I have been working in the Information Technology sector for about 11 years which gives me a strong technical background from both an educational and professional point of view.
Technical Skills gained from education: I have taken some very technical courses over the years which have given me the required educational background. Some of the courses I have taken are as follows:
- Practical Project to create and implement Hotel Management Software
- Programming in SQL and Oracle
- Programming in Turbo Pascal, C, C++
- Object Oriented Techniques
- Systems Analysis and Design
- Network Environment
- Visual Basic
- Systems Database
- Systems Analysis
- Windows Programming in Visual Basic, ASP
- Operating Systems fundamentals
- System Architecture
- Data Communications
- Advanced Operating Systems – UNIX.
All these technical courses have given me the strong technical background to understand the technical requirements of the information technology sector. I also have read and acquired knowledge about webhosting, webpage building, blogging, SharePoint, video streaming, different server operating systems, different windows desktop systems, different hardware, file portal systems, Symantec ghost system, Medicol, Virtual Slide server, Active Directory, User account management, implementing group policies, setting up secure online exam environment for students and Citrix environment. I also have taken Apple training in Vancouver which has given me technical knowledge about Apple/Mac computers and also have attended Tandberg Audio Visual equipment training.
Putting educational knowledge into practical life: Through out my work history you will discover different aspects of technical implementation of my theoretical knowledge. To name few areas where I have utilized my theoretical knowledge into practical life are as follows:
Implementing Online Exam Environment Using Group Policy Object: Online exam is an integral part of Medical Education. Because Northern Medical Program is a part of Distributed Medical Program from UBC, the main exam server is hosted at UBC. NMP requires a secure and stable connection from NMP to UBC exam server. To do this, I had to research extensively how other sites are setup and then had to come up with a suitable Group Policy that would create a secure connection to UBC. As backup I am also required to maintain an updated Image that can be deployed on a moments notice if Group Policy is not working.
Implementing Solution to provide secure LMCC exam environment: Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada is a requirement for graduating students to practice in Canada. Setting up LMCC exam environment required extensive research on requirements and setup. For the first exam I had to configure and setup a Virtual Private Network box to accommodate the exam environment. However, while doing so I found out that when securing the VPN tunnel we can not use group policy at NMP to secure the machine. As a result I had to come up with a solution that would create a secure environment as well as work with the VPN box. I successfully implemented local group policy which worked in conjunction with the VPN box that was sent to us by LMCC exam group from Montreal. To achieve this I had to do the followings:
- Keep all the computers on the regular network,
- Image all the computers with the proper image customized for the exam,
- Activate the VPN box to reroute all traffic through VPN box,
- After the exam I reversed the process to bring all the computers back to its original setup.
Consulting Affiliated Regional Center with computer requirements: Terrace campus is an Affiliated Regional Center. Students require writing exams at this center. I had to buy all the required computers for this center as well as consulting with Mills Memorial Hospital to setup the machines properly so our students can connect to UBC exam server using Northern Health Authority’s network.
Active Directory Management: Managing active directory, creating groups, removing user privileges, adding user rights are part of daily job requirement. Creating and managing new users accounts, providing email access are also part of daily work load.
Lotus Domino server administration: While I was working with Abitibi Consolidated Company of Canada in 2004, I had the opportunity to implement Lotus Domini server. It was email migration project from Microsoft Exchange to Lotus Domino. I also had to plan migration of user platforms from Microsoft Office Outlook to Lotus Notes client.
Experience with Symantec and McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise: Through out all my work experience I have utilized Symantec and McAfee enterprise edition of anti virus program. Currently I am using Symantec Anti virus enterprise edition to protect our computer environment.
Managing Symantec Ghost Server: At my current position I have successful setup Symantec Ghost Console 8.0 for our computer lab environment. This includes installing server 2003 on a brand new Dell PowerEdge 2950 server, installing Symantec Ghost Console, Configuring according to business needs, creating network template, testing it, implementing the template, creating images with proper task, and deploying images with proper task.
Capital Project Renewal of Desktop Environment: This required inter-site (UBC, UNBC, UVic) coordination to get the right solution for the capital replacement. I was the member of Technology Advisory Group and my responsibility was to represent Northern Medical Program to the group. Choosing the right model of computer, reviewing RFBs, recommending the right vendor was part of this. When the machines arrived, I had to image the computers, deploy the images on the newly arrived computers and then put them in the lab on time.
Capital Project Renewal of Server Environment: Server renewal was also inter-site project that required collaboration between with all three universities diplomatically and also working with internal UNBC’s information technology group. I successfully acquired and deployed 4 servers which included a domain controller, a backup domain controller, a terminal server and a Symantec ghost server. All of which are running on windows server 2003 with the intention to move towards windows server 2008.
Consulting Software and Hardware requirements with End Users: As part of my regular work, I am responsible in recommending and purchasing computer hardware and accessories. This require meeting with end users including doctors and staff members, understanding their requirement, transform them into technical requirement and research internet or with colleagues to customize a solution for their individual needs. The groups I consult with regularly are staff members, doctors, researchers, and students.
Purchasing hardware/software: Purchasing hardware and software are also a part of my day to day duty. After user makes his or her decision I had to put in web requisition form for that individual and when the hardware/software comes in I would have to configure them, install them accordingly.
Managing Blogs: I use WordPress blogging tool to manage some blogs such as: www.seriousopinion.com, www.geekyway.com
Managing Websites: I used UNBC’s content management system to build a help desk website. I also have used asp and java to build a business website at www.nitori.ca
Creating Login Script for Active Directory Users: Using kix scripting tool I had to create logging script for our domain level user authentication and network drive setups.
Remote support Tool: Bomgar is the latest tool that I use to remotely support our end users in Terrace and at home. Before that I used VNC.
Setting up Windows Server 2008 as Super Desktop: In the quest to train myself I have successfully setup Windows Server 2008 as Super Desktop. I have done my research online and configured it as I saw it best fit my need. I then installed VMWare to host Windows Vista and Windows XP for end user support. The hardware for this is Dell Precision Workstation T7400.