Markham, Ontario, Canada
• 25+ years of diverse experience in Virtualization, Active Directory, Exchange Administration, Administration of MS Server Platform, Server Hardware maintenance, Technical Customer Support in mission critical production environment, Hardware Designing at Component Level. • Worked with CyberArk for admin access management and other security related projects • Provided CiRBA Training to CISCO Engineers at CISCO UK Headquarters London UK, and Orbit Engineers at Prague - Czech Republic in Jun - Jul 2012 • Strong decision making skills with minimum supervision • Possess excellent project management skills; problem-solving, interpersonal, communication skills, liaise effectively with end-users • Possess strong verbal and written communication skills. Enjoys working as a team player Speaker at MISA 2011 Presentation Title: An Introduction to Virtual Desktop Architectures Speaker Bio included in the Conference web-site and program: A Veteran IT professional with more than twenty three years experience in both server and client side computing, well versed in Microsoft, Novell and VMware environments. Syed started his career in research and development designing interfaces between PCs and industrial robots with custom made input/output cards for PCs. Having worked with organizations like Compugen, IBM and others, Syed acquired excellent network management, deployment and support experience and skills. He has in-depth knowledge of virtualization architectures with experience in VMware and Securix products. Currently he is working at Click-INTO Inc. as Senior Technology Specialist, specializing in desktop virtualization products and desktops as a service (DaaS) model. Specialties: Specialized Trainings & Certifications: • VCP Training on VMware Vsphere4 • VSP4 & VSTP4 Certified • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist – MS Exchange Server 2007, MS Vista • MCP – Windows 2000 • Compaq Associate ASE in Microsoft Windows Stream • Network+ • Toshiba TCT • AST Certified PC Service Engineer • 3Com 3Star Certified • Post Graduate Diploma in Digital Electronics & Microprocessor Techniques
Reporting to the Director of IT Operations, The Manager – IT Operations Support expertly applies their knowledge of the ITIL Service Management framework to generate comprehensive reports, effectively manage incidents, and problems, develop top-notch plans for managing knowledge base articles, telephone vendors and accounts and train the IT Support teams in new procedures. This critical role ensures that efficient procedures are in place to achieve positive customer experiences and outcomes by providing expert guidance to the team. This position guarantees successful outcomes and consistent results by fostering strong relationships and processes within the IT department. Additionally, this role deliver outstanding performance in IT Operations for the whole Organization, and works hand-in hand with the Manger of EUS and Manger of SMO Key Outcomes: • Overseeing the day-to-day technology support operations of an organization • Developing and implementing IT policies, procedures, and best practices • Managing a team of IT professionals and assigning tasks and responsibilities, by recruiting and training employees, communicating job expectations, and monitoring performance. • Monitoring and react to vendor network system performance alerts to ensure optimal functioning and support response • Working with vendors to ensure hardware and software procurement meets organizational standards • Managing and allocating IT resources to ensure a responsive, response to customer in IT • Troubleshooting and providing technical support for hardware, software, and network issues • Collaborating with other departments to identify technological solutions to meet business needs from IT support • Keeping up to date with new technologies and developments in the IT field to inform decision-making. • Assist with transition to operations design, implement, and monitor IT systems across all departments.
Team Leadership and Management: Lead a team of Level 1 and Level 2 Helpdesk Analysts, providing ongoing training, coaching, and support to improve daily operations. Manage staffing and scheduling to ensure adequate support coverage, acting as a backup when necessary. Incident Management: Prioritize and manage incidents to ensure quick resolution, especially for high-priority cases. Serve as the escalation point for critical issues, leading teams to resolve complex technical challenges. Ticket Monitoring and Improvement: Regularly audit tickets and calls to ensure adherence to best practices and identify areas for improvement. Create SOPs and KB documents to optimize support processes and reduce resolution times. Lead efforts to reduce ticket backlog using ServiceNow dashboards and scorecards. Reporting and Performance Tracking: Produce performance reports tracking KPIs and SLAs, helping inform strategic decisions. Change Management: Oversee the Change Advisory Board (CAB) process, managing change requests to minimize service disruptions. Participate in weekly CAB meetings and ensure team alignment on upcoming changes. Communication and Collaboration: Lead communication for unplanned outages, minimizing impact through timely stakeholder notifications. Maintain strong relationships across departments and act as a liaison between Helpdesk and other teams for incident resolution.
AD "Administrative Access" management and security •Reviewed all admin groups on the Windows servers and enhance the removal of access process. The following items are deemed in scope to remediate this audit finding: 1. Analyze the admin accounts report 2. Develop process for better access removal 3. Ensure attestation for all groups in received 4. Remove non-privileged accesses 5. Ensure Group membership is reviewed quarterly to confirm appropriateness of administrative access Remediation efforts are executed in two streams. "Strategic Process Changes" and "Tactical Cleanup Effort" Strategic Process Changes: 1. To review all servers (via script) in the inventory where Win Eng, SRWT and SSG are identified as the level 2 support (local admin group – local and main – other accts – admin access not other power user) 2. Enhance the current process for access and removal by utilizing CyberArk Tool, change records, review of exceptions 3. Develop and execute Communication Strategy for access removal 4. Develop a process to ensure system administrators with elevated privileges can perform their job functions (CyberArk, HPSA tools) 5. CyberArk – setup of the remaining privilege IDs in CyberArk and review of logs once setup is completed Tactical Cleanup Effort: 1. Validate the process by running a pilot with select servers supported by the BAS team in DEV, PAT 2. Remove Windows Eng access 3. Remove all other accounts with elevated privileges o Ensure CyberArk tool is in place to give Eng access when needed o Utilize CyberArk for both Service Accounts / Local Accounts o Admin ID’s – changing password in CyberArk (sign out and Change password) o Once an id is checked out the corresponding password will be reset on the windows servers o Leverage the existing quarterly attestation that is currently being used within the CyberArk tool
• Proficient in IP networking: IPv4 & 6, VLANS, MPLS, DNS, DHCP, VPN technologies, routing, etc. • Extensive knowledge of: iSCSI & fiber channel SAN environments • Enterprise class firewalls • Windows Server & Active Directory • Ability to work in a team environment • Ability to prioritize effectively and to perform proactively • Excellent oral and written communication skills • Microsoft Systems Center Suite (Operations, Configuration, Service & Data Protection Manager) • Knowledge of Dell server & SAN equipment • Microsoft Remote Access technologies • Pre-sales support for HP products • Supported the HP blade Systems • Planning, implementation, deployment, administration and Management of Virtual Infrastructure vSphere 4.x/5.x, ESX/ESXi 3.x, HA and DRS with vCenter Server, P2V, P2C and V2V • Migrated physical servers into Virtual Machines using VMware converter • Installation, Configuration, Maintenance and Administration of SAN backup solutions with networks • Migration from MS Windows Server 2000/2003 to Windows Server 2008 R2, Installation, Configuration, Maintenance and Administration of 2000/2003/2008 Active Directory • Re-design of the existing network utilizing the external ip addresses to strategically place servers in internal as well as in DMZ zones • Replaced the ip-table based firewall with Sonicwall firewall utilizing the on-device VPN • Migrated Windows XP to Windows 7 • Installed and maintain Zimbra E-mail server on Ubuntu 10, Linux based server, using Barracuda spam firewall and Sugar CRM • Responsible for maintaining and managing the in-house Servers, Dell Equallogic storage, network, Sonicwall firewall, Barracuda Spam Firewall, Cisco-Dell-Netgear network switches and routers, Zimbra mail server, web server, SQL database server, file server • Desktop Virtualization Applications • Pre-sales technical support to the Sales • Manage the Information Technology Department
• Provided CiRBA Product Training to the following: CISCO Engineers at CISCO UK Headquarters London UK Orbit Engineers at Prague - Czech Republic in Jun - Jul 2012 SysDBA Engineers at Johannesburg - South Africa - Sep 2012 CISCO Engineers at Dubai - UAE - Oct 2012
• Manage the IT Department • Pre-sales technical support to the Sales teams to present the Desktop Virtualization Applications to the CxOs and higher management of the prospective buyers • Responsible for conducting PoCs, test pilots for the Desktop Virtualization applications – setting up the project expectations, project time lines – coordinating with various departments (Application teams, Security, Management etc) with the prospective customers • Planning, implementation and administration of ESX Servers 4.0/3.x • Management and Administration of Virtual Infrastructure VSphere 4.0 HA and DRS with vCenter Server • Migrated physical servers into Virtual Machines using VMware converter • Development of VMware VSphere Environment for Production Datacenter on IBM Servers • Installation, Configuration, Maintenance and Administration of SAN backup solutions with networks • Migration from MS Windows 2003/2000, Installation, Configuration, Maintenance and Administration of 2003 Active Directory • Re-design of the existing network utilizing the external ip addresses to strategically place servers in internal as well as in DMZ zones • Replaced the ip-table based firewall with Sonicwall firewall utilizing the on-device VPN • Installed and maintain Zimbra E-mail server on Ubuntu 10, Linux based server • Responsible for maintaining and managing the in-house Dell Servers, Dell Equallogic storage, network, security firewall, Cisco-Dell-Netgear network switches, mail server, web server, database server, file server