Steve Alston Email & Phone Number

Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

As a Site Reliability Engineer at Symbotic, a leader in AI-powered robotic technology for warehouse automation, I spearhead initiatives to enhance system reliability, availability, and performance through cross-functional collaboration and advanced automation solutions.Key Responsibilities:System Reliability and Performance: Led efforts to improve system reliability, availability, and performance.Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked closely with diverse teams to deploy and maintain robust IT solutions.Root Cause Analysis: Conducted Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for all Critical System Down Notices (CSDNs) as part of the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team.Key Achievements:• Chatbot Integration for Transcript Analysis: Developed a Generative A.I. solution using an Ollama chatbot and Large Memory Models (LLMs) to analyze Microsoft Teams transcript files from CSDNs. Created a Python script to interface with the chatbot, enabling efficient review of lengthy transcripts without external dependencies.• Python Automation: Authored extensive Python code to automate various SRE tasks, ensuring data consistency within Jira and enhancing team productivity.• Meeting Efficiency: Chaired weekly review meetings for concluded CSDNs, supported by a Python script that extracted data from Jira to generate detailed agendas in Microsoft Outlook.• Timesheet Reporting: Simplified timesheet reporting for team members through custom Python scripts.• Document Generation: Automated the creation of Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint slides from Jira data.• Participant Analysis: Developed Python scripts to analyze Microsoft Teams transcripts, extracting participant information and comment metrics.By leveraging advanced technologies and custom automation solutions, I have significantly improved the operational efficiency and reliability of Symbotic's AI-powered robotic systems.

Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

- Collaborate with various teams to identify the root cause of an incident and discover solutions or workarounds- Ensure the right resources are available to investigate, identify, and confirm the root cause of a problem- Record, manage, & advance problems to ensure tickets meet the SLA requirements for customer organizations- Increased Ryder’s Business Sectors Critical Problem tickets SLA Compliance by 23.5% in 2021- Oversee each Business Sector RCA agenda for upper management review- Perform trend analysis on important services and historical incidents.- Periodically review the effectiveness and efficiency of the problem management process- Manage the IT problem ticket and task repository within ServiceNow - Maintain appropriate Problem Management training material and process documentation

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Dramatically reduced efforts and improved the accuracy of enabling the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS) Divisions’ changes to their IT systems. • Automated ServiceNow Change Ticket creations, updates, and closures from activities in a custom in-house written Migration Control system. Wrote this using Microsoft’s Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow). • Wrote multiple reports that gathered data from both the ServiceNow and Ryder’s in-house Migration Control system to provide overall status and what approvals were needed in either system. • Identified several improvements to techniques and wrote spreadsheet macros to automate or improve Migration Control team efforts and increase the speed of the teams’ completion of work for their customers.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Directed a team of 11 SQL Server DBAs and Manager along with an Oracle Managed Services vendor. Also directed a team of five subject matter experts in designing and developing innovative infrastructure initiatives, system integrations, emerging technologies, and acting as a “Cloud Brokerage”. Administered budgets while overseeing design review for all new IT projects and providing third-level support for Windows, Linux systems, and Virtualization platforms. ☑ Provided vision and direction for Enterprise Architecture, infrastructure operations, and developers, facilitating delivery of infrastructure, systems integrations, new technologies, process development/improvement, and cloud research. ☑ Drove infrastructure improvements, and managed integration of Center of Excellence while serving on architecture review board and data governance council. ☑ Led Enterprise Database Administrator Team in overseeing databases for all US divisions; oversaw implementation, operations management, configuration, and support for MS SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, and Netezza appliances. ☑ Stabilized applications by redeploying BizTalk platform, providing leadership, troubleshooting, and issue resolutions for multiple concerns, creating consistently available functionality as a result.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Promoted to assume leadership of SCS division DBA team and Enterprise Storage team as well as FMS division databases. Led 11 direct reports and total of 22 staff while stabilizing functions and establishing a Strategic Engineering team. ☑ Decreased Severity 1 incident tickets 100% for Enterprise Unix, Linux, Virtual systems (from 3 to 0), 67% for Enterprise Messaging (from 9 to 3), 52% for Enterprise storage (from 25 to 12), and 65% for Enterprise database administration (from 46 to 16). ☑ Slashed administrative and operating costs $600K while improving service by replacing US-based contractors with in-house staff in Mexico, while adding four times the workload by adding FMS division databases responsibility. ☑ Established a Strategic Engineering team to support Enterprise Architecture, infrastructure operations, and development teams with strategic planning and design, ensuring alignment between IT vision and major projects.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Headed 10+ team members in overseeing Unix, Linux, virtual and Enterprise Messaging functions. ☑ Led the reduction of Severity 1 incident tickets for both teams, driving an 88% decrease (from 25 to 3) for Enterprise Unix, Linux, Virtual systems and an 82% decrease for Enterprise Messaging (from 51 to 9). ☑ Managed the transition from Lotus Notes/Domino to Outlook/Office 365.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

I managed the Unix Systems Administration team for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), HPUX, AIX, and VMware, as well as application installation and code migrations supporting the Ryder Technology Engineering Center (RTEC). I also managed the physical RTEC Data Center facilities.Key Accomplishments: ☑ Responsible for movement of the RTEC Data Center from Irving to Fort Worth, Texas; achieved with no unplanned downtime. ☑ Created a VMware cluster for the Ryder RTEC testing environments for transportation management software. ☑ Instigated and developed use of Nagios (open source) to monitor all servers at RTEC and SCS production servers.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Served on the team that performed Unix Systems Administration for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, HPUX, AIX, and application installation / code migrations to support the Ryder Quality Services team and the Ryder Technology Engineering Center. ☑ Performed WebLogic administration, providing support for a major rewrite of Ryder Online and Ryder.com look and feel known as “Ryder A Visual Experience” (RaVE). ☑ Developed scripts to automate various Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) functions and perform error checking. ☑ Created improvements to the Korn Shell debugger from O’Reilly’s “Learning the Korn Shell” first edition, which were incorporated into the second edition.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

I configured and administered NIS, DNS, AMD, NFS, and Supper, managing 600 users of a single integrated wholesale distribution application suite across all SP2 nodes.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Start-up company trying to break into Home Automation and Commercial Controls.

Gunter Afs, Montgomery Alabama

Systems Programmer worked on software released to over 140 Air Force bases worldwide. Worked on Data Communications and terminal forms systems. Worked mainly in BPL and Assembler. I was awarded The Air Force Commendation Medal for my work evaluating the new world-wide Air Force Base computer systems (known as Phase IV).