Danny Thomas
IT Support Specialist
El Paso,TX
Summary
IT professional with hands-on experience in both corporate and lab environments, seeking a role at or above Tier 2. Proven ability to support and troubleshoot complex systems beyond entry-level tasks, backed by industry-recognized certifications and a passion for networking and security.
Overview
1
1
year of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
9
9
Certifications
Work History
Independent HomeLab Operator
Self-Driven Projects
El Paso, Texas
04.2025 - Current
- Designed and deployed multi-segment networks using pfSense, VLANs, and firewall rules.
- Experimented with IDS/IPS systems to monitor and respond to suspicious traffic, including tools like Snort and Suricata.
- Built web servers and gaming servers; configured domain records and integrated with Cloudflare.
- Installed and managed Synology NAS for file storage, media streaming, and automated backups.
- Wired and configured multi-room office spaces, including crimping ethernet cables and measuring length and configuring physical Cisco switches and routers.
- Deployed a self-hosted ticketing system to track personal IT projects and home lab tasks.
- Configured VPN access (OpenVPN, Wireguard VPN) to securely manage the home lab remotely.
- Set up a hosted phone system (3cx) for both incoming and outgoing calls.
- Set up and managed a RMM solution for my family and personal projects.
- Set up HAProxy for reverse proxy and load balancing, managing SSL certificates for secure traffic handling across internal services.
- Installed and configured ntopng for real-time traffic monitoring and network analytics, gaining insights into usage patterns and detecting anomalies.
- Configured Access Control Lists (ACLs) to manage device connections between VLANs.
- Set up Qos to improve my packet delivery for gaming and streaming.
- Network migration and proper documentation
IT Helpdesk Technician
Western Technical College
El Paso, Texas
03.2024 - Current
- Responsible for providing technical support to over 1400 students and over 200 staff, resolving hardware, software, and network issues, I resolved over 600 tickets
- Use enterprise-level ticketing systems to manage, track, and prioritize support requests based on severity and SLAs.
- Used an already deployed RMM tool (NinjaOne RMM) To monitor and manage endpoint effectiveness.
- Troubleshoot endpoint connectivity, wire replacements, computer replacement or repair.
- Complying with NIST security frameworks.
- Keeping track of printer ink levels and printer connectivity to the internet
- Built and tested phone connectivity as well as phone clarity.
- Troubleshooted printer malfunctions (weird symbols, no connectivity to internet or computer, missing drivers).
- Called, Managed, and tracked shipping of laptops for out of site repair.
Education
Associate of Applied Science - Information Systems & Security
Western Technical College
El Paso, TX 09.2023 - Current
High School Diploma -
Parkland Highschool
El Paso, TX 06.2019 - 06.2023
Skills
- Documentation
- Communication
- Rapid learner
- Adaptable
- Continuous learning
- Hands-on experimentation
- Firewall configuration
- Traffic monitoring
- Remote support
- Network troubleshooting
- NIST compliance
- Problem solving
Certification
CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate
Projects And Competitions
SOC Analyst Competition, Western Technical College, El Paso, TX, 01/25, Participated in a security operations competition simulating real-world cybersecurity threats., Used Splunk for log analysis, event correlation, and incident response tasks., Collaborated in a team environment to detect, analyze, and mitigate security incidents., Gained hands-on experience with security monitoring tools and SOC workflows under time pressure., Placed 15th out of 86 teams.
Timeline
CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate
04-2025
Independent HomeLab Operator
Self-Driven Projects
04.2025 - Current
CompTIA Linux+
09-2024
CSSS - CompTIA Systems Support Specialist
09-2024
CLNP - CompTIA Linux Network Professional
09-2024
CompTIA Security+
05-2024
CSIS - CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist
05-2024
CompTIA Network+
04-2024
CIOS - CompTIA IT Operations Specialist
04-2024
IT Helpdesk Technician
Western Technical College
03.2024 - Current
CompTIA A+
02-2024
Associate of Applied Science - Information Systems & Security
Western Technical College
09.2023 - Current
High School Diploma -
Parkland Highschool
06.2019 - 06.2023
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