Gregg Allen

Information Technology Professional

Biography

Career highlights
Director of Information Technology
Led the IT Department to provide a highly available, cost effective infrastructure to support the company's technology and consulting services.
Over 20 years experience with many facets of supporting and optimizing servers, workstations, networks and providing first rate technology support for internal and external clients.

Experience

Director of Information Technology August 2006 — Aug 2020
Network AdministratorDecember 2004 — August 2006
Remote Access AdministratorFebruary 2000 — November 2004
Infrastructure Lead / Tech SuportJanuary 1998 — January 2000
Qualifications and experience
I excel in a work environment requiring independance and I thrive on problem solving. Experienced with break/fix desktops, laptops, servers, networking equipment. I have 20+ years of experience with management and maintenance of Windows servers, desktop PCs, laptops and networking equipment with the goal of minimal scheduled downtime. My specialty is updating and upgrading IT infrastructure to improve reliability, cut costs and deliver an appropriate return of investment on equipment. I'm an active listener who understands the importance of excellent communication skills and enjoy working collaboratively to solve technology challenges.
Résumé
  • Profile:
  • Results oriented IT professional with over 20 years of experience in capacity planning, equipment purchasing, hardware lifecycle management, server deployment and management, Microsoft Active Directory Group Policy management, all aspects of desktop computing support including inventory management. I led a successful project to overhaul the company’s IT systems to achieve a highly available infrastructure located in a secure datacenter. I cut costs while reducing data processing time 50% by deploying a hyper-converged IT infrastructure solution.

  • Relevant Skills:
  • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Windows operating systems.
  • Experienced with OS X installations, troubleshooting and performance optimization.
  • Knowledgeable with internet technologies, such as domain name management, DNS, VPN, SSL certificates, email solutions and cloud computing.
  • Exceptionally adept at troubleshooting desktop / server hardware and software issues.
  • Proven track record with aligning technologies to company needs while adhering to the available budget.
  • Optimizing systems to achieve peak performance.
  • Committed to active listening when assisting staff and clients with their technology challenges.
  • Excel in an environment that encourages self-motivated, teamwork oriented employees.

  • Work Experience:
  • Fisher International, Inc., Norwalk, CT
  • Director of Information Technology / August 2006 – August 2020
  • Key Responsibilities:
  • Reported to General Manager for infrastructure projects.
  • Directed IT department priorities to align with the company’s technology needs.
  • Managed IT department equipment for a company of 55 employees.
  • Developed and deployed disaster recovery policies and practices.
  • Managed Fisher's flagship product helpdesk, supporting over 130 international client companies.
  • Primary contact for escalated client IT support and collaboration with client side IT administrators.
  • Vetted and managed consultants for various infrastructure projects.
  • Relied on as a generalist as the company’s technology challenges changed and grew.
  • Role required exceptional communication and interpersonal skills as I was managing consultants, working with client IT Administrators and end users. Diplomacy and professionalism was a must and I worked closely with an exceptional client retention manager to provide top-notch support.

  • Project Achievements:
  • Transformed former problematic infrastructure into highly available, enterprise production environment.
  • Relocated production environment to a secure datacenter with redundant power and Internet access.
  • Migrated servers from VMware / AWS cloud solution to a Nutanix solution including the flagship database product. This saved the company over $80K in hosting services / support contracts. Servers and systems were also optimized for performance which reduced development time cycles.
  • Deployed Veeam backup solution and ExaGrid devices to augment data retention of production servers
  • Established department policies to ensure technologies conformed to high availability standards prior to adoption.

  • Sugar Foods Corporation, New York, NY
  • Network Administrator / December 2004 – August 2006
  • Key Responsibilities:
  • Reported to CIO for network management, server deployment, monitoring, patch deployment, and desktop computing support.
  • Architect and administrator for high availability Citrix Presentation Server 4 XPe server farm.
  • Document and update infrastructure systems policies to maintain continuity of the company IT Department’s knowledgebase.
  • Provide technology recommendations to improve reliability of IT department resources.

  • Project Achievements:
  • Migrated business critical applications to Citrix production environment
  • Developed an improved backup plan for the NYC office, including offsite backup storage
  • Deployed Symantec Antivirus solution to protect and manage over 100 desktops
  • Implemented a LAN monitoring and desktop management station using Solar Winds products

  • International Council of Shopping Centers, New York, NY
  • Remote Access Administrator / December 2002 – November 2004
  • Key Responsibilities:
  • Reported to CIO for network security and remote access issues.
  • Manage Citrix MetaFrame 4 servers to provide remote access for traveling staff and satellite offices.
  • Execute and manage CheckPoint NG firewall policies to secure internal networks and VPNs.
  • Train new support staff for policies established during previous position involving PC / Apple hardware and software support.

  • Project Achievements:
  • Deployed Citrix MetaFrame environment to augment remote access to internal resources.

  • Previous Title: Desktop Support Specialist / February 2000 – December 2002
  • Key Responsibilities:
  • Report to the Global Network Administrator for company-wide desktop support.
  • Conduct on-site projects to update and maintain satellite office systems from server deployment to inventory management.
  • Focus on “big picture” priorities when these conflicted with end user requests for IT resources which required diplomacy, tact and negotiating alternative solutions that met or exceeded staff’s needs.
  • Relied on to identify solutions for problematic equipment/systems, work independently in the field while resolving issues.

  • Project Achievements:
  • Built a network based Windows imaging station to reduce time required for laptop and desktop deployment.
  • Promoted to Citrix Administrator after completing CCA certification, with additional responsibilities for deploying and managing remote access solutions.

  • Education:
  • Southampton College, Long Island University (LIU)
  • Southampton, NY
  • B.A. Biology


Email: gta@gta.earth Mobile: 646-320-3639