My team manages the underlying services that allow a large-scale installation to function; DNS, configuration management, monitoring and alerting, security, access management, LDAP, plus a swathe of general unix knowledge. We touch peripherally or are involved with just about every aspect of running a large and complex set of environments.We provide creative solutions to difficult problems.

Gemini is a small startup (less than 90 people at the time of writing this document - Sept 2005), located in San Mateo, USA and Tokyo,Japan.They are a team of highly competent and experienced developers producing mailserver and gateway software for the mobile telecoms industry.I was invited to join Gemini as they needed a senior level administrator with strong Linux experience. They also needed someone capable of producing customer quality code to release with their software. My mandate on the development side was to help make the software operational for the customers, and productise it in such a way that it was palatable by customer operations staff.On the systems side I setup the infrastructure almost from scratch, installing and configuring systems, storage and networks as appropriate.This was a very nice opportunity for a systems person, the chance to do it right from the beginning.

Design, develop and implement systems strategy at all levels, from specifying systems hardware and software, through installation, testing and deployment to the entire company worldwide. Perform complex tasks that require the systems knowledge and experience of a senior administrator. Perform daily tasks that require quick response, technical understanding, and prompt intelligent engineering fixes. Write computer code in a variety of languages and environments to work reliably and consistently and with fault and failure tolerance.

General security consulting work; hardening operating systems, architecting secure solution for clients, installing, configuring and operating intrusion detection systems, advising on security policy, training and raising security awareness in clients. Management responsibilities included responsibility for a revenue stream, human resource management of a team of senior and junior consultants, interviewing and hiring new staff.

Designed and built the network and systems for Dreamworks animation division Worked initially by myself, then as a team of two, then later in a team of seven senior admins, along with a full support team of junior staff.Daily system administration tasks on both servers and desktop systems, Solaris enterprise server, Irix (all models), Sun Ultra models. Work was a 50-50 split between systems and network administration, with about 20% of that time spent administering solaris.All phases of network administration from design to daily operations. Responsibility for training the junior staff. Sole responsibility for security management within the division, advised higher management on correct security policy for given situations, chaired a cross-department working group to keep our policies in touch with the users' requirements.Responsible for operational site security. I administered (and designed and built) our division firewall, and drafted security policy for the site.

Front line application and OS support, backups and archives, junior level sysadmin tasks with a focus on career progression and learning to advance. Given the opportunity to move to Los Angeles when Amblimation merged with new startup Dreamworks in 1995.