Gene Dodge Email & Phone Number

Minneapolis, Mn, Us

Eagan, Minnesota, United States

Working as an independent information technology consultant specializing in education, lifecycle management, cybersecurity, and project delivery. Coordinated lifecycle equipment replacement for over 1500 devices in three months ensuring business continuity and productivity for a fortune 500 company. Planned and implemented cybersecurity layman's training to several church and retirement community groups ensuring common best practices were understood and what to do if something happens. Repaired and distributed over 100 laptops and computers to non-profit organizations.

Us

Adaptable ITIL discipline Information Technology leader with broad range of experience in multiple verticals including restaurants, airlines, banking, casino, and military. Proactive, effective leader committed to organization-wide goals and selecting, supporting, and developing exceptional employees. Solid decision maker and solution developer. Fiscally responsible labor and cost control manager. Focused, long-term strategic thinker and top-quality service provider. Excellent communication skills. Areas of expertise: Global IT Service Desk Management, Technology Infrastructure, IT Strategy and Planning, Mentoring/Development, Business Acumen, Budget Analysis and Planning Field Services, Cybersecurity, Statistical Analysis and Reporting, Procedural Documentation and Development, Hardware and Lifecycle management, IT Problem & Change Management, Help Desk Management, ERP Implementation, End-User Support, Data Centers, Learning Management & Training, Project Management, Network Security, Disaster Recovery, and new Product & Service Launches. I take pride in being a supervisor, mentor, and educator as over 75% of Service Desk employees I managed advanced their IT careers.

Minnetonka, Minnesota, Us

Responsible for managing CCS' IT infrastructure including end user devices, Azure (including AD) and AWS cloud service solutions, cloud initiative projects, and corporate applications. Managed a team of four. Established vendor relationship and implemented a life-cycle equipment program. Realigned Microsoft licensing resulting in single point administration and a reduction of 5K per month in monthly expenses using Intune. Planned and managed multiple overnight IT upgrade projects to ensure efficiency and security. Oversaw the annual SOC audit and provided key responses to requirements. Organized and negotiated the allocation of human and equipment resources. Developed, implemented, and realigned numerous IT policies and procedures, including architecture, industry best practices, purchasing, software licensing, and service provision. Administered the ConnectWise Service Desk and Automate database and ticketing solution. Facilitated and championed the management and adoption of emerging technologies, including cloud, to the executives. Oversaw the service management activities including change management and testing of equipment and solutions as well as budgetary requirements.

Franklin, Tennessee, Us

Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the information technology department and services to the organization of 250 restaurants in 13 states. Managed team of 18. Responsible for the reduction of IT expenses from $6M annually to $1.9M annually in six months. Improved morale and perception of the IT Department from the worst in the company with the highest employee turnover rate of 80% and worst internal customer service score of 1.0 to a turnover rate of less than 10% and customer service scores to 3.8/4.0. Assisted in the development and roll-out of a Cost of Goods data solution to the stores which reduced food waste, equipment/utility costs, and man hours by 44% translating into $1.24 million dollars of savings. Implemented enterprise infrastructure changes including SAN replacement, consolidation of Internet costs and services, and multiple physical server appliances. Coordinated the implementation of Azure Cloud and Matillion data lake solution to predict cash flow and streamlining cost of goods. Provided leadership and mentoring for network, telephony, domain, applications, cybersecurity, hardware support, and software support teams. Maintained the computing/IT environment and promoted the infrastructure vision/strategy. Created and maintained localized IT budgets/policies/procedures to support functional information technology procurement including predictive cost models on infrastructure maintenance, planned upgrades, CAPEX, OPEX, and fiscal management using Dynamics. Oversaw business IT audit services as well as PCI compliance (SAQ Type B and SOC Type II) and risk programs using Digital Defense and Clover Security solutions. Oversaw, led, and completed numerous million-dollar IT Projects which encompassed all project processes/steps including, but not limited to, definition, promotion, planning, request for bids (RFBs), staffing, contract managing, documentation, as well as other project related requirements/milestones.

Plymouth, Mn, Us

Responsible for managing and guiding Network, Infrastructure, Data Recovery, Cybersecurity, Telephony, Audit Response, and Desktop and Support Services Team for 250+ internal customers and 84 thousand members. Managed team of 10. Redesigned the IT audit compliance process to address/prevent IT financial audit findings through investigation, guiding and recommending reconfiguration of IT systems, and documentation. Oversaw the complete replacement of the credit union network appliances, data center switching network, and financial core server systems, which included replacing the Fortinet and Watchguard systems with Cisco 9K appliances along with the data center Nexus appliances including the switching fabric. Oversaw multi-million-dollar IT projects required attention to detail, long hours, and dedication for successful implementation by the IT Team, contractors, and vendors including Cloud service implementations. Renegotiated all system and application contracts from single year to multi-year resulting in $500K in annual savings. Acted as the project manager for the selection and replacement of the credit union HP Nimble storage area network (SAN) systems which were end-of-life/support. Established a monthly Credit Union member Information Technology training session, both in-person and online, to educate and assist credit union members with technology information and cybersecurity knowledge. Developed and instituted a Disaster Recovery solution and process for IT systems and data recovery allowing for faster system recovery in the event of a disaster. Lead Member of Service Level Agreement development and implementation, change enablement, and project management teams. Collaborated with upper management to develop and implement business Information solutions.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us

Responsible for managing, coordinating, and guiding IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support Services (1200 internal customers). Managed team of 15. Assisted in redesigning how the airline provided IT services and responded to issues to the airport stations through complete overhaul of servers and network policies and procedures. Led the takeover and implementation of IT systems, services, and equipment for an acquired building from the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Completely designed and constructed the network and installed systems through vendor and departmental coordination. Built an IT Team from three people to fifteen over two years while providing exceptional services, replacement equipment, and installation of new systems at various locations. Negotiated the takeover of the network systems from an airline that went out of business allowing airline services to continue from the airport in Bullhead City, AZ. Member of SLA development and implementation, change review, and project management teams that strategized, developed, and implemented IT process improvements. Responsible for life cycle management, inventory control, and shipping and receiving. Oversaw Microsoft Exchange and Data Storage servers utilizing various monitoring applications. Administered, supported, and provisioned various telephony systems (MITEL/Cisco) and Apple iOS devices via MDM solution. Developed and published operational and service desk troubleshooting procedures. Assisted the network team with airport network equipment programming and implementation. Administered help desk tools and software including BMC TrackIT and HP Service Desk solutions. Conducted regular interval coaching, development, and mentoring for subordinates and peers. Coordinate IT Department related travel.

Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Us

Responsible for supervising Global IT Call Center (4000 internal customers), a 24/7/365 IT support center (SOC/NOC) and related direct reports. Managed a team of 13. Instituted an Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standard of process for the Kroll IT Service Operations Center allowing for the consistent delivery of IT service and support while ensuring companies goals and objectives were being met. Realigned the SOC work schedule to better meet the worldwide service support requirements. Obtained through negotiations, the "buy-in" of all departments in the 45 offices across the world, resulting in identification of potential IT issues before they could impact the business. Assisted in the design and implementation of Data Center failover and recovery procedures and operations, resulting in adding redundant cooling systems, generators, electrical grids, and Internet Service Providers allowing for 100% uptime. Served as member of SLA development and implementation, problem review, and project management teams. Administered various Microsoft Server systems as well as Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, CISCO CUCM VoIP, WebEx, Premier voice, and video conferencing solutions. Developed and maintained the extensive one hundred plus Service Center Knowledgebase/Wiki articles.