Providing 3rd/4th line technical support to Computerworld (now Kascade) CWCare customers, covering technologies such as virtualisation (VMware vSphere & Microsoft Hyper-V), EUC (VMware Horizon), Microsoft stack (Active Directory, RDS, Exchange, O365 etc.), monitoring (LogicMonitor), backup (Veeam), servers and storage (Dell) and networking (Barracuda firewalls & Ruckus Wireless).Also provide technical support to internal Computerworld users and IT staff.Recertified to VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization 2019 in Nov 2019Gained Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows Server 2016 certification in Aug 2019Gained LogicMonitor Certified Professional certification in May 2019

Providing 3rd line technical support to users and IT staff across the business, as well as undertaking project work, as required.Active Directory - Acting as technical lead for the Active Directory upgrade component of a wider Windows Sustainability project. The upgrade involved raising the domain/forest functional levels of multiple domains/forests to a consistent level, replacement of existing domain controllers with a reduced number of Windows Server 2016 DCs, replacement of FRS with DFSR for Sysvol replication and a clean-up of AD.Microsoft SCCM – Upgrade of existing SCCM 2012 infrastructure to SCCM CBB v1806 to allow management of Windows 10 clients.VMware – Installed and configured VMware Update Manager into existing vCenter 6 environment to allow the scheduled patching of host servers and update of VM Hardware\VMware Tools for virtual machines.

Providing technical assistance to members of the 1st/2nd/3rd line support teams and acting as a SME for backup/DR, server/storage infrastructure, server virtualisation, software packaging/deployment and patch management. I also provide infrastructure support for the Solcase/Visualfiles legal case management systems and I am involved in mentoring new members of the 3rd line support team.VMware – Undertook an upgrade to vSphere 5.5, including two new vCenter servers in linked mode, allowing the capability for SRM to be introduced at a later stage. Subsequently upgraded the vCenter servers to vCenter 6, including the latest NetApp VSC. Gained VCP5-DCV certification in Nov 2015 and VCP6-DCV in Oct 2017.Backup/DR - As part of the vSphere 5.5 upgrade, introduced an updated NetApp VSC and additional NetApp SANs in remote locations. The snapshot and replication technologies these systems provide have allowed the complete removal of tape backups in seven offices. In addition to reducing the amount of support time required to maintain backups, significant cost savings have been achieved due to the reduced requirement for delivery and offsite storage of tapes.Microsoft SCCM - Implemented a new SCCM 2012 R2 solution to replace existing SCCM 2007 R2 infrastructure. The new setup also replaced previous standalone WSUS and MDT infrastructure, providing a single integrated solution for OS deployment, Software Updates and Application deployment. Ivanti Patch for SCCM was also added to provide patch management for 3rd party software (Adobe Flash, Reader, Google Chrome, Java etc.). The infrastructure was subsequently upgraded to SCCM CBB v1511 and has been kept up to date with the latest releases.Windows 10 – On the back of the SCCM upgrade I was involved in a project to deliver Windows 10. The initial deployment targeted IT desktops/laptops and Microsoft Surface Pro devices, but future plans involve upgrading/replacing over 2500 Windows 7 clients.

Provided 3rd line technical support to users and IT staff across the business, as well as undertaking a broad spectrum of project work.VMware - Involved in the initial install of a VMware ESX 3.5 cluster utilising shared SAN storage. Undertook subsequent migrations to ESX 4.1 and ESXi 5.0/5.1. Part of a technical team tasked with implementing two VMware 5.1 Enterprise clusters utilising HP Proliant Blade servers in the Bristol and Newport offices. The clusters provided greater capacity and improved DR capability. I also installed VMware host servers in all other offices. In total, the estate consists of approx. 65 host servers managed centrally via vCenter. Consolidation of servers via P2V or the replacement of older physical servers with VMs resulted in over 85% virtualisation.Backup/DR - Undertook a project to improve backup and DR across all locations. Utilising NetApp's VSC vCenter plugin and Snapmirror functionality, VM snapshots can be taken locally to allow rapid restores with datastore changes then being replicated to another location for DR purposes. The setup also allows for the datastores to be backed up to tape via NDMP providing a long term archive.SMS/SCCM - Implemented Microsoft SMS 2003 to provide consistent and rapid software deployment to client machines. Subsequent migration to SCCM 2007 R2. Preparation/deployment of software packages.Other key activities/projects:• Implementation and administration of Symantec Backup Exec 2010 and CASO.• Administration of NetApp SANs, including Fibre Channel and iSCSI configuration.• Implementation of Microsoft WSUS to provide patching to all client and server machines.• Infrastructure support of Solcase/Visualfiles legal case management systems.• Administration, monitoring and maintenance of a 600+ Windows servers (NT4 to 2012 R2).• Implementation of Active Directory in compliance with ISO9001 and 27001 standards.• Implementation and administration of Symantec Endpoint Protection.

Provided 1st/2nd line technical support to users and IT staff across the business, including the building of client desktops/laptops, installation, configuration and maintenance of printers and support of remote working technologies.• Implementation of a new imaging solution to provide a consistent build process for clients.• Provided 1-to-1 and group training for site based TSOs (Technical Support Officers).

Parkman Limited (now part of the Mouchel Group), was a multi-discipline civil engineering consultancy with offices throughout the UK. The structures team specialised in the design, inspection and assessment of civil and highway structures.• Preparation of Contract/Construction drawings using AutoCAD.• Management and control of documentation to ISO9001 standards.• Preparation of reports, programmes and other construction documentation.• Structural inspection and assessment of civil and highway structures.• Management of IT within the Structures team (User support, software installation etc.).