ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Brett - a Systems Administrator and IT Engineer with over a decade of experience in infrastructure, networking, virtualization, and cloud technologies.

From Microsoft 365 to Proxmox, OPNsense, and containerized deployments, I’ve built and supported systems that keep businesses secure, stable, and scalable.

I originally built this site in 2023 as part of the Cloud Resume Challenge - a hands-on project to deepen my knowledge of Microsoft Azure, CI/CD automation, and Infrastructure as Code. But what started as a skills upgrade became a turning point.

After years inside legacy IT systems, I began noticing deeper patterns - bloated infrastructures, inefficiencies, and increasing centralization that often conflict with individual freedom and innovation. That realization led me down a different path: toward decentralization, lean entrepreneurship, and freedom engineering.

Today, I’m focused on building sustainable income streams, self-hosted infrastructure, and alternative systems that prioritize resilience and autonomy. This site is part of that journey - a space to showcase technical projects, document experiments, and reflect on what it means to engineer freedom in a hyperconnected world.

Updated September 2025.

Certifications

Azure Fundamentals AZ-900

July 2023

Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Certification

Skills

  • Cloud & Endpoint Management: Microsoft Intune, Entra ID, Azure, PowerShell, Network Configuration
  • Virtualization & Infrastructure: Windows Server, Active Directory, Powershell, Hyper-V, Docker, Proxmox
  • Networking: VLANs, DNS, VPNs, Firewalls (OPNsense, pfSense, Ubiquiti, TP-Link Omada)
  • Security: Zero Trust, Threat Detection, Endpoint Security, Compliance Policy Enforcement
  • Storage & Backup: TrueNAS, ZFS, RAIDZ1, 3-2-1 strategy for data redundancy, snapshots, and recovery
  • Digital Asset Handling: Image editing (GIMP, Paint.NET), file structuring, secure uploads for web-ready content

Work

Mural Consulting

Microsoft Teams Rooms and Devices Engineer• Sep 2023 - Sep 2024

  • Managed Intune-based application deployment for 150+ Windows & Android certified Teams Rooms devices
  • Led end-to-end rollout and support of certified Teams devices via Intune, Teams Admin Center, and Pro Portal resolving 40+ complex issues monthly through proactive troubleshooting across M365 Admin Centers
  • Reduced escalations by 20% through log file analysis, issue identification, and resolution using internal Microsoft resources; escalated unresolved cases to Microsoft development teams with full diagnostic context
  • Enhanced security through Conditional Access, RBAC, and modern auth policies, aligning with cloud strategy

    • Microsoft 365 Technical Business Advisor• Jun 2023 - Sep 2023

  • Ranked #1 in client satisfaction with 48+ positive feedback ratings in August 2023
  • Advised 200+ small businesses on Microsoft 365 deployments, security enhancements, and DNS optimization
  • Saved clients 10-35% on licensing costs by optimizing M365 subscription plans and security configurations

    • SingularisIT

    Systems Administrator • Sep 2017 - Apr 2020

  • Led a $250K hardware refresh for Chromebooks, MacBooks, and Google Workspace, improving device efficiency
  • Implemented secure Wi-Fi and VLANs using Ubiquiti Unifi and pfSense, reducing network congestion
  • Deployed and maintained a 60+ camera security system, ensuring uptime and a 3-2-1 backup strategy
  • Implemented PRTG monitoring, proactively preventing critical system failures and downtime

    • Evolve IP

    Network Operations Center (NOC) Technician / IT Specialist • May 2013 - Apr 2017

  • Maintained 99.9% uptime across 30+ veterinary clinics, troubleshooting with ConnectWise and Continuum
  • Optimized Windows Server policies & Active Directory configurations, reducing access-related tickets by 20%
  • Deployed WatchGuard firewalls, improving network security and blocking 500+ threats monthly
  • Automated IT asset tracking, reducing inventory discrepancies and speeding up hardware provisioning

    • James Madison University

    Senior Technical Consultant • Nov 2011 - Mar 2013

  • Trained & mentored 10+ Tier 1 IT support staff, improving service desk efficiency
  • Developed a custom Windows 7/8 MDT deployment, reducing system imaging time by 50%

    • Education

    Liberty University

    B.S. Management Information Systems• Dec 2013

    Projects

    Azure Resume Challenge

    Inspired by cloudresumechallenge.dev• 2023 - Present

  • Built & deployed a static resume site on Azure Storage, secured with HTTPS (PositiveSSL)
  • Optimized performance with Azure CDN and a custom domain endpoint
  • Developed an Azure Function App (Python) to integrate a CosmosDB visitor tracker
  • Implemented JavaScript for real-time visitor count display

    • Homelab

    Self-hosted Infrastructure

  • Designed a secure, scalable home network using OPNsense (firewall), VLAN segmentation, and TP-Link Omada SDN
  • Deployed enterprise-grade virtualization with Proxmox and Docker, running multiple Linux VMs & containers
  • Implemented TrueNAS storage with a 3-2-1 backup strategy for redundancy and disaster recovery
  • Set up a self-hosted security stack, including Pi-hole (ad-blocking) and network monitoring (PRTG, Nagios)
  • Deployed & maintained decentralized services, ensuring high availability and security