Aaron Grice

Experience

• 

  Applied Graphics Technologies

  Aug 1997 - Mar 1999

  System Management Specialist

  I started as a basic user support technician, but my role quickly expanded to training, network infrastructure, consulting and finished as the lead tech on a client's Mac Help Desk.● Installing and maintaining Mac-based production hardware and software for AGT and its clients: Fuji Film, Dominick's Finer Foods, Spiegel Catalog, Empress Casinos, Resort Condominiums International, Sammons-Preston, WLS-AM and Standard Register● Evaluating new or updated software for training and production use● Teaching classes for the Training division of AGT (Intro to the Mac, Intro to the Internet, Troubleshooting, plus on-site training for clients)● Supporting the ISP division of AGT and its dial-up customers Show less

• 

  Pearson

  Jun 1999 - now

  ● Site lead for the 350-user Glenview facility, managing the day-to-day operations of the Deskside team, and acting as the principal Pearson Technology contact for the facility, reporting to a Regional Manager.● Leading the Mac Engineering Group, a team of nearly 60 techs and managers, focused on identifying concerns facing the Mac user population across Pearson, preventing them if possible, and resolving them as quickly as possible if not.● Working with Editorial business units as a “tech liaison” with school districts as these units develop their mobile products, specifically those on iOS, until the units are able to train their own staff for this function.● Consolidated my team’s space in Glenview to reduce our fixed costs and centralize our operations within the facility. Show less ● Developed and delivered live training for 30 new laptop users in the Editorial business units, minimizing their downtime to the new computers, and minimizing calls to the Help Desk for routine questions.● Led the 12-person Mac Infrastructure Group in implementing a client-server architecture developed by the Mac Engineering Group, holding weekly update meetings and reporting our progress.● Led discussions with 3 business units in advance of a 40,000-page product review to identify pain points related to a new practice in the business, digital screen proofing of print files, and identified steps to relieve them with updated hardware and software. Show less Promoted after 7 months in an entry-level role, in recognition of my work ethic and commitment to my customers’ success.● Led the Pearson US Exchange 2003 Client Connectivity team, testing and documenting Entourage 2004 for the migration in 2006. Worked directly with Microsoft engineers to resolve issues with Entourage found in our testing● Pilot tester for Mac OS X, Office X, Office 2004 (found a confirmed bug: http://www.word.mvps.org/mac/crash-macintel-word.html), Adobe InDesign, Extensis Suitcase X, and ExtremeZ-IP● Worked with Pearson's network engineering team to isolate and resolve poor WAN performance at the Glenview site. Used a shareware app called Ping Plotter to demonstrate the repeatable nature of the slowdowns, and with Networking's help, tracked down the users abusing network bandwidth Show less Joined Pearson from a respected pre-press vendor to be a specialist in print production issues.● Managed a six-contractor team to execute the migration from POP and Outlook Express to Exchange 5.5 and Outlook, taking advantage of a holiday weekend to minimize user downtime.● Worked with another new tech to develop and implement an automated process to convert Outlook Express address books into Outlook PAB files, using Excel and AppleScript, eliminating the need for users to re-key contact information.● Faced with a critical staff shortage (one tech out on disability, another leaving to pursue a new opportunity), deployed 102 new Mac workstations over a six-week period without other assistance, usually after normal business hours to minimize user downtime. Show less

  • Senior Technology Analyst

    Jul 2010 - now

  • Technology Analyst

    Jan 2007 - Jun 2010

  • Senior Technical Support Technician

    Jan 2000 - Dec 2006

  • Technical Support Technician

    Jun 1999 - Dec 1999