About Me
I have been working in information technology since 1992. I got my start, as many others have, running cable, fixing desktops and printers, etc. My first blush with networking was using Novell's Netware, where I eventually became a Master CNE. My favorite desktop in the beginning was OS/2, but found myself working with Windows more often than not. I developed a nack for working with software and eventually started playing with Windows NT version 3.1.
I became a Microsoft Instructor for Windows NT 3.5, continuing this for several years. I got tired of the constant travel every week and became a consultant, where I traveled most every week (tee hee). Throughout my years as a consultant I have continued to work with just about every Microsoft technology they have created, since they created it, working with many products from their first beta release. I currently hold, or have held, 40 plus Microsoft Certifications.
In 1999 I started taking an interest in security. I took the CISSP exam in 2000 and over the years have taken several other security related certifications such as the GWAPT, CISA, CISM, CEH, ECSA, LPT and EIEIO. I have performed generaly security assessments, penetration testing, application assessment, audit and post audit reviews for many Federal, State, Fortune 50, Fortune 100 and SMB based businesses.
In 2005 I began working for a company that worked primarily with virtualization doing both VMware virtualization as well as security related work. At that time we were one of the only companies doing virtualization and performed a great deal of work for companies all across the globe. At that time we were really VMware's "go to" company when things went south.
I am currently enjoying the open source community and the many flavors of Linux. I tend to favor Ubuntu, but see the value in many of the distributions that are available. I think that, while many are still trying to figure out how to profit from open source, there is a bright future in the innovation that comes from it. I dont' enjoy my Windows or Mac world as much as I used to. Besides, there are so many cool toys in the open source world.
Well, that is my history in a nutshell. I spent a lot of time getting certified early on, back when it was very difficult to pass the tests. Luckily I spent time getting good at the various technologies I used, instead of just passing the tests as so many do today. I have been all over the country, done the jobs that no one else wanted because they were too risky or the jobs that everyone else already screwed up and I was to play "fireman" and come in and fix. I have worked for more companies that I can count and been sent on site to do work for more companies than I can count. Always working diligently in the background. While others built their reputation, I chose to stay nameless...