Welcome
As a freelance consultant specialising in IT infrastructure services with 20 years IT experience designing and deploying solutions for small to medium size enterprises in the UK,
I can provide a full range of services incorporating design, installation, support, training & documentation in new projects or optimising existing infrastructure, specialising around the following technologies:
Email Systems - MS Exchange & Linux systems - Cloud and On Premise
WAN Security & Networking - Internet Connectivity, Firewalls, Application Filters and VPNs
Virtualisation - VMware and Hyper-V platforms
Remote Desktop/Thin Client/Tablet Environments
I can also provide skills in the disciplines listed on the services page
The projects page also gives a selection of key projects I have been invovled with in the past.
Services
- Networking - Firewalls including NextGeneration, LAN Wired and/or WiFi, Remote Access/SSL VPN, Web Filters inc Layer 7/Applications, Email Filters, WAN Optimisation
- Vendor Experience Networking - StoneSoft, WatchGuard, SonicWall, Cisco, PaloAlto, Riverbed, SilverPeak, Meraki, ZyXEL, HP, PortWise, Bloxx
- Infrastructure - Virtualisation, Server & Blade Hardware, Storage, Server OS, Onsite Exchange, Hosted Exchange, Office365, Linux SMTP/IMAP/POP solutions
- Vendor Experience Infrastructure - VMware, Hyper-V, IBM, HP, Dell, EqualLogic, Hitachi, Linux (RedHat & Debian based)
- Microsoft Applications - Windows Server, Exchange, Lync, SQL, SharePoint, Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services, ISA
I can provide Design and Deployment services including installation, upgrade, migration, audit and support services for the following technologies and services on either a one-off or regular (i.e. weekly, monthly, etc.) basis.
Projects - Recent
2013 - Designed and deployed firewall solution to deliver higher bandwidth availability over standard broadband for site-to-site connectivity for client with a number of small but key locations and distributed WiFi solution incorporating secure corporate network alongside guest network with hotspot login capabilities on same hardware platform.
2013 - Designed and deployed new Microsoft Terminal Services farm in virtual environment to replace existing standalone physical servers. Deployed 3rd Party Open-Source resilient load-balancer to reduce server overhead. Redeployed underutilized physical servers as virtual platform to negate new hardware spend.
2013 - Designed and deployed Microsoft Lync system for 150 users for desktop and mobile access, also included Skype integration.
2013 - Designed and deployed project to migrate 150 users from Microsoft Exchange 2003 email system to virtualised resilient multi-tenant Microsoft Exchange 2013 system. The majority were mobile users using both Android, Apple & Blackberry Smartphones and PC based MS Outlook.
2013 - Designed and deployed a resilient virtual environment based around Hyper-V Server 2012 and existing hardware. For the migration of legacy Microsoft Windows Servers and deployment of new servers.
2012 - Designed and deployed project to migrate 800 users from Domino email system to virtualised resilient multi-tenant Exchange 2010 system.
2012 - Installed Network Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) for Large Enterprise to protect their server infrastructure from Internet and Private WAN.
2012 - Migrated several existing standalone virtual platforms and physical system to previously built resilient multi-tenant cloud compute platform.
2011 - Designed and Deployed scalable platform to deliver a fully managed WAN using Next Generation Firewalls.
2011 - Designed and Deployed cloud compute platform utilising blade server and storage infrastructure for virtual environment. Using vSphere for virtual platform.
Projects - Historic
2011 - Rationalised Exchange system for 1500 users, system initially contained 2500 accounts. Reduced storgae use and resiliece, extending usable life of system.
2011 - Integrated Email archiving solution into Exchange email system for long term archiving of emails, for legal and policy purposes.
2011 - Converted physical Terminal Server farm to granular virtual environment to greatly increase stability and user experience of system, all using existing hardware.
2010 – Designed and Deployed several Wide Area Networks (WAN) utilising Fixed Link and Broadband connectivity, including bonded and load-balanced xDSL circuits as a cost-effective alternative to Fixed Links.
2010 – Designed and Deployed cloud hosted SaaS platform for a large UK based software house. This was based on Remote Desktop Services into Hyper-V virtualised servers in a UK Datacentre.
2008 to 2010 – Designed & Deployed Large Scale cross-city wireless microwave point-to-multipoint network to deliver Internet access to tower blocks. Internal switching & routing infrastructure deployed with Cisco equipment, external microwave wireless devices from AirSpan and BridgeWave, internal wireless deployed with Motorola and ZyXEL devices. Project made UK Computing press: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/1823899/free-powerline-wireless-broadband-council-tenants
2007 to 2011 – Designed and Deployed many Wide Area Networks using VPNs over Load-Balanced ADSL services, integrating Web-Filtering, Spam Filtering and Remote Access where required.
2005 to 2007 – Deployed Thin Client based infrastructure, using both Citrix and Terminal Services dependant on customer size, to deliver centralized access to bespoke software platform for software house.
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