Stephen Simpson

Chicagoland, Illinois · [email protected]

Hello and welcome to my very unimaginative corner of the web! I am a Husband / Christ Follower / IT guy in the Chicagoland area with over 15 years experience in the IT field. I love learning new technologies and tools whether it be the latest RHEL derivative, new updates to Windows, anything related Apple, the world of web development tools, or whatever I happen to stumble onto that day.


Experience

Customer Support Engineer

CIQ

      April 2024 - Present

      Infrastructure Engineer

      Willow Creek Community Church

      Contributed to the management of core infrastructure servers and services across a diverse range of technologies. Played a key role in various responsibilities involving:

      • RHEL and Ubuntu Linux Administration
      • Windows Servers Administration
      • Active Directory Administration
      • NAS/SAN Administration
      • Microsoft Exchange
      • Google Workspace
      • Avaya Definity
      • 3CX
      • Security Cameras
      • Aruba Wireless Networking
      • Layer 2 and Layer 3 Networking
      • Sonicwall and PFsense Firewalls Administration
      • Ceph Clustering
      • Many other common System Administration tasks

      Some notable projects:

      • Migrated entire voicemail system within Avaya from an old tape-based solution to Exchange 2013
      • Assisted in creating a solution for a new digital asset management system for organization's historical video assets
      • Helped manage 3-node on-premise Exchange cluster and upgraded it through several major versions with minimal/no downtime
      • Helped create various WordPress plugins and other core theming updates to enhance the experience of the willowcreek.tv video platform
      • Upgraded and created new processes for the existing on-premise video on-demand solution for willowcreek.tv to support multi-bitrate video and HLS. Additionally configured all video content behind a CDN to improve delivery to end users and reduce buffering, all for a very minimal cost
      • Assisted in planning and migrating all users from Exchange on-premise to Google Workspace
      • Created a program in Python for printers that would automatically create/update a DNS record to avoid manual reentry
      • Helped deploy and tweak enterprise WiFi for high-density use
      • Created various Ansible playbooks to ensure consistency among Linux environment as well as ensuring the systems were patched and updated
      • Created an emergency alert system using WordPress and Twilio for staff with a complex Python sync script for data
      • Designed and installed a 1.3 PB storage cluster using Ceph
      June 2014 - April 2024

      Shift Coordinator

      WiredTree

      Focused on Web Hosting within a CentOS and cPanel based environment. Promoted in July of 2012 to the position of Shift Coordinator where the role changed from full time helpdesk support to managing staff, handling highly complex issues, de-escalating situations with clients, and completing special projects. This role required advanced knowledge of the Linux Operating System as well as the procedures and policies in place at WiredTree. Oral and written communication skills, troubleshooting, and organizational skills were also required.

      • Provided high level of customer satisfaction
      • Ensured quick and efficient response of new support requests
      • Strived to maintain an average 15 minute response time
      • Helped train new staff members
      • Created many Bash and Python scripts to automate tasks for all staff
      • Created custom python based web management interface for internal backup system
      September 2011 - June 2014

      Help Desk Technician

      Springfield Service Corportation

      Primarily focused on ensuring the employees' continued use of the computers, printers, and network access. In charge of assuring account restrictions on the corporate intranet. Helped to develop and implement a network inventory system capable of automatic updates and manual entry of equipment belonging to the organization.

      • Supported various Windows Operating Systems
      • Supported various network based printing systems
      • Created Batch and VB scripts for automation of tasks
      • Minimal management of Aruba wireless system
      • Linux Server implementation and management
      • Hardware and Software troubleshooting
      • Help Desk based support
      December 2008 - September 2011

      Education

      DeVry University

      Bachelor of Science in Network and Communications Management

      GPA: 3.65

      July 2007 - February 2010

      Danville Area Community College

      Windows Operating Systems

      GPA: 4.00

      August 2006 - May 2007

      Skills

      • General Linux Administration
      • RHEL Based Linux OS
      • Ubuntu
      • Windows Server and Desktop
      • Docker Containers
      • Python Scripting
      • PHP
      • Wordpress Management
      • Networking
      • VMware/Virtualization
      • Linux Administration
      • Windows Administration
      • Networking and Wifi
      • DNS and DHCP
      • Security Cameras
      • Phone System Administration
      • NAS/SAN Administration
      • Web Hosting Administration
      • Ansible
      • Google Workspace
      • Bash, PowerShell, Python, PHP
      • Basic HTML, CSS, Django, Laravel, Alpine.js

      Interests

      Here are some random things that I like

      • I love watching sports. Particuarly baseball, football, and sometimes hockey! My favorite sports moments:
        • The Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 World Series
        • The Chicago Blackhawks 2010, 2013, and 2015 Stanley Cups
        • Watching the Cubs at Wrigley in the 2017 NLCS
        • The Bears beating the Packers in 2018 for a playoff birth
        • Did I mention the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series??
      • I also love to cook and eat!
        • My favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
        • We love making a simple tomato sauce and our go to tomatos come from Bianco DiNapoli
        • I am not a vegan but we make this Vegan Red Lentil Curry all the time at our house
        • Smoque BBQ is the best BBQ in Chicago
        • Its hard to choose my favorite Chicago Style Hotdog (easily the best kind of hot dog) but...
        • There is a lot of good deep dish pizza in Chicago but we like Lou Malnati's
      • And I can't go without coffee
      • As far as other interests, I love photography!