Scott Banwart

Director, Cloud Infrastructure Automation | Building high-performing platform engineering teams

I am an engineering director/principal engineer who specializes in leading teams focused on cloud architecture and automation. In my current role at Medallia I lead a team of automation engineers who are building a SaaS platform hosted in AWS. We use tools like Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins and Python to create end-to-end automated processes to build and deploy our SaaS environment and applications at the touch of a button. We leverage AWS-native services like EC2, Lambda, RDS and Elasticache Redis to quickly and cost-effectively build our cloud infrastructure. We also focus on architecture and infrastructure improvements to increase the scalability and resiliency of our cloud platform.

Experience

Director, Cloud Infrastructure Automation

Medallia, Inc.
Sep 2022 - Present

Leading the Mindful cloud DevOps and Data Analytics teams, and the legacy enterprise Callback development team. Contributing to research and prototyping of new technology with a focus on cloud platform architecture, automation, operations, security, compliance, and cost optimization. Management of team backlog and work tracking. Mentoring team members for personal growth and career goals. Partnering with our product management team to identify and prioritize critical engineering work. Partnering with our internal security and compliance teams to maintain our certifications and overall posture.

  • Coaching and mentoring of engineering team members
  • Management of cloud infrastructure architecture and implementation for our FedRAMP Moderate authorization
  • Management of cloud infrastructure and automation for an environment growing revenue by 25% year over year
  • Led integration of operations, security, and compliance programs with Medallia dedicated teams
  • Contributor to ongoing program to optimize our cloud costs and usage

DevOps Manager

Mindful/VHT (Acquired by Medallia)
Jan 2018 - Sep 2022

Management of the DevOps team with responsibilities in cloud platform architecture, automation, operations, and security. Contribute to research and prototyping of new technology. Management of team backlog and work tracking. Partnering with our internal product organization to identify and prioritize critical engineering and security work. Assist team members with personal growth and career goals. Work closely with the business to achieve and maintain security and compliance posture.

  • Built and developed a high-performing DevOps team
  • Engineering leader and team manager for the program that transformed a traditional enterprise software vendor into a cloud-based SaaS vendor
  • Technical lead representing cloud architecture and operations for our SOC2 Type 2 certification
  • Leader and engineering contributor in efforts to increase the scalability of our cloud platform by 10x, leading to 50% revenue growth
  • Leader and engineering contributor for our initial project to build out end-to-end automated build and deployment processes for our flagship cloud products

Advanced Technology Development

Stone Donut, LLC
Jan 2008 - Dec 2017

Development of solution architecture, technology platform and standards. Research into new technologies and development methodologies to improve delivery platform. Development of internal tools and frameworks for solution delivery. Consulting medium and large enterprise clients on the design and development of integration solutions. Assist with analysis and mapping business requirements to technical solutions. Work with project managers to create project estimates. Manage development teams to ensure adherence to architecture and development standards. Mentor junior and senior developer staff members.

  • Created a cloud-native web application for managing product master data for a retailer to support both their physical locations and multiple e-commerce marketplace platforms
  • Integrated Dynamics AX with an external vendor management system as part of a digital transformation program for a leading provider of digital imaging products and services
  • Integrated critical business systems with Dynamics AX using BizTalk for a $10 billion distributor of mobile devices and accessories as part of a digital transformation project spanning 40 countries
  • Integrated key customers, vendors, and government compliance agencies with Dynamics AX and BizTalk for a $2 billion beverage distributor
  • Integrated Dynamics AX with internal manufacturing and finance systems for a $60 billion manufacturer of computer equipment as part of a lean manufacturing transformation project

Senior E-Business/Integration Developer

The Tranzonic Companies

Design and implementations of integration and middleware architecture as part of an ERP implementation project. Implemented BizTalk 2006 R2 as the integration platform as part of a project to deploy the Dynamics AX 4.0 ERP system. Developed AX AIF modifications to support integration requirements. Implemented integration between AX and Manhattan ILS. Used BizTalk to integrate existing legacy line-of-business systems with Dynamix AX. Managed legacy EDI system using Sterling GENTRAN Server for AS/400.

Network Administrator

Athens Foods, Inc.

Managed internal information technology functions including network administration, systems administration and user support. Managed and implemented EDI trading partners using Sterling GENTRAN for Windows. Maintained existing trading partner connections and developed connections and maps to bring new trading partners on board. Developed and maintained the company website using C# and ASP.NET. Managed and maintained the Made2Manage ERP system. Performed ERP functions like user and security management, database maintenance and handling system patches and upgrades.

Systems Developer

RPM International Inc.

Designed and developed internal line-of-business applications using C# and ASP.NET. Initiated and developed a replacement capital expenditure tracking system to manage project spend across the entire enterprise. Managed and maintained the risk tracking system used for SOX compliance. Maintained the internal employee portal.

Skills & Tools

Engineering Leadership
Engineering Management • Architecture • Software Project Management
DevOps
Terraform • Ansible • Jenkins • CircleCI • Automation • Continuous Integration • Continuous Delivery • Datadog • PagerDuty
Cloud Engineering
Amazon Web Services (AWS) • Cloud Architecture • Cloud Operations • Cost Optimization

Education

The University of Akron

B.S. in Computer Science

Volunteer

High School Ministry Leader

The Chapel
Aug 2023 - Present

Small group leader and sound board for high school students.

Elementary Ministry Leader

The Chapel
Aug 2018 - Aug 2023

Small group leader for elementary students on Sunday mornings.

Awards

Star Award

Awarded by VHT
2020-04-30

Key customer win

Star Award

Awarded by VHT
2019-12-31

Inspiration

Languages

English: Native Speaker

Interests

DevOps: automation, continuous integration, continuous delivery, developer experience, platform engineering
Cloud Computing: AWS, architecture, cost optimization, infrastructure, multicloud
Engineering Management: strategy, team topologies, flow engineering, coaching, security, compliance
Linux: containers, podman, immutable systems, systemd, BPF
Local-First Development: longevity, network optional, offline
Small Web: decentralization, federation, gemini