Steven Macdonald

Senior Manager, IT Service Support

Intelligent Apps GmbH, Hamburg, Germany / October 2020 - Present

Responsible for disciplinary and functional leadership of a multi-national team for frontline internal IT support, consulted regarding internal policies and procedures to improve efficiency

- Implemented new systems for handling external employees (Contractors, Freelancers, and Temporary Workers)
- Created process for securely implementing new software for internal use
- Implemented procedure for securely verifying authorized users that have access to internal systems

Team Lead, Technical Operations

edict egaming GmbH, Hamburg, Germany / June 2016 - June 2020

Responsible for disciplinary and functional leadership of a multi-national team for all IT operations, from Office Administration to operating 24/7 webshops

- Oversaw the upgrade of all Live systems from physical servers to a private cloud infrastructure
- Initiated the complete re-installation of the network infrastructure to support business initiatives
- Created and provided IT perspectives on operational Compliance in line with ISO 27001 standards

Lead IT Consultant

eSailors GmbH, Hamburg, Germany / Apr 2013 - May 2015

Provided staff management support for Operations Director, with project management services and architectural consulting for the overall business.

- Consulted on cultural and technical topics for a company-wide rebranding project
- Provided project management support for new office builds
- Team member of project to redefine the organization's technical business model

Manager, Infrastructure Team

eSailors GmbH, Hamburg, Germany / July 2009 - March 2013

Provided disciplinary and functional leadership of a multi-national team of system and network administrators ensuring 24/7/365 continuous service of online web shops.

- Introduced SAN technologies to the Test and Live Environments
- Maintained all uptime Service Level Agreements
- Oversaw the installation and implementation of systems for rapid OS deployment, patching, and rollback

Manager, Platform Team

Tipp24 AG, Hamburg, Germany / June 2007 - June 2009

Provided disciplinary and functional leadership of a multi-national team of system administrators ensuring 24/7/365 continuous service of online web shops serving the German market.

- Oversaw the migration of two load-balanced data centers from Germany to the UK with minimal downtime
- Oversaw server migration from Sun Solaris to HP/Red Hat systems
- Built multi-national team of administrators working in 3 countries across 2 time zones
- Designed and implemented data continuance architecture for the enterprise

Continuance Practice Consultant

Agilysys, Alpharetta, GA, USA / April 2005 - August 2006

Consulted with several business entities on implementing continuance and data integrity architectures based around EMC NetWorker in their data centers.

- Designed data continuance architecture for a client in Buffalo, NY
- Acted as troubleshooter and implementer for EMC NetWorker upgrade for a client in Miami, FL
- Implemented and documented a multiple site, 500+ server EMC NetWorker continuance architecture, backing up approximately 500TB/month

Backups Operations - Systems Engineer

MCI Worldcom, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 2001 - 2004

Ensured data integrity (backups) for Worldcom's web centers using Legato NetWorker maintaining rigorous availability and integrity standards. Resolved data backup failures on multiple platforms (Solaris, WinNT, Win2000).

- Maintained an average successful backup rate over 99.6%
- Conducted training for other members of the Backups team
- Acted as troubleshooter and implementer for EMC NetWorker upgrade for a client in Miami, FL
- Webmaster and primary author of departmental processes and procedures

Data Integrity Engineering - Systems Engineer

MCI Worldcom, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 2000 - 2001

Researched new networking technologies to ensure compatibility and increased service availability for Worldcom Webhosting customers as part of a small team. Second tier support for Operations staff on the installed Legato NetWorkerinfrastructure.

- Tested Storage Area Network (SAN) implementations from Hitachi, EMC, and Compaq
- Trained Operations staff on troubleshooting backup errors

Managed Information Services - System Administrator / Network Engineer

MCI Worldcom, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 1998 - 2000

Created and maintained user access and mail accounts in the New York and Ann Arbor offices, administered name services (DNS) and the border firewalls. Administered the file, print, and web cache servers; and maintained the New York dial POP (hardware, connectivity, authentication, and routing).

- Implemented SNMP monitoring on the Ann Arbor LAN
- Enforced internal network security
- Wrote web based MIS departmental documentation

Managed Information Services - Desktop Support Coordinator

MCI Worldcom, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 1996 - 1998

Delivered internal customer support for network connectivity and services. Responsible for LAN maintenance and application support under Windows, Solaris, and Macintosh platforms. Created local IT department, aiding in subsequent staff hires and training.

- Oversaw local migration from MacOS to Windows infrastructure
- Selected and implemented cross platform group calendaring system
- Trained employees in networking and cross-platform integration concepts and support

Customer Service Coordinator

MSEN Inc, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 1995 - 1996

Provided end user support and troubleshooting for customers accessing the Internet. Supervised and trained other Technical Support Technicians in network architecture, phone contact techniques, and account set up.

- Created 2 new account packages, aided in creating 8 others
- Educated customers in basic wide area network principles and protocols
- Conducted basic LAN and phone maintenance

Leadership

Managing IT teams and highly technical engineers, crisis management

Operating Systems

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4-6 / MacOS X / Windows XP, 7 (User)

Languages

English (native speaker), German (basic knowledge)

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI, USA 1980 - 1982 / 1989 - 1990

General Studies, Music (voice, bassoon)

Vicksburg Community Schools

Vicksburg, MI, USA 1967 - 1980

High School Diploma
1976-1980 - High School
1974-1976 - Middle School
1967-1974 - Elementary School

Berlitz Hamburg

October 2015 - March 2016

B2 German Language Certificate

Berlitz Hamburg

May 2014 - October 2015

Private lessons and class work for Business German

Learning Tree International

ITIL Foundation Certificate - 2012

Company-sponsored Management & Leadership Training

2008 - 2014

Company sponsored training that focused on communication skills, fostering team work, as well as corporate strategy and branding

TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH

ITIL Foundation V2 Certificate - 2008

EMC Global Education

Legato Certified NetWorker Administrator (LCNA) - 2006

Earlier Training

Advanced Cisco Routing - 2000
SONET Fundamentals - 2000
USENIX Security Conference - 1999
SNMP Monitoring using SPECTRUM - 1998
Large Installed Systems Administration Conference (LISA) - 1998

Volunteering

Co-organizer of an annual folk music event in Hildesheim, Germany

Hobbies

Music (songwriting, choir/acapella music), travel, history, intercultural studies