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Don Sylvester

I'm an IT Professional, Cloud Engineer and DotishPhilosopher. Scroll to and learn more about me.

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About Me

My name is Maradona, but everyone calls me Don. I am a Dotish Philosopher who works in the field of Technology.

Thank you for visiting my digital portfolio. Now, a little bit about myself: I was born in Trinidad and Tobago. I spent most of my childhood in Baltimore, Maryland, and live in Hawaii. I went straight into the Army after graduating from high school, where I was trained as an aircraft mechanic on a helicopter that had been decommissioned (an OH58-D Kiowa Warrior). I served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I decided to pursue my interest in psychology, so I resigned from the military. I ultimately earned a degree in social work. Life takes you in ways you probably would not have picked for yourself, but it does it uniquely. But circumstances led me to pursue a career in Technology, and I have remained in this field ever since.

So, what am I doing in information technology?

When I started working in information technology, I gravitated toward Linux (constantly switching distributions) to explore what worked best for me. I still use Linux as my primary operating system.

Over the years, I have become a seasoned Technical Support Engineer versed in aiding customers with implementing emerging Technology. Experienced in providing users with hardware, software, and network support. I am Experienced with AWS Cloud technologies, Azure, Linux, and a MAC OS, As well as Mobile Devices. I am also a beginner web developer, utilizing AWS cloud Technologies as the back-end.

I have used the term Dotish Philiospher multiple times. So, what is a Dotish Philosopher?

The Dotish Philosopher is a project I am working on. In essence, a Dotish Philosopher is a person who is hungry for knowledge and truth and will never stop seeking it but understands that they themselves will always be foolish. They embrace their foolishness as a part of their journey towards wisdom. They never look down upon others who are also on their own paths to understanding, for they know that everyone starts from a place of ignorance.

Career

Cloudnexa

Level 1 Cloud Support Engineer July 2022 to Present

  • Provisioning and Management of Amazon EC2 Instances
  • Provisioning S3 Buckets and Managing Their Content
  • Managing Users and Groups in the Identity Access Management System
  • The establishment of IAM Roles and Policies
  • Taking care of backups on AWS
  • In Route53, you should add the DNS records.
  • Create SSLs using the Amazon Web Services Certificate Manager.
  • Managing Clients drectory services
  • Cloudwatch Alarms: Setting Them Up And Monitoring Them
  • Keeping an eye on Cloudtrail
  • Taking Care of Windows and Linux Operating Systems
  • Database Administration for RDS and Aurora
  • Workspace Management for Customers
  • In Route53, the process of creating DNS entries
  • executing proofs of concept and developing scopes of work based on customer projects
  • Educating customers on how to get the most out of their AWS setups through engagement.
  • Participated in processes related to incident management, such as ticket management, root cause analysis, and problem resolution

The Howard Hughes Corporation

Technical Support Engineer November 2020 to July 2022

  • Provide desktop support and remote support for 600+ Howard Hughes Employees and 50+ Ward Village contractors
  • Set up employee office workstations such as Windows 10 computers, phones, printers and VPN connections
  • Install and configure software such as O365, Blackline, Salesforce, Bluebeam, JAMF, and Adobe Suite
  • Explained technical information in clear terms to promote better understanding for non-technical users.
  • Responded to support requests from end-users and patiently walked individuals through basic troubleshooting tasks.
  • Provided guidance on installing and integrating new hardware components and software to remote clients.
  • Performed root cause analysis of reported issues to enact corrections.
  • Maintained response times to support business continuity.
  • Served as primary point of contact for support relating to owned solutions and products.
  • Met with team personnel to share details of discovered issues and recurrent custom complaints.
  • Worked directly with clients in rollout and post-rollout stages to train and support new applications and systems.
  • Assessed system hardware and software and suggested modifications to reduce lag time and improve overall speed.
  • Documented faults and bugs for referral to development staff for use in updates.
  • Manage computer inventory and asset management to maintain SOP life cycle
  • Repair, re-image, and deploy PCs, Mac, and laptops
  • Troubleshoot A\V equipment and mobile device troubleshooting
  • Effectively communicate between vendors and internal teams to maintain equipment functionality
  • Supports over 100+ local users, including C-Level executives
  • Manage VoIP phone systems, assign phone numbers, and set up automated attending groups
  • Layer 1 Networking i.e., running network cables, testing, and networks, etc
  • Troubleshoot network printers, as well as add and configure users
  • Monitor/analyze E-mails and networks issues
  • Explained technical information in clear terms to promote better understanding for non-technical users.

Kennedy Krieger Institute

IT Help Desk Technician June 2018 to November 2021

  • Provided technical support via telephone, email, and Fresh Service ticketing system
  • Escalated issues to proper help desk associates such as Field Technicians and tier 3 as necessary; follow up upon any escalated issues within three business days
  • Utilized Active Directory to build and maintain user profiles, reset passwords, unlock accounts, etc.
  • Provided remote Desktop Support using SCCM / RDP and Go to Assist Installation and configuration of software for Windows 7, Windows 10, and Mac OS on mobile devices.
  • Migrated from Windows 7 to Windows 10, including laptops and desktops, from the master image
  • Troubleshoot software-related issues; escalate to the engineering team as necessary
  • Performed Network troubleshooting; familiarity with VoIP• Utilized Command Line Interface and PowerShell within Windows and Linux environments, and Citrix receiver
  • Administrative access to VMware, Exchange Server 2012 R2 / 2016 and Proofpoint
  • Installed and repaired computer and computer components
  • Installation of AirWatch and VMware clients
  • Performed various troubleshooting of basic EPIC, Android, iPhone, and Network printer issues
  • Created technical documentation for end-users and internal staff

Quadrant, Inc

Help Desk Technician January 2018 to May 2018

  • Provided first-level help desk support throughout the Johns Hopkins Institution 1
  • Resolved customer issues in a clear, courteous, and straightforward manner
  • Demonstrated professionalism and courtesy with customers
  • Identified and solved technical issues with a variety of diagnostic tools
  • Worked closely with team members to meet or exceed all customer service requirements
  • Built and provided basic end-user troubleshooting and desktop support on
  • Windows, Linux, and Mac systems
  • Responsibility 3
  • Utilized Service Action Now ticketing system
  • Troubleshoot CITRIX virtual machines, Dual authentication, and VPN
  • Performed troubleshooting to correct computer hardware and software malfunctions.
  • Tier 1 Technical Support

TEKsystems

Technical Support July 2017 to January 2018

  • Supported over 5,000 Sony PlayStation employees
  • Used remote access software such as Lync, LogMeIn, and WebEx
  • Installed software, modified, and repaired hardware, and resolved technical issues
  • Managed call flow and responded to technical support needs of customers
  • Resolved customer issues in a clear, courteous, and straightforward manner
  • Identified and solved technical issues with a variety of diagnostic tools
  • Resolved problems with malfunctioning products
  • Researched, troubleshot, and resolved complex issues
  • Edited user accounts based on needs through Active Directory (AD) and Active Role Server (ARS)
  • Created Distribution List, Shared Mailboxes, and Security Groups
  • Troubleshoot Microsoft Office and Outlook issues
  • Troubleshoot VPN Connectivity issues on both Pulse Secure and Cisco AnyConnect
  • Issue/replace RSA Software tokens
  • Working knowledge of Citrix servers, OKTA, ORACLE, and Concur
  • Configure PCs, Cell Phones, Tablets, Laptops, and Mac products upon request with software
  • Knowledge of two-factor authentication systems such as RSA and Duo Mobile
  • Work with Mac OSX, Windows 7, Windows 10, and Unix Desktop Environments
  • Perform Network troubleshooting

Modis IT

IT Consultant (Contract) March 2017 to June 2017

  • Supported over 11,000, employees in the US and EU
  • Performed hardware configuration and refresh of computers on lease expiration
  • Record, track, and document computer resolution made within the ticketing system
  • Migrated from Windows 7 to Windows 10, including Window Laptops and desktops
  • Perform hardware and software tests to fix and ensure the problem was satisfactorily resolved
  • Active use of Microsoft Office 365, particularly Excel, to track continuity among teammates
  • Knowledge and use of programs such as SCCM, AD, and Absolute Management to help facilitate end users' requests
  • Consistently demonstrated professionalism and courtesy with customers
  • Resolved problems with malfunctioning products
  • Discussed project progress with customers, collected feedback on different stages and directly addressed concerns.

Skills

Customer Support and Troubleshooting:
  • Customer service experience related to troubleshooting
  • Troubleshooting SAAS software applications such as M365, OKTA, Adobe.
  • Remote Access Software to assist users and troubleshoot technical issues.
  • Troubleshooting LAN and TCP/IP issues.
  • Troubleshooting AV equipment.
  • Monitoring and Analyzing Emails for network security risks
  • Route cause Analyses Troubleshooting.
    • Operating Systems:
  • Working with various Operating Systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux ( Redhat,Ubuntu ).
  • Windows Server.
  • Mac OS.
    • Security and Authentication:
  • SSL certificates.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication including RSA, OKTA Verify, Google Auth, and Duo Mobile.
  • Private Cloud Security.
    • Network and Connectivity:
  • Microsoft Exchange to create and manage users' mailboxes and Shared Mailboxes.
  • Resolving Mobile Device issues and Installation/Configuration of MDMs.
  • Troubleshooting LAN and TCP/IP issues.
  • VPN.
  • Network Support.
  • Virtual Firewalls.
  • SSH, RDP
    • Infrastructure and System Management:
  • Data Backups/Recovery.
  • Disaster Recovery Planning.
  • Virtualization.
  • Storage Virtualization.
  • System Administration.
  • Configuring and managing VIOP systems.
  • SCCM.
  • Active Directory.
    • Programming and Scripting:
  • Power Shell.
  • Python.
  • HTML, CSS, Java Script.
    • Cloud Computing:
  • Cloud computing (AWS).
  • Application Stacks.
    • Hardware and Asset Management:
  • Computer Hardware.
  • Asset Management for local IT team.

    • Education

    The Community College of Baltimore County

    Associate's degree in Social Work June 2014

    Contact Details

    Don Sylvester
    A Beach In Hawai'i
    Honolulu, HI
    Google voice: +(443)530-7112
    maradona.sylvester@gmail.com

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