Gerard Kavanagh Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

Lead DevOps Engineer | Azure DevOps | Kubernetes | Terraform | Automation ExpertAs a DevOps lead with over 7 years of experience, I specialize in designing and implementing scalable, automated solutions across cloud platforms, focusing on Azure and AWS environments. With expertise in Azure DevOps, Terraform, and Kubernetes, I have a proven track record of optimizing deployment pipelines and infrastructure, ensuring security, scalability, and efficiency.Key Achievements: • Azure & AWS Cloud Expertise: High-level experience managing and optimizing infrastructure on the Azure cloud platform, including networks, VMs, and scale sets. Advanced experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration in AWS, ensuring smooth, automated deployments for critical systems. • Azure DevOps Mastery: Led the creation of a complete release management solution for the integration layer at Metro Bank, reducing deployment time by 3 hours per release through CI/CD automation and secret management. • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Certified in HashiCorp Terraform, I’ve architected cloud-native solutions, automating everything from networking to golden VM images across VMware and Azure. • Mentorship & Leadership: Mentored and trained associates in best practices for Azure DevOps, managing project handovers, and fostering the growth of junior team members. • Innovative Automation: Designed and implemented a “DevOps front door” process with Jira integration, automating repetitive tasks like project, repo creation, and key vault management, enabling the team to focus on higher-priority work. • VMware & Packer Expertise: Skilled in building and maintaining secure VMware golden images using Packer, ensuring consistent patching and updates.I continuously push for process improvements, leveraging Kubernetes in AWS and high-level Azure cloud experience to drive DevOps success and optimize operational performance.

London

London, United Kingdom

StarfishMint allows you to build voice and text conversational interfaces that can be deployed simultaneously across all the major channels including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Facebook Messenger and Skype.

London, United Kingdom

DevOps/SysOps:- Responsible for provisioning of hosted environments.- Configuration managed server builds and deployments, using Ansible- Implementing a full CI/CD framework to use from Development to Production environments.- Automated installation and configuration of tool set required to facilitate a fully continuous integration, deployment and application support pipeline. This included server builds (skyscape cloud) , Clustered build environment using Jenkins, Git/Gerrit, Sonarqube & Artifactory,.

Victoria, London

Currently supporting a range of Middleware products for large retail sites, WebSphere Application Server, MQ, Datapower, IHS, Apache, IntroscopeDeveloped automated script for reconfiguring all ISH servers and automated deployments..

London, United Kingdom

Glassfish 2/3, FUSE 6.0, SSL, GIT, CVS, Nexus, Jenkins, Solaris, Bash, Java 1.5/6, J2EE, Eclipse, Maven, unix scripting, Continuous Delivery, Automated deployments, Installation, and trouble shootingInstall and configuration of Glassfish, administration.Build/implement Glassfish Application Server configuration in accordance with designs.Regular ode cycles deployments to Glassfish in Dev, Test and Production upgrades.Supporting QA and performance teams through the test phases by troubleshooting and investigating application /configuration related issues.Converting existing Continuous Delivery scripts into JSON format.Update application release and configuration artefacts.Provide 3rd line support for Glassfish configuration and infrastructure for production environments.Write Scripts to automate binary Installs of IBM WebSphere Commerce, automate the install of Fix-packs, Feature Packs, instance creation and HTTP configuration.

Leeds, United Kingdom

Working with TCS on a large multi tier Government project as a WebSphere Portal infrastructure specialist, team lead over automation. Responsibilities & duties include: Responsible for leading automation project, using Rapid Deploy 3 to automate the complete product stack in all environments from Dev to Production in greenfield site.Built Java plug-ins for Rapid Deploy to automate WebSphere Portal 8, EMC Documentum and Adobe livecycle binary and code deployments.Building and automation of binary installs for WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Portal Server 6 using Unix scripting and wsadmin (including Database migration, enabling Security and federation), IHS HTTP Server and Plugin, Setting up SSL.Automation of Portlets and Portal layout configuration and all ConfigEngine tasks.

WebSphere Consultant for new Galaxy project, working closely with performance team. Involved in the build and configuration of production systems which consists of IBM Edge servers, HTTP Servers, WebSphere App Server, Portal Servers and Process Servers with Data power devices. Configure WCM servers, setting up multiple Syndicator and Subscriber pairs. Creating, copying and managing large libraries. Fine tuning the cache settings and server configurations. Working with WCI to manage content via RSS Feed.Java developer working on Rapid Deploy which is Lloyds preferred tool for automated builds and deployments, which is developed by Midvision using ZK Framework and Spring.

kavson.co.uk

Working on Portal migration project. Currently migrating their Portal production environments from Portal 5.1 to Portal 6.1 and Struts applications. Wrote Jython scripts to automate deployments to WebSphere Application Server and Portal Servers.

Contract duration 6 months, extended for a further 18 months After my first six months I took on the role of team lead, responsible for looking after Central and Eastern Europe, involving mentoring of junior staff members. Build, manage and support as part of a team, over 500+ development, test and UAT WebSphere Portal 5.1 Server instances running on a Linux platform. Build and migrate current systems to Portal V6.Build and configuration of horizontal and vertical Portal 5.1.0.4 clusters, running on WebSphere AppServer 5.1, Oracle 9i, LDAP for production environments.Trouble shooting, problem finding and monitoring patch levels, managing change control on live production servers. Advising development and deployment teams. #Extensive work with xmlAccess and basic JACL– writing and running scripts, supporting and monitoring large deployments daily.

Tesco IT Services: WebSphere Portal and WebSphere Product Centre project run by IBM. Involved in the design and development of the Portal front end to a large Product integration and management system. TNT Express : Portal pilot project. Setting up clustered environments using WPS 5.0.1.3, and WAS 6.0.2.5 on Linux configuring db and LDAP. Deployment and administration of enterprise applications using XMLAccess, Jython and ws_ant. Scottishpower: WebSphere Portal and Process Server development project run by IBM, Involved in development of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) role-based process application that delivered business process integration within WPS version 5.1.0.3 utilizing the WebSphere Process Server. Developed a number of task processing portlets (JSR-168) using JSF with dynamic paging and Web Services.IBM: New portal membership application for HeyDay.org.uk (AgeConcern). Develop a number of portlets in RAD 6 and WPS 5.1.0.2 using JSF, EJBs and hibernate.

Worked on the development and support of two large data integration projects using WebSphere Portal 5.0 and WebSphere Application Server my role involved developing a number of portlets for data managing and an error correction system using WebSphere Portal, Portal-Struts, Java, EJBs and XML. Also front line support for one of the projects.Involved in development of a number of WebSphere WebFacing projects, which involves developing web front-ends to AS400 applications and integrating them into a portal environment for customers like Arriva Rental Group, Aramark. Install WebSphere Portal 5.1 and WebSphere Application Server on Linux and Windows also creating and configuring Portal instances on AS400 through HTTP console. Build and implement portal themes and skins and help with Portlet deployment and support for various portal applications.

First Class (Hons) Computer Science, Information Technology, First Class (Hons)

Activities and Societies: kavson.co.uk

Education record