AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By stitching together advances in Cloud, Automation, Operations, Security, and Platform Engineering, AHEAD helps clients deliver on the promise of digital transformation.As a dedicated Digital Solutions Architect for AHEAD's cloud and platform porfolio, Shannon specializes in guiding customers through the complexities of public cloud and multi-platform environments. Her focus areas include FinOps, Platform Engineering, and all aspects of Cloud, where she leverages her expertise to design and implement efficient, scalable, and cost-effective solutions.

Operating nationally, Shannon partners with clients to unlock the full potential of public cloud platforms and tools. In addition to spearheading the implementation and design of the cloud managed solutions portfolio offerings, she maintains a strong awareness of technological trends, constantly seeking out the most effective solutions to cater to AHEAD's diverse client base.

The mission of the Identity and Network Digital Influence team is to win the hearts and minds of the IT pro and developer communities, in order to secure their future within the Microsoft identity platform. This team is first and foremost an engineering-focused effort designed to enable technology leaders and practitioners to build the skills necessary for cloud. The content created, along with community outreach, helps these users embrace modern patterns and practices for cloud operations. The Identity and Network Access Advocacy team helps provide an opportunity for firms to refocus efforts on application and service reliability through all curated content and how-tos.

The mission of the Cloud Ops Advocacy team is to win the hearts and minds of the IT/Ops community, in order to secure the future of the Microsoft platform. Within the Enterprise Platforms and Tools team, our first platform to provide community engagement and content on is Azure VMware Solution. Azure VMware Solution delivers a comprehensive VMware environment as a service, which allows customers to run native VMware workloads on Azure. Customers can now migrate VMs directly from an on-premises environment to Azure, landing on bare-metal, purpose built, hyper-converged dedicated nodes that run VMware VMs in Azure, exactly as they run today on-premises. Customers can now seamlessly run, manage, and secure applications across VMware environments and Microsoft Azure with a common operating framework. Customers will be able to capitalize on their existing VMware investments, skills, and tools, including VMware vSphere, vSAN, NSX-T, HCX, and vCenter while using the scale, performance, and innovation of Azure.

Microsoft aspires to help customers achieve successful digital transformations by using the power of Microsoft Cloud solutions and services. As a Cloud Solution Architect on the national overlay team, my goal is to drive high priority customer initiatives on Azure infrastructure in collaboration with customers and the Microsoft field. Key Contributions:• Identified, validated, and grew cloud computing opportunities to accelerate Azure consumption.• Facilitated technical architectural design sessions with customers.• Provided technical advisement and recommendations for cloud deployments.• Conducted core enablement for enterprise cloud adoption.• Helped build hybrid landing zones in Azure for future growth and expansion.• Worked to help build cloud center of excellence for customer internal teams.• Drove innovation of new technology solutions across different organizations and business units.• Developed and delivered proof of concepts backed by reference architectures and best practices.• Facilitated and organized vendor led training for technical field sales personnel.• Content lead for Azure Core Enablement offering.

During the Quest engineering internship rotation, select members from the Customer Success Unit (CSU) were chosen to integrate with engineering teams in Redmond, WA for a comprehensive six-month period. I joined the Azure Blob Storage team, focused on building extensive subject matter expertise for the field. This effort not only enriched individual technical understanding of how Microsoft built storage clusters, but also played a pivotal role in demystifying the engineering processes for broader consumption by field roles.

...beware of false cloud...10th Magnitude helps businesses transform with innovative, cloud-based solutions that harness the power of Microsoft Azure. The company combines elements from multiple deep cloud competencies, as well as the most efficient and innovative technology tools and platforms to help clients become more agile, more customer-focused, and more operationally efficient.• Built cloud adoption and enterprise strategies throughout each customer's digital transformation.• Facilitated sessions on best practices and architectural design considerations for Azure.• Focused on governance, security, monitoring, BCDR, data protection, IaaS, and identity.• Used Microsoft Azure to migrate, build, automate, and run enterprise workloads in the cloud.• Developed disaster recovery and business continuity solutions using Azure.• Assisted clients to build out hybrid infrastructure and IaaS environments.• Worked with clients to plan, configure, and implement a migration to Azure. • Assessed ability to move workloads.• Deployed tools to cross reference if on-premises workloads can be migrated as-is.• Conducted performance testing on identified workloads.• Documented any changes that needed to occur prior to migration and how to mitigate risk.• Lead clients to explore how Azure platform can be best used. • Architected client specific roadmaps to help embrace a unifying cloud vision.Key Contributions:• Built a fully functional governance policy for an enterprise oil & gas customer.• Lead architect on multiple datacenter migration engagements & Microsoft funded PoCs.• Developed Azure Site Recovery engagement model.• Built internal frameworks for enterprise cloud adoption strategies.• Conducted architectural design sessions to deepen understanding on Azure services.• Instrumental in helping achieve MSFT Hybrid Cloud Partner of the Year award for 2017.• Lead Azure Meet-Ups for Azure Site Recovery and Azure Governance.

• Worked on Microsoft funded engagements for datacenter transformations.• Built out Azure Site Recovery artifacts.• Conducted Cloud Readiness Assessments.• Deepened skillset on all Azure Infrastructure services.• Drove customers toward cloud adoption by delivering enterprise ready solutions.

Responsibilities:• Diagnosed and remediated client infrastructure issues. • Identified recurring issues which could be corrected through automation. • Monitored client infrastructure with IPsoft proprietary software solution (IPcenter). • Used ITIL framework for each client environment.• Acted as a point of escalation and SME for the Windows silo on behalf of each client's needs. Supported Platforms: • VMware vSphere 3.5 - 5.5• Microsoft Exchange 2007 - 2013• Active Directory 2003 - 2012• Windows Server 2000 - 2012 R2• Exchange Online• Azure Active Directory• Office 365• Lync 2010• Citrix XenApp & XenDesktop 6.5 - 7.5Project Accomplishments / Milestones:• Held Technical Executive and Technical Lead roles for 2 clients.• Global technical lead - available 24x7x365 for incident resolution.• Moved 4,500 seat firm from Exchange 2007 to Office 365 using Exchange 2013 hybrid servers.• Decommissioned Exchange 2007 Organization.• Instrumental in facilitating and contributing to weekly CAB calls.• Responsible for RCAs and documenting issues for each client's records.• Updated priority escalation documentation for global support engineers.• Developed SOPs for global support engineers to follow.• Conducted sessions with global engineers for client technical readiness.• Assisted client Microsoft licensing true-up audit.• Lead initiative to transition authoritative DNS, which completed a company merger.• Built automations to self-heal production environment and reduce monitoring alerts.• Maintained certificate services environment.

Responsibilities:• Provided local desktop and server administration.• Supported ongoing maintenance.• Maximized return on investment by using cost-effective solutions.• Ensured IT production environments operated efficiently, reliably, and securely.• Worked with key contacts to help develop yearly technology budgets.• Documented environments and systems so clients could be productive.

Responsibilities:• Tasked with configuration management and maintenance of production IT systems.• Provided technical support and incident resolution.• Planned, implemented, and maintained environments for each project or upgrade.• Actively participated in technical research and development for continued innovation. • Ensured all applications enabled staff and partners to fulfill job functions.• Supported trading environment with real-time trade data using Bloomberg.• Documented system configurations and environments for internal knowledge sharing.• Troubleshot system performance.• Maintained the health of firm-wide applications and infrastructure. • Assisted internal project owners with technical issues during each project or upgrade. • Worked to develop disaster recovery and data backup platforms for business continuity.Supported Platforms:• VMware vSphere 4.0 - 5.5 • Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 - XenApp 6.5• Windows Server 2003 - 2012 R2• Active Directory 2003 - 2008• Azure Active Directory• Microsoft Exchange 2003 - 2013• Exchange Online• SharePoint 2010• SharePoint Online• Skype for Business Online• Office 365• Windows XP - Windows 10• Desktop Apps: Bloomberg, Argus, ITG, Eze Castle, Office Suite, Adobe, AltaReturn, TheNextRoundProject Accomplishments / Milestones:• Upgraded Exchange 2007 Organization to Exchange 2013 Organization.• Swung all mailboxes over to new Exchange environment.• Moved all archive email to Office 365.• Implemented cumulative updates to protect and maintain Exchange 2013.• Piloted and developed repeatable Office 365 mailbox migration move pattern for end users.• Upgraded Citrix XenApp environment to 6.5.• Onboarded new application vendors and built corresponding infrastructure.• Built PowerShell automations to report on system health for environment.• Organized, orchestrated, configured, and implemented vSphere upgrades.

• Provided daily support for brokers and public relations teams.• Prepared client proposals and deliverables for client pitches.• Coordinated efforts between different departments for proposals and deliverables. • Ran research property queries with client requirements for proposals and deliverables. • Troubleshot computer and application problems each broker experienced.• Assembled quarterly direct mailings highlighting firm performance for clients.• Maintained databases of clients, case studies, and prospective clients for each broker.• Edited proposals, correspondence, and lease comments per each broker’s request.• Planned travel arrangements for brokers.• Prepared expense reports for brokers.• Scheduled meetings, conference calls, and reserved conference rooms for each broker.

• Answered hotline phone calls from borrowers.• Originated four different private student loan programs for the United States.• Evaluated and researched borrower and cosigner credit histories.• Assessed borrower applications and matched up to each lender's credit criteria.• Guided borrowers and cosigners through each online loan application program.• Set up work flows for the private loan specialists to follow for new clients.• Reconciled research reports from Nelnet’s disbursing agent and Nelnet’s servicing agent. • Routinely called schools to let clients know of new loan processes.

• Set up, coordinated, and tracked hospital market research studies.• Used proprietary software to set up hospital market research studies.• Designed survey questions and layout with direction from project managers.• Scheduled client survey mailings once the client data file had been completely evaluated.• Reconciled response rates from surveys.• Compared response rates to target rates for detailed client reporting.• Created weekly project updates for each client about project status.• Maintained and organized client files.• Documented every step within the client set up process. • Updated data logs and tracked each project for the project managers.

Assisted UNL Communication Studies department chair with 200 level interpersonal communication class:• Handled student communications related to class activities, homework, and overall class status.• Protected student confidentiality when discussing matters of attention with the professor.• Conducted review sessions for midterm and final exams.• Graded weekly homework.

• Produced prints for customized mailings.• Merged mailing lists, assembled media press kits, and specialized mailings for each client.• Worked with Printshop files to complete client print jobs for the database-marketing department.• Tracked and prepared client media spending tracking reports for each quarter of the year.