Michael Ryan

Engineering Complex Technologies through Elegant Simplicity

Summary

Systems Engineer with experience designing, modernizing, securing, and supporting enterprise server, network, cloud, and data-center environments. Skilled in infrastructure architecture, platform operations, systems administration, automation, and technical escalation. Known for translating complex requirements into reliable, maintainable, and secure solutions that improve operations and support long-term business goals.

Professional Experience

General IT Infrastructure Systems Administrator

OSC Technical Solutions

May 2025 - Present

As the primary Subject Matter Expert for Kiteworks, WS_FTP, and Box.com, I design, administer, and modernize secure enterprise file transfer platforms supporting mission-critical data exchanges between internal systems and external partners. I ensure the reliability, security, and compliance of the organization’s managed file transfer infrastructure while supporting a centralized software distribution environment serving more than 675 enterprise applications. I work closely with infrastructure, cybersecurity, and application teams to improve operational efficiency, reduce risk, and drive the organization’s transition to modern secure collaboration platforms.

Core Responsibilities & Technical Leadership:

  • Enterprise File Transfer: Architect, administer, and optimize WS_FTP Pro environments across Windows and Linux platforms, including secure user provisioning, SSL certificate lifecycle management, firewall integration, and SFTP/FTPS services.
  • Platform Modernization: Partner with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to migrate legacy managed file transfer workflows to Kiteworks, redesigning secure data exchange processes and supporting enterprise adoption.
  • Enterprise Content Management: Administer the organization’s Box.com environment, managing folder permissions, Single Sign-On (SSO) integration, user access, and data retention policies to ensure secure collaboration.
  • Software Distribution: Support the enterprise software distribution platform by packaging and deploying applications through Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), ensuring compatibility, compliance, and reliable delivery.
  • Incident Response & Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve complex file transfer, authentication, protocol, and network issues by analyzing FTP, SFTP, HTTP/S, firewall, and security configurations to maintain service availability.
  • Automation & Process Improvement: Develop PowerShell and Python automation to streamline account provisioning, monitoring, and operational workflows, improving efficiency while reducing manual effort and configuration inconsistencies.

Systems Engineer

Tigunia

May 2023 - April 2024

Tigunia specialized in delivering enterprise Microsoft Dynamics solutions through private cloud, Microsoft Azure, and customer-managed infrastructure, providing organizations with secure, scalable ERP platforms without the complexity of managing their own data centers. As a Systems Engineer, I partnered with project managers, Dynamics consultants, business stakeholders, and executive leadership to architect and implement the infrastructure supporting customer ERP environments. I evaluated business requirements, performed infrastructure sizing, and recommended deployment models that balanced technical requirements, scalability, resiliency, operational complexity, and long-term cost, helping customers select the platform best aligned with their business objectives. I routinely assessed compute, storage, networking, and licensing requirements to develop right-sized infrastructure solutions that balanced performance, scalability, and cost.

  • Infrastructure Architecture & Cloud: Designed, deployed, and maintained Windows and Linux server infrastructures supporting Microsoft Dynamics across VMware, Hyper-V, Microsoft Azure, Tigunia’s hosted private cloud, and customer-managed environments. Contributed to expanding Tigunia’s hosted infrastructure through the deployment of its Spokane datacenter, improving geographic redundancy and resiliency. Architected the organization’s migration from Datto to Veeam by developing the technical design and implementation strategy for a modernized backup and disaster recovery platform. Designed disaster recovery solutions for hosted and customer-managed environments and regularly participated in tabletop recovery exercises to validate business continuity and recovery procedures.
  • Enterprise Platform Engineering: Built standardized Development, Test, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and Production environments, ensuring platforms were secure, documented, and deployment-ready. Partnered closely with Dynamics developers to validate infrastructure dependencies, networking, authentication, connectivity, and operational readiness before application deployment and customer handoff. Leveraged standardized PowerShell and Azure DevOps deployment workflows to consistently provision infrastructure to defined specifications.
  • Infrastructure Operations & Optimization: Collaborated with developers, database administrators, and customer IT teams to troubleshoot complex issues spanning SQL Server, Windows Server, networking, firewalls, storage, virtualization, authentication, and application services. Developed comprehensive infrastructure documentation, including network topologies, firewall logic, service dependencies, port mappings, implementation guides, and operational documentation. Leveraged enterprise monitoring and observability platforms to validate deployments, analyze infrastructure health, identify performance bottlenecks, and support ongoing optimization.
  • Identity, Collaboration & Technical Leadership: Led Microsoft 365, Exchange, Google Workspace, and Dynamics 365 migrations while implementing Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory/Azure AD), Azure AD Domain Services (Azure AD DS), Single Sign-On (SSO), and Duo multifactor authentication. Served as the primary technical advisor throughout customer engagements by leading discovery sessions, scoping infrastructure requirements, presenting technical recommendations to executive leadership, mentoring junior engineers, and delivering secure, scalable, and maintainable infrastructure solutions aligned with long-term business objectives.

Sr. Systems Engineer & Solutions Architect

Responza

July 2012 - August 2022

At Responza, I served as a Sr. Systems Engineer & Solutions Architect supporting more than 50 regional, national, and international client environments across private, public, hybrid, and on-premises platforms. My role combined solution architecture, infrastructure engineering, project leadership, service operations, vendor coordination, executive consulting, and advanced technical escalation. As a senior technical leader, I helped define infrastructure standards, technology recommendations, and implementation methodologies across client projects, partnering with leadership, sales, purchasing, engineering, help desk, vendors, and customer stakeholders to guide technical direction, improve service delivery, and resolve complex infrastructure challenges. I designed, modernized, secured, and supported business-critical infrastructure; led customer-facing and internal initiatives; mentored technical teams; and served as a primary escalation point for advanced cross-platform issues.

  • Infrastructure Architecture & Modernization: Designed, deployed, migrated, and optimized server, storage, networking, cloud, and endpoint infrastructure across client environments. Supported private, public, hybrid, and on-premises platforms while improving reliability, security, and operational efficiency. Managed physical and virtual server infrastructures across Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.
  • Standards, Strategy & Technology Direction: Developed standardized technology stacks, architecture patterns, and implementation practices to reduce complexity and improve supportability. Evaluated infrastructure technologies, defined preferred solution approaches, and guided sales, purchasing, engineering, and leadership teams toward hardware, software, and service recommendations.
  • Deployment, Migration & Business Continuity: Planned and executed deployments, migrations, upgrades, and lifecycle replacements involving servers, storage, networking, email, backup, and business-critical applications. Focused on smooth transitions, minimal downtime, recoverability, and maintainable long-term operations.
  • Network, Security & Systems Engineering: Designed and implemented secure network architectures including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, wireless, and segmentation. Improved performance, strengthened security postures, and resolved issues spanning servers, storage, networking, identity, applications, endpoints, remote access, and connectivity.
  • Monitoring, Automation & Operational Efficiency: Developed a customized monitoring platform using AWS-hosted services and on-premises Nagios appliances to monitor ICMP, SNMP, and TCP traffic across client networks. Delivered live health dashboards, historical reporting, and actionable parent/child alerting. Used MDM, RMM, scripting, and automation to reduce manual effort, minimize human error, improve response times, and increase consistency.
  • Client Consulting & Stakeholder Communication: Worked directly with C-suite executives, business owners, managers, technical staff, and end users to understand needs and design tailored technology solutions. Provided technical consultation, solution recommendations, project guidance, status communication, and user-facing support.
  • Project Leadership & Service Delivery: Led concurrent infrastructure projects from discovery and design through implementation, documentation, testing, acceptance, and support. Managed scope, budgets, schedules, resources, procurement coordination, and technical execution while contributing directly as an engineering resource. Provided 24/7 support for urgent client issues.
  • Engineering Leadership, Mentorship & Escalation: Led systems engineers, systems administrators, and help desk personnel through complex technical challenges. Managed advanced escalations, mentored team members, developed training materials, and created documentation and implementation standards to improve team capability, accelerate troubleshooting, and ensure consistent support.
  • Vendor Management & Business Alignment: Maintained vendor relationships, managed support interactions, and owned escalations through resolution while acting as a primary technical point of contact. Coordinated communication between customers, vendors, and internal teams to reduce client burden and improve accountability. Contributed to business leadership discussions on infrastructure design, optimization, security posture, service delivery, and IT strategy.

Technical Capabilities & Skills

  • Infrastructure Architecture & Modernization: Design, modernize, optimize, and support enterprise infrastructure across on-premises, private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid environments while improving resiliency, scalability, security, operational efficiency, and long-term business value.
    • Windows ServerLinuxApple macOSVMware vSphereVMware vSANHyper-VXenMicrosoft AzureAmazon Web Services (AWS)Google Cloud Platform (GCP)Hybrid CloudHigh Availability (HA)Failover ClusteringLive MigrationCapacity PlanningSolution Architecture
  • Enterprise Networking & Layered Security: Design, secure, optimize, and troubleshoot layered enterprise infrastructure through resilient networking, defense-in-depth controls, secure remote access, segmentation, endpoint protection, and highly available edge security.
    • CiscoDellPalo AltoFortinetSonicWallTCP/IPIPv4/IPv6DNSDHCPRoutingSwitchingVLANVPNSite-to-Site VPNRemote Access VPNRADIUSTACACS+SSL/TLSPKICertificate ManagementFirewallsSoftware FirewallsIDS/IPSWeb Application Firewall (WAF)Endpoint ProtectionMicrosoft DefenderCrowdStrikeSophosZero Trust
  • Microsoft 365, Identity & Digital Workplace: Modernize identity, messaging, collaboration, and endpoint management platforms that improve security, simplify administration, and enhance productivity.
    • Microsoft 365Google WorkspaceExchange OnlineExchange ServerSharePointMicrosoft TeamsTeams PhoneOneDriveActive DirectoryMicrosoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)Azure AD Domain Services (Azure AD DS)Single Sign-On (SSO)Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)Conditional AccessLDAPKerberosMicrosoft IntuneMicrosoft Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)WSUSGroup Policy (GPO)
  • Enterprise Platforms, Data & Business Continuity: Deploy, modernize, integrate, and optimize enterprise platforms supporting business applications, secure collaboration, storage, backup, disaster recovery, virtualization, and secure data exchange.
    • Microsoft SQL ServerMySQLIISApacheMicrosoft DynamicsDynamics 365Remote Desktop Services (RDS)Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway)CitrixKiteworksWS_FTPBox EnterpriseFile ServicesDFSPrint ServicesSANNASFibre ChanneliSCSIAzure BackupVeeam Backup & ReplicationDattoWindows Server BackupSymantec Backup ExecDisaster Recovery (DR)Business Continuity (BC)
  • Automation & Operational Excellence: Improve operational efficiency through automation, standardization, observability, proactive monitoring, and continuous optimization.
    • PowerShellPythonBashGitGitHubAzure DevOpsTerraformAnsibleDesired State Configuration (DSC)Infrastructure AutomationConfiguration ManagementInfrastructure MonitoringPerformance MonitoringRoot Cause Analysis
  • Consulting, Architecture & Technical Leadership: Partner with executive leadership, project managers, developers, vendors, and customer stakeholders to assess business requirements, modernize infrastructure, optimize technology investments, and deliver secure, scalable, and maintainable solutions.
    • Technical ConsultingSolution ArchitectureInfrastructure AssessmentsInfrastructure SizingRequirements GatheringDiscovery WorkshopsTechnology RoadmapsTechnology ModernizationInfrastructure OptimizationPlatform MigrationsProject ScopingVendor ManagementChange ManagementExecutive CommunicationTechnical DocumentationArchitecture DiagramsMicrosoft VisioUser Acceptance Testing (UAT)HIPAAPCI DSS

Education & Development

Network Administrator, AAS

Yakima Valley College

Expected 2027

Advancing my education in network administration to strengthen and expand hands-on experience in infrastructure, systems engineering, security, and technical support. Program coursework builds from IT fundamentals and business communication into operating systems, server administration, PowerShell scripting, Cisco networking, database systems, network security, and user-focused problem resolution, while supporting preparation for industry-recognized Cisco, CompTIA, and Microsoft certifications.

  • Program Focus:
    • IT Foundations & Business Communication: Information technology fundamentals, written business communication, career management, professional etiquette, and communication with peers, clients, and management
    • Systems Administration & Automation: Computer operating systems, applied server technologies, Windows administration, PowerShell scripting, systems support, and user-focused problem resolution
    • Networking & Infrastructure: Network fundamentals, Cisco networking, network equipment configuration, server administration, network installation, and infrastructure troubleshooting
    • Security & Operational Standards: Network security, industry standards, security best practices, technology-based solutions, and organizational problem solving
    • Data & Application Support: Applied database systems, business-critical application support, and technical troubleshooting across systems, users, and organizations
  • Academic Recognition:
    • President’s List, Spring 2025
    • Dean’s List, Fall 2025
    • Dean’s List, Spring 2026
  • Campus & Technical Engagement:
    • Engineering Club
    • CS&IT Club (Computer Science and Information Technology)
    • Wellness Club

Reference: Michael Ryan YVC Student Story