I enjoy designing and building solutions, automating processes and working on team projects which make a real difference to a customers IT experience. Put simply, I like to leave all teams, organisations and environments in a better position than when I found them.

Skills

Network Automation

Advanced
  • Nornir
  • NAPALM
  • Scrapli
  • Netmiko
  • jmespath
  • Pandas
  • Jinja2
  • Ansible
  • Data modelling

Consulting

Advanced
  • Migration Strategies
  • Architecture and Roadmaps
  • High Level Designs / Detailed Designs
  • Network Assessments / Network Remediation

Programming

Intermediate
  • Python
  • Terraform
  • FastAPI
  • Pulumi
  • JSON
  • YAML

GitOps

Intermediate
  • Bitbucket
  • Bitbucket Pipelines
  • TravisCI
  • Azure DevOps
  • Github
  • Github Actions
  • Infrastructure as Code

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Intermediate
  • VPCs
  • Transit Gateways
  • NAT Gateways
  • Subnets
  • Route Tables
  • Security Groups
  • EKS
  • ECR
  • EC2
  • Lambda
  • IAM

Microsoft Azure

Intermediate
  • Load Balancing
  • VNETs
  • Network Security Groups

Networking

Advanced
  • BGP
  • OSPF
  • EIGRP
  • VRF Route Leaking
  • vPC
  • VXLAN
  • FabricPath
  • STP
  • Load Balancing
  • WAN Optimisation
  • Wireless
  • Next-Generation Firewalls
  • Vulnerability Scanning
  • Virtual Private Networks

Work Experience (11)

Jun 2022 - Current
Senior Automation Engineer
Dragonfly Technologies
 https://www.dragonflytechnologies.com/
Working as part of the development team, supporting an internally developed microservices platform by performing a variety of tasks
  • Rebuilt AWS environment using Pulumi and Python via Github Actions
  • Migration of approx 35 repositories from Bitbucket to Github
  • Created pipelines that automate build of microservice containers into AWS ECR and automate the release notes into Github
  • Created pipelines that deploy Kubernetes manifests into AWS EKS using Kustomize
  • Remediated and optimised automated Python test pipelines for each release, reducing pipeline runs from 45 minutes down to 3 minutes
  • Implemented and automated code quality standards across all Python-based repositories
  • Integrated automated Github actions pipeline notifications via Slack
  • Developed reusable automation solutions in Python, which are used across various customers
Aug 2020 - Jun 2022
Network Automation Engineer
Transurban
 https://www.transurban.com/
Defining, leading and implementing network automation solutions for the corporate and roadside network teams, using a Python-centric approach.
  • Development of network automation roadmap to progress network automation efforts within the organisation
  • Lead developer for network automation architectural and design decisions
  • Establishment of Source of Truth solution to identify and mass remediate inventory data inside ServiceNow
  • Development of daily automated backup solution, including secret masking (approx 1050 devices)
  • Development of automated compliance solutions (approx 24,000 checks over 1400 devices)
  • Development of standards for code development, installation instructions to ensure code portability and ease of use across various platforms
  • Code refactor of all existing code projects to ensure that projects are consistent and follow best practices, such as adherence to style guides and readability
  • Mentoring of other staff on improving programming skills, including running internal sessions on topics such as FastAPI, nornir and code quality practices
Dec 2019 - Jun 2020
Cloud Engineer (Contract)
Australian Super
 https://www.transurban.com/
Assisting the cloud team in maturing the cloud offering, with a focus on networking automation within the multi-region cloud environment.
  • Development of Ansible playbooks for Checkpoint firewall rule automation
  • Mentoring of other staff on improving network automation skills, including running internal sessions on topics such as Ansible
  • Deployment of internal Terraform module for Checkpoint high availability (HA) deployments in Azure
  • Remediating Azure DevOps pipelines to ensure that builds are consistently deployed across regions
Jul 2019 - Nov 2019
Managing Consultant
Basis Networks
 https://cybercx.com.au/about-cybercx/basis/
Implemented a network automation strategy for company wide code projects, with Python being the primary programming language
  • Consolidation of disparate code locations into a central code repository (Bitbucket)
  • Code refactor of all existing code projects to ensure that projects are consistent and follow best practices, such as adherence to style guides and readability
  • Development of standards for code development, installation instructions to ensure code portability and ease of use across various platforms
  • Mentoring of other staff on improving programming skills, including running internal sessions on topics such as Ansible
Jun 2019 - Feb 2016
Senior Consultant
Basis Networks
 https://cybercx.com.au/about-cybercx/basis/
Lead a number of large scale network and security projects for large Australian enterprise businesses, using automation
  • Designed and implemented a decoupling of management networks from the production network on behalf of Australia’s largest postal service, to mitigate a significant business risk of loss of management access during a critical network outage at either of their data centres.
  • Performed a second data centre relocation and consolidation for a subsidiary on behalf of Australia’s largest postal service, in order to retire legacy infrastructure and recoup significant data centre hosting savings for the business.
  • Performed a firewall rule remediation for a large inbound information management service company, removing several thousand rules over seven high availability firewall pairs.
  • Performed a data centre relocation and consolidation for a subsidiary on behalf of Australia’s largest postal service, in order to retire legacy infrastructure and recoup significant data centre savings for the business.
  • Developed a Python application to provide a configuration backup tool for Basis Networks’ managed service offering to diversify the company’s offerings.
Jan 2016 - Jun 2015
Technical Consultant
Telstra Corporation
 https://www.telstra.com.au/
As part of a team of four consultants, designed and built two new data centre networks for a large gambling company.
  • Designing and implementation for one of Australia’s first Cisco ACI implementations
  • Designing a multi VRF routing solution for new network
  • Develop change plans and cutovers to the new network
May 2015 - Jun 2014
Technical Consultant
O2 Networks
Lead a WAN migration for over eighty sites across Australia for a large health organisation from one WAN service provider to another.
  • Liaised with various stakeholders involved in WAN migration activities
  • Designed and compiled network changes for implementation at all sites
  • Develop test cases and test plans to ensure successful WAN migrations
  • Developed standard change procedures and plans for migrations
  • Organising network resourcing and schedule for all migrations
May 2014 - Nov 2012
Network Engineer
Treasury Wine Estates
 https://www.tweglobal.com/
Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies, with a global winemaking and distribution business operating in multiple countries.
  • Worked in a global network services team which is responsible for over ninety sites globally, primary lead for the Australia and Asia Pacific, approximately 60 sites
  • Involved in gathering network requirements, interpreting into network designs, implementations (onsite and remote) and support/BAU
  • Designing, configuring and implementing site integrations into TWE internal network
  • Developing standards for monitoring, routing and switching practices globally
  • Installing, configuring and management of Cisco routing, switching, wireless, WAN optimisation and firewalls
  • Operational changes and management of Nexus switching, F5 load balancing, McAfee Web Gateways
Oct 2012 - Jun 2012
Traveller
Travelling
Travelling through Europe on a career break.
0
May 2012 - Nov 2010
Network Engineer
ISN Solutions Ltd
 https://www.isnsolutions.co.uk/
Part of the network team performing network services for ISN Solutions' managed service customers.
  • Installing, configuring and management of Cisco routers, switches, firewalls and wireless access points
  • Installing, configuring and management of Cisco Unified Call Manager Express (CME) and Cisco Unified Communications Small Business Systems (UC540 and UC 560 series)
  • Installing, configuring and management of Riverbed Steelhead WAN optimisers
  • Installing, configuring and management of Websense Web Security software
  • Co-ordinated and relocated customers from onsite services to hosting centre migrations
  • Configuration and management of Checkpoint UTM and open server firewalls
  • Coordinating and liaising with third party vendors such as Internet Service Providers to install, configure and troubleshoot components of customer networks.
  • Mentoring and training new network engineers as part of team expansion
  • Remote monitoring, reporting and management of networking suite using N-Central monitoring system
  • Configuring and implementing complete network solution for deployment on oil rig
Oct 2010 - May 2008
Network Engineer
Deakin University
 https://www.deakin.edu.au
Principal contact for all onsite Networking faults, service requests and queries at Deakin University, Waurn Ponds campus and ensuring their completion in line with Service Level Agreements
  • Installing, configuring and load testing UPS Devices
  • Installing, troubleshooting and configuration of Tandberg Video Conferencing systems
  • Installing, configuring and replacing Cisco switches, wireless access points and routers for the University network as per customer requirements
  • Complete requests for configuration of Cisco IP Phones and IP Voice Points using Cisco Call Manager 4.3 and 7
  • Coordinate and organise Change Records and Outage Notifications to alert customers of IT Service disruptions in line with ITIL best-practice.
  • Coordinate with Systems Administrators to complete all networking requests for servers in the Universities data centre
  • Liaise with Facilities Management for design, fit-out and installation of network services into new and refurbished building projects
  • Coordinate contractors to complete data outlet cabling, system tails for switches and server hosts
  • Complete cabling requests for fax lines, auto-diallers and EFTPOS lines by cabling from MDF to end-customer locations

Projects (2)

motherstarter
Nov 2020 - Current
 https://github.com/writememe/motherstarter
A network data transformation tool to accelerate the adoption of network automation by providing a command-line interface to convert input file sources to various network automation output formats.
  • Maintainer of the project
Building Network Automation Solutions - Course Assignments
Feb 2019 - May 2019
 https://github.com/writememe/BlgNetAutoSol
As part of completing the course, my portfolio of coursework can be found on Github

Education (2)

2006 - 2004
Diploma
 Information Technology (Network Engineering)
Computer Power Institute of Technology
2019 - 2019
Online Course
 Building Network Automation Solutions
IP Space

Certificates

2021-03-31
Cisco Certified DevNet Associate
Cisco Systems
2019-11-28
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Amazon Web Services
2014-05-24
Cisco Certified Network Professional Enterprise (CCNP Enterprise)
Cisco Systems
2015-05-22
Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
Cisco Systems

Publications

1 Dec 2020
 The Art of Network Engineering Podcast in The Art of Network Engineering
Appeared on the podcast and spoke about network automation and my journey to becoming a network automation engineer
11 Dec 2020
Appeared on the podcast and spoke about open source versus commercial software and some of the key considerations
5 Mar 2021
Appeared on the podcast and spoke about open source software as it relates to networking and network automation
22 Jun 2023
Appeared on the podcast and about my background, approach and mindset to one's career.
8 Mar 2024
Appeared on the podcast to discuss the issues around adopting automation within an organisation.

Languages

English

Native speaker

Interests

Cycling

  • Bikepacking
  • Outdoor Adventuring