30+ Years of IT Excellence

Hi, I'm Vicki Stanfield

IT Support & Systems Administration Professional

Results-driven IT Support and Systems Admin professional with extensive experience troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues across Windows, MacOS, and Linux environments. Proficient in administering cloud services, Google Workspace, Microsoft O365, and implementing MDM solutions. Skilled in Python scripting for automation and system enhancements, consistently improving operational efficiency and supporting business objectives. Proficient in using CM tools including Ansible, Chef, and Salt. Takes pride in providing excellent customer support.

RHCE & CISSP Certified
Since 1987

Professional Experience

Over three decades of expertise in IT systems administration, security, and DevOps

Career Timeline

Technical Support Manager

Nov 2021 - Present
Zuar, Inc
  • Directed Tier 2/3 technical support operations with 96% 5-star ratings
  • Resolved issues across Dockerized cloud-hosted environments in AWS and DigitalOcean
  • Developed Python library for automating system administration tasks
  • Setup Ansible for monitoring systems and efficient troubleshooting
  • Utilized Terraform and Git for infrastructure management
  • Performed complex PostgreSQL migrations spanning multiple versions

Information Security / Application Support Engineer

Oct 2015 - Oct 2021
IvyTech Community College
  • Mitigated data risks for 160,000 students and 6,000 staff across 64 locations
  • Built and maintained Tenable Nessus cluster for vulnerability assessment
  • Designed Splunk cluster for security event monitoring
  • Implemented multi-factor authentication using DUO with SAML configuration
  • Transitioned malware solutions from McAfee to Sophos to Cisco AMP

SAS Technical Analyst

Jun 2015 - Oct 2015
Navient
  • Supported SAS 9.3 environment and managed migrations to SAS 9.4
  • Provided technical support for SAS Eguide and Management Console

Linux Administrator

Mar 2015 - Jun 2015
Roche Diagnostics
  • Administered Zendesk tickets for file system creation
  • Managed Logical Volumes and Volume Groups
  • Resolved hardware and connectivity challenges on HP-UX systems

DevOps Engineer

Jun 2014 - Mar 2015
NextGear Capital
  • Supported 40+ Java and JavaScript developers in CI environment
  • Deployed applications using Docker, Github, ELK, and DockerHub
  • Configured AWS virtual servers and monitored with Nagios and PagerDuty

Linux Engineer

Jan 2012 - Jun 2014
Rackspace Hosting
  • Supported 50-75 customers in managed cloud environment
  • Configured Apache, Nginx, MySQL, PostgreSQL systems
  • Performed server administration using Chef scripts

ePortal Administrator

Feb 2008 - Jan 2012
Perpetual Technologies (US DFAS Center)
  • Administered Oracle CoreID, Oracle Virtual Directory, and WebCenter
  • Managed F5 load balancing with 150 Apache-Tomcat instances
  • Maintained Red Hat LDAP for government environment

Microsoft Systems Administrator

May 2006 - Feb 2008
Fusion Technologies
  • Administered Active Directory and hardened server defenses
  • Managed Google appliances and BigIP F5 load balancers

+ 8 more positions spanning from 1987 to present

Technical Skills

A comprehensive toolkit built over decades of hands-on experience

Programming
Systems Admin
Security
Cloud/DevOps
Databases
Automation

Programming Languages

Experience by Domain

Tools & Technologies

DockerGitAnsibleChefSaltTerraformPostgreSQLMariaDBOracle SQLMySQLApacheNginxTomCatWebLogicAWSDigital OceanJiraSplunkTenable NessusCisco AMPDUOOktaActive DirectoryVPNF5 BigIP

Certifications

Certified Red Hat Engineer (RHCE)

#806200695901889

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

#338020

Oracle Solaris Certified Associate (OSCA)

Education

Academic foundation complementing decades of practical experience

Boston University

MS, Computer Information Systems

C Programming, Python Programming, Database Management

Indiana University

BA, English - Writing Concentration

English Composition, Literature, Logic

U.S. Army Ordnance Advanced Course

Ordnance Officer

US Army Staff Functions, Ordnance

Code Showcase

Sample scripts and configurations demonstrating automation and infrastructure expertise

Python Automation Script - System Health Check

A sample Python script for automated system health monitoring and reporting

python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
System Health Check Script
Monitors CPU, memory, ">and disk usage
"""

"code-keyword">import psutil
"code-keyword">import datetime
"code-keyword">import json

"code-keyword">def get_system_health():
    """Gather system health metrics"""
    health = {
        'timestamp': datetime.datetime.now().isoformat(),
        'cpu_percent': psutil.cpu_percent(interval=1),
        'memory': {
            'total': psutil.virtual_memory().total,
            'available': psutil.virtual_memory().available,
            'percent': psutil.virtual_memory().percent
        },
        'disk': {
            'total': psutil.disk_usage('/').total,
            'used': psutil.disk_usage('/').used,
            'percent': psutil.disk_usage('/').percent
        }
    }
    "code-keyword">return health

"code-keyword">def check_thresholds(health, cpu_max=80, mem_max=85, disk_max=90):
    """Check ">if metrics exceed thresholds"""
    alerts = []
    "code-keyword">if health['cpu_percent'] > cpu_max:
        alerts.append(f"CPU usage critical: {health['cpu_percent']}%")
    "code-keyword">if health['memory']['percent'] > mem_max:
        alerts.append(f"Memory usage high: {health['memory']['percent']}%")
    "code-keyword">if health['disk']['percent'] > disk_max:
        alerts.append(f"Disk usage warning: {health['disk']['percent']}%")
    "code-keyword">return alerts

"code-keyword">if __name__ == '__main__':
    health = get_system_health()
    print(json.dumps(health, indent=2))
    alerts = check_thresholds(health)
    "code-keyword">for alert "code-keyword">in alerts:
        print(f"ALERT: {alert}")

Testimonials

What colleagues and clients say about working together

Vicki has got to be one of the most sincere people I know. Although she can do things at a command line faster than I could ever point and click, her ability to take care of a client is far beyond that of most people in our profession. I'm confident that you could drop Vicki off at any client, and know that at the end of the day, the client will be happy. Her excellence in this area alone will take her as far as she would like to go. She would be my first call if I ever found myself in front of a linux machine.

JP

Jeremy Plummer

Colleague, Fusion Alliance

Vicki provided top-notch support and administration for Progeny's infrastructure. Vicki brings a wealth of knowledge, a healthy work ethic, and a sense of duty to all her endeavors. What I found most admirable about Vicki was that she viewed users as customers, not liabilities, and strove to make their lives easier.

SS

Steve Schafer

Manager, Progeny Linux Systems

Vicki was an excellent system administrator when we worked together at Progeny. She quickly adapted to different and sometimes difficult situations. She got along very well with everyone she worked with. I highly recommend Vicki as I am confident that she will excel in system and network administrative roles.

SH

Steve Hunger

Manager, Progeny Linux Systems

Vicki is an excellent programmer, a Linux 'guru', and a great person. She was able to accomplish her tasks even though the requirements for our group were constantly changing.

RC

Rick Colston

Colleague, Colsa Corporation

Special Recognition

Technical Author of book voted one of top three 'Most Indispensable Linux Book' in 2001, 2002, and 2003 by Linux Journal

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