I have progressed to a Windows Administrator position at Options, which has broadened my exposure to much of the technology in the business. In particular, these responsibilities have increased:- Server builds (Windows 2008, 2012) on physical standalone servers, blades and virtual machines- Backup management (Netbackup, HP and IBM tape libraries)- Datacentre work (racking and patching equipment)- Scripting and automation (especially Powershell and Python)- Second/Third-line support

At Options, my duties include:- Looking after the backups; several thousand NetBackup jobs run per night.- Watching the monitoring system (Nimbus) for alerts pertaining to server, network and datacentre issues.- Attempting to resolve said issues in the first instance, then escalating to specialist teams if necessary.- Using VMware Infra ticketing system to track issues and support callsI have gained significant exposure to a broad range of technologies and infrastructure, including:- Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012- Active Directory- DNS- Cisco switches- IBM blade centres- HP Proliant servers- VMware vSphere- MS Hyper-V- RSA SecureIDI have gained limited, but increasing, exposure to:- Redhat and Ubuntu Linux- 3par SANs- MS SQL Server

Managed and supported internal network infrastructure at all office locations to ensure connectivity between all staff.Managed and supported remote user access and network connections to ensure home workers could receive a level of service close to that of the office-based workers.Used coding skills to develop scripts and applications to assist the team, especially to automate repetitive tasks, configure desktop PCs, automate deployment of software packages and process large volumes of administrative data.Managed and supported the organisation's domain and email infrastructure, to ensure continuous secure access to resources and communications internally and externally.Involved in implementing and supporting the organisation's backup and replication solutions in order to address the possibility of disaster recovery situations.Acted as a mentor to colleagues, developed their skills to the point where they could take over most of the front line support, allowing me more time to focus on addressing server/infrastructure level issues and be available to advise management on IT issues.Earned an “Extra Mile” payment as a reward for working to a deadline to successfully prepare the new Leeds office’s IT infrastructure for operations. Similarly, worked on the setup of new sites at Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London.Worked on own initiative to manage and maintain a large scale network without supervision.Provided knowledgeable, professional and approachable front line technical support to all staff to ensure they could keep working.Researched and developed new solutions for the tech support team, either to fix problems or introduce beneficial and/or time-saving technology.Continuously monitored all comms links and IT services to ensure continued operation and acceptable performance to all staff.

Various temping roles, including two IT contracts for Lifelong Learning UK

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