Robert Kalanda

Experience

• 

  Airtel Malawi Limited

  Nov 2005 - Jan 2011

  Network Administrator

  Network End User Support (LAN/WAN)

• 

  IBM

  Feb 2011 - Mar 2012

  Network Services Delivery Lead

  Network (Firewalls, Routers and Switch) Administration.

• 

  Telekom Networks Malawi Limited

  Apr 2012 - Jul 2018

  • Provide support and assistance for primary and secondary level of troubleshooting. • Create, modify and delete user accounts across multiple systems and software applications in order to ensure that accurate employee accounts are held.• Ensure that personal objectives documentation is kept updated and current throughout the course of the year.• Maintain knowledge of new and emerging technologies that might have applications in the organization.• Maintain records of requests in order to advise relevant team members of actions to be taken.• Maintain the hardware and software asset registers to ensure new acquired hardware and software are recorded accurately and within good time.• Proactively manage personal development in order to increase performance levels and provide opportunities for career development.• Respond to requests for support by providing information to team members in order to enable problem resolution, whilst promptly allocating unresolved calls as appropriate.• Share knowledge and experience with other team members to contribute to the overall improvement of team capability and increase productivity• Network and systems troubleshooting to resolve issues. • Maintaining and managing a working knowledge of the company’s network, applications and systems. Show less • Creating scripts.• Configuring radio cell logical configuration parameters and the necessary core configurations to define cells on the network. • Conducting Root-Cause-Analysis to configuration related incidents that have been escalated as problems.• Implementation of configuration work in the fields of radio, SDH, PDH, Sonet and Ethernet (focus on configuration).• Configuration of LAC parameters in CORE Network elements i.e. MSC, MGW.• Active design and implementation of procedures for network configuration modifications (focusing on process control).• Ensuring job orders are created in the ticketing system for all configuration changes classified outside standard changes. • Tracking the configuration jobs & ensuring the timely processing.• Review of the configuration related Requests for Change (RFCs) Tickets for completeness and, if necessary, clarify with the internal or external customers.• Job order processing and cross-team coordination of the steps in the modification process, triggering of other divisions (NMC, RAN, TX and Core) as external and internal teams.• Design of standard operating procedures for the establishment and integration of RAN and transmission technology in network.• Participates in planning and provisioning of network configuration data and connectivity to internal and external customers within agreed timeframes and to agreed standard.• Quality checks of all radio data /connectivity information prepared before issue to the vendor/customer to ensure that network errors are kept to a minimum.• Update, audit, maintain and create configuration data for the radio network.• Work closely with other departments such as RAN and Transmission to support optimization activities and minimize related discrepancies or faults.• Act as a point of contact for all network data build/connectivity queries within NMC.Produce reports necessary to communicate new network changes and developments.• Plans and executes technical tasks Show less

  • IT Service Desk Administrator

    Jan 2018 - Jul 2018

  • Supervisor - Network Configurations

    Oct 2014 - Dec 2017

  • Network Administrator - Configurations

    Apr 2012 - Oct 2014
• 

  Airtel Malawi Limited

  Jul 2018 - Feb 2022

  Level 2 Infrastructure Engineer

  . Perform Data Center operations as in space, power andcooling of the facility standards/processes and compliance.. Managing mid-tier data center, understanding of DataCenter tier standards, uptime and DR infrastructure.. Working on ITIL ticketing systems, framework andattending Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings to suitbusiness requirements.. Coordinating with offshore to ensure delivery of therequired standards of excellence in service andperformance by being able to highlight issues on time.. Ownership and responsibility in all assignments built andnurture positive working relationship with customers.. Vendor coordination for hardware part replacement andhardware upgrades.. Responsible for Security and Risk Management complianceactivities.. Responsible for maintenance and administration,enhancements, following change management policies,report capacity and availability, update the ticketingsystem.. Train and mentor junior administrators, thus technicaltraining sessions to associate and support team.. Lead the team from transition to delivery and also workwith Project Manager for Infrastructure projects and SIwork.. Necessary upgrading of Core and Edge networkequipment’s by following specific change managementprocess.. Switching: Layer2 switching, VLANs, Inter VLAN routing,Multi-protocol layer switching (MPLS). Show less

• 

  NICO Technologies Ltd

  Feb 2022 - now

  IT Infrastructure Lead

  • Leads, directs, provides oversight on the design, installation, and testing of new networks, infrastructure, and application configuration/systems.• Interface with internal/external customers and vendors to determine system and application requirements.• Leads technical documentation, implement, and support enterprise network environments.• Ensures operations of enterprise-level network hardware and data communications systems by minimizing system downtime and maximizing system performance.• Leads monitoring opportunities, oversees corrective action, system refreshes, hardware replacements, software upgrades, and application modifications.• Leads, oversees, and guides troubleshooting efforts of network(s), infrastructure, and application configurations. Supports team members on planning, problem resolution, and network implementation Provide technical coordination, oversight and leadership for staff and serve as escalation point for complex technical issues.• Identifies potential gaps and provides well-documented recommendation for change or modification.• Manages user expectations, keeps the customer aware of project status, risks and critical issues.• Communicates technical issues and plans to management, external and internal customers and business partners.• Define requirements in support of budget plans and make recommendations for ways to improve performance and reduce costs. Show less