Harpenden, England, United Kingdom
I have twenty solid years of work experience in the architecture, design and deployment of IT services and solutions of all shapes and sizes. IT is of course a broad arena, yet I have demonstrable knowledge and experience of many areas of my tradecraft to include architecture, operations, management and sustainability. My core skill set is built around industry-leading technologies which I have gained through recognised accreditations and experiential learning. This allows me to work confidently in these areas and identify myself as a well trained and well rounded IT consultant. Over the years, I have designed and supported infrastructures in both the public and private sectors; operating in an array of different functions. This gave me the confident and knowledge to start a successful consultancy in 2008 that concentrates on delivering business-focused solutions rather than just technology-focused solutions. My company's' primary focus will always be on delivering vendor-independent consultancy and products we consider to be the best for our clients, at a value they can afford and with a level of solution quality that is second to none. Specialties: The design and sustainability of IT platforms utilising: • Amazon Web Services (AWS) • VMware vSphere 5/4/VI3 and VMware Cloud Foundation • Citrix XenApp 4.5/5 • Citrix XenServer 5.5 • Citrix XenDesktop 5 • Windows Server 2008/2003 • Exchange Server 2010/07/03 • ISA Server/Forefront TMG/2006/04 • NetApp Appliances • Cisco Nexus Switching • Cisco UCS Certifications in: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate VCP 5/4/3 CCEE Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer MCITP Windows Server 2008 MCSE Windows Server 2003 + Messaging & Security MCTS in SCCM 2007 Cisco CCNA PRINCE2 Found.
My client is well-recognised as an organisation that operates under extremely challenging conditions, where its complex IT business play a critical function in support of its mission. Transformation sits at the top of the organisations' strategic initiatives for the next five years, where as a Solutions Architect working as part of its' prime transformation portfolio, I am fortunate to be able to contribute passionately and effectively during a key part of the organisations history. My main responsibilities include: • Engagement as a solutions architect: working into multiple, diverse programmes and portfolios to impart technical expertise coupled with cross-industry business acumen; • Leverage deep technical knowledge to propose, architect and implement transformational solutions against a broad spectrum of business challenges and initiatives; • Development of infrastructure strategies and roadmaps that define the technology state required to support the organisations’ IT capabilities over the next five years, coupled with deep understanding of the value proposition that underpins them; • Working with a broad architecture community to understand how current services will need transform in order to be fit-for-purpose and relevant for tomorrow; • Provide mentoring and support for my engineering peers in aspects of their personal growth and building excellence in their daily activities;
With a high profile international customer base, my client is well recognised as an organisation that operates in some of the most challenging locations in the world, keeping its customers safe and their communications secure. • Architecture, design, implementation and protracted lifecycle management of the companies’ flagship cloud platform; built across government business impact levels for secure multi-tenancy, and incorporating long term scalability to cover the UK electorate • To author, and act as custodian of the cloud platforms’ long term strategies; reflecting key business drivers and external market trends • To engage with stakeholders, SMEs, external security standards’ agencies, project delivery teams and architectural governance boards to design, cost, document and implement wider fit-for-purpose solutions which seamlessly integrate into the business • To demonstrate strong design experience in the delivery of a virtualised cloud platform technologies providing ‘Infrastructure’, ‘Platform’ and ‘Software as a Service’ (IaaS/SaaS/PaaS); and act as a trusted advisor at director-level for these technology areas • To demonstrate leading industry expertise across a wide technology area to provide assurance and direction to the clients' architecture board; contributing to the definition and implementation of long-term IT strategies • To work with project delivery teams and operational associates to ensure solutions are clearly designed and implemented whilst sustaining service excellence, integrity and business reputation.
I founded Halcyon Solutions Group in 2014 with a small team of enthusiasts who had extensive experience of IT cloud architecture, engineering, security and service management; with a specialism of delivering such capabilities for central government agencies and the UK intelligence sector. With a proven track record of working with such clients, the company was able to leverage its experiences to develop a portfolio of products and services that would demonstrate reductions in IT operating complexity, cost and resourcing, whilst maintaining a perfect fit for the additional demands of its high profile clients. As CEO, I bring more than a decade of entrepreneurial experience in building, advising and developing successful technology companies. Doubling as Chief Strategic Officer, I also oversees all aspects of product strategy and R&D.
Launched in August 2008, I am now the director of my own company; the Hub of IT Ltd. The Hub of IT Ltd is an vendor-independant IT consultancy based in Hertfordshire. Companies requiring IT resources, project input or simply advice can contact the Hub of IT and know that they are working with an organisation that has accredited technical personnel on-hand, a strong focus on delivering business solutions (not just technical solutions) and one that maintains the strongest focus on quality and customer satisifcation. The company appreciates the importance in keeping its colleagues highly motivated and skilled up; how else can we promise to deliver the very best to our customers if we don't keep our own house in good order. There is a strong internal focus on training through technical and non-technical accreditation streams and encourage everyone to stretch their minds on a regular basis. It keeps our colleagues fresh, hungry for knowledge and keen to get the very best out of every implementation we are involved in.
Steria is the UKs leading outsourcing and technology company with stakes in many global public and private sector projects and programmes. One of which is the OMNI Project running under the UK Ministry of Justice; the same project for which I am consulting. • To analyse an Areas transformation requirements and produce high / low-level architectural designs detailing how the Areas existing local infrastructure and systems will be partitioned and transformed into the OMNI centralised infrastructure. The predominant focus of the designs is the virtualisation of their Area-specific local applications; whilst integrating legacy systems with new OMNI technology streams. This also includes the production of documentation templates for other member of my team to follow and build their Area specific solutions from. • To maintain a focus on the OMNI architectural designs, policies and standards and use these principals to develop a ‘bridge’ between common transformable components and legacy non-standard Area-specific technology streams. • To work closely with the Technical Design Authority, Area Migration Delivery Teams and key stakeholders to ensure designs are purposeful, accurate, signed off and deliverable. • To take the output from technical discovery exercises, identify non-standard elements of each Areas legacy infrastructure and design a compatible hosting strategy for those elements. • To produce additional high and low-level designs specifically for DMZ solutions where local applications are supported by third-party providers. Where local applications are supported in this way and direct access to them is necessary, a firewalled non-OMNI secure network segment is required to house them. • To engage directly with our clients in each Area to gather a comprehensive map of all localised infrastructure, services and applications. • To provide technical Subject Matter Expert advice into core OMNI design elements.
• To act as a technical lead in the deployment of RMs' bespoke Community Connect 4 (or CC4) infrastructure solution. CC4 effectively incorporates a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory domain running additional Microsoft Server Technologies with a bespoke single-point user interface for network and asset management. On the client side, Windows XP or Windows Vista is used, again with a batch of custom written management applications installed to ease on-going support and application deployment. The CC4 solution can be deployed on RM server/workstation hardware or on third-party preferred equipment if required. • To manage and coordinate the deployment teams. As each BSF bid varies in size, one of my key roles is to coordinate the human resources that are released to each site and then to utilise them in the deployment of the infrastructure and encompassing hardware. At present, I manage a team of three Level 2/3 IT engineers. • To ensure all project deliverables are met and sign-off is obtained. As RM - in the greater part, acts as the IT deployment mechanism for the BSF bids, the Local Education Authority (or LEA) effectively grant the final sign-off on the successful delivery of the BSF project. My final role in the implementation process is to ensure a rigorous User Acceptance Test (or UAT) is completed for the entire solution will incorporates not only the raw IT equipment but also the telephone systems, Television over IP, the underlying Cisco network switching and routing infrastructure, electronic door-key security system and cash-free vending machines. • To ensure a complete set of comprehensive handover documentation is written and passed on.