SAXONS TRAINING FACILITIES

2013 - 2016

At Saxons, I was employed as the IT Manager. This involved building the network and servers from the ground up, separating the VoIP, wireless, staff and multiple classroom networks, and managing approximately 90 desktop computers for training courses. During quieter periods, I was also assisting with Helpdesk duties, which allowed Saxons to expand their operational hours due to the different timezone Perth is in.

At Saxons, I was responsible for the creation and deployment of a standard operating environment for multiple computers, configured to the clients specific requirements. This would involve the creation of a Microsoft Windows system, with specific software preinstalled. This image would then be captured, and deployed to 30 - 60 computers at a time. When I first started, this was done by hand at the eastern states sites, meaning staff were imaging individual computers with USB drives. I built a series of Powershell and Perl scripts to automate the entire process of capturing and deploying images which was driven by a simple set of menus, meaning anyone of the staff could deploy a new classroom within minutes, as opposed to several hours.

I provided documentation and guidelines for these scripts, which were then rolled out Australia wide, and were in use right up until the company closed its doors due to the impact of COVID-19.

Key notes:

• Created a series of scripts and files to allow for easy capturing and deployment of system images on a Windows based network
• Worked alongside the venue manager to ensure smooth operation of training courses, both computer based and text book / verbal courses
• Responsible for the assessment and resolution of Helpdesk tickets
• Remotely mentored junior staff for technical issues and training
• Often provided technical support to attendees of course with their own hardware
• Wrote and distributed documentation and welcome packs, maintaining use of the company style guidelines and language guidelines
• Liaised with interstate IT staff for the distribution of hardware and software, and the standardisation of a company operating environment

This role presented me with quite a few challenges that I conquered, and helped my technical and social skills grow immensely. The creation of the deployment scripting environment meant approximately a 60 - 70% reduction in my workload at the time, allowing me to be freed up and provide the company with more billable hours for remote support, and in house customer contact.

I also held a photography shoot for Saxons Perth, which resulted in several of my images being printed for a magazine article in Business Review Weekly.