I founded Fostec in 1998 as a client-focused IT consulting firm that designs solutions and provides technical expertise to small and mid-sized businesses, and I began working in this role full time in 2009. My primary areas of focus include technical and management consulting, project management and implementation, cloud/on-premises server deployment and administration, network management and security, web development, and custom software/database architecture. I’m motivated by the belief that enterprise-grade solutions should be within reach of organizations at any scale. I endeavor to provide Fostec clients with the cutting-edge technology necessary to modernize and accelerate their operations and efficiency, while enabling a high ROI and responsible use of capital investments. My mission is to build long-lasting partnerships with Fostec clients and provide them with expert advice and the best possible solutions tailored for their specific business and industry.

In my role as a Software Engineer, I developed both internal and customer-facing web applications, and numerous other backend systems, tools and integrations, utilizing C#, ASP.net, WCF, SQL Server, JavaScript and CSS. I engineered, tested, and managed code across the full development stack including front-end UX, application and business logic, middleware, 3rd party integrations, and data storage. I regularly Interfaced directly with company leadership, project management, and other stakeholders to ensure that business requirements were thoroughly documented and implemented. In my role as Manager of IT Infrastructure, I oversaw and administered all server and network equipment, in addition to applications and other systems used organization wide.

As a Software Engineer, I applied my IT operations experience to develop a business intelligence application used for tracking system outages and their related customer and revenue impact. I worked directly with the VP of Technology to engineer a platform that provided KPIs and metrics he and other executives needed to drive strategic decision making and reduce down time. I also developed a database driven, web-based solution that replaced a cumbersome spreadsheet-driven budgeting process used by IT departments. This project successfully streamlined budgeting across departments and provided the finance team with real time reporting and metrics that previously had to be compiled manually. In addition, I was asked to step into the role of Network Operations Manager on an interim basis and managed the Network Operations Center and a 24x7 team of eight engineers from May 2007-January 2008.

The NOC at Getty Images was the first line of defense in a global multi-site e-commerce environment and my primary role was reducing customer and business impact by monitoring, triaging, and troubleshooting networks, servers, and applications. I provided operational support in a 24x7 environment for over 500 servers and a global WAN linking multiple datacenters, while frequently collaborating with other IT teams on a cross-functional basis to troubleshoot and escalate system issues. In addition, I also worked closely with the project and release management teams to ensure that new applications and functionality were properly documented, supported, and communicated to NOC engineers. My role began to transition into a Technical Operations Analyst as I began collecting and analyzing business and performance metrics to provide c-suite level executive insight into IT systems availability, incident trending, and business impacts. I also worked closely with the VP of Technology to launch a root cause analysis initiative that identified systems and applications with high failure rates, determined the technical cause of issues, and was used to help better align IT resources and efforts. My work with business intelligence led me to begin creating custom software, reports, and databases to provide better KPIs and insight, which ultimately led to my promotion as a Software Engineer, where I continued to expand these efforts, as well as work on additional projects.

As a member of the 24x7 IT Operations Center team, I provided company-wide monitoring and troubleshooting for the mission-critical servers, applications and network infrastructure that powered a coast-to-coast wireless cellular network, 100 retail stores, and over 2,500 employees. I helped manage and monitor the nightly batch processing and billing functions for over 1.5 million wireless subscribers, ensured that all nightly backups were completed successfully, and properly mitigated ITIL / SOX related change requests. I also functioned as a central point of Tier II technical assistance by providing software and network support across multiple data centers, offices and retail stores. During outages and adverse events, I frequently communicated with executive and senior management, other internal teams, and outside vendors, quickly building a reputation for providing direct, concise, and accurate information that was essential to restoring systems as quickly as possible.