Will Stickney

Goal: Effectively oversee and manage the Central IT operations. Develop and implement strategic plans to optimize IT infrastructure and services, aligning them with the organization's business goals.

Value: Provide strategic leadership and oversight to optimize IT operations, aligning technology with business goals, ensuring efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness.

My Contribution:

• Manage Azure infrastructure by provisioning and maintaining virtual machines, configuring networking, implementing security best practices, and monitoring performance.
• Proven ability to automate deployments, optimize cost efficiency, and ensure high availability of cloud resources.
• Formulated annual departmental objectives and budget to align with organizational strategies, and drive performance excellence.
• Cultivated and maintained strategic partnerships with vendors to ensure optimal service delivery and cost-effective solutions.
• Provide leadership and guidance to members of the Central IT team, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment to drive excellence in performance and delivery.
• Led company-wide projects to migrate to a new password manager, automate offboarding/onboarding processes, implement standardized email signatures, and merge multiple Microsoft 365 tenants, ensuring seamless transitions and enhanced efficiency.

Goal: Ensure the efficient and secure operation of an organization's IT infrastructure by managing hardware, software, networks, backups, and security measures to support business needs.

Value: Maintained the stability, security, and efficiency of IT infrastructures, ensuring smooth operations, and minimizing downtime for organizations.

My Contribution:

• Facilitated the design and implementation of a comprehensive backup solution for all workstations and Microsoft 365 products, ensuring data integrity and business continuity.
• Created Azure Function Apps to automatically detect and warn managers of upcoming contract expiration dates for contractors working under them.
• Responsible for all Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Entra ID.
• Implement and manage Windows 365 virtual desktops, ensuring secure and efficient access to desktop environments for remote and hybrid work scenarios.
• Configure and manage Jira Service Management for efficient incident, problem, and change management, streamlining IT service delivery and support processes.
• Administer the Slack workspace, channels, and integrations, optimizing collaboration and communication among team members.

Goal: Optimize the technical design, planning, implementation, and the performance tuning and recovery procedures for mission-critical enterprise systems in all office locations.

Value: Improved process efficiency, documentation, and system stability.

My Contribution:

• Led the project to upgrade VMware from 6.5 to 7, which consisted of converting over 100 VMware datastores from VMFS5 to VMFS6, uplifting datacenter hardware from Cisco M4s to Cisco M6s, and migrating over 300 VMs with no downtime.
• Created procedures and documentation for migration from YubiKey PIV 2FA to Duo 2FA, with a primary method of YubiKey hardware token, and a secondary method of Duo Push.
• Developed PowerShell scripts to automate the Duo Enrollment process by utilizing Duo APIs to sync users, attach hardware tokens to users, and format YubiKeys.
• Orchestrated a project for the vital shipbuilding software CMPIC by developing the plan and testing procedures to migrate and update the software to the newest version.
• Designed a new front end for the above CMPIC software, giving the end users a more efficient and user-friendly interface.
• Manage Active Directory, Exchange Server, DNS, DHCP, Group Policies, File and Print servers, IIS Web, VMware virtualization, SAN, Citrix Xen, and various applications.

Goal: Identify methods, solutions, and provide project leadership and management in order to provide a high level of service.

Value: Improved backup integrity and recoverability. Automated inefficiencies and refined customer outreach.

My Contribution:

• Designed and implemented multi-site Veeam Backup and Replication across four sites and 400+ VMs.
• Led effort to verify and test all mission critical backups nightly with the use of SureBackup in an isolated environment.
• Implemented Atlassian Confluence within IT department. Designed and administered all spaces, pages, and permissions. Improved documentation dramatically, filling the gap in knowledge should someone leave.
• Decreased overall tickets from the customer with the implementation of a public status page. Developed custom PowerShell scripts integrating PRTG with the status page to automate different components.
• Improved inefficient process of checking logs and backups by designing a PowerShell script to automate and create easily readable reports, saving approximately one hour daily.
• Ensured computer protections against intrusion and system reliability by installing important security and functionality patches utilizing WSUS.
• Boosted customer engagement by implementing a live chat solution allowing representatives from the company to communicate with our customers.
• Managed Active Directory, Exchange Server, DNS, DHCP, Group Policies, File and Print servers.

Goal: To ensure the integrity of high availability network infrastructure and provide maximum performance for end users.

Value: Provided IT support by phone, in person and remotely to 500+ devices and users.

My Contribution:

• Performed routine/scheduled audits of the systems, including all backups.
• Utilized analytical and troubleshooting skills to diagnose and resolve hardware, software, or other system issues.
• Provided ongoing management, performance-tuning, and Tier 3 support for critical production systems and applications.
• Carried out troubleshooting processes and diagnosed issues related to hardware, software, and networks.
• Performed server administration tasks, including user/group administration, security permissions, group policies, print services, research event log warnings and errors, and resource monitoring, ensuring system architecture components work together seamlessly.
• Performed routine preventative maintenance on site and remotely.
• Created and maintained email addresses in MS Exchange and hosted exchange services.
• Administration of Active Directory.