James Merrill
Plano,TX
Summary
Seasoned IT and Cybersecurity Leader with over 12 years of progressive experience directing enterprise-wide technology strategy, governance, and compliance initiatives. Proven expertise achieving and maintaining SOC 2, PCI, and GDPR compliance while leading full-scale cloud migrations to AWS and Azure, resulting in 99.9%+ uptime, dramatic cost reductions (up to 50%), and seamless integration of acquisitions. Recognized for building resilient disaster recovery, business continuity, and third-party risk management programs alongside pioneering responsible AI integration and data-governance frameworks. Certified Scrum Master skilled in leading global agile teams, optimizing multimillion-dollar budgets, and presenting strategic technology roadmaps to executive leadership and boards.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director Of Information Technology and Compliancy
Zyston LLC
09.2020 - Current
- Governance & Compliance: Directed systems, processes, and policies to achieve SOC 2 compliance, passing five audits with a 100% success rate.
- Spearheaded full migration of enterprise services to AWS, Azure, and modern identity platforms (MDM, SSO, Conditional Access, Entra), ensuring seamless scalability and security. Achieved 99.9% uptime for mission-critical infrastructure powering SOC and offensive security operations, while integrating two company acquisitions 50% faster than industry benchmarks. Maintained SLA compliance for 150+ customer environments through resilient architecture and proactive monitoring.
- Resilience & Risk Management: Built and maintained Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Risk Management, and Vendor Management frameworks. Conducted executive reviews and annual assessments, achieving
Global Information Technology Manager
AccessFares
10.2019 - 11.2025
- Directed global IT and development teams of 50 employees across Dallas, Manila, and Bangalore, ensuring seamless collaboration, project delivery, and quality assurance.
- Built and scaled a call center in Metro Manila, hiring 25 employees including a 5-person development team to support thousands of customers, achieving an 80% customer satisfaction rate, while overseeing contracts, recruitment, network setup, and equipment logistics.
- Designed and deployed enterprise IT infrastructure, including a six-month overseas assignment, while spearheading automation initiatives that streamlined workflows and reduced errors.
- Led cloud transformation, migrating services to Azure with MDM, SSO, Conditional Access, and Entra, boosting scalability, security, and efficiency.
- Implemented compliance and governance frameworks, developing GDPR-compliant solutions for PII, standardizing policies and procedures, and aligning KPIs with customer service standards.
- Partnered with cross-functional stakeholders and vendors to deliver tailored IT solutions, adopt cutting-edge technologies, and maintain adherence to evolving industry best practices.
Senior Site Reliability Engineer
Alkami Technology
04.2019 - 11.2025
- Oversaw AWS environments supporting 100+ Windows/Linux servers and dozens of SQL/PostgreSQL databases, ensuring secure access, backups, and configurations with 99.9% uptime.
- Directed VMware-to-AWS migration of 50+ servers, reducing infrastructure costs by 30% and improving scalability for enterprise workloads.
- Administered Azure and Microsoft 365 services for 300 user accounts, streamlining enterprise integration and boosting collaboration efficiency by 20%.
- Implemented security/compliance policies via Intune, Jamf, Automox, and Group Policies, achieving SOC 2 and PCI compliance across corporate systems.
- Segmented client-facing networks from corporate infrastructure, cutting exposure to external threats and keeping data properly segmented between networks.
- Partnered with development teams to provision/configure servers in AWS/Azure, accelerating deployments and resolving critical issues within SLA windows
Senior Systems Engineer - DevOps
Paradigm Tax Group
04.2017 - 11.2025
- Directed enterprise server migration from physical to virtual environments, modernizing AD, SQL, and application infrastructure, reducing downtime by 30%.
- Deployed and configured 100+ Ubiquiti devices (routers, switches, WAPs, NVRs) across 28 branch locations, improving network reliability and scalability.
- Provisioned 40+ virtual servers in AWS and Azure (Windows, Linux, Azure SQL), enabling hybrid-cloud operations while cutting hosting costs by 20%.
- Administered Microsoft 365/Azure AD for 250+ internal users, implementing group policies, PowerShell automation, and SharePoint content management to boost productivity.
- Maintained server updates and high availability for an in-house developed application used daily by hundreds of active customers, while establishing secure VPN tunnels across 28 locations to ensure 99.9% uptime.
- Led compliance initiatives that produced the company’s first successful SOC 2 audit.
MSP Service Manager
3T Pro Inc.
01.2014 - 11.2025
- Oversaw a service department supporting 150 clients, managing 1,800+ computers and 500 servers, achieving 99.9% uptime, 90%+ client satisfaction scores, and a 95% client retention rate year-over-year.
- Developed KPIs, documentation, and SOPs that reduced average ticket resolution time by 30% (from 4 hours to 2.8 hours), improved first-call resolution to 85%, and cut downtime incidents by 40% through preventive monitoring.
- Led and managed projects to achieve SOC 2 and PCI compliance with zero major findings.
- Developed project plans and delivered 100+ server migration projects (Exchange, Active Directory, VM Migration, VMware/Hyper-V) on time and within budget.
- Played a role in hardware and software sales, through expert recommendations and replacements for servers, workstations, and network systems.
- Supervised two departments with 25 staff (10 helpdesk, 15 field technicians), boosting team productivity by 20% and mentoring 2 employees into leadership roles
Senior Engineer
3T Pro Inc.
07.2012 - 11.2025
- Administered servers and provided network support to ensure reliable and efficient operations for customers.
- Traveled to up to 5 locations daily to perform managed service provider (MSP) server tasks, ensuring timely and effective service delivery.
- Performed desktop and server maintenance, resolving user-end break/fix issues to ensure smooth and efficient operations.
- Developed comprehensive disaster recovery plans and incident response strategies for customers to ensure business continuity and minimize downtime.
- Led the conversion of physical servers to virtual environments using VMware and Hyper-V, enhancing operational efficiency for customers.
- Conducted comprehensive audits of new client environments and inventoried all assets to seamlessly transition and manage existing infrastructures
Global Information Technology Services - Support
Mylan Pharmaceuticals
06.2011 - 11.2025
- Installed, diagnosed, and maintained IT infrastructure supporting 100 local employees and calls from a global workforce of 35,000, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
- Created and updated knowledge/training materials, improving troubleshooting efficiency and enabling continuous learning across distributed teams.
- Delivered hardware/software support with a 95%+ issue resolution rate, consistently meeting SLA targets and boosting customer satisfaction scores above 90%.
- Researched and deployed software/driver updates, keeping systems secure and reducing vulnerabilities by 15% across enterprise environments.
- Supported 200+ workstations and terminals into existing networks, ensuring seamless connectivity and reliable access for end users.
- Recognized as a top performer in the global IT service center, exceeding metrics for solved issues, call times, and customer satisfaction.
Education
Business Information Systems Management -
Fairmont State University
Skills
- Risk & Project Management
- Disaster Recovery \ Business Continuity Planning
- IT Service Management
- AWS \ Azure \ 365 Cloud Administration
- AI Policy and Development
- Risk & Vendor Management
- SOC 2 \ GDPR compliance
- Cybersecurity
- IT infrastructure
- IT budgeting
Accomplishments
- Achieved 100% SOC 2 audit success across five consecutive reviews, while directing governance, compliance, and risk frameworks.
- Led full enterprise cloud migrations to AWS and Azure, delivering 99.9% uptime, 50% cost savings, and seamless integration of two acquisitions 50% faster than industry benchmarks.
- Directed global IT teams of 50 employees across Dallas, Manila, and Bangalore, building a 25‑person call center and development team that achieved 80% customer satisfaction.
- Oversaw service departments supporting 150 clients, 1,800+ computers, and 500 servers, maintaining 99.9% uptime and 90%+ client satisfaction scores.
- Reduced infrastructure costs by 30% through VMware‑to‑AWS migration of 50+ servers, while improving scalability for enterprise workloads.
- Boosted team productivity by 20% and reduced turnover below 10% annually by mentoring and promoting staff into leadership roles.
- Implemented GDPR‑compliant solutions for PII and standardized policies, aligning KPIs with customer service standards and strengthening governance.
- Delivered 100+ server migration projects on time and within budget, including Exchange, Active Directory, and VMware/Hyper‑V transitions.
- Developed disaster recovery and business continuity programs, ensuring resilience across 150+ customer environments and minimizing downtime incidents by 40%.
Certification
Certified Scrum Master
Timeline
Director Of Information Technology and Compliancy
Zyston LLC
09.2020 - Current
Global Information Technology Manager
AccessFares
10.2019 - 11.2025
Senior Site Reliability Engineer
Alkami Technology
04.2019 - 11.2025
Senior Systems Engineer - DevOps
Paradigm Tax Group
04.2017 - 11.2025
MSP Service Manager
3T Pro Inc.
01.2014 - 11.2025
Senior Engineer
3T Pro Inc.
07.2012 - 11.2025
Global Information Technology Services - Support
Mylan Pharmaceuticals
06.2011 - 11.2025
Business Information Systems Management -
Fairmont State University