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Chris Houdek

Network | Infrastructure | Security
​I am an information services professional specializing in network architecture, management and support in a global enterprise environment with additional experience in network security, server and desktop administration, virtualization and help desk support. I have a reputation of challenging the orthodoxies of the past and as a result have achieved success in roles of increasing responsibility.
WORK EXPERIENCE
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Network & Security Engineer, May 2022 – Present
Senior Network Engineer, July 2017 – May 2022
Network Engineer, March 2014 – July 2017

Swagelok Company – Solon, OH
  • Advise management on network technologies, provide direction in regards to the network architecture and implement enterprise-wide network projects
  • Work with management to plan annual IT initiatives and budgeting for the network services team
  • Experience building networks that span multiple data centers and continents and working with service providers to deploy a variety of transports (DIA, MPLS, P2P)
  • Participate in Swagelok's Enterprise Architecture and Cyber Security teams which help guide the IT organization
  • Develop and maintain quality vendor relationships that help Swagelok control costs and ensure service delivery
  • Successfully completed a greenfield data center build and migration as the network technical lead
  • Extensive cross functional work with business operations for design and implementation of OT environments
  • Responsible for maintaining the uptime of the Swagelok wide area network
  • Build, support and troubleshoot Swagelok's wired and wireless networks, routers, switches, firewalls and APs at our global corporate offices with 1,200+ network devices and a user community of 5,000+
  • Current experience with a broad range of network products such as Cisco routers, switches and Nexus devices, Cisco DNAC, ISE, ASA, as well as Arista, Meraki, Solarwinds Network Monitoring, F5, Check Point and SonicWall firewalls and various wireless and VPN technologies
  • Past experience with Cisco Prime, WLCs, CUCM, CCX, RSA SecurID and Riverbed products
  • Advanced knowledge of MS Windows OS and O365 Suite in addition to DNS and DHCP technologies
  • Working knowledge of Linux and MacOS, Active Directory, Azure and virtualization technologies
  • Conduct interviews and onboard new hires
Major Projects and Initiatives
  • Greenfield Data Center Build and Migration - As a project technical lead, led the efforts for the layout and design of new space at a colocation facility from rack selection and layout, power and cabling infrastructure to network design, deployment and ultimately migration of an environment supporting over 200 apps and 800 servers.
  • Network Vendor Migration - As part of the data center build, I spearheaded the initiative to transition data center infrastructure from Cisco to Arista, presenting a compelling business case and leading the strategic planning and execution to enhance network performance and reliability.
  • Penetration Testing - Led the coordination and execution of annual penetration testing in collaboration with a third-party vendor, ensuring comprehensive assessment of system vulnerabilities and alignment with security best practices.
  • Network Packet Broker and NDR - Implemented and configured a network packet broker and Network Detection and Response (NDR) solution to enhance network visibility, streamline data flow, and strengthen cybersecurity measures.
  • Out of Band Network Deployments - Setup true out of band networks at Swagelok facilities that shortened time to resolution for network outages and reduced the administrative burden for maintenance, upgrades and troubleshooting.
  • Network Refresh - Led a number of projects to refresh network infrastructure throughout the organization to ensure reliability and supportability. 
  • Network Monitoring - Overhauled Swagelok's network monitoring by consolidating and optimizing monitoring tools which resulted in improved monitoring and annual cost reduction.
  • Cloud Connectivity - Worked on several projects to increase Swagelok's use of cloud services
  • Voice Upgrades - Assisted in a variety of phone and voicemail system upgrade projects.

Senior Distributor Support Analyst, September 2012 – March 2014
Distributor Support Analyst, May 2011 – September 2012

Swagelok Company – Solon, OH
  • Deploy and support firewalls used at over 200 distributor locations around the world including setting up and troubleshooting firewall policies, site-to-site VPNs and remote VPN users to maintain secure connectivity to our global corporate offices
  • Train distributors on a variety of proprietary applications to enable them to sell product to the end customers
  • Administer HP-UX servers supporting the business systems by monitoring and troubleshooting hardware and proprietary software
  • Setup and manage user accounts via Active Directory
Major Projects and Initiatives
  • Firewall Upgrade - Co-led a project to upgrade approximately 200 firewalls in our offices across the globe.
  • Office Consolidations - Worked on various projects that consolidated offices around the world by performing data validation and consolidation, communicating deadlines and coordinating efforts with various departments in the organization.

Information Technology Manager, May 2010 – May 2011
Mazda of Bedford – Bedford, OH
  • Manage all aspects of the information technology business unit
  • Launched Mazda of Bedford's social media presence and produced internet advertisements and email newsletters to increase business and attract new audiences
  • Build and maintain all employee workstations and repair all computer issues
  • Research and implement new technologies
  • Perform server administration on Windows servers, including managing file shares, DNS and DHCP
Major Projects and Initiatives
  • Windows 7 Upgrade - Worked to upgrade office PCs from Windows XP to Windows 7 by researching hardware, purchasing, implementation and training
  • TrendMicro Implementation - Researched, tested, purchased and implemented 
    TrendMicro antivirus on all office PCs
  • Social Media Project - Worked to provide Mazda of Bedford an internet presence using 
    social media to reach additional customers

Computer Technician, August 2008 – May 2011
Kent State University: The TechSpot – Kent, OH
  • Assist with interviewing and onboarding new hires
  • Troubleshoot and repair hardware, software and network issues on user PC’s
  • Keep campus network secure by monitoring network activity and enforcing security policies
  • Specialized in virus removal, hardware repair, OS installations and data backup/recovery
EDUCATION and CERTIFICATION
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Kent State University - Kent, Ohio
2007 - 2011
  • B.B.A. - Computer Information Systems
  • Dean’s List Spring ’08, Spring ’09, Spring ’10, Fall ’10, Spring ‘11
  • GPA 3.44

Padua Franciscan High School - Parma, Ohio
2003 - 2007
  • High School Diploma
  • Honor Roll ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07
 
  • Cisco Interconnecting Devices Part 1 & 2 (ICND1 & ICND2)
  • Cisco Nexus 1000V (DCNX1K)
  • Cisco Switch (SWITCH)
  • Cisco Implementing ASA (SASAC)
  • Check Point Expert Training
  • Solarwinds Certified Professional
  • Certified Sonicwall Security Professional
  • Certified Meraki Network Operator
  • Microsoft Training:
    • AZ104 - Azure Administrator
    • AZ500 - Azure Security Technologies
    • AZ700 - Designing and Implementing Azure Networking Solutions
    • AZ305 - Designing Azure Infrastructure Solutions
    • MD102 - Intune Endpoint Management

TECHNICAL SKILLS
  • Networking - Cisco and Arista - Route, Switch, Wireless, and VPN
  • SonicWALL and Check Point firewall deployment and management
  • Desktop and Laptop Troubleshooting and Repair
  • Hardware Installation
  • Virus Removal
  • Remote Tools - Windows Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, VNC and LogMeIn
  • Microsoft O365 and Office Suite
  • Microsoft Windows 10 and 11, Mac OSX and Linux operating systems
  • Android and iOS mobile operating systems
  • Minor Programming - Python, HTML, PHP and SQL
  • Previous Programming Experience in C++, C# and VB
  • CA Service Desk and Service Now ticketing systems

SOFT SKILLS
  • Agility and resilience
  • Detail oriented
  • Planning and organization
  • Effective communication and collaboration
  • Customer service
  • Critical thinking
  • Problem solving
  • Ability to translate technical information in a non-technical way
  • Reliable
  • Cross-culture communication
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