As a 3rd level engineer I was responsible for projects and BAU alike. My first two years at Bakers was spent in a local capacity where I performed the delicate balancing act of adhering to global standards while driving local initiatives, but the larger part was within the global team with a strong focus on managing the Citrix infrastructure. The Citrix and Desktop teams later coalesced, avoiding duplication, which was a great opportunity for us all to sink our teeth into streamlining our approach.

Having worked in three distinct teams at Mallesons afforded me the opportunity to understand and appreciate the various facets of the Technology department more fully, with each successive role aiding the transition to the next. Stringent ITIL practices resulted in my regularly involvement in both operational and project work alike, with strong emphasis on the desktop SOE and Citrix throughout my tenure. Key contributions:• Regularly package new and upgraded applications using suitable techniques including SMS Installer/InstallShield/VBScript/batch etc and deploying these via SMS 2003.• Tasked with the design and ongoing updating of the XP SOE, including injecting patches as well as drivers for certification on new hardware.• Managing 70+ Citrix XenApp 4/4.5 physical/virtual servers across two sites, primarily used for accessing the financial management system, but also marrying Citrix and the SOE for a consistent user experience vai Remote Desktop.• Administering SMS 2003 packages, programs, collections, adverts, queries.• Providing 3rd level support for both desktop and Citrix environments.• Overseeing the general user experience, including AD account configuration standards, maintence of login scripts, creating/configrating as well as group policies.• The ongoing management of McAfee VirusScan, configuration of exclusions, the daily monitoring of dats and the piloting/release of more substantial program upgrades.• Secondary support of Keystone, the firms Financial Management System on HP-UX.• Adhere to and apply ITIL in raising standard (and occassionally emergency) changes, attending weekly CAB meetings to discuss proposed/pending/pilot/completed changes, filtering feedback to fellow team members.• Both a pioneer and regular contributor of internal knowledge base for the keeping of quick guides, HOWTO's and other documentation/procedures.

A member of a capable team of six 1st/2nd line helpdesk staff servicing various groups within the bank, this was very much a fast paced and demanding environment whereby you need to learn fast and think quick or else feel the wrath of aggressive traders.Key contributions:• Desktop support for some 500+ users on a NT 4.0 Workstation platform with Office 97 and CC:mail/mobile across a broad range of Compaq/Dell/IBM hardware.• Troubleshooting Reuters terminals, AS400 systems and various in-house applications.• Organising the transition of PABX lines, patching the frame for voice/recording, programming line/group hunts• Management of local backups with Backup Exec.• Monitoring of print/fax queues and ensuring device availability via SNMP alerting.• Remote support for roaming users using NT RAS.

The primary of two consultants, this contract role essentially comprised of ensuring Y2K compliance in an environment where extended downtime was not tolerated. The repercussions of changes could be far reaching, as such diligent record keeping, planning as well as clear concise communication were paramount to ensuring the smooth completion of the project.Key contributions:• Comprehensively inventory 500+ servers (mostly Compaq) across 5 London sites for Y2K compliance, ensuring all relevant detail such as OS, BIOS, firmware was meticulously documented.• Schedule changes through appropriate change management procedure to facilitate downtime and appropriate communication channels were utilised for any planned outages.• Work closely with numerous subgroups within the organisation to mitigate risks, highlighting problems such as lack of failover, backup, pre-existing hardware faults.• Decommissioning of old servers, erasing of disks and unracking physically.

As a Team Leader I had the responsibility of ensuring the smooth running of a busy fledgling ISP Call Centre where the uptake of internet services was high yet the technology still in its infancy. As the service was quite often unpredictable, the role was as much about technical knowhow as it was customer service.Key contributions:• Provide 1st/2nd line support to home customers on a vast range of devices and various platforms, including Windows 3.11/9x as well as OSX.• Assist in escalated customer service calls as a team supervisor.• Managing a team of 8 on a rotating roster, ensuring targets were met, analysis and feedback of end user support via call monitoring.• In-house diagnosis and troubleshooting, escalation/validation of issues via the local Network Operations Centre.• Creation and updating of team/user support documentation.