Ryan Hunter Golden

Tampa,FL

Summary

Expert Network Engineer and Technical Leader with a proven record of delivering mission-critical Cisco-to-Juniper migrations across VA Hospitals, including serving as second-in-command on a high-profile Manhattan VA Medical Center cutover. Trusted to execute flawless transitions in high-risk environments. Deep expertise in TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, SNMP, and enterprise routing/switching across Cisco 9136/9130, 3702/3802 APs, Catalyst 9K, WLCs (5520, 8540, 9800) and Juniper EX4400, QFX5120/5130 platforms. Advanced mastery of VXLAN, BGP, OSPF, STP, VLANs, NAT, DHCP, SD-WAN, and network monitoring/automation. Highly skilled in Wireshark-based packet analysis, rapid root-cause isolation, and complex protocol troubleshooting (BGP, IRIS). Validation-focused engineer who defines expected outcomes, performs rigorous pre/post checks, executes test plans, and documents results to ensure zero-impact cutovers.

Led cross-functional migrations, completed 250+ complex tickets with a 100% success rate, and consistently delivers speed, precision, and leadership under pressure.

Overview

years of professional experience

Certification

Work History

Server/Core Network Engineer

TekSynap

Remote

06.2025 - Current

Traveled to different states and led large-scale Cisco-to-Juniper migration projects across multiple VA medical centers as part of the VXLAN government contract and coordinated cutovers with minimal operational impact and ensuring seamless transition from Cisco switches to Juniper QFX and EX4400 series switches.
Served as second-in-command for the Manhattan VA site migration, directly assigned by the Project Manager, overseeing team operations. The team I led was able to finish the Cisco Server Farm migration and Cisco Core cutovers in under 4 hours achieving the company record for fastest cutover time at VAMC (Veterans Affairs Medical Center).
Directed a team of Server/Core Network Engineers as second-in-command in the data center, ensuring successful project completion and was assigned to training new staff on inventory management and strict adherence to MOP protocols.
Executed advanced data center operations for core and distribution networks, including rack-and-stack deployment of 25+ network devices in the data center, structured cabling, patch management, and provisioning, ensuring 100% compliance with VA security standards and reducing cutover time by 20%.
Conducted thorough QA testing of medical devices in IDF closets, verifying software and hardware configurations, troubleshooting inconsistencies, and ensuring adherence to network standards.
Led multiple high-stakes cutover calls for remote VA sites, coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure accurate Cisco-to-Juniper migrations, maintain network stability, and achieve successful cutovers with zero major issues.
Configured and monitored SNMP across network devices to track performance metrics, detect anomalies, and proactively prevent outages.
Created comprehensive testing documentation, including step-by-step procedures, checklists, and validation protocols, enabling supervisors and teams to follow consistent QA processes, which resulted in Manhattan closet cutover with a 100% success rate, consistently impressing clients, campus network engineers (CNE) and the network specialist with speed, accuracy, and clear communication.
Configured complex BGP routing on Juniper switches, guaranteeing proper route propagation, inter-fabric communication, and redundancy during closet cutovers.
Configured isolated VLAN trunks and both Layer 2 and Layer 3 VLANs in Mist, assigning them accurately to Juniper QFX devices and core distribution switches, ensuring proper segmentation, inter-fabric connectivity, and optimized network performance across the site with 97% accuracy.
Architected WAN site fabric buildout on Juniper Mist, including inter-fabric connections between distribution and core switches to optimize redundancy and throughput.
Received incredibly positive feedback from VA clients across multiple VAMC sites including Lyons, Syracuse and Manhattan for how quickly I was able to resolve networking tickets and complete cutover projects at fast speeds.
Conducted functional testing of network services, including VLANs, routing protocols, and failover mechanisms, and documented results to identify patterns for proactive improvements

Network Engineer

Zayo Group

Tampa, Florida

09.2023 - 06.2025

Designed, implemented, and managed LAN, WAN, and Wireless network infrastructure for Hillsborough county schools, Macdill Airforce base and Tampa General to ensure seamless communication and data transfer across enterprise networks.
Led wireless architecture redesign for 30+ schools in Hillsborough County, deploying Cisco 9800 WLAN Controllers and Meraki MR46 access points to enhance coverage and reduce latency by 40%.
Spearheaded enterprise-grade Cisco wireless deployment at MacDill Air Force Base configuring and optimizing over 35+ Juniper AP33 wireless access points, and configured them via SD-WAN Mist software which boosted wireless connectivity by over 65% for the WAN network.
Performed packet and protocol analysis using tools like Wireshark to troubleshoot anomalies, verify network traffic, and validate proper configuration during QA testing and changes.
Monitored and logged network performance metrics using SNMP and other diagnostic tools, identifying issues, documenting corrective actions, and providing recommendations for process improvements.
Administered Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (5520, 8540, and 9800 series), including SSID configuration for Personal, Guest, and IoT networks at multiple school sites leading to a 97% uptime and connectivity rate for the school.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams and supervisors to refine QA procedures, create repeatable test cases, and standardize documentation for future network deployments and maintenance.
Automated firmware upgrades for 4,500 Cisco MR46 access points utilizing Python and Cisco Meraki, reducing manual effort and improving deployment efficiency.
Conducted functional network testing and validation using core networking protocols and technologies, including TCP, UDP, IP, DNS, SNMP, VLANs, and routing protocols, ensuring full network compliance and performance.
Deployed and configured Cisco and Juniper Wireless Access points by optimizing signal coverage, channel allocation and AP load balancing for enhanced network performance.
Spearheaded Audem K-8 new school construction wireless and network architect design utilizing Microsoft Visio for networking planning, Ekahau AI for wireless site survey access created detailed MOP documentation on switch and access point placement. Installed over 45+ MR46 Meraki Wireless Access Points in 5 days with wireless team.

Network Administrator

Flagler Law, LLC

St. Petersburg, Florida

03.2021 - 09.2023

Configured and implemented Cisco Meraki MR46 Access Point, leveraging the Meraki dashboard to streamline networking operations, centralize management, and enhance network reliability.
Designed and implemented a robust hybrid cloud architecture using Azure Virtual Network, Azure ExpressRoute, and Azure VPN Gateway to extend on-prem resources to Azure while ensuring secure and high-performance connectivity.
Optimized cloud security and access control by integrating Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for identity and access management, implementing a Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and configuring Azure Firewall for network security.
Delivered professional IT support across Office 365 Administration, Desktop Management, and Network Support, ensuring timely resolution of incidents and adherence to ITSM practices.Configured VOIP/VPM phone devices for lawyer office staff and static IP addresses for printing devices.
Successfully implemented the transformation of network infrastructure at Flagler law by integrating Cisco Meraki wireless Access Point devices, resulting in a 40% reduction in latency and a 25% increase in overall network responsiveness.
Proactively identified network bottlenecks and implemented SD-WAN dynamic path selection, resulting in a 20% reduction in network congestion and a notable improvement in user experience.
Troubleshooted support tickets for lawyers who experienced wireless internet problems, printing problems and hardware issues.
Implemented advanced OSPF configurations such as tweaking the OSPF cost, hello and dead timer intervals and added message authentication to reduce the size of the OSPF link-state database for the network to run at lighting fast speeds.
Troubleshooted and solved multiple tickets using commands like ping, traceroute, Syslog & SNMP, as well as packet capture with tools like Wireshark to identify network issues and assists engineering team in re-establishing network connectivity.
Orchestrated the migration to an SD-WAN architecture, optimizing traffic flow across multiple branch locations, resulting in a 50% improvement in application performance and substantial cost savings.
Conducted regular system audits on both hardware & software to maintain optimal performance and identify areas for improvement and created network documentation with Microsoft Visio.
Performed troubleshooting and handled ticketing for users with issues on Layer 1(L1), Layer 2(L2), and Layer 3(L3) of the OSI model including solving VLAN misconfiguration, Routing Table Issues, OSPF misconfigurations, physical cabling issues, camera issues, and EtherChannel misconfiguration.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Telecommunications

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

12.2019

Skills

LAN / WAN Routing
Network Troubleshooting
Ekahau Wireless Site Surveys
Juniper Routing / Switching
Python Network Automation
TCP/IP, SNMP
VPC, VRF, Transit Gateway, VPN
NAT, DHCP, DNS, NTP, QoS
IPV4/IPV6 Routing and Subnetting
Palo Alto / Fortinet
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Static NAT & PAT Configurations

Juniper Troubleshooting
SD-WAN (Cisco Meraki / Juniper Mist)
Solar Winds (NOC Monitoring)
EtherChannel Configuration: LACP, PAgP
Script Driven Network Automation: Python, Ansible, Paramiko, Netmiko (SSH)
Cloud SD-WAN Management: Cisco Meraki, Mist Juniper
Dynamic Routing Protocols: OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP, BGP, RIP
Spanning Tree Protocols: STP, PVST, RSTP, RPVST
LAN/WAN Routing: IPV4, IPV6, ICMP, STP, SVI, VLAN, NAT, VPM/VOIP
Firewall and Security Technologies: Palo Alto, Fortinet
VPN Technologies: IPSEC, SSL/TLS, GRE
Border Gateway Protocol : eBGP iBGP, BGP4