes to develop streamlined procedures for handling an average of 120 weekly support requests and revised policies for resolving/escalating issues which decreased the time from help ticket submission to resolution by 45%

Maintained 20 Windows and Linux servers through use of a 12-point server maintenance checklist resulting in a 99% up-time rate

L-3 Communications – San Diego, CA July 2000 – December 2012

Information Technology Manager Business Unit

Managed a team of 13 employees and 1 facility engineer across 5 worksites in California, Florida, and Virginia to provide tier 1, 2, and 3 levels of IT support to over 7500 internal customers

Managed a team of 14 employees providing career development, setting goals, performing annual reviews, and participating in the compensation review process

Configured and managed 25 Linux and Windows virtual machines using VMware to leverage the private cloud infrastructure and digital workspace technology increasing collaboration capabilities for team members based in in satellite locations

Created Gold image for Windows 7 laptops and desktops using Microsoft Sysprep and Symantec Ghost to upgrade Windows XP installations and to provide for rapid deployment of preconfigured Windows deployments on new or recovered hardware providing 90%-time savings over manually installing windows, software, and updates manually

As part of a data center buildout, built and configured Microsoft Exchange servers for the business unit and set up DNS mail server records and inter-site transports to allow email to flow between business unit sites and with corporate offices

Maintained active directory and exchange messaging systems by adding/removing users, updating user attributes, user profile locations, and user permissions

Built VMware server for use with internal development projects using new Dell hardware purchased for the project

The network design included the use of Windows integrated Domain Name Services, DHCP, WINS, file, and print services. The design also included multiple virtual LANs (VLANs) to separate administrative network traffic from the software development efforts.

Created Global Policy Objects to make servers and workstations compliant with corporate policies

Installed and configured Cisco Catalyst 2960G stackable switches to support the installation of a ShoreTel Voice over IP telephone system to replace the facilities existing Avaya Digital phone system

Installed and configured a Cisco ASA5505 firewall to provide access to a project customer facing website and protect the web site from unauthorized access. The firewall was also configured to create a guest wireless network to allow non-company guest computers and devices to access the internet while protecting other devices on the network

Managed local ShoreTel Voice over IP telephone system performing add/changes for users located in the southern California area

Devised intranet solution using an Ubuntu system to house an on-demand access portal for company forms, documents, and policies which allowed human resources and C-level program heads to provide department managers across the 3 states utilized current, standardized files increasing efficiency by 95%

Managed 5 simultaneous projects that included network cable, telephone system, and security system installations during a facility relocation ensuring contractors met timelines and material estimates ensuing project completion on-time with ZERO cost overruns

Performed Windows and Linux security and user account management.

Created Linux cron jobs for automatic scheduling of repetitive jobs such as backups and executing shell scripts.

Experience in Package management using RPM, YUM and UP2DATE in Red Hat Linux.

Installed and used a Linux server with samba, Apache, PHP, and MySQL for use as an application and file server for local site

Upgraded several HP Procurv switches to Cisco Catalyst 2960G stackable switches to improve throughput on business unit local networks, implemented cisco VLANs to separate administrative traffic from the traffic generated by our software development teams

Developed web-based IT inventory application for centrally managing the IT inventory for the entire business unit using Apache and MySQL on an Ubuntu Linux server reducing administrative burden by 70%

Created MySQL queries for IT Inventory application and business unit intranet to add/update/delete database records and created multi-table queries to generate required reports for site administrators and managers

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Software: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Project, Untangle Firewall, Remedy Helpdesk, ManageEngine Helpdesk, Team viewer, Bomgar, Windows PowerShell, VBScript, Bash, PHP, Python, Apple IOS, Android, Veeam Backup and Replication, Zabbix, Nagios Core

Servers: MacOS, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2000 through 2016, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL Server, DHCP, DNS/BIND, Samba, VMWare ESXI, VMWare vSphere, RedHat Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Centos Linux, Suse Linux, Dell Compellent Storage Area Network hardware, Microsoft Hyper-V

Tools: Cisco Catalyst Switches, Cisco Routers, Cisco ASA5505 Firewall, Nagios Core, SolarWinds NPM, New Relic Synthetics, ShoreTel VoIP, Ansible, OpenLDAP, Oracle 11 Database, Tivoli Storage Manager, iSCSI

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