Matthew Freestone Email & Phone Number

Orem, Utah, Us

As the IT Director at Pura, I direct and oversee all IT activities within the organization. My key responsibilities include:IT Strategy: Formulated and executed IT strategies that align with business objectives, with a new emphasis on integrating AI technologies.AI Leadership: Took the initiative to head AI projects, specializing in AI prompt engineering to enhance customer experience and decision-making processes.IT Operations Management: Supervised the design, implementation, and maintenance of IT systems, incorporating AI where possible for performance and security gains.Project Management: Managed both traditional and AI-related technology projects, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery.Budget Management: Oversaw the IT budget, optimizing for both traditional IT and emerging AI technologies.Security Management: Implemented security policies that cover both traditional IT assets and new AI components.Team Leadership: Led and mentored the IT team, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, with a new focus on AI capabilities.Vendor Management: Managed vendor relationships to include AI solutions, ensuring high-quality and cost-efficient products and services.Stakeholder Communication: Kept stakeholders informed about key IT and AI initiatives, managing expectations effectively.IT Innovation: Stayed abreast of the latest IT and AI trends, exploring avenues for innovative solutions.Compliance: Ensured that all IT and AI activities comply with relevant laws, regulations, and best practices.As an IT leader, I strive to use technology as a tool to create competitive advantages and improve operational efficiency at Pura. Technology should be invisible to the end user, enabling employees instead of frustrating them.

Milpitas, California, Us

Lead Altigen platform and deployment of FrontStage partnership application.

Direct technology research and implementation at Blue Panda including monitoring technology trends and market adjustment to ensure we always lead innovation our space. I lead both the production and R&D teams including designers, developers, product managers, infrastructure team, and testers. Architected ‘born in the cloud’ multi-channel contact center platform based in Azure with a serverless design and CosmosDB backend for multi-site redundancy. We used Azure AD for authentication supporting single sign on for clients with O365, Azure functions where possible and AKS where it wasn’t. The entire platform was modular with APIs managed through Azure API management gateway. All communications were routed through Azure Bot Service and dropped into Event Grid and Service bus. Work was commencing on integrating Azure cognitive services. Search indexing was handled via Azure Server Service and we were working on deployment automation. Work was underway for Teams integrations including a Teams “super app” of our platform. Development was managed in Azure Devops. As part of this project I helped negotiate a 30 million dollar commit deal with Microsoft on the Azure platform for reduction in services pricing.

Direct technology research and implementation at Blue Panda including monitoring technology trends and market adjustment to ensure we always lead innovation in the space. Responsible for coming up with new concepts and solutions, taking these from concept to full product solutions. Lead leadership R&D conceptualization meetings and R&D developer team.

Create and manage infrastructure for Blue Panda Communications core platforms and services in the Azure cloud, utilizing the following technologies;Azure AD/Security/Key VaultStorage solutions as follows - CosmosDB, BlobAKSFunctionsAPI Management GatewayAvailability SetsBot ServicesCognitive ServicesEvent Grid/ServiceBus/SignalRSearch Service

Milpitas, California, Us

Responsible for the Skype for Business infrastructure for both multi-tenant and virtually dedicated deployments. Architect, design, deploy, supervise, and maintain all Lync/S4B deployments. I have been tasked with creating this entire new product offering for Altigen and to build a team to run it. Directly responsible for creating, designing and deploying new product features as well as new product offerings. I am also responsible for creating and maintaining partner relationships with Microsoft and other vendors in the field. Did research and development on how to port existing technologies into Azure, specifically looking for how to accomplish a serverless design migration.

South Jordan, Utah, Us

Responsible for the Lync/Skype for Business infrastructure for both multi-tenant and virtually dedicated deployments. Architect, design, deploy, supervise, and maintain all Lync/S4B deployments. Directly responsible for creating, designing and deploying new product features as well as new product offerings. I created and executed a training program to take the top tier support personnel and convert them into junior admins for Microsoft hosting environments.

Highland, Utah, Us

Prometheus Networks was merged with OBT out of Australia to create a new North American entity called OBT Anywhere. I architected and built the entire cloud hosting environment that OBT Anywhere and its customers operate on, as well as having deployed multiple cloud hosting environments for partner and customer organizations including a large provider in Singapore. I have built joint lab environments with Brocade using the latest Microsoft products and working on future hosting offerings. I have also consulted on the Australian environment and working to improve its performance. All environments were built 100% virtualized on a Hyper-V live migration platform including Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2. Oversaw the Office 365 hybrid integration project globally for our hosting environments including creating the custom PowerShell script for automation and working with our control panel vendor for integration.

Started company with business partner Mark Allen to fill a need in the market for small businesses to have utilized Information Technology. Structured S-Corp, formed board of directors, company structure, developed marketing strategy, setup stock structure, etc. Was involved in all investor/business partner meetings, formed relationships with Microsoft and other vendors. Also performed all roles of the Chief Technology Officer. Planned, developed and deployed entire datacenter and infrastructure, hosting hundreds of clients all via a WAN connection. Infrastructure initially consisted of Server 2003 server base with addition of Exchange 2003, Live Communications Server 2003 (upgraded to 2005 Sp1), SharePoint 2003, etc. Re-built out a completely new infrastructure using Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V to create a 100% virtual environment including clustered Exchange 2007 servers, Clustered SQL 2005 servers, ISA 2006 arrays, SharePoint 2007 portal servers, OCS 2007 R2 servers, etc. I have also built out the latest version of our environment on a Server 2008 R2 native forest/OS based all in Hyper-V using Exchange 2010, SQL 2008 R2 clusters, TMG arrays, SharePoint 2010 and Lync 2010 Enterprise pools designed to scale as large as needed. Created the multi-tenant hosted Enterprise Voice model that was used to create the LHP product line as well as used in the Office 365 cloud. Invited to and presented at many Microsoft hosting/cloud events over the years and have architected/deployed multiple cloud environments, ground up across the world, including the UK, Morocco, etc.

I headed up the Infrastructure practice for Statera in the Salt Lake City region, but I also travelled to deploy projects in Seattle (F5 Networks Exchange migration), Alaska (defense contractor TMG array deployment) and many others. My job entailed not only deploying products and technologies that I already knew and understood, but also products that the client needed that I had never seen before. Most of my job required quick adaptation and thinking on my feet. My projects always ended far below budget and typically in less than half the time originally projected. My client satisfaction rate was literally 100% leading to additional contracts for Statera as well as referrals from clients.

Rebuilt small IT infrastructure and modernized it, then later built an entirely new infrastructure from scratch including the datacenter. I also deployed the latest Microsoft technology, including Hyper-V, DFS with shadow copy, RPC over HTTPS, etc. Upgraded to Exchange 2007 infrastructure with an Office Communications Server 2007 deployment, including internal corporate Live Meeting. Utilized Longhorn Server deployments in limited scenarios. SharePoint 2007 intranet and extranet portals for inter and intra departmental collaborations. Client PC’s running Windows XP Sp2 and Windows Vista. Deployed phone system and proximity security card system. Negotiated contracts with T-Mobile, Dell, XO, and other vendors. Prepared for deployment of bar coding system for floor manufacturing and security camera systems. Created and ran a project and team for the creation of a new public website utilizing Silverlight technology. Managed all technology related relationships with outside corporations and vendors. Managed personnel and participated in corporate level strategy and planning.

Hired to manage and maintain networks in both the Utah and Arizona offices, running Windows Server 2003, and 2000 Servers in an Active Directory forest. Managed Exchange 2003 server and performed two service pack upgrades, fixing exchange after a 16G storage limit exceed, configuring intelligent spam service, group policy updates. Configured exchange for RPC over https for secure remote Outlook connections. Supported all desktop PC's at organization including laptops and desktops including 2000 and XP. Installed wireless infrastructure for company. Configured and setup sub-netting the internal network for multiple WAN connections. Manage routers and VPN connection between offices. Hired and managed new personnel for IT.

Maintain and create networks and systems for many companies in the Salt Lake valley, including airports, Olympic venues and small businesses. System Administrative responsibilities including IIS, Exchange Server 2000, including upgrading Exchange 2000 to 2003.

Us

• Developed a lab to emulate live environment to prove feasibility of removing NDS, Netware, and Border Manager as well as to simplify the environment.• Developed a web based system for monitoring, managing and developing this lab, and to monitor the workstations in the live environment.• Responsible for handling technical support issues from employees in the home office, as well as supporting our agents world wide.• Windows XP deployment project, moving from a Windows 2000 workstation to Windows XP.• Given responsibility for software licensing and tracking.• Developed a VoiceXML system for network maintenance.

• Managed a startup and took the company from the red into the black within two weeks.• Handled managerial duties such as hiring new employees, creating schedules and researching new products we could bring to our customers.• Designed, built, and maintained many networks in the four corners region.• Managed our internal network infrastructure.

• Personally managed an internal peer to peer network for Basin Title in Cortez, Colorado.• Personally managed an internal peer to peer network for Basin Title in Durango, Colorado.• Linked the 2 cities networks through a secured dialup connection.• Converted an Oracle 6 (DOS 5) to an Access 97 database.• Created new systems of inventory and management.• Taught classes for employees on how to best utilize their systems.• Offered position in Denver for Stuart Title, parent company.

I was asked by companies to design and build their websites, and so began my own company on the side and designed websites for companies.

• Started job at the age of 16, built, upgraded and repaired PC's for customers.• Designed and implemented many networks in the four corners region, including peer to peer, wireless, gigabit and server/client.• Performed the research and development function.• Built 75 new systems from scratch in 3 days.

High School

Electronics