Alan Burns Email and Phone Number

Working within the EMEA business, I function as the Director of DevOps for our dynamic team, reporting directly to the CTO. This vibrant team consists of Integration Engineers, Platform SMEs, and reporting service experts. Collaboratively, alongside our counterparts in the USA DevOps function, we are entrusted with the responsibility of managing the full stack of applications. Our goal is to transform key business systems by leveraging state-of-the-art automation techniques across both public and hybrid cloud technologies.Key project deliverables and responsibilities include:• Engage in the Information Security Steering Committee (ISSC) to contribute strategic insights and ensure alignment with security objectives.• Actively participate as a vital member of the SOC2 Audit Team, ensuring compliance and adherence to security standards.• Contribute insights and perspectives within the EMEA Senior Management Team, actively engaging with the UK Operations team to drive operational excellence.• Collaborate closely with the CTO to prioritize tasks, plan schedules, and mitigate any potential impacts on deliverables.• Manage and maintain the Azure Cloud infrastructure platform to ensure optimal performance and scalability.• Oversee Configuration Management and release management processes to maintain system integrity and facilitate smooth deployments.• Extensive experience managing a senior technical team / liaising with key ‘stakeholders’ within the business to produce and validate roadmap designs for future technologies.• Leading tech refresh projects, implementing DevOps tech with clients and teams.• Facilitate the implementation of modern DevOps technologies, fostering collaboration among teams spanning from customer-facing roles to backend developers.

• Reporting directly to the Head of Specialist Operations.• Responsible for implementing modern DevOps technologies in a collaborative manner.• Drive rapid-paced innovation through implementing DevOps technologies.• Lead, design, architect and manage teams to deliver best-of-breed CI/CD solutions.• Provide technology road maps and governance around non-standard solutions• Support new product introductions from Portfolio management teams.• Responsible for leading technology life-cycle management refresh projects.• Provide tailored technical recommendations and guidance to solve unique business challenges.• Provide excellent Problem Solving Abilities to modern day issues.

My current position is with Daisy Group Technology as the Cloud Platform Engineering Team Lead. The work I undertake is incredibly diverse and varied from one day to the next, my main responsibilities are managing the Daisy Cloud Platform Engineering Team, who are responsible for designing, delivering and implementing bespoke solutions into the Daisy Datacenter footprints for client and internal projects using enterprise technologies.Key project deliverables and responsibilities include:Extensive experience of managing a senior technical team / liaising with key ‘stakeholders’ within the business to produce and validate roadmap designs for future technologies.Producing Business case reports for Board review on platform life cycle including negotiations with vendors on best practices and available business options.Reviewing proposed client high level designs, producing new solutions based around platform design and integration using Cisco UCS, Cisco Nexus, VMware and Windows Enterprise technologies, following best practices and delivering on time within budget.This work requires working closely with 3rd party vendors such as VMware, Cisco, Zerto and McAfee along with internal Management / support teams and project managers.Producing comprehensive technical documentation for High level designs, Low level designs and support documentation to aide in all solution designs and implementation throughout the business.Delivering a new Virtual platform suitable to maintain Daisy’s customer base, including NSX Implementations, McAfee Move, automation (Via Powershell) and a migration of the Daisy customer estate from VMware 5.1 to VMware 6.0 through comprehensive technical documentation / Designing / Implementing and careful considerations to the current platform design’s which utilise Nexus 1000v virtual Switching and PVLAN technologies.

Working within the Engineering and Deployment team my responsibilities are to implement, deliver and support complex and scalable IT solutions to meet client and business objectives.My responsibilities include:-Reviewing proposed client high level designs, producing new solutions based around platform design and integration using Cisco UCS, Cisco Nexus, VMware and Windows Enterprise technologies, following best practices and delivering on time within budget.This work requires working closely with 3rd party vendors such as VMware, Cisco and Zerto along with internal support teams and project managers.Producing comprehensive technical documentation for High level designs, Low level designs and support documentation to aide in all solutions.Escalation point for 3rd line support for complex technical issues, around the flexible infrastructure (Cisco UCS, Cisco Nexus 1000v and VMware Platforms).Installation and configuration of multiple VMware ESXi 5 clusters on Cisco UCS Hardware.Datacentre Migration – Consisted of migrating all services 280 miles with limited downtime for an entire datacentre, including Physical and Virtual platforms.Migration of VMware ESX 4.0 Clusters to VMware ESX 5.1Providing security, firmware updates to the shared infrastructure platforms.(Cisco UCS)Providing root cause analysis (RCA) reports which includes, identify the root causes of faults or problems and providing resolution within a timely manner.Provide change management through documentation, design, planning, scheduling and implementation including risk assessment using ITIL processes.Participating in the on call rota for all VMware and Cisco UCS Technologies (1 week in 4)

Working within the managed services department providing 3rd line support to over 300 clients running in excess of 2500 servers my responsibilities include:- Providing 3rd line Support for all Microsoft Enterprise Technologies (MS Exchange, MS SQL Clustering, MS DFS, MS ISA/TMG, MS Active Directory, MS Group Policy) across various platforms such as VMware, Hyper V and Citrix Xenserver running on hardware technologies such as Cisco UCS, HP, Dell and IBM.Providing 3rd line VMware support to the multiple VMware datacenters within the UK with excess of 200 ESX Hosts, hosting 2000 servers running various operating systems (windows 2003, 2008 and Linux Enterprise Server platforms) within the various customer VLAN and DMZ environments. Providing security, firmware and OS patching to the various operating systems and hardware using BMC BladeLogic software, WSUS and VMware update manager.Providing root cause analysis (RCA) reports which includes, identify the root causes of faults or problems and providing resolution within a timely manner. Provide change management through design, planning, scheduling and implementation including risk assesment using ITIL processes.Participating in the on call rota for all 2e2 clients (1 week in 4)For All Platforms (Microsoft, VMware, Cisco UCS)

For the last 4 years I was a leader of the AWS North East User Group, which was a voluntary position. The driver for the leadership team was to grow the current user group, by scheduling events within the North East of England discussing and demonstrating AWS technologies, in that time the user group grew from 10-15 people to over 50 attendees for each event.

For the last 7 years I was a leader of the North East England VMUG, which was a voluntary position. The driver for the leadership team was to grow the current user group, by scheduling events within the North East of England discussing and demonstrating new virtualisation technologies, in that time the user group grew from 20-30 people to over 100 attendees for each event, quite an achievement.

My responsibilities included managing and maintaining the current data centres for G4S IS Division. Which consist of the following hardware and software technologiesVMware vSphere 4 (vCentre 4/5)Supporting 2 VMware datacenters within the UK with 50+ servers running windows 2003, 2008 platforms within the G4S IS LAN and DMZ environments. These datacenters use HP Hardware connecting with ISCSI technologies to SAN disk storage controllers (HP P4000 controllers).Corporate Backup Solutions and DR testingI Implemented, Manage and Maintain current Backup Solution (Symantec Backup Exec) producing a backup strategy within the datacenters that would backup both the windows and Vmware.Configuration and Support of HP Disk systems P4000 Controllers.Managing and Maintaining the Citrix Presentation Server Farm which consists of 9 citrix servers.Setup and configuration of the G4S IS divisions SCOM server.I managed and support Windows Environments which contains over 130 servers.Maintaining the Active Directory structure (2003 / 2008)Server hardware installations and repairsManaging and Maintaining Firewall changes (Cisco ASA)

My responsibilities were managing and maintaining the corporate datacentres within the eaga domain. Which consist of the following Hardware and software technologies.VMware vSphere 4, Supporting 3 VMware datacenters within the UK with 130+ servers running windows 2003, 2008 and centos platforms within the Eaga LAN and DMZ environments. These datacenters used IBM and Dell Hardware connecting with fiber optic and ISCSI technologies to SAN disk storage (IBM DS4800, DS5100, and Dell Equallogic P6000). Converting Physical to Virtual Servers for the new datacenters using VMware P2V tools.Implement, Manage and Maintain current Backup Solution (Netvault) producing a backup strategy included a VMware Consolidated Backup solution for the VMware datacenters allowing full server backups.Managing and maintaining the APC InfraStruXure Central Configuration and Support of IBM Disk systems Connected to IBM DS4800 and DS5100 Controllers Bluecoat Proxy appliance InstallationUpgrade McAfee Antivirus from McAfee ePO 4.0 to ePO 4.5

I was employed as an Infrastructure Analyst providing infrastructure and Network Support to five Parker / Domnick Hunter locations. I enjoy the challenge and problem solving aspects of this role which included migrating 22 Domnick Hunter locations into the Parker Hannifin network.Maintaining the Active Directory structureManaging and Maintaining the Citrix ClusterNetwork Administration/Troubleshooting Managing and Maintaining the Corporate Checkpoint firewall cluster and Lan Fortigate ApplianceBackup Administration (Arcserve)Managing and Maintaining Microsoft software and updates on all the client workstations using WSUSAvaya ASA site AdministrationServer / PC hardware installations and repairs

1st / 2nd line I.T. Support agent on the remote desktop team providing support for all I.T.software and hardware related problems. The purpose of this role was to screen all 2nd line calls before they were assigned to anEngineer. During this role I was also involved in Operating system deployment and imaging of remote computers with quest tools.