WebSphere Consultant

John Bunyan

Personal Information

****.******@***.*** 073********

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-bunyan-middleware-websphere

Profile

I am an experienced WebSphere Consultant with a track record of maximising service availability in critical production environments. I am adept at resolving critical issues and quickly identifying the underlying problem.

I have a strong technical background and have built up a deep understanding of technology stacks across end-to-end architectures. This allows me to provide experienced consultancy to teams in a broad range of technical environments. I am known for my ability to bring improvements to production release management procedures combined with rigorous control.

I have operated as an Independent Contractor since 2004, delivering assignments for high-profile companies such as RBS, Defra, and Lloyds Group. As an experienced contractor I can hit the ground running.

Skills

Industry Knowledge

Tools and Techniques

Interpersonal Skills

Incident Management

Change Management

Project Management

Risk Management

Agile Management

ITIL v4

Consulting

Middleware

Infrastructure

Performance Tuning

Key Management (PKI)

Data Analysis

Data Visualisation

Extract, Transform, Load (ETL)

Data Migration

Enterprise Architecture

Software Architecture

Software Engineering

Object-Oriented Programming

Service Oriented Architecture

WebSphere Application Server

IBM MQ

JBoss EAP

Tomcat, Apache, IBM HTTP

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Solaris, AIX, Windows, z/OS

Job Control Language (JCL)

Databases

DB2, Oracle, SQL

Shell Scripting; Bash, Perl, Python

Java, C, Cobol

sFTP, Connect:Direct

ServiceNow

Kanban, Scrum, Jira

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Thinking

Critical Thinking

Problem Solving

Influencing Others

Leadership and Management

Communication

Team Leadership

Presentation Skills

Coaching/Mentoring

Interviewing

Work Experience

Obsolescence Delivery Lead - Santander UK

06/2023 – 05/2024 Milton Keynes

Led the identification and management of risk associated with obsolete hardware and software components to minimise impact on Bank-wide operations and capabilities

Analysed and produced strategies and solutions to upgrade technologies, reducing software and hardware obsolescence supporting Santander

Proactively developed remediation solutions, monitored initiative progress, identified risks and issues, and confirmed benefits and associated KPIs

Supplied strong technical and architectural leadership to guarantee optimal strategies, roadmaps, and initiatives aligned with Santander UK architectural direction and reduced risks associated with obsolete software and hardware components

Ran project for Middleware Migration, overseeing the transition of 1000 instances of IBM MQ and RabbitMQ

Conducted pilot migration from WAS v7.0 to WAS v8.5.5 for one cluster, with plans to expand to 350 instances of WAS

Websphere Consultant - Standard Life Assurance

03/2017 – 09/2022 Edinburgh

Managed production and test environments, assuring seamless operation and integrity

Successfully supervised project timelines from initiation to production phase

Worked on scripting and maintaining the deployment process for WAS and MQ releases/patches, including amending java code

Wrote scripts to monitor WAS configuration files on target servers to discover and correct cases of direct modification

Played a key role in the Middleware team, providing support for WebSphere, JBoss, and MQ

Proactively monitored IBM for updates, fixes, and releases to assure currency and security of WAS/MQ platforms

WebSphere Consultant - Royal Bank of Scotland

06/2016 – 01/2017 Edinburgh

Led a team in the Legacy PKI to Enterprise PKI migration project for Production WebSphere Application Server and IHS systems

Used CMDB and other scans to thoroughly investigate system configurations and identify certificate usage

Discovered and replaced certificates to ensure a smooth transition and enhance system security

MQ FTE Engineer - IBM/ABN AMRO

07/2015 – 03/2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Worked in the MQ/FTE team, implementing MQ FTE and MQ solutions for multiple projects

Successfully handled concurrent projects, ensuring timely completion and delivery of specified solutions

Coordinated with team members to meet project deadlines and exceed client expectations

Created JCL Procedure for Mainframe file transfer solution to furnish one flexible solution for 100s of individual file transfers

WebSphere Administrator – Scottish Widows (Lloyds Banking Group)

02/2012 – 03/2015 Edinburgh

Improved automated deployment process to reduce failures and improve elapsed time

Supported approximately 400 Solaris & Linux test servers running WebSphere, Apache, IBM Http server, MQ, and various databases as part of the middleware team

Facilitated the smooth implementation of quarterly application releases to the production environment

Reduced resolution time for production fixes from days to between 10 and 60 minutes, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance

Met with internal SMEs to identify recurring problems, defined procedure changes to reduce issue frequency, created knowledge base for issue resolution steps, and reviewed with environment management/test team

Middleware Engineer – Barclays Capital

03/2011 – 01/2012 Glasgow

Part of team supporting and administrating WebSphere MQ on Solaris and RHEL, as well as other messaging systems utilized by Barclays Capital

Participated in the migration of MQ from v6 to v7 across the organisation

Worked on the migration of MQ hubs to new servers and Message Broker version, resulting in zero impact on operations

Managed user requests and implemented changes efficiently and effectively

WebSphere Consultant – IBM/DEFRA

11/2008 – 03/2011 Edinburgh

Automated and documented the release processes for all the installed software

Managed WebSphere Application Server, Tomcat, IHS, and WebSphere MQ as WebSphere Administrator for DEFRA account

Ensured compliance with IBM GSD331 security standard and coordinated patching of critical application servers to minimize service disruption

Tracked compliance and risks using CIRATS (Compliance, Issue, Risk, and APAR Tracking System)

Successfully migrated WebSphere platforms (v5.0.2, v6.0, v6.1) for development, test, pre-production, and production environments on Solaris and AIX servers

WebSphere Administrator – Royal Bank of Scotland

08/2004 – 09/2008 Edinburgh

Carried out deployment and troubleshooting of WebSphere applications for development teams

Provided production support for all live WebSphere systems on multiple platforms including AIX, Windows, Solaris, and Z/OS

Worked on implementing dashboards to monitor software stack and give real time views of performance and alerts

As Technical Design Authority guaranteed projects adhered to RBS standards and were optimised for the production environment

Coordinated and actively participated in platform-wide updates and rollouts of WebSphere patches across the entire estate

Education

BSc Hons, Computer Engineering

Heriot-Watt University

Certificates

IBM Certified System Administrator - WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V8.5.5 and Liberty Profile

IBM Certification Program - 04/2014

http://www-03.ibm.com/certify/certs/01007010.shtml

Certificates

Continued

DevOps, Cloud, and Agile Foundations Specialization

IBM - 02/2023

https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/specialization/certificate/6MSHWUA3D673

Introduction to DevOps

Introduction to Cloud Computing

Introduction to Agile Development and Scrum

Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization

Macquarie University - 04/2023

https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/specialization/certificate/TBA49WNRY8EU

Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis Data

Visualization in Excel

Excel Power Tools for Data Analysis

Google Project Management: Specialization

Google - 06/2023

https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/specialization/certificate/4BCKM7DP8GNR

Foundations of Project Management

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project

Project Planning: Putting It All Together

Project Execution: Running the Project Agile Project Management

Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World

Risk Management Specialization

New York Institute of Finance - 05/2023

https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/specialization/certificate/HS33TBSRGRCQ

Introduction to Risk Management

Credit Risk Management: Frameworks and Strategies

Market Risk Management: Frameworks and Strategies

Operational Risk Management: Frameworks and Strategies

Applied Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization

IBM - 05/2024

https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/specialization/XLU5H495FM5F

Introduction to Software Engineering

Hands-on Introduction to Linux Commands and Shell Scripting

Getting Started with Git and GitHub

Python for Data Science, AI and Development

Developing AI Applications with Python and Flask

Management Consulting Specialization

Emory University – 07/2024

https://coursera.org/share/c2cf98ea3f714a23da16bc6a1b0c023f

Consulting Presentations and Storytelling

Consulting Approach to Problem Solving

Getting a Consulting Job

Consulting Tools and Tips

Introduction to Management Consulting

ITIL 4 Certification

EDUCBA – 09/2024

https://coursera.org/share/37750c32877e3980526c3eb8dd9c4142

Introduction to ITIL V4 Service Management Concept

Details of ITIL V4 Four Dimensions of Service Management

Explanation of ITIL V4 Service Value System & its Components

Brief Overview of ITIL V4 Management and Practices

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