OBJECTIVE

Seeking an opportunity to be a key contributor with a quality-minded organization that will benefit from my many years of industry experience and problem solving in highly complex, multi-vendor, networked system environments.

SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE

• Programming: C, C , SQL, PERL, UNIX Shells, BASIC, Pascal, LISP, MUMPS, FORTRAN, Assembler, PHP, SQL.
• Operating Systems: Windows, Citrix, VMWare, UNIX, Linux, Solaris, BSD, HP-UX, IBM AIX VMS
• Database Platforms: Oracle, DB2, MS SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Sybase, Informix, Access-VB, Universe and others.
• Networking: LAN, WAN, SAN, Internet and Cloud networking with routers, switches, gateways, firewalls, load balancers, security devices, programs protocols like: TCP/IP, FTP, SSH, NFS, NIS, DNS, IPX/SPX, SMTP, Sendmail, RAS, NACS, Snort, IDS, IPS, PGP, IP Filtering using Cisco, F5, Juniper, Checkpoint, IBM, Alteon others.
• Storage Tape: EMC, IBM, Hitachi, StorageTek, Sun, HP NetApp SAN, NAS, VTL, EDL, tape and vaulting.
• Backup DR: EMC Avamar, Networker, DataDomain, IBM TSM, NetBackup, CommVault Recovery Point
• Security Compliance: Webtrends, Tripwire, Snort, IDS, AppScan, SecurityMetrics, forensics evidence procedures.
• Enterprise Applications: Maximo, OpenView, Service Desk, Maximo, Tivoli, Perigrine, Peoplesoft, SAP others.
• Web eCommerce: Websphere, BEA Weblogic, Broadvision, LAMP, Sun, Netscape, Microsoft more.

HARDWARE EXPERIENCE

• Midrange: HP, Sun, Dell, NCR, AT T, IBM, DEC, DG, SGI, Apollo, Mentor, Tektronix servers workstations.
• PC and Mac: Systems from Dell, Apple, IBM, HP, Compaq, Toshiba, Intel, and numerous other vendors.
• Mini and Mainframe: NCR, Control Data, DEC VAX, IBM, Honeywell, Unisys and more.
• Networking: LAN, WAN, SAN, NAS, DAS, VPN, Internet and Intranet networks featuring Ethernet, Token-Ring, Token-Bus, Fiber, ATM and Wireless solutions with Cisco, Nokia, Checkpoint, Juniper, EMC, F5, 3COM, Brocade, Alteon, Motorola, HP, Penril, DEC, IBM, Web Defend, Symantec AS/AV, Bay, Shiva, and other hubs, bridges, routers, NIUs, terminal servers, gateways, load balancers, VPNs, IDS, IPS devices for distributed enterprise environments.
• Storage and Backup: EMC Avamar, Celerra, Symmetrix, DMX, VMAX, Clariion, Data Domain, VTL, IBM XIV, IBM Tape Storage Libraries, Sun StorEdge, StorageTek, Hitachi SAN, LSI Logic, NetApp, Cisco Brocade switches.

SPECIAL SKILLS

• In-depth experience designing, deploying and operating secure multi-vendor enterprise networks, LAN/WAN Internet/Intranet systems to achieve extremely rigorous uptimes, meet business expectations and exceed SLAs utilizing Cisco, Brocade, Foundry, F5, Alteon, CheckPoint, Juniper and other networking products.
• Develop and maintain strategic projects to implement large scale UNIX/Linux installations both physical and virtual. Technology refreshes to further leverage virtualization including VMWare ESX Server, Solaris Zones, LPARs, LDOMS and other virtual infrastructure including the appropriate support tools for management, deployment and implementation from staging through production environments.
• Capital proposal preparation communication, cost-benefit analysis, ROI analysis, presentations and status to other groups and executives are personal strengths.
• Experience with such exciting projects as multiple revisions of live Ecommerce websites including logical and physical datacenter migrations, disaster recovery implementations, rehosting, managing and maintaining sites with hundreds of servers utilizing ITIL, PCI, SOX other industry standards and compliance measures.
• Extensive storage experience with EMC, IBM HP including EMC Proven Professional, EMCIE, EMCTA certifications for Avamar, Data Domain, VNX, VNX2, RecoverPoint, Symmetrix VMAX and others.
• Deep technical understanding of infrastructure architecture with emphasis on midrange systems like UNIX, Linux, VMWare, Internet technologies and LAN, WAN, SAN design, deployment and administration.

ROBERT MERDIAN - EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Confidential

Director Consulting Services

Responsibilities: Spearhead new company initiatives around backup recovery services BRS, primary special purpose storage, replication, disaster recovery and business continuity. Obtain maintain numerous certifications to reach desired reseller levels.

Accomplishments: Personally obtained numerous EMC, IBM HP Accreditations and Certifications, mentored others, shadowed and performed deployments, maintenance, professional services with EMC, IBM HP products across a wide variety of clients and configurations. Within the first year of the program we grew the company from 10M to 38M directly related to our storage business.

We achieved our BRS certifications and grew our vendor client relationships. We subsequently obtained the Consolidate level certification and were pursuing our Advanced Consolidate status with EMC as well as being a regional focus partner. Primary focus products were EMC Data Protection Suite including Avamar, Networker, SourceOne Archiving, Data Protection Advisor, Recover Point, Data Domain DD Boost, VNX/e, VNX, VNX2, Symmetrix VMAX , VPLEX, Isilon others.

Confidential

Senior Storage Specialist

Responsibilities: Design, develop and execute large scale storage solutions for Solaris and VMWare infrastructures. Provided tier 3 services across a global enterprise infrastructure utilizing leading products from EMC, IBM and Sun to design integrate storage, backup, recovery, replication, high availability and disaster recovery across diverse business units, projects and environments.

Accomplishments: Collaborated on storage architectures, developed, operated maintained systems, mentored and trained US and global team members, performed highly complex migrations, automated operations monitoring for Solaris, VMWare, EMC Data Domain, Avamar, Networker, Celerra, VMAX others to insure compliant operations data handling. Implemented supported complex SAN, NAS, storage infrastructure, Implemented and adhered to all ITIL v3 standards, coordinated complex efforts between project management, business management, change management, architecture and technical operations teams.

Confidential

Senior IT Specialist/Jazz BUR Specialist

Responsibilities: Analyze, support, direct, deploy, implement and monitor core infrastructure services like backup, recovery, business continuity, disaster recovery and replication in highly regulated and complex environments for major global IBM customers.

Accomplishments: Project managed, migrated and transitioned existing and new IBM customers into the Dubuque Global Delivery Center LEAN environment, managing and achieving on all SLAs, SLOs, key measures and other contract deliverables within highly complex and regulated industries. Successfully provided core infrastructure services as a senior analyst and BUR team member with focus on Solaris, Linux, Citrix and VMWare system environments. Effectively managed problem resolution and changes coordinating global resources from networking, infrastructure, operating systems, storage area networking, database management and other disciplines required for successful customer deployments and quality objectives.

Confidential

Senior Storage Engineer

Responsibilities: Design, develop and execute large scale storage solutions across a global enterprise infrastructure utilizing leading products from Dell, EMC, VMWare, IBM and Sun to provide virtual physical infrastructures, storage, backup, recovery, replication, high availability and disaster recovery across diverse business units and environments including SOX, PCI, PII other regulatory data.

Accomplishments: Collaborated on storage architectures, developed, operated maintained systems, mentored and trained US and global team members, performed highly complex migrations, automated operations monitoring, plus insured compliant data handling. Primary systems implemented were mid-range open systems including Solaris, AIX VMWare in highly virtualized environments with thousands of clients in complex infrastructures. Implemented and adhered to all ITIL v3 standards, coordinated complex efforts between project management, business management, change management, architecture and technical operations teams.

Confidential

Director Technical Operations

Responsibilities: Plan, develop, implement and manage significant infrastructure and development projects at our primary

• Washington DC data center and at remote state facilities. While still engaged as technical escalation for research, development and strategic initiatives, my primary responsibilities included: managing system administrators, database administrators, developers and other technical resources deploying critical eGovernment systems for roughly half of the states in the United States. These teams often included direct reports, indirect reports, partners, consultants and vendors comprising teams from 5 people to 35 people. In addition, I was a key
• technology focal on the NIC Security Council, chaired the Data Center Advisory Committee and lead our PCI SOX remediation teams
• through a Cybertrust security certification and compliance program. Provide 24 x 7 support services in a highly available
• environment including architecture, networking, security, development, deployment, testing and quality assurance.

Accomplishments: Successfully led infrastructure, development, database, networking security teams with upwards of 5 to 25 employees, contractors, consultants and 3rd party vendors to provide excellent services, major software development projects, dramatic architecture and infrastructure enhancements, as well as significant security and compliance initiatives. Roughly tripled the amount of states hosted into our central data center by rearchitecting and building an enterprise data center, with virtual tape, real-time replication, warm disaster recovery site, HA cluster technology, virtual machine technologies and integration of Solaris, Linux and Microsoft platforms. Implemented VMWare and Solaris virtualization in a large data center environments as well as enterprise remote offices. Maintained positive change control and PCI/SOX compliance procedures, attained Cybertrust security certification, increased our merchant processing status to payment gateway plus directed the development and deployment of a dedicated and separate financial and transaction processing infrastructure with highly available applications and database architectures. Effectively managed 3 million budgets, strategic decision making with executive team, relationship management, partners, vendors, employees, security, legal and executive management teams. Frequently provided key services and communications to help bridge gaps and balance alternative between technical, business, legal and compliance, accounting, audit and management teams. Performed HR responsibilities for direct and indirect reports, as well as peer reviews, training, mentoring and staff development plans for large technical teams.

Confidential

Senior IT Specialist

• Responsibilities: Analyze, support, direct, deploy, implement and monitor Information Services for Hallmark Cards and Confidential
• Express Financial Services primary Ecommerce websites on behalf of IBM Global Services. Provide world-class technical
• operations and duty management for datacenter operations, website operations, back office systems, data warehouse, storage
• configuration management, order fulfillment and call center interactions. Focus on working with groups of people to build teams,
• engage professionals to rapidly solve problems either in a group or individual effort, across organizations and with external partners
• vendors in a high-availability 24x7 environment. Maintain a positive business controls posture within the web hosting team via
• the successful participation in business controls reviews, SAS70 reviews, etc. including compliance with ITC3000 requirements.

Accomplishments: Successfully assisted in migrating internal technical operations of Hallmark.com website to IBM Global Services

• outsourcing contract. Provided key critical business period holiday support for operations, back office systems, CRM, Oracle,
• Order Processing, Fulfillment, STC E Gate, Optum, See Beyond Yantra related back-end systems. Achieved or exceeded on all
• SLAs SLOs, key measures and other contract deliverables. Effectively managed problems through life cycle with ticket tracking
• systems and delivered RCAs within the published guidelines. Participated in a large project effort to migrate Hallmark.com website
• to IBM On Demand architecture and infrastructure utilizing Websphere Commerce Suite, Websphere Commerce Accelerator,
• Websphere Edge Server, DB2 and other IBM standard Ecommerce products. Designed and deployed large VMWare virtualized environments as well as Solaris, Linux with sophisticated Cisco, F5, Foundry Alteon LAN/WAN infrastructures. Coordinated development releases with Mercury Test Director, WinRunner, LoadRunner and other testing utilities to speed and enhance the quality and turn-around on code-content release deployment. Developed new systems, processes and procedures that enhanced customer satisfaction and quality objectives.

Confidential, Technical Operations Manager/Technical Architect/Engineer

Responsibilities: Analyze, architect, direct, deploy, implement and monitor Information Services for Confidential primary

• Ecommerce website, Hallmark.com and related websites which now extend to the backend order processes and fulfillment systems.
• This job has allowed me the opportunity to work my way through many positions and gain a better understanding how a larger
• organization fits all components together into an enterprise solution. The positions have literally ran the range from supporting pure
• outsourced datacenter relations, integrating with external developers to owning the entire operations, having a techopts staff of 14
• and a development staff of 10 with a project management group about the same - in a pure collocation datacenter environment where
• we controlled everything. I assumed greater responsibility over time have recently worked as a technical operations manager,
• technical architect, technical operations group leader and other positions that have focused on working with groups of people to build
• teams, engage, engage the people and solve problems either in a group, across different groups or with outside partners.

Accomplishments: Performed strategic initiatives, managed key projects and initiatives and provided technical operations management to dynamic teams ranging from 5 to 35 members. Successfully migrated all software and project support for the entire site from external consulting firm into Hallmark, including recruiting and growing the Hallmark technical staff. Managing some disastrous datacenter conditions and contracts stabilizing and protecting the environment and assets while making long-term strategic decisions and rearchitecting and moving the website to a different datacenters and vendors. Implementing long-term inexpensive log-hosting and simple disaster recovery as well as more sophisticated tape libraries backup facilities for keeping keyfile, log and commerce data. Designed and deployed large Solaris, Linux VMWare solutions to increase scale and performance for application hosting infrastructure. Revamped architecture to enhance capabilities, consolidated hardware, software and maintenance where possible manage the project and budgets.

Confidential, Director of Information Services.

Responsibilities: Analyze, architect, direct, deploy, implement and monitor Information Services for five individual LTCP sites.

• Manage the local and remote technical staff members and teams from 5 to 15 people and perform hands-on technical and project management and technical support. These systems include dispensing and database systems on UNIX, Novell, Windows 95/98 and Windows NT. Design, implement and maintain Frame Relay WANs, multi-protocol LANs, data mining, COLD archival, Y2K assessment, corrective actions, contingency planning, disaster recovery and process control. Perform diverse analysis, specification, conversion, integration, administration and maintenance on numerous applications and environments. Insure system and data availability, reliability,
• integrity, security and confidentiality to meet federal requirements.

Accomplishments: Integrated networks and deployed high-speed client connectivity, implemented on-line and tape billing,

• remittance and sophisticated reconciliation to significantly reduce AR balances and billing cycles. Deployed and integrated
• application servers for clinical applications, payroll, asset management and office automation Designed and administered solutions
• for robust backup and recovery, redundancy, fault tolerance, configuration management and disaster recovery. Established and
• maintained comprehensive, site-specific documentation, procedures, logbooks, records and operations manuals for all systems.
• Performed or directed site evaluations, conversions, upgrades, application migration, project management, software development
• and maintenance. Analyzed, evaluated managed and resolved a wide variety of concurrent projects, customer requests, problems and
• disasters. Developed corporate capital proposal requests, cost-justifications and presentations including strategic initiatives,
• marketing, scheduling, project management, product development cycles and overall business development.

Confidential-Computer Consulting Professional Services.

Responsibilities: Managed, directed and performed diverse computer consulting and professional services, primarily to engineering, manufacturing, legal and business clients. Professional services include hardware and software systems design, specification, installation, integration, testing, development, maintenance, conversion, administration and training.

Accomplishments: Performed a full-range of professional services including site evaluations, conversions, upgrades, application

• migration, project management, software development and maintenance. Developed, implemented and presented custom educational
• and training programs. Analyzed, evaluated and resolved a wide variety of customer requests, problems and disasters. Performed
• administrative functions in managing and operating concurrent projects for numerous accounts. Designed and administered solutions
• for robust backup and recovery, redundancy, fault tolerance, configuration management and disaster recovery. Established and
• maintained comprehensive, site-specific documentation, procedures, logbooks, records and operations manuals for diverse clients.
• Developed capital proposal requests, cost-justifications and presentations including strategic initiatives, marketing, scheduling,
• project management, product development cycles and overall business development for numerous companies. Technical architectures widely varied but primarily focused on mid-range systems including Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, Citrix leveraging network infrastructure from Cisco, HP, IBM, 3COM and many others.