Alexander Gayed

Experience

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  Blue Cross Blue Shield North Dakota

  May 2008 - Dec 2009

  Help Desk Agent

  • Provided first level technical support via phone and email for all IT related issues.• Performed case logging of all Help Desk tickets, diagnosed issues, documented resolutions, correlated tickets with similar issues, escalated outages, and verified SLAs were being met.• Consistently lead team in first call resolution and calls taken.

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  Bobcat Company

  Jan 2010 - Jul 2011

  IT Co-op Bobcat

  • Provided second level technical support for central office employees and field users.• Troubleshooted and configured Windows 7 and XP, Microsoft Office, and Oracle. • Managed Active Directory, setup Cisco IP phones, replaced hardware, restored files, removed viruses, built new machines, and created standard images for different laptop models.

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  Echostar

  Jul 2011 - Dec 2012

  Associate Network Engineer

  • Designed and implemented new projects, including: installed, upgraded, and configured Nexus 7/5k and CRS for new data center; traveled to regional uplink centers to install and configure additional 6509s and 3750s to support increased traffic, created distinct network islands for new services, and worked with new vendors to setup, test, and evaluate new hardware.• Performed troubleshooting, maintenance, and configuration for all network hardware, such as setting up OSPF, BGP, static routes, route maps, prefix lists, multicast, HSRP, ACLs, NAT, DHCP pools, SPAN, IP helpers, and trunk/access ports.• Worked with Sprint, Level 3, and AT&T to provision new circuits, troubleshoot errors, open outage tickets, and ensure service levels for all major OC48/12/3, DS3, and T1 circuits.• Managed all network monitoring, utilizing Solarwinds Orion and Sciencelogic EM7: created custom advanced email and phone alerts, real-time configuration change notifications, config backups and libraries, critical and executive dashboards, and WAN bandwidth reports. Show less

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  Sierra Detention Systems

  Dec 2012 - Jul 2014

  Network Engineer

  • Sole network engineer responsible for large scale client projects: gathered requirements, designed networks, chose hardware based on needed capabilities while respecting cost concerns, collaborated with vendors for quotes, performed all configurations, wrote documentation, setup monitoring, and troubleshot any issues that arose. • Engineered a wide variety of network solutions for: wireless networks with certificate-based authentication, multi-site CCTV and storage networks, dual-redundant ring control networks, dynamic site-to-site VPNs, and remote user VPNs with LDAP authentication. • Traveled to customer sites to troubleshoot critical issue or major installations. Show less

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  Brocade

  Jul 2014 - Mar 2017

  • Level 3 TAC Engineer supporting Data Center switch and Core router product lines: Solved highly complex problems with our customers using technical knowledge and troubleshooting skills. Persistent top performance in support metrics resulted in promotion to Escalation engineer overseeing the Colorado branch.• Conducted technical interviews with candidates. Offered training, guidance, and structured orientation for new TAC engineers. Playing a key part in TAC management’s initiative to launch a new support branch within the Colorado location.• Reproduced critical customer issues in our lab using Ixia and Spirent traffic generators, automation tools, and scripts. Collaborated with engineering teams to identify, analyze, isolate, and determine the root cause of new software and hardware defects. Resulting in faster case closures for our critical cases. Show less

  • Technical Support Engineer - TAC Level 3

    Dec 2015 - Mar 2017

  • Technical Support Engineer - TAC Level 2

    Jul 2014 - Dec 2015
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  Visa

  Mar 2017 - Aug 2018

  Sr Network Engineer

  • Delivered technical support for all network issues across Visa networks, including troubleshooting and resolving network outages, conducting root cause analysis of network errors, and analyzing packet captures with Wireshark for errors in critical TCP-based application hosted behind F5 load balancers.• Oversaw comprehensive technical review and approval of all network changes company-wide. Ensured error-free implementation by verifying changes for design, logic, and syntax accuracy. Validated and approved methods of procedure for both implementations and rollbacks, leading to zero unplanned outages from all changes.• Orchestrated and managed a rolling software upgrade project for critical data center switches and load balancers to ensure all hardware ran current, approved software without known bugs or vulnerabilities, all staying within designated maintenance windows. Show less

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  Extreme Networks

  Aug 2018 - Nov 2019

  Principal Technical Support Engineer

  • Acted as the primary escalation contact in the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support organization for addressing critical customer cases and emerging software defects. Delivered high-caliber customer support by identifying root causes and implementing effective solutions, consistently achieving top rankings in key support metrics such as case closure rate, resolution time, and customer satisfaction surveys.• Mentored and supported junior engineers while leading internal troubleshooting sessions. Presented effective strategies to the TAC organization for resolving challenging issues that typically required escalation, resulting in quicker case resolutions, decreased escalation rates, and enhanced customer satisfaction.• Provided guidance and support to our Engineering teams by setting up custom labs, analyzing debug data, documenting precise reproduction steps, and testing early patches. This facilitated expedited development of custom software fixes and code releases. Show less

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  Arista Networks

  Nov 2019 - now

  Advanced Services Engineer

  • Trained and expertly advised our new Datacenter and Campus customers on network design, configuration, and implementation using a combination of Ansible, CloudVision, and Python. Resulting in increased customer satisfaction, subscription renewal rates, and additional post-deployment sales opportunities.• Awarded Customer Engineer of the Quarter for exceptional assistance to the Sales team, crafting a custom Proof-of-Concept lab to showcase key technology needs for a new client, directly contributing to successfully securing the opportunity.• Responsible for creating and presenting multiple forms of customer facing content: Product demonstrations, presentation slide decks, training classes, custom technology labs, lab guides, knowledge articles, newsletters, and video. Co-created a quarterly in-person network user Meetup with over 325 members covering a variety of vendor-neutral technology topics. Show less