Who Am I

While I have over 18 years of professional experience in IT, my passion for technology goes far beyond my job title. It became a part of who I am long ago and is deeply woven into my daily life. My home is my personal lab, where I surround myself with the latest IoT devices—from my Google Nest Hubs to my Pixel phone—constantly exploring how they can make life smoother and more connected.

What truly drives me, however, is the human side of technology. I feel a genuine sense of accomplishment when I can help people solve their IT issues and show them how to enjoy technology rather than struggle with it. My goal is always to help others use these tools to better their lives, whether that means securing a complex corporate network or simply helping a friend get the most out of their smart devices.

What I am working on

Current personal development projects focused on Cloud Administration and Architecture.

Azure Administrator Infrastructure Lab (AZ-104 Prep)
Technologies: Azure VNETs, Network Security Groups (NSGs), Storage Accounts, RBAC

Designed and deployed a hybrid cloud environment to master core Azure administrative tasks. Configured VNET peering between regions to test connectivity and implemented Network Security Groups (NSGs) to control traffic flow. Managed Azure Storage accounts with lifecycle management policies and enforced security via Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

Microsoft 365 Enterprise Lab (MS-102 Prep)
Technologies: Microsoft 365 Developer Tenant, Entra ID (Azure AD), Intune, PowerShell

Configured a comprehensive Microsoft 365 Developer Tenant to simulate a real-world enterprise environment. Key configurations include setting up custom domains, managing user identities via Entra ID, and implementing Conditional Access policies to secure resources. Deployed Intune compliance policies for device management and tested data loss prevention (DLP) rules.

Professional Experience

Senior IT Operations Specialist | Veritex Bank
Sept 2020 - Jan 2026
  • Network & Infrastructure: Maintain the integrity of Houston’s network infrastructure, including structured cabling in IDF rooms and troubleshooting Layer 2/3 issues on Cisco 9300 switches.
  • Endpoint Engineering: Streamline device lifecycle management by utilizing Microsoft Autopilot for automated deployments and Tanium for real-time asset management and security patching.
  • Team Leadership: Mentor IT Operations specialists and author technical documentation/SOPs to standardize team processes.
  • Incident Management: Manage IT service requests via ServiceNow, ensuring accurate tracking and adherence to SLAs.
IT Analyst | Francesca's Collections
May 2018 - March 2020
  • Retail Operations: Ensured business continuity for remote retail locations by providing Tier 2 support for Oracle Xstore POS applications.
  • Remote Network Admin: Managed connectivity and security for distributed sites, troubleshooting FortiGate firewalls to minimize store downtime.
  • System Monitoring: Proactively monitored health and workstation performance across remote sites identifying outages before impact.
Storage Administrator (Contract) | DXC Technology
Jan 2018 - May 2018
  • Enterprise Storage: Executed high-volume storage allocations and data migrations for enterprise clients.
  • Automation: Leveraged proprietary automation tools (SAT) to streamline storage delivery and mass-provisioning.
  • Process Troubleshooting: Diagnosed and resolved failures in automated batch processes to prevent service delays.
Systems Engineer | Church Services
June 2016 - Sept 2017
  • Infrastructure Migration: Orchestrated a complete IT infrastructure relocation (Data Center & Remote Sites) in just seven days with minimal downtime.
  • Virtualization: Managed a VMware vSphere 6.5 environment, analyzing resource metrics to right-size CPU/RAM for guest VMs.
  • Network Security: Secured the edge using WatchGuard M570 appliances and implemented VoIP solutions.
Web Hosting Engineer (Contract) | Hewlett Packard Enterprise
March 2016 - June 2016
  • IIS Migration: Migrated legacy web applications from Windows Server 2003 (IIS 6.0) to Windows Server 2008 R2 (IIS 7.5).
  • Security Compliance: Managed the lifecycle of SSL certificates to ensure secure, encrypted connections.
Systems Administrator (Contract) | Repsol
May 2014 - Jan 2016
  • Data Center Ops: Managed critical Gas & Power applications and supported the migration of Dell hardware to the CyrusOne colocation facility.
  • License Admin: Managed FlexLM license servers for high-value Schlumberger applications.
  • IAM: Administered Active Directory global groups and developed automated reporting for inactive user accounts.
Network Operations Specialist | Wood Forest National Bank
May 2013 - May 2014
  • NOC Operations: Monitored critical banking transaction systems using SCOM 2012 and SolarWinds Orion.
  • Incident Response: Acted as the primary escalation point for mission-critical technical calls, consistently meeting strict SLAs.
IT Specialist | City of Jersey Village
Dec 2007 - May 2013
  • Infrastructure: Managed city-wide IT operations, including Avaya VoIP, Cisco routers, and Coban in-car camera systems.
  • Virtualization: Architected a virtualized environment by deploying VMware ESX 4.0 and an HP MSA 2012i SAN.
  • Process Improvement: Modernized support workflow by implementing Spiceworks as the centralized Help Desk portal.

Certifications

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