Ivan Escobar
Lynbrook,New York
Summary
Experienced IT Professional with strong background in infrastructure management, skilled in network administration, systems integration, and IT project coordination. Known for fostering collaboration and driving results, adaptable to evolving needs and dependable in high-pressure environments. Adept in leveraging technical expertise and strategic planning to optimize IT infrastructure and enhance operational efficiency. Skilled communicator and team leader, focused on achieving organizational goals.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
IT Infrastructure Manager
Fora Financial
02.2023 - Current
- Oversee the operation of critical IT infrastructure, including firewalls, workstations, servers, and essential Cloud infrastructure/apps such as Okta, Azure, Zscaler, Microsoft 365 and Zoom
- Managed the Azure environment, including Azure Entra ID (Azure AD), Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD) Azure vNets, Enterprise Applications, and Automation Accounts
- Lead and manage a team of IT professionals, ensuring effective execution of a wide range of IT projects in alignment with organizational goals and in collaboration with the Director of IT
- Administered, maintained, and deployed key security platforms, including Zscaler, Crowdstrike Falcon, Qualys, and MS Sentinel
- Established major Okta functionalities, including Self-Service Password Reset and Okta Workflows, enhancing system efficiency and user autonomy
- Managed Palo Alto firewalls on-prem & in the cloud including security policies, executing updates, and resolving complex technical issues within PAN-OS
- Assisted in rollout of a Virtual Palo Alto Firewall in Azure to protect all inbound and outbound Azure traffic across a multitude of Application gateways, API Management Services, Public-facing VMs, Web Apps, etc within Dev/Test and Production environments
- Researched, piloted and rolled out Microsoft Intune including setup of enrollment policies, software deployments, and device management following best practice recommendations
- Managed Zendesk operations, handling and delegating tickets efficiently and establishing a Help Center for self-service
- Implemented cost alerts and generated monthly cost reports for executive review
- Provide comprehensive weekly updates to executive leadership, detailing status of IT-related tasks/projects
Senior IT Manager
SBLM Architects
07.2016 - 02.2023
- Deliver strategic leadership overseeing enterprise-wide technology projects
- Execute security procedures for network, hardware, applications, and information access while leading disaster recovery across all systems and providing expertise for installation upgrades
- Perform threat assessments of systems infrastructure and devise innovative solutions to mitigate issues in line with corporate policies and standards
- Significantly improved system infrastructure resiliency by researching and testing new technologies and delivered solid contributions to technical meetings, evaluations, and process improvement initiatives
- Ensured consistency and high availability across four offices by directing and maintaining system and network uptime
- Implemented Veeam Backup & Replication disaster recovery solution to meet business continuity goals
- Moved various business applications into the cloud including an Exchange 2010 migration to Microsoft 365 and SentinelOne EDR all while securing access behind Duo MFA
- Trained all end users on security processes, procedures and risks via the company’s first security education program
- Security awareness training is rolled out quarterly via 3 Knowbe4 security modules and 1 held in-person by the IT dept
- Replaced a legacy, disparate multi-forest domain implementation with a single, homogenous forest domain
- Improved corporate security posture by implementing SSO, multi-factor authentication, hardening firewalls & antivirus, and developing awareness campaigns for the cyber security awareness program
IT Administrator
SBLM Architects
09.2015 - 07.2016
- Handling of all IT related issues, tickets, projects, and big-picture vision
- Oversaw all aspects of a variety of complex technical projects with a solid focus on high performance, on-time delivery, and maintaining budgetary constraints
- Completed application and server migrations from physical environments into VMWare ESXi
- Revised the entire company telecom infrastructure (4 offices) in under 4 months
- Assisted in 'Ground Up' design, development, and deployment of secure network shares with intricate NTFS permissions implementation
Education
Associate of Arts -
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY09-2012
Skills
Platforms:
- MS Azure, Entra ID, Okta, Zendesk, Active Directory, Intune, Windows Server 2022, VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure Virtual Desktop, MS Windows, Microsoft 365: Exchange Online, SharePoint, MS Security & Compliance, Teams, Duo MFA, Cloudflare
Tools & Software:
- Azure AD Connect, SentinelOne EDR, Crowdstrike, Mimecast, VM/SQL Backup, Abnormal Security, Veeam Backup, Lastpass, Knowbe4, Qualys, Deltek, Zscaler, SQL Server, Powershell, Teams, Zoom
Hardware:
- Cisco Meraki, Cisco, Dell & HP Servers & Switches, Palo Alto Physical/Virtual Firewalls, Microsoft Teams Rooms, Meraki Access Points, Avaya IP Office & Polycom, Sonicwall FW
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Work History
- Fora Financial | IT Infrastructure Manager | 02/23 - Present
- SBLM Architects | Senior IT Manager | 07/16 - 02/23
- SBLM Architects | IT Administrator | 09/15 - 07/16
Certification
Okta Professional
Okta Administrator
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Timeline
IT Infrastructure Manager
Fora Financial
02.2023 - Current
Senior IT Manager
SBLM Architects
07.2016 - 02.2023
IT Administrator
SBLM Architects
09.2015 - 07.2016
Associate of Arts -
LaGuardia Community College
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