Tue Pham
New Orleans
Summary
Dynamic and highly skilled Network Engineer with a proven track record in configuring Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco, Dell and Juniper routing, switching, F5 load balancing, troubleshooting, and network security. A strong background in networking and security enables the delivery of impactful solutions while fostering team collaboration and adaptability to meet evolving demands. Reliable and results-driven, with a keen understanding of network protocols, troubleshooting, and infrastructure design, prepared to contribute to organizational success through innovative strategies.
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Network Engineer III
Tulane University
08.2017 - Current
- Currently, participate with team to design, plan and upgrade 1000+ Dell L2/L3 switches to Cisco C9200, C9300 and C9500 series.
- Manage and support over 30+ Palo Alto firewalls across various series, distributed among three data centers, and twenty-three remote campuses/clinics.
- Designed and implement security solutions utilizing a range of Palo Alto security features, including policy control, security profiles, URI filtering, DNS security, APP-ID, Content-ID, Wildfire, and Auto Focus. My
- Extensive experience encompasses configuring, troubleshooting, and deploying Palo Alto firewalls in both high-availability active/active and active/passive modes, OSPF/BGP routing, site-to-site VPNs, and integrating firewall devices with Panorama.
- Played an integral role in data center migration projects, where I actively configured and deployed a pair of PA-3410 in HA active/passive mode. I also set up BGP/OSPF, NAT policies, firewall rules, and security profiles to facilitate the migrations.
- Participated in the transition of firewalls from an active/active high-availability configuration on Palo Alto PA-7050 to a similar setup on PA-5260.
- Configured and deployed two Azure Palo Alto VMs in HA active/passive mode, and set up BGP over VPN tunnels to enable dynamic failover between the primary and secondary data centers.
- Performed clean-up of shadowed rules, disabled rules, duplicate and unused objects to improve efficiency.
- Developed custom applications, security policies and other security features to meet requirements of the university business.
- Engaged with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure support, address challenges, and aligned with the project's direction and best practices.
- Conducted regular security assessments to identify vulnerabilities and recommended solutions to enhance firewall protection.
- Developed and enforced security policies to protect sensitive university data.
- Monitored network capacity and performance to diagnose and resolve complex network problems.
- Delivered end-user support by troubleshooting connectivity issues and providing guidance on proper usage of networking equipment.
- Boosted system availability by conducting regular maintenance tasks, including firmware updates and hardware replacements.
- Created VPN infrastructure and allowed for secure remote connections.
- Configured and implemented load balancing features to an in-production web server cluster.
- Helped to bring the new F5 architecture online test and troubleshoot all configuration settings.
- Writing iRules to maintain persistence based on session and for testing in production environment.
- Assisting in decommissioning the existing F5 appliances after migration.
- Engineering and configuring Virtual Server, Pools, Profiles, Persistence, and monitor on F5 LTM. Onboarding and Certifying new F5 device to replace End of Support, End of Life legacy F5 appliances design and deployed F5 LTM and GTM load balancer infrastructure per business
System Engineer II
Tulane University
09.2008 - 07.2017
- Led multiple network migrations involving Cisco C6509, Juniper MX9600/EX8200/EX4500, Dell Z9500/Z9100/S4128 L2/L3 switches.
- Migrated Tulane National Primate Center firewall from Juniper SRX360 to Palo Alto PA-3060. Implemented Palo Alto security policies, security profiles and other security features to protect the primate center's infrastructure against threats and vulnerabilities.
- Implemented and optimized dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP on Juniper MX9600, Palo Alto PA-7050/5260/3260, Dell Z9500/S4800/N4048/N3048, Cisco 9500/9300 to ensure efficient data transmission across complex network infrastructures.
- Worked with switches and router redundancy protocols of HSRP and VRRP.
- Possessed extensive knowledge in configuring and troubleshooting various network protocols and features, including Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Per-VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP), Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), Inter-VLAN routing, Trunking (802.1q), and Port Channels with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
- Configured and maintained network devices from multiple vendors, including Cisco, Dell, Palo Alto, and Juniper to facilitate seamless communication across campuses and enhance network performance.
- Led a team of network technicians in deploying new technologies and upgrades, providing training and guidance to ensure successful project completion.
- Utilized the ServiceNow system for managing service request tickets throughout the stages of troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrades, and fixes, while delivering comprehensive technical support.
- Employed SolarWinds tools for network performance monitoring and generate statistical reports encompassing both real-time and historical data.
System Engineer
Tulane University
03.1991 - 08.2008
- Led the design and deployment of redundant fiber optic network infrastructure connecting over 100 buildings on campus and 5 satellite facilities, resulting in increased data transmission speeds and enhanced network reliability.
- Conducted site surveys and collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize placement of fiber optic cables, reducing installation time.
- Designed and deployed Siemens/JCI energy management network using SM/MM fiber optic technology.
- Troubleshoot and resolved network performance issues, including signal loss and latency, through rigorous testing and analysis of fiber optic connections.
- Configured and maintained network equipment, such as Cabletron, Fiber-Mux, and Yxplex routers and switches, to ensure seamless connectivity and data transfer on the fiber optic network.
- Designed and implemented campus-wide redundant fiber backbone connecting each building to two separate core distributions on different paths for redundancy.
- Successfully rebuilt storm-damaged fiber optic infrastructure and restored campus-wide network connectivity post-Hurricane Katrina.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Electrical and Electronics Engineering
University of Louisiana
Lafayette, United States01.1990
Skills
- Communication Protocols: TCP/IP, UDP, DHCP, DNS, ICMP, SNMP, ARP, PPP
- Firewall: Palo Alto PA-7050, PA-5260, PA-5200, PA-3410, PA-3220, PA-3060, PA-415, PA-820, PA-220, PA-VM, Azure PA-vm, Panorama-VM server, Juniper SRX360, SRX210
- Network Hardware: Aruba AP 635 Wi-Fi, Cisco Nexus 9K, C6509, C9500, C8500, C9300 Dell Z9500, S4810, S4028, N4048, N3048, Juniper MX9600, EX8200, EX4500, EX2200
- Load Balancers: F5 Big-IP i5800
- Routing Protocols: OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, Static Routing, IPv6 Address and Sub-netting, VLSM, IPv4 & IPv6 Addressing
- Redundancy Protocols: VRRP, HSRP
- Security: NAT/PAT, Ingress & Egress, Firewall Design, VPN Configuration, Internet Content Filtering, URL Filtering, SSL, IPSEC, IKE, Static, Dynamic, Reflexive ACL, authentication AAA
- Switch Technologies: VLANs, VTP, STP and dot1q
- Topologies: Ethernet, Voice, Wireless, AT&T Metro Ethernet
- Monitoring Tools: SolarWinds
- Network Simulators: GNS3, EVE-NG and Wire Shark
- Network configuration
- LAN switching technologies
- IP addressing and subnetting
- Layer-2/3 protocols
Certification
- Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure by FIREFLY - Apr. 2022
- Configuring F5 Big-IP LTM & Developing iRules for Big-IP by FIREFLY - Dec. 2022, demonstrating expertise in managing and optimizing applications with F5 load balancer.
- Palo Alto Firewall Administrator by Palo Alto Networks — Sept. 2016, demonstrating expertise in managing and implementing Palo Alto firewall solutions. Proficient in configuring firewall policies, troubleshooting network security issues, and ensuring compliance with industry best practices.
- Advanced Junos Enterprise Routing — 2011
- Cisco Router Software Configuration Course — Mar. 1994
- Certified Fiber Optic Installer C.F.O.I by The ETA International — 1998
Hobbies
Traveling, Taking pictures, Listening to classical music, Fishing
Awards
12/2014, President's Staff Excellence Award, Tulane University, https://news.tulane.edu/news/par-excellence, Recipient of the prestigious President's Staff Excellence Award from Tulane University in recognition of outstanding performance, dedication, and contributions to the university community
Timeline
Network Engineer III
Tulane University
08.2017 - Current
System Engineer II
Tulane University
09.2008 - 07.2017
System Engineer
Tulane University
03.1991 - 08.2008
Bachelor of Science - Electrical and Electronics Engineering
University of Louisiana