Team Lead Data Center

ERIC STERN

Hartford, CT 860-***-**** – *******@****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/eric-c-stern/

Senior Network Engineer with 24 years of experience configuring, deploying, designing, troubleshooting network hardware and software. Specialization in Network performance and Application performance monitoring utilizing Packet Brokers, Taps and SPANs. Have worked in multiple industries including Healthcare, Banking, Defense, Aviation, Education and Technology. Team Lead of 6 engineers on multiple projects, teams, data center buildouts and migrations PROFFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

CIGNA, Bloomfield, CT 9/2013 – 3/2024

Infrastructure Engineer SR SPC/Manager

• Team Lead for Tap/Agg/Packet Broker Infrastructure, designed, established, implemented, and manage enterprise-wide Packet Broker Infrastructure, 27 appliances and growing.

• Team Lead Network & Application Monitoring Infrastructure, designed, established, implemented, and managed enterprise wide NPM/APM, 81 appliances and growing.

• Multi-Vendor Management, Engagement, Road Maps, POCs, for APCON, Gigamon, Riverbed, NetScout, Spectrum, PRTG, AppResponse, Prognosis, ArcSight, Netbrain, Wireshark, SevOne Riverbed AppResponse & Netscout Infinistreams

• Designed, deployed, configured and implemented Enterprise-Wide Network and Application Performance Monitoring Platform(s), (AppResponse & Netscout) to gain packet-level visibility into key locations within the data center, WAN, Internet and compute, by generating and utilizing traffic flows aggregated and filtered from taps and SPANs via Packet Brokers such as APCON and Gigamon

• Created multiuse dashboards on Steel Central Portal from NPM/APM traffic feeds to Reduce Mean Time to Identify & Mean Time to Resolve network, application, voice, firewall issues as well as forensic use. Created Host Groups and Insights to provide overviews of the performance and status of applications and the networks. Utilized Riverbed SteelCentral Portal as a single pane of glass for management and upgrades of over 90 Riverbed AppResponse appliances.

• Created Internet Performance dashboards to view live bandwidth utilizations, with %retransmissions and critical threshold alerting

• Tailored dashboards for relevant stakeholders, with Server Response Time, Network Response Time, Connection Setup, Round Trip Time and User Response time charts for easy viewing of applications Response Time Composition

Team Mentoring

• Cross-trained existing employees maximize team agility and performance.

• Interviewed, selected, and onboarded new employees.

• Project Management with Jira, Agile, Confluence, ServiceNow, and MS Project Computer Sciences Corp., Norwich/Meriden CT 10/2004-9/2013 Senior Member of the Technical Staff-Production Engineering

• Team Lead for entire Data Center Migration, (full WAN/LAN)

• Assisted Federal customer with major network strategy development and deployment of a 256-bit AES

• Recommend improvements to existing infrastructure that resulted in major cost savings for the clients

• Implemented software and hardware upgrades to Cisco routers and switches

• Performed lead functions in multiple platform network integration projects

• Provided support in a highly technical, large data processing environment including mainframe, midrange, network, and distributed services

• Compiled weekly Network Utilization and WAN reports utilized for capacity planning

• Akamai Edgesuite administrator, (a distributed computing platform for application and content delivery) and point of contact for Federal Student Aid account.

• Configuration and maintenance of the following WAN protocols ATM, Frame Relay, and ISDN

• WAN Circuit ordering, installation, activation, deactivation, maintenance and troubleshooting 0C3, DS3, DS1, T1, 56K, and ISDN with the following Telco’s: AT&T, SPRINT, MCI, Qwest and Verizon.

• Performance monitoring of large-scale WAN/LAN equipment utilizing Concord, SMARTS, Solarwinds, and Openview.

• Supported highly technical large-scale WAN/LAN in a shared multi-client data center environment

• SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Administrator, this includes configuration of all WAN devices with SNMP, additional Checkpoint firewall rules, configuration of threshold alerts, pages, automatic data collections web page updates and report generation.

• Provided support in a highly technical large data processing environment Webster Bank 6/2003-10/2004

Network Analyst

• Monitored WAN Branch Circuits via telnet to Cisco Routers and Kendrox CSU/DSUs

• Branch router installations Cisco 2600’s

• Cisco 6500 switch install with HSRP configuration

• Technical Lead on an XP Rollout, Image PC/Laptop Builds and an XP Pilot Rollout

• Supported 3,500 node Novell/NT network

• Active Directory Group Policy implementation

• Wrote Standard PC/laptop Build Policies

• Wrote Standard Policies for upgrades and patches

• Assisted in GroupWise to Outlook 2000 Email Migration

• Built Application Objects utilizing Zenworks for Desktops including Patch Link and Office 2003

• Configured, deployed, and maintained Blackberries 6750s for the Senior Executives of Webster Bank including the CEO Jim Smith

IEEE Consultant, Network Engineer

CLIENTS

Stonewater 8/2002 – 9/2002

• Support for Windows 2000 Active Directory

• Support for Windows 2000 Server Operating Systems

• Network Engineer/Admin for Stonewater, responsibilities included but were not limited to; a network assessment, troubleshooting, desktop support, writing a disaster recovery procedure, writing a server backup procedure, ordered desktop & laptop computers and provided event log error resolution State of Connecticut, Department of Information Technology 7/2001- 5/2002

• Conducted LAN/WAN Network Infrastructure Assessments for the State of Connecticut, Department of Information Technology, Connecticut Education Network

• Implemented Cisco 7204 Routers for State of Connecticut Department of Information Technology, Connecticut Education Network

• Conducted Fiber Optic Surveys with Fiber Technologies in preparation for all of Connecticut’s Public Schools and Connecticut’s Higher Education facilities to connect to a Fiber Optic Ring

• Assisted in the Connecticut Education Network Design

• Compiled an Access Database of LAN/WAN Network Infrastructure Assessments for State of Connecticut Department of Information Technology

• Wrote testing review document for the website developed from the Access Database

• Compiled a Network Assessment Book of all Connecticut Public Schools Networks

• Created Access Database documenting Fiber Tech surveys

• Worked with the Connecticut Department of Information Technology’s Web Designers to produce web pages for Public Schools and Public Libraries

• Attended weekly Change Control meetings

Lucent Worldwide Services 10/2000-7/2001

Consultant, LAN/WAN Support

• Wrote a Network Impact Statement that explored and evaluated concerns regarding Umass Memorial’s Teleradiology Department’s AGFA Web 1000 System and Application Software, (a System which utilizes Low Cost Distribution of PACS Images and Reports).

• Worked on Cisco 1600s, 1700, 2500, 2600, 7200 Series Routers, Cisco 5500, 6500 Series Switches

• Compose a project plan that detailed the steps involved in the implementation of UUNET as Umass Memorial’s new ISP.

• Tested a new IP Addressing Scheme for the following: UUNET Access Router, Firewall-1, External DNS, External Web Server, MS Proxy Server, Nortel VPN, and DNS changes

• Utilized the Network General Sniffer to investigate BootP issues emanating from older SynOptics Hubs that were thought to be the cause of broadcast storms on the network.

• Proposed upgrades to Hubs.

• Supported UMASS Memorial Hospital WAN/LAN, utilizing VitalAgent, HP Openview, and Etherpeak Inacom Corporation, 9/1998-6/2000

Senior Systems Engineer

• Network infrastructure experience; Installation and configuration of Cisco Routers, ISDN NT1 interfaces, CSU/DSUs, and Terminal Servers; for Quick and Reilly, Grief Bros., and Inroads Corp. Pix Firewall configuration, Ulbrich Steel. Supported the Cigna infrastructure group as a consultant for ISDN, VoIP, TACAS, and Cisco Resource Manager

• Cisco lab that includes the following routers and switches; 2501s, 2509, 2502, 2610 and a catalyst 1900 EDUCATION

State University of New York at Albany, NY

Master of Science, Physical Chemistry, GPA 3.31 - Tuition Scholarship University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT

Bachelor of Music, Performance, GPA 3.34 - Musical Talent Scholarship, Academic All American SKILLS & OTHER

Volunteer Activities

• Bay Ridge Rescue Squad Emergency Medical Technician

• Meals on Wheels

• Veterans Hospital, Albany, NY

Musical Performances

• Moody Blues

• Roger Daltrey

• Garrison Keillor

• Cole Broderick and Friends

Marathon Runner – Hartford, CT 2023 (half), 2024 (full) Past Certifications

• CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam Passed, 9/15/2006, pursuing the CCIE LAB

• MCSE “Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer” 1/98 NT 4.0

• CCNP “Cisco Certified Network Professional” 1/2000 Professional Affiliations

• IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Secretary, Executive Committee, Connecticut Chapter

• Saratoga Musical Union, Local 506, American Federation of Musicians, Saratoga Springs, New York

• American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C.

Awards

• Tuition Scholarship, 1993-94

• Academic All American, 1987

• Musical Talent Scholarship, 1985 – 1987

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