Operations Manager Active Directory

MIGUEL T. VELEZ-WHITE, VCP, MCP, LPIC Phone: 334-***-****

Cusseta, AL 36852-3037 ******@************.***

Systems/Network Engineer

Multi-certified technology professional with experience managing Windows and LINUX systems. Expert in internal/client, remote/ desk-side support experience, including configuration, installation, maintenance, and upgrades; supporting Tier 1/2/3 issues involving software, hardware, printer, other peripherals, and local/Internet connectivity issues; adept in managing SharePoint, VMware, and SQL Server; gathering, analyzing and defining business and functional requirements. Proven ability to lead seamless implementations and deliver next-generation technical solutions improving revenues, margins and workplace productivity.

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

Certifications:

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), CA ARCserve Accredited Associate, LPIC-1/Linux+, Linux Professional Institute (LPI)/CompTIA, VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP) v.5, Postgres Certified Associate

Databases:

MS SQL Server 2008 R2/2014/2016; Postgres 9.2 Enterprise DB

Systems:

Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1/10, Windows Server 2003/2008 R2/2012 R2/2016/2019, Exchange Server 2010-2016, SQL Server 2008 – 2016, SharePoint Server 2010-2016, Linux: CentOS, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, VMware vSphere thru 7

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

VMware Systems Engineer (L4 – Enterprise Infrastructure Services)

FedEx Services Group, Memphis, TN Sept. 2021 – Aug. 2022

Functioned as part of L4 VE Admin Team. Primary focus was to assist with updating and patching all Production and Non-Production hosts and vCenters throughout the FedEx landscape. Methods of patching hosts were via VMware vRealize Automation or manually via SSH (Secure Shell) (using PuTTy service).

During the processing of hosts, it became necessary to keep logs and other data to track the progress of the team during patching cycles. Patching cycles were scheduled for evenings in clusters; after most of the work was done. The following morning, the responsibility was to gather and report all hosts that failed during the night and remediate those clusters/hosts manually.

As part of the L4 VE team, training was provided for subjects such as VMware Cloud Foundation, Microsoft Power BI, Also, the project was in planning phases for beta testing VMware vSphere version 8.0. VMware sent the invitation and provided links to the software to be tested. Decisions were underway to develop protocols for the beta testing.

As time allowed, initiatives began to update indexing and categorization of the Team’s OneNote team notebook. Part of the focus was to create new methods for tagging and creating new indexes. Project also began working on creating new Best Practices and updating the format standards.

IT Systems Specialist (Server & Infrastructure Engineer)

Alabama Dept of Finance – SBS Division, Montgomery, AL Jul. 2019 - Apr 2020

Performed daily operation and maintenance of the division’s vSphere environment. This included creation, modification and maintaining all of the approx. 100+ virtual machines (VMs). This included the creation of templates for VM creation and also the creation of a Content Library for which templates, OVAs and other VMware components could be stored for easy and regular retrieval when a new server was needed.

Designed, installed and maintained the division’s new patching and updating server environment using ManageEngine’s Patch Manager Plus. This was done to reduce the cost of such activities using Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Each 2nd Saturday of the month was the SBS Maintenance Window for various departments/groups within Finance. During each maintenance window, tasks of updating designated servers with patches/updates from Microsoft and other 3rd party organizations, were carried out.

Periodically provided support for the developers under contract. Worked with them to provide more efficient ticketing system (ServiceNow) by automating processes where applicable (i.e. creating decision gates, via Azure DevOps Server and other tools, in order to streamline the process from initially being assigned through the repetitive build-test-evaluate cycle).

Installed/upgraded and maintained the DellEMC Data Protection Suite (DPS). This included the components of Avamar Backup, Data Domain Storage, Data Protection Advisor (DPA) and Data Protection Central (DPC). The addition of replication of backups to Microsoft’s Azure environment via the DPS had also already been added to the environment but was in its very initial phases. The initiation of creating reports for specified servers was still in the design phase but beginning to show signs of accuracy.

Developed scripting and custom modules via PowerCLI and PowerShell v5.0 and v6.0 to automate some of the daily processes within the VMware environment. Was also testing vRealize Suite (Orchestrator, Operations Manager, Log Insight and Network Insight) to further advance the efficiency and proactive operation of the entire virtual landscape.

Provided support for other groups within the division by creating and maintaining various Linux (Red Hat) servers in the environment. These involved both virtual and physical Red Hat servers.

Sr. Systems Engineer

Flowers Foods, Inc, Thomasville, GA Dec. 2016 - May 2017

Provided consulting and implementations support for HQ They needed someone with extensive VMware experience to help them update their entire virtual landscape. This meant updating 28 vCenters which varied from using version 5.5 – down to a few using version 4.1.

Functions also required familiarity with both Cisco UCS and NetApp 7 ONTAP. However, my participation there extended only as far as dealing with vCenters, vHosts and their interaction with Cisco and NetApp systems.

Prepared a project schedule dealing with each of the vCenters across the country. The update strategy was to bring all vCenters (and other components within) up to version 5.5. Then a final update to all systems to version 6.0.

Began implementation of the project plan working within the guidelines of their in-house change management system.

HQ also had recently begun implementing the full Orion/SolarWinds suite of tools for VM management, storage systems and a potential framework which encompassed it all. The system was being tested by other engineers but I was responsible for ensuring that vSphere provided proper information (i.e. alerts and warnings) to fellow engineers so that the system could be maintained more efficiently.

Developed scripting and custom modules via PowerCLI and PowerShell v5.0 and v6.0 to automate some of the daily processes within the VMware environment. Was also testing vRealize Suite (Orchestrator, Operations Manager, Log Insight and Network Insight) to further advance the efficiency and proactive operation of the entire virtual landscape.

Sr. Professional Systems Engineer

Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), Bossier City, LA Sept. 2014-Mar 2016

Provided support for RDC-Wintel but based at new data center in Bossier City (ITC). Serving as an SME for technologies including VMware 6.5, Citrix NetApp, SharePoint 2010-2016 and Veeam Availability Suite 9.5

Day to day activities primarily involved functioning as Tier 3/4 support of customers varied medical contracts.

Provided daily support for our ticketing system (ServiceNow) by updating and maintaining the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

Included the creation, operation, monitoring and maintenance of overall VMware landscape (throughout the various client contracts, i.e. World Trade Center Health, North Carolina Medicaid Management Information Systems (NCMMIS), etc)

Worked with the Wintel team, both here and in New York to provide troubleshooting and remediation for enterprise of well over 5,000 virtual machines (all either Windows Server 2008-2012 or RedHat Enterprise Linux 6)

Designed and implemented project plans involved with providing automation for Active Directory (AD) functions using PowerShell scripting in conjunction with maintenance and troubleshooting for over 300 separate AD environments.

Managed disaster recovery and backup of virtual machines for the NCMMIS program.

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Scoped and installed new monitoring capabilities of VMware environment via deployment of vCenter Operations Manager 5.8.1, Configuration Manager, Infrastructure Manager and vCenter Log Insight 1.5/2.0. This enabled Wintel to move forward with a more informative monitoring all-in-one system which in turn enhanced troubleshooting and allowed for more proactive measures.

Created new PowerShell modules (including the already existing AD related cmdlets) for the purpose of performing regular interval security audits which reported on possible conflicts with corporate GPOs and reported recommendations for repair those conflicts on the group level. It also identified outliers (individuals with multiple functions in sometimes multiple departments) so that corrective action could be performed on those on a case-by-case basis.

Developed remediation and implementation plan for moving NCMMIS to Veeam Availability Suite – version 8. Project is now in the approval stage with NCMMIS/CSC management.

Worked tirelessly during the NCMMIS Disaster Recovery (DR) Test in the SunGard Facility (Carlstadt, NJ) back in December 2014 to resolve issues that were being experienced with corrupted replicas on all the DR servers. On occasion working around the clock in order to ensure that as many servers as possible were available for users to test during the exercise.

Since there was no existing 'sandbox' (virtual testing environment) available for ITC-Wintel, I took it upon myself to construct a full laboratory offsite (went live on April 1, 2015) which ITC-Wintel members had access to in order to perform testing of proposed VM configurations, train in using the latest releases from VMware, and also had hands-on training experience for preparing for the next latest release of VMware certification exams and also training modules for both Windows and Linux servers/OS variations. This also allowed the SEs to design and test new configurations of Group Policy Objects (GPOs) without harming the production environment.

Used PowerShell extensively along with VMware Power CLI 5.5 – 6.0 to automate needed daily reports regarding status and possible ‘hotspots’ regarding the VMs, datastores, and AD resources.

Sr. Systems Administrator/Engineer

Dallas County / City of Dallas, Dallas, TX Feb-May 2014

Responsible for the monitoring and administration of Active Directory 2008 R2, VMware vSphere 5.1, NetApp ONTAP 8.2 and Cisco UCS 2.21 environments.

Assisted in revision of organization-wide group policies as well as modifications to the Distributed File System (DFS). Undertook the review and revision of over 85 separate departments; designated at the time as their own individual Organizational Units (OUs). Responsible for distilling those departments to a more efficient AD design. Then assisted other Systems Engineers (SEs) with meeting each of those departments, learning their functions and then transposing all of that onto a new AD schema.

Began working with aforementioned departments to construct a schedule through which the SEs would coordinate dates and times to perform the modifications needed to properly reflect the new OUs. Also worked with other SEs to ensure that new GPOs were constructed to also properly reflect the new OU environments and provide needed access of those units to their data via the Distributed File System (DFS).

Worked with in-house engineers in preparation of VMware Horizon View 5.3 deployment project for the Dallas Public Library.

Scoped and installed new monitoring capabilities of VMware environment via deployment of vCenter Operations Manager 5.8.1, Configuration Manager, Infrastructure Manager and vCenter Log Insight 1.5/2.0. This enabled Dallas County to move forward with a more informative monitoring all-in-one system which in turn enhanced troubleshooting and allowed for more proactive measures to mitigate system failures.

L2 Support Engineer

Unitrends, Inc, Columbia, SC 2012-2013

Primary contact for both troubleshooting and training customers in the disciplines of backup and disaster recovery at the corporate/enterprise level. Responsible for attaining this goal for operating systems such as Windows, Linux (various distributions), AIX, Xen; whether virtualized in VMware or Hyper-V. Also providing training/support for application-based protection for SQL, Exchange, Oracle, SharePoint.

Received and logged support calls. Works with customer to assign initial severity level to the problem and initiates the case resolution workflow.

Performed first or second level problem determination to identify and isolate failure point including hardware, network, application, training and / or documentation.

Worked as part of a high-performance support team to ensure that system enhancements and defect corrections work properly and meet the users’ requirements.

Resolved product support questions, issues, and failures.

Supported the infrastructure, telecom, and internal systems and applications as directed.

Anticipated and identified issues that may prevent deliverables.

Performed systems engineering through installation, operation, and maintenance of Unitrends technology.

Ensured compliance with standards, methodologies, and techniques.

Assisted in project planning, including capacity, time, growth factors, communication requirements, space, etc.

Worked on multiple, concurrent tasks. Leads projects or team efforts as assigned.

Identified project coordination problems, suggests solutions and escalates issues appropriately.

Worked independently with little supervision; prioritizes project steps, milestones and time requirements to complete projects.

Systems Engineer

Peachtree Special Risk Brokers, Stockbridge, GA 2012

Operated as lead engineer for handling issues related to Exchange, Active Directory and VMware Administration.

Served as lead on initiation of replication as part of the backup/disaster recovery process using tools such as Veeam and Doubletake.

Administered VMware server farms using ESXi 4.1-5 Hypervisor and vSphere 4.1-5.0

Administered corporate Exchange archiving using GFI Archiver for 375 mailboxes.

Day-to-day administration of Active Directory for Windows Server Enterprise (Windows Server 2003 & 2008R2).

Worked with consultant team to develop and implement the migration of several regional offices from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010.

Sourced and engaged 3rd party vendors for complimentary tools assisting with Exchange and VMware management.

Responsible for day-to-day monitoring and administration of over 650 virtual servers operating in regions from London to Hawaii. (Created on over 35 Dell & IBM physical hosts along with over 25 Dell blade servers; also utilizing Dell PS EqualLogic SANs for allocation of storage.)

Provided troubleshooting and disaster recovery in situations for impacted Exchange servers for both Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010.

Manager, Systems Administration Team SharePoint Administrator/Systems Administrator

HDI Solutions, Inc., Auburn, AL 2007-2011

Created full-scale infrastructure lab at home (using virtual and physical servers) in order to develop and test potential deployment solutions and configurations.

Spearheaded the initiative for bringing effective backup and disaster recovery plans for our primary client (TXDOT) and also internally using the ARCServe system; which was eventually taken over by CA. For TXDOT mostly generic/manual processes were put in place via RHEL servers using various in-house designed programs and scripting. ARCServe was put in place for primarily our corporate use at the Auburn headquarters. I prepared the strategies, the project plans and then the implementation.

Solely responsible for putting together the necessary hardware and software to construct two (2) SharePoint servers from scratch. One for development and one for production. Both utilizing SharePoint Server 2010.

Used on-board templates and personal designs, created portals for all divisions of Technical Department and constructed ad hoc sites as needed for various projects.

Developed all protocols for management and maintenance of both SharePoint servers.

Developed and implemented migration strategies using infrastructure lab for testing in order to migrate data from other systems into SharePoint 2010 (including previous versions of SharePoint such as MOSS 2007).

Responsible for daily monitoring of 75 local and remote virtual and physical Linux servers (RedHat Advanced Server and CentOS 4-5).

Designated lead administrator for over 150 physical and virtual Windows servers utilizing VMware ESXi 3.5-4.1 Hypervisor with vSphere 4 for creation and monitoring of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server Enterprise 2008R2 and SQL Server Enterprise 2008R2.

Configured monitoring and alerts using Paessler PRTG 4.0 Monitoring Utility.

Administered corporate backups for servers and Executive staff using CA ARCserve R16 and R16 D2D programs.

Initiated and functioned as Primary Administrative and Technical Contact for HDI’s operation as Registered Microsoft Partner.

IT Manager

AUBURN DAY CARE CENTERS, INC., Auburn, AL 2003-2006

Directed IT initiatives and support for 40-person organization.

Provided assistance with acquisition, installation, and configuration of computer equipment for the center.

Installed, configured, troubleshot, and maintained hardware and software.

Generated graphic and digital multimedia services for continuing fundraising efforts.

Escalation Specialist / Contractor

MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Issaquah, WA 2002-2003

Managed Enterprise client software escalations from all customer segments, including Enterprise Accounts and Partners.

Interfaced with department within Microsoft to drive resolutions.

Researched technical incidents and successfully closed issues in compliance with SLA.

EDUCATION

BS Candidate (equivalency by certifications), Information Systems Management 1982

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

VMware vSphere 5.1: Install, Configure and Manage (Student Batch 129749) [VCP 5.1] 2012

VMware Corporation (Online Class)

Current Course Load for certification training:

oDevOps Foundation Training (completed Dec 2018 - completion certificate on file)

oMicrosoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-100) – completed Nov. 2019

oMicrosoft Azure Security (AZ-500) – completed Jan. 2020

oCCNA Certification (awaiting configuration of new test parameters from Cisco regarding the revised exam).

oVCP (VMware Certified Professional) for v7.0 certification exam. VMware Cloud Air Training Series for

VCA & VCP-Cloud

oTraining via EDB for PostgreSQL (v13 – v14 beta)

oAmazon Web Services – via Amazon and Udemy

oMicrosoft Azure Class which including Azure Active Directory (for Windows Server 2016/2019)

ASSOCIATIONS

VMware User Group (VMUG Advantage Member)

Microsoft Registered Partner (Gallano-Velez Consultech, LLC)

Microsoft IT Advisory Council.

SQL Server Worldwide User Group

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