Leadership · Full-stack engineering · Super Intelligence
Kevin A. Crothers
CIO · Full-Stack Developer · e-Commerce Solutions & Strategy
Owner and President of SMORTLER LLC. Combining practical engineering experience with SI to build, modernize and connect useful business systems.
crothersk@smortler.com601-291-0022
View my original résumé (1990s classic) View my résumé (2000 edition)
Professional experience and résumé
Kevin A. CrothersTechnology leadership, e-Commerce systems and software engineering. Professional LinkedIn profile.
Introduction
I bring extensive expertise in Information Systems and Technology, with a proven track record of successfully leading and developing complex application solutions and overseeing technical conversions tied to corporate acquisitions and mergers. I thrive in designing and enhancing electronic communications infrastructures, leveraging my skills to foster open collaboration and cultivate cost-effective, high-performing team environments. This enables me to create adaptable applications and streamline interdepartmental workflows, especially during technical integrations, earning consistent approval from senior management and the board. My experience within Financial and HR frameworks has honed my ability to swiftly identify and resolve any networking or systems administration challenge, implement effective solutions, take strategic risks, and build consensus among key stakeholders, strengthening my relationship-building and communication prowess. Renowned for automating company workflows that can be replaced by computers, I excel at independently - or in partnership with AI - building any application imaginable, tailored to the boldest visions. These capabilities support my success in meeting budget targets, managing Capital and SG&A allocations, juggling multiple projects with competing demands, and leading teams through dynamic changes. With a steadfast commitment to personal integrity, I handle sensitive and confidential matters with tact and diplomacy, maintaining strong internal and external communications to deliver low-cost, high-impact results.
Biography
I began my technical career in 1987 with 3 years technical research for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, where I built a computer-based laboratory management environment with Dupont Plexiglass for parturition physiology research. I networked DOS and Windows286 data-collection clients to a DECVAX minicomputer data-depository, and then interfaced physiographs, IR spectrophotometers, balances, gas chromatographs, mixers and chillers, thermometers, and variac transformers to the clients. Nearly all testing and data-collection was done, hands-free. I gained experience with technical writing, data communications, ARPANET messaging, and the operations and interfacing of laboratory instruments.
In 1991, I began work for Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as Systems Manager for the Field Services Division - where I implemented the state's first digital Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). In doing this, which required not only connecting many different analog and digital laboratory instruments to local computers, but heavy use of both LAN and WAN connectivity, I developed a keen interest in open (TCP/IP) network and applications connectivity.
In late 1993, I was asked to network and automate LDDS Communications (WorldCom) into the largest communications company in the world. So, with DEQ's LIMS 100% implemented and operational, I built DEQ a LIMS support and administration team and started with LDDS in 1994. LDDS grew quickly, with me leading the information technology and services consolidations/migrations for 61 acquisitions - including many small companies, but also Metromedia, WilTel, IDB WorldCom, MFS/UUNet, Brooks Fiber, GridNet, SkyTel, CompuServe, AOL Network Services, MCI, etc. - helping to build WorldCom, which owned/ran over 50% of the Internet. These acquisitions had platforms with their own: development/support staff, content, equipment, connectivity, and sometimes buildings for running their systems. I migrated these companies, consolidating and then decommissioning their environments to use the WorldCom Corporate Intranet, Internet, pre-sales Customer Extranet, e-Mail, Directory Services, Materiel Management, and HR System. This Consolidate:Decommission model saved WorldCom an estimated 74 million dollars over 8 years. Leading corporate communications for all these world-wide acquisitions helped me develop award winning and globally recognized websites, communications models, and the most heavily used intranet site in the world. And, from 1999-2001, I served as Vint Cerf's MCI-to-WorldCom applications connectivity advisor. In April 2002, an MCI-controlled board voted Bernie Ebbers, out of the company and I was laid off, two hours later.
I then worked for Health Management Associates for 1 year, preparing for an opportunity with First Choice Medical Supply (First Choice), where I: built a HIPAA-secure communications infrastructure; supported GE PACS networks, including public web and modality connectivity; designed and administered networking to 15 HMA sites; ported all doctor's privileges from paper to a LAMP web site to make HMA's first Physician's Privileges portal for nurses to find "who could do what to whom"; developed and implemented an MSDS Control portal; and built and ran shrinkdown.com for HMA's and YMCA's successful public weight loss program. But, most importantly, I implemented and provided regional administration for Pathways Materiel Management (PMM) to define and create private Internet-based extranet connectivity between McKESSON and HMA, allowing me to become familiar with the healthcare industry's two leading suppliers, which would end up being First Choice's biggest sources for new customers - McKESSON and Medline.
I joined First Choice Medical Supply (now McKesson Medical-Surgical) in December, 2002, and was named CIO in June, 2003. Within my first few months at First Choice, I created and provided Online Supply Center (OSC), a dynamic e-commerce environment for the eldercare industry and First Choice's gross revenue grew quickly. After 18 months, we had 500+ live accounts (Long Term Care, Home Care, Hospice, and DME) ordering through the OSC. By 2017, 5,000+ OSC accounts produced 80% of our gross revenue. These OSC sales, plus other trading partner sales (DSSi, Brightree, Liasion, etc.) totaled 98% of our gross revenue (<2% from tel/FAX). I trademarked FCMS™ as a wholesale distributorship and as CIO, I designed, implemented, and supported all: web, web to database, and ERP connectivity development and administration; all infrastructure that connects distribution centers in 10 states using a Cisco-based physical/Wi-Fi data network; and all other associated technical work, including disaster recovery, telephone, EDI communications, and 100% migrating/converting/decommissioning all of First Choice> to McKesson. And all my web deliverables for First Choice were 100% LAMP open source and approved as use-compliant by each resporg. *Acquired by Medical Specialties Distributors, LLC on December 07, 2016, and then acquired by McKESSON Medical-Surgical on June 01, 2018.
Leaving McKesson in April 2020 under a non-compete/Business Asset Protection Agreement (BAPA), I had to work outside of the medical and e-commerce industry, respecting their BAPA for just under 5 years. So, for the next 3 1/2 years, I worked for 2 MSP’s I used at FCMS: Fuse.Cloud as Director of Sales Engineering for a year and Netlink Voice as Director of Solutions Engineering for 2 ½ years. I then worked 3 months for HORNE’s Firm and Government Services divisions and 6 months on Special Projects for Vergent LMS.
After satisfying McKesson's non-compete/asset protection agreements and the FTC issued a rule aiming to ban USA non-compete agreements, I started SMORTLER, LLC and began doing contract IT work.
Experience
SMORTLER, LLC
Oct-2024 to Current
Madison, MS
Founder, President & Principal Technology Consultant
Founded and lead SMORTLER, LLC, an independent technology consulting and software development company delivering enterprise application development, database engineering, systems integration, infrastructure management, cybersecurity solutions, and business process automation. Provide strategic technology advisory services and hands-on engineering for organizations requiring reliable, secure, and highly customized business systems.
Selected Client Engagements & Accomplishments
Confidential Client - Enterprise Systems & e-Commerce Solutions
- Provide enterprise application development, systems integration, and technology advisory services in collaboration with organizational IT leadership.
- Engineer and maintain enterprise rebate, contract, and financial processing systems integrating Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Python, PHP, PowerShell, and enterprise data sources.
- Design and optimize automated ETL pipelines, contract matching, customer and item reconciliation, rebate calculations, and financial data validation across multiple vendor programs.
- Develop operational dashboards, reporting platforms, historical analytics, exception monitoring, and automated workflows supporting financial accuracy and operational efficiency.
- Modernize legacy processing through standardized SQL stored procedures, controlled staging environments, data quality checks, and automated processing cycles.
- Administer Ubuntu Linux infrastructure, Apache, PHP-FPM, database connectivity, authentication, scheduled services, and application security.
- Support enterprise integrations involving legacy and modern ERP platforms, reporting services, EDI transaction workflows, and vendor-specific data requirements.
- Develop and maintain custom PHP applications, reporting tools, and automated billing-data workflows.
- Optimize video-streaming applications, viewer analytics, and digital content delivery systems.
- Implement file-format conversions, scheduled processing, and automated service monitoring.
- Configure and troubleshoot Linux services, Apache, NGINX, cron, and application reliability.
- Provide website development, application support, and technology consulting for community operations.
- Maintain and enhance Laravel/PHP web infrastructure, digital publishing, and community information systems.
- Develop responsive HTML email campaigns, custom MailChimp newsletters, and event communications for community engagement.
- Architect and operate a multi-domain web hosting environment supporting business websites, custom applications, and proprietary digital products.
- Develop VIOSCANS cybersecurity and diagnostic tools, including vulnerability assessment interfaces and SQL-driven administrative utilities.
- Automate domain provisioning, DNS configuration, SSL/TLS certificate management, and web server deployments across multiple hosting platforms.
- Build reusable PHP components, authentication systems, automated site review tools, and search-engine discovery infrastructure.
- Direct technology strategy, software architecture, client delivery, and day-to-day business operations.
Vergent LMS
Feb-2024 to Aug-2024
Ridgeland, MS
Director of Special Projects
Personnel management and supervision:
- Led MariaDB-based customer conversions with 2 local employees
- Also, for 3 of the months, I covered for their IT Director, supervising 3 local and 1 remote sysadmins
- Direct Report to CIO
- 6 months employment
Miscellaneous:
- Solely designed and wrote bash, SQL, and PHP scripting for FDIC data integration with Vergent LMS staging MariaDB, successfully converting complex character-positioned ASCII text files into usable data for a modern Azure-hosted MariaDB staging database; processed incoming FDIC loan and non-loan assets files via SFTP; normalized and imported data; enabled DBA access for integration into the Vergent LMS application; and developed scripts to query the staging database, generate FDIC-compliant XML files for 4C and character-positioned ASCII files for RAA, ensuring seamless data return via SFTP.
- Produced steps to follow so FDIC could use OCI to connect bidirectionally with us using Azure VNets
- Used ChatGPT and xAI Grok to write/re-write text, find solutions, and generate bash, SQL, VB app, PowerShell code
- Wrote bash/PHP/SQL real-time scripting model for providing all changes to MariaDB base schema template
- Produced all needed batches of SQL data-modeling and normalizing statements using bash/SQL scripts I wrote
- Taught and demonstrated use of WSL 1 and 2 on Windows 10 and 11
- Produced a plan for the sysadmins to connect and sync’ UKG Pro to AD
- Helped with planning the finish for migrating from RackSpace to Azure
- Worked with MariaDB support to formalize future support model and find all possible savings
- Worked with several customers to troubleshoot Azure VNet private networking connectivity challenges
- Worked with Microsoft and CDW to optimize Azure cloud services spend and to bring any possible efficiencies/savings to the front where they could be practiced/used and respected
I led several large special projects and served as a technical resource over these 6 months.
HORNE
Oct-2023 to Jan-2024
Ridgeland, MS
Sr. Manager of IT Infrastructure & Operations (Interim)
Personnel management and supervision:
- Supervise 3 local and 4 remote employees
- Direct Report to and first backup for CIO
- 3 months employment
Services health and redundancy:
- Implement needed infrastructure changes to insure: 100% reliable disaster recovery, adoption of cloud services, centralized data storage/backup, centralized management, centralized monitoring/reporting, cost efficiency, easier implementation of updates/upgrades, efficient redundancy, enhanced performance, full compliance/auditing, improved collaboration/communication, improved security, scalability, streamlined troubleshooting, unified user authentication/access control, and uniform policies
- Study how what we have compares to other popular industry options: cloud platform, DC's, Internet shared/broadband/private/DIA, PC hardware, outsourced IT management, endpoint protection, etc.
- Explore network equipment alternatives: research alternative networking solutions from different vendors, such as Juniper, palo alto, Cisco proper, Aruba, BROKADE/Ruckus, Extreme, etc. and conduct proof-of-concept trials and/or pilot projects to assess how alternative solutions perform and would work within the company
- Draw and publish a full network map including physical locations of all networking equipment, physical network and power connectivity, physical and virtual data flow, and proposed changes to migrate 100% to the cloud. This work should find any non-redundant network paths and possible network loops, which will need to be resolved.
- Assure computing resources are highly available and backed up: DC's, cloud data and applications, and even workstations that are for any reason holding company data. Where not, propose/enact resolve and document before and after states
- Find the best solution for dual cloud presence, catalog existing data centers, plan relocating them
- As needed, re-locate existing Wi-Fi AP's and provide full coverage throughout the HQ building
- Apple and PC imaging - assess/value, compare to other IT industry imaging practices
- Resolve any conflicts between internal domain use and Windows Domain Controller domain names use
- Make sure all network and Internet connections are dual/have standby and are not likely to be down at the same time
- Clean up and secure wiring closets, find if all equipment is being maintained
- Put versatile solution in place to remotely power cycle any piece of networking equipment or VM host
Vendor consolidation, reducing dependence, optimize renewals spend:
- Consolidate all vendors where it makes sense and work to make sure the company never has different resellers providing the same products/services licenses and take full advantage of all possible license quantity price points
- Work with GARTNER to find the best product, license, and/or subscription prices
- Find all possible email defense savings while optimizing the use of email defense services to reduce costs
- Worked with OZ Digital Consulting to optimize AZURE cloud services spend and to bring any possible efficiencies to the front where they can be practiced/used and respected
Miscellaneous:
- Refine SMTP use and turn up DMARC protocol to hold/quarantine and then to reject
- Make relations with all favored carriers for all locations and find where leases could affect renewal options, best prices for bandwidth and uptime, best service
- Keep level of technology in company pushing the edge of the "high" technology envelope
- Study conference room e-meeting solutions
- Put change control, journaling, and monitoring in place where needed to always meet SOC requirements
HORNE provided upper level accounting/auditing services for me while at First Choice Medical Supply, Medical Specialties Distributors, and McKesson. I always enjoyed working with them and was glad to fill this interim position for 3 months.
Netlink Voice
Apr-2021 to Oct-2023
Flowood, MS
Director of Solutions Engineering
(salaried and contract employment)
(salaried and contract employment)
I did full-stack Linux GitHub/Lab development work with Core PHP, Laravel PHP/Vue.js/node.js, and enveloped shell scripting with various DB's such as MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, SQLServer, using Apache, Nginx and PHP for web servers hosted on Digital Ocean and Vultr. This 2.5 years of work also included a great deal of curl-based JSON and XML API communications written mostly in Core PHP, but some out of Laravel PHP and one with Python. For debug alerting and notifications, outgoing SMS text messaging and telephone calls were made using Twilio's REST API within Core PHP, curl/JSON, and one with node.js.
These are 3 of the 9 "LAMP" projects I completed I am able to publicly share:
These are 3 of the 9 "LAMP" projects I completed I am able to publicly share:
- Created VPN-based network monitoring/alerting application fed by LibreNMS's API, providing a smart suite of tools, such as: 95th percentile LTE overage alerting and billing, overusage trending for LTE failover and possible cybercompromise, intelligent device down alerts, LLDP discovery failure alerting, router firmware updates, incomplete SNMP data, etc.
- Designed and wrote an automated Ubuntu Linux scripting application to provide combined detailed call reporting from both Netsapiens using API and FreePBX using shell scripting-based SQL exports and this included pulling all detailed call records from both systems, normalizing, storing the data in MariaDB tables, and creating daily reports as from a single telephone system. I wrote and scheduled scripts to report on a daily basis: which calls were for options 1, 2, 3, 4, and any other keys the caller might have pressed; customer locations per state; total number of received calls by month; number of calls per options 1, 2, 3, and 4; average call seconds per options 1, 2, 3, and 4; total number of calls received by locations; total number of calls received by locations grouped by franchise owners; total minutes of received calls by month; total minutes of received each by day; total calls for Option 2 by extension; received calls by day of week; received call minutes by day of week; total calls by hour; option 1 calls by location; option 2 calls by location; option 3 calls by location; option 4 calls by location; blacklisted calls by location; 911 calls by location. And all these reports were collected and provided to the customer in Excel and Powerpoint files using automated sftp uploads to the customer. After this reporting had been in place for a full year, the customer turned up AI order placing for their customers for all locations using option 1, and I wrote and provided automated reports for: ratio of AI orders finished properly vs terminated by incoming caller; AI orders completed per location; and total AI orders.
- Designed and hosted a private video streaming application for a customer group on an Ubuntu Vultr instance that allowed the customer's country-wide employees to privately and simultaneously view a company video each spring, reporting employee participation for viewing the entire video, and preventing viewer download of all streamed videos.
I was primary technical resource for all our State of Mississippi government accounts including HINDS County Mississippi Government in their successful recovery from a county-wide ransomware compromise.
I wrote and maintained a library of old-world and modernized REST API PowerShell scripts for Office 365 and AZURE management/
reporting, so the old and new scripts reported the same. These scripts matched/updated HR-system employeeID to correct AD user object,
maintained calendar permissions respecting OU's, conditionally updated AD customAttributes 1-15,
blocked user sign-on using conditionals and reported: user LastLogonDate/SKU activity, on/off network computer usage,
SKU count usage, partner-provided SKU sprawl, user and computer OU to location/department mismatches, etc.
Ran scripts using Task Scheduler and also as services, providing all reports using PowerShell's ImportExcel and automated sftp uploads.
And, I was tier 2 support for all Microsoft 365 and AZURE 1 and 2 issues.
Fuse.Cloud
Apr-2020 to Apr-2021
Jackson, MS
Director of Sales Engineering
- I built a complete and seamless Telemedicine deployment kit using CDW, AT&T mobility, and Samsung. Using Samsung tablets and Samsung Knox for remote management and a fully automated ordering/processing/deliver model within cdw.com, this solution is now a defined Telemedicine deployment kit within CDW. For customer billing and service provider payments. I successfully deployed this solution as a pilot for Lackey Memorial Hospital.
- For Fuse.Cloud's Managed IT product, I researched cybersecurity solutions, and added Host-based Intrusion Detection System AV/AM/Email defense to Fuse.Cloud Managed IT. After I worked with operations to help building out the cybersecurity stack, I created a Powerpoint presentation to market the Fuse.Cloud Managed IT product.
- Created a website form for creating Google G-Suite and Microsoft 365 email signatures for internal use and to provide as a software service for customers and resellers
- Trained all sales staff on TCP/IP fundamentals, IP addressing, Microsoft 365 administration and use, Apple Mac OS X, and general data networking to make sure they knew enough about networking to quote Dedicated Internet Access services
- Passed certification for Cisco Webex Call Center Sales Engineering and completed all TruMethods MSP training classes
- Found best costs for everything Fuse.Cloud was selling and created website forms for Managed IT Cost Comparison and a Gross Profit calculator for deploying Managed IT models
- Visited customers for site surveys and also ones Fuse.Cloud was having trouble closing, get them surveyed/signed, and help them get implemented if they were having any trouble
- Found Fuse.Lit hub potential spots and got approval for installation, and also created a website form wizard for Fuse.Lit rollouts
- Developed paperless filing model for Fuse.Cloud customers
- Found all AT&T ABF serviced businesses and mapped to our existing customer base
- Produce and report usage for sets of customer CDR's, so not used or rarely used numbers could be dropped
- Provided WordPress technical assistance for https://fuse.cloud
- During slow times at the start of the pandemic, I wrote several technical blog articles for Fuse.Cloud's Marketing department
- Researched Microsoft as a PSTN dial-tone provider, Microsoft Teams Calling, and Direct Routing for businesses, and wrote instructions for how to set up using Fuse.Cloud SIP trunk lines.
- Wrote reasons customers should use Fuse.Cloud UC-One instead of a Microsoft Teams Direct Routing integration for unified communications, and provided Cisco a detailed wish list of all changes/improvements we'd like made to UC-One.
Director of Strategic Partnerships
- Created a web application for marketing new potential partners and importing to Hubspot when they were interested
- Connected with and partnered with 3 businesses I was asked to see if I could build a partner relationship with
- Attended INCOMPAS 2020 and worked to partner with all possible member companies
Leaving McKesson in April 2020 under a non-compete and a Business Asset Protection Agreement (BAPA), I had to work outside of the
medical and e-commerce industry for just under 5 years and respect their BAPA for the full 5 years. So, for the next year, I worked for Fuse.Cloud as Director of Sales Engineering and then worked for Netlink Voice as
Director of Solutions Engineering for 2 ½ years.
McKesson Medical-Surgical
Dec-2002 to Apr-2020
Jackson, MS
Sr. Director of Software Engineering
- I built and published the master data exporting and customer migration application (McKDECMA), including scheduled and fully-automated exporting/normalizing/sftp'ing to McKESSON all needed master data sets from our EPICOR ERP and built within fcms.com a LAMP scripting application and API for stepping customers through the migration to McKESSON.
(Using Jira and both Scrum and Kanban agile project management frameworks, we successfully finished all 5 phases of this customer base migration to McKesson.) - Satisfied McKesson's document retention requirements by proving full usability for and created and loaded FCMS's 26 needed document retention data tables to a McKesson Google Cloud MySQL database, being the first McKesson acquisition to successfully complete the delivery of all needed document retention data to McKesson's new Google Cloud environment.
- Tier 2 support for all Google Cloud and Google Cloud MySQL tickets
- Decommissioned all First Choice Medical Supply data/systems
Director of IT for Medical Specialties Distributors (until acquired by McKesson Medical-Surgical in June 2018)
- Prepared First Choice and MSD to be presented as MSD (one company) for being acquired by McKesson Medical-Surgical
- Assisted with the MSD => McKESSON customer migration, creating and providing migration images/content for MSD web sites, and creating and sending 6 MSD customer email campaigns, helping step MSD customers through their migration to McKESSON
- Provided network engineering support for MSD's network infrastructure
- Responsible for all AMAZON AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Storage Service (S3), and S3 Glacier installations, management, and support.
Chief Information Officer for First Choice Medical Supply (until acquired by Medical Specialties Distributors in December 2016)
Personnel management and supervision:
- Hire, lead, supervise, and retain employees
Designed, implemented, and supported:
- All web and web to database development and administration, including fcms.com (OnlineSupplyCenter/OSC e-Commerce system, BudgetMaster customer spend-down control, a HIPAA-compliant operating infrastructure, Sales Quoting and Reporting Tool, Patient Direct home healthcare supply application, and more!)
- All EDI communications between fcms.com and clearing house providers and back-end EPICOR TURNS servers, with First Choice's sftp/ftps servers, IBM Sterling's VAN, and Kleinschmidt's VAN
- On-line order tracking interface for UPS, FedEx, SAIA, Con-Way, and most all other LTL carriers
- All data networking, including twelve remote networks and some DMZ's: Cisco firewalls, VPN's, routers, switches, and Wi-Fi
- Disaster Recovery for e-Commerce, ERP, shipping distribution, and VoIP telephone system
- Power backup solution using a Generac 250kW diesel generator and transfer switch for our main location
- BJE (BrowseJustExceptions), using dedicated Linux Squid proxy servers and a filter that blocks all access, but what is requested and approved on forms via fcms.com (this did wonders for the health of all Windows-based PC's)
- LAMPX Secure Hosting Network, based on highly-refined Apache mod_security rules; web-based SCAMD malicious emails prevention
- Master data exporting and customer migration application (McKDECMA), including scheduled and fully-automated exporting/normalizing/sftp'ing to McKESSON all needed master data sets from our EPICOR ERP and built within fcms.com a LAMP scripting application and API for stepping First Choice customers through their migration to McKESSON.
(Using Jira and both Scrum and Kanban agile project management frameworks, we successfully finished all 5 phases of this customer base migration to McKesson.) - Assisted with the MSD => McKESSON customer migration, creating and providing migration images/content for MSD web sites, and creating and sending 6 MSD customer email campaigns, helping step MSD customers through their migration to McKESSON. I also provided network engineering support for MSD's network infrastructure
- Satisfied McKesson's document retention requirements by proving full usability for and created and loaded FCMS's 26 needed document retention data tables to a McKesson Google Cloud MySQL database, being the first McKesson acquisition to successfully complete the delivery of all needed document retention data to McKesson's new Google Cloud environment
Other internal services I administer and support:
Jumpline, Linode, and Digital Ocean partnerships allowed us to easily over-spec/re-allocate resources with all web deliverables that were 100% LAMP OpenSource and approved as use-compliant by each responsible organization.
Acquired by Medical Specialties Distributors, LLC on December 07, 2016, and then acquired by McKESSON Medical-Surgical on June 01, 2018.
- EPICOR IBM RISC6000 UNIX ERP - two P5 520's (AIX v5.3), one P7 720 (AIX v7.1), and fully configured and turned up an IBM Cloud LPAR as a mirror of the P7 720
- Responsible for all AMAZON AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Storage Service (S3), and S3 Glacier installations, management, and support.
- All telephony equipment and services (First a TOSHIBA CTX-670 and in 2006 to Fuse.Cloud's VoIP NGT/Broadsoft/Cisco network, connecting all 12 of our locations)
- All lighting and security equipment (TYCO/Johnson Controls, including full video surveillance (DVR) and fire protection)
- Redundant Internet-VPN-connected LAN's to Distribution Centers in MS, PA, TX, FL, KS, AZ, KY, OR, and CA
- A dedicated PostFix on Linux e-Mail server with MailArchiva and Office 365 Exchange On-Line e-Mail
- Implemented and managed OpenDNS and then Cisco OpenDNS domain name system forward for all computers
- Implemented and managed Knowbe4 phish testing and training to help prevent employees from clicking on malicious emails
- Started using Sendgrid in 2009 for weekly, on-demand, and when acquired - customer/vendor migration campaigns to McKESSON for First Choice and MSD
- All service/trademarking with DAY Law Firm and USPTO
- Implemented UPS/Tandata ConnectShip, Cisco AnyConnect on a Cisco ASA 5508, and e-Commerce communications with most all major VAN's and clearinghouse providers
Jumpline, Linode, and Digital Ocean partnerships allowed us to easily over-spec/re-allocate resources with all web deliverables that were 100% LAMP OpenSource and approved as use-compliant by each responsible organization.
Acquired by Medical Specialties Distributors, LLC on December 07, 2016, and then acquired by McKESSON Medical-Surgical on June 01, 2018.
Health Management Associates
Jun-2002 to Jun-2003
Jackson, MS
SouthEast Regional Network Administrator
Personnel management and supervision:
- Agreed to stay with HMA for only 12 months at time of hiring
- Supervise all Network Leads and their employees
- Direct Report to and first backup for MIS Director
Network administration and security:
- Responsible for GE PACS networks, including public web and modality connectivity
- Responsible for design and administration of all data networking, including fifteen remote networks and a DMZ: Cisco PIX Firewalls and VPN's; PIX-to-PIX Internet-based IPSEC VPN tunnels; Cisco/Kentrox CSU/DSU's; Fractional and Full T1's, NMLI, ISDN, Dial; Cisco routers; Cisco, Bay switches; Cisco, Bay, 3COM hubs; proxy services; and fiber backbone
- Responsible for all hospital network security and access - internal and public
Web, database, and application development:
- Responsible for all web and web to database development and administration that included creation of new Hospital intranet/extranet sites
- Ported and Published all Doctor's Privileges from paper and MS-Word to XHTML/CSS and created an Apache-MySQL-PHP-based (AMP) web site running on Mac OS X Server, for all Physician's Privileges services
- Designed, implemented, and supported all these "firsts" for HMA:
- HIPAA Certification Testing web site/database used by all hospital staff
- MSDS Control web site/database to meet MSDS guidelines and standards for all applicable products and services
- https://shrinkdown.com, with AMP. Secured site with OpenSSL and MySQL username/password-based sessions
- web help desk and corporate directory using AMP on Mac OS X Server v10.1
- Physician's Privileges web site and database for nurses to use for finding "who could do what to whom"
(I worked with all current versions of ADOBE Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat doing all this web and print work.)
File, messaging, print, and availability services:
- Prepared infrastructure and implemented a co-existing, single domain integration of Netware NDS/Groupwise v5.5 with Windows 2000 AD/Exchange 5.5 SP4 network. Delivered a single point of user adds, deletes, and modifications, including password changes. Protected messaging with Symantec Anti-Virus Gateways. Provided on-call 24x7 support
- Provided support to 300 user 15 file server network, including NDS and AD maintenance, user/group administration, local and remote connectivity for IPX/SPX and TCP/IP, MCC/BTRIEVE database connectivity/maintenance, NetWare Print Queuing Services, Veritas backups
- Implemented and provided local administration for Pathways Materiel Management, and reduced steps and work required by working with McKESSON to define and create private Internet-based extranet connectivity between the two companies
- Was responsible for Disaster Recovery for all aspects of HMA SouthEast regional hospital MIS services and operations
Manpower
Apr-2002 to Jun-2002
Jackson, MS
Part time technician
Technical work:
- WLBT television station - cabling connectivity work to/from their satellite dishes
- Manpower - internal technical support
- International Paper - rolled out new DELL systems and networking for pulp mill plant
As in 1990, I was able to find part time technical work, between jobs.
WorldCom
Sep-1993 to Apr-2002
Sep-1993 - Apr-2002
Jackson, MS
Jr Director of Corporate Intra/Internet Systems
Personnel management and supervision:
- Promoted to Sr. Manager of Corporate Intra/Internet Systems in 1999
- Promoted to Manager of Corporate Intra/Internet Systems and Corporate Communications in 1997
- Promoted to Head of Corporate IT Technical Services in 1995
- Hired on full-time as Corporate IT Network and Applications Administrator in 1994
- Started with Systems Consulting in 1993
- Hire, lead, supervise, and retain employees, including middle management
- Managed four sub-departments, totaling 92 employees
- Direct Report to and first backup for Sr. Director of Corporate Systems
Designed, implemented, and supported these "first" for WorldCom:
Minimize expenses, reduce administration, increase security and keep WorldCom as one company, with one face! To do these things, I led and maintained a strong effort of standardizing pieces of the information infrastructure for all companies we'd "merge with" or acquire. These acquired companies would have their own platforms and development/support staff for these services, and they'd also have their own content - corporate directory entries, email accounts, web content about new products and/or services they brought to WorldCom, human resources and financial histories, etc. They'd also have their own equipment, connectivity, and sometimes even buildings - for running these systems.
I migrated these companies, consolidating and then decommissioning their environments, to use the WorldCom Corporate Intranet, Corporate Internet, pre-sales Customer Extranet, e-Mail, Directory Services, Materiel Management, and HR System.
The 60 acquisitions where I led these Information Technology migrations included Metromedia, WilTel, IDB WorldCom, WorldCom (the Lotus Notes company), MFS/UUNet, Brooks Fiber, GridNet, SkyTel, CompuServe, AOL Network Services, MCI, etc. This model for working through these acquisitions and successfully migrating all necessary communications resources, produced WorldCom, a Fortune 25 powerhouse that owned and ran over 50% of the Internet.
This Consolidate:Decommission model saved us the majority of these 74 million dollars.
Worked for both MSDEQ and LDDS (WCOM) for the first 6 months, assuring a smooth transition
- Corporate Internet, Intranet, and Extranet web sites (won CIO Magazine, Businessweek, Ragan, Computerworld awards)
- Materials Management infrastructure (Ariba) that communicated with finance (SAP) and HR (PeopleSoft) ERP's and allowed for all financial expenses to be channeled through one system
- Geographical-balancing (Alteon 180e's) for Corporate web sites (won us a Smithsonian Natural History award in year 2000)
- Intrusion Detection network that allowed us to offer reliable extranet connectivity to customers
- HR-based Corporate Directory, which produced one datastore for all HR data
- Web interfaces that allowed for the Directory to be utilized as a "One-Stop-Shop" for all employee, management, and HR needs
- Directory services-based File Serving Networks (Novell Netware v4)
- E-Mail and Groupware system (cc:Mail and Lotus Notes)
- - second E-Mail and Groupware system (Novell Groupwise)
- - - third E-Mail and Groupware system (Netscape/iPlanet Messaging Suite)
- High-speed LANs and Internet connectivity (distributed DHCP, VPN, and PPP dial-up)
- Desktop PC and Netware server hardware/software images, minimizing costs, vendor dependencies, and required support (~17,500 users at 35 sites)
- www.thebandits.com web site and marketing communications for Mr. Ebbers hockey team
- Disaster Recovery for all aspects of WorldCom's MIS services and operations - handed off to EDS in year 2000
- Power backup solutions using mostly Generac diesel generators and transfer switches
- all Corporate Web Systems (~85,000 users at ~200 facilities)
Minimize expenses, reduce administration, increase security and keep WorldCom as one company, with one face! To do these things, I led and maintained a strong effort of standardizing pieces of the information infrastructure for all companies we'd "merge with" or acquire. These acquired companies would have their own platforms and development/support staff for these services, and they'd also have their own content - corporate directory entries, email accounts, web content about new products and/or services they brought to WorldCom, human resources and financial histories, etc. They'd also have their own equipment, connectivity, and sometimes even buildings - for running these systems.
I migrated these companies, consolidating and then decommissioning their environments, to use the WorldCom Corporate Intranet, Corporate Internet, pre-sales Customer Extranet, e-Mail, Directory Services, Materiel Management, and HR System.
The 60 acquisitions where I led these Information Technology migrations included Metromedia, WilTel, IDB WorldCom, WorldCom (the Lotus Notes company), MFS/UUNet, Brooks Fiber, GridNet, SkyTel, CompuServe, AOL Network Services, MCI, etc. This model for working through these acquisitions and successfully migrating all necessary communications resources, produced WorldCom, a Fortune 25 powerhouse that owned and ran over 50% of the Internet.
This Consolidate:Decommission model saved us the majority of these 74 million dollars.
Worked for both MSDEQ and LDDS (WCOM) for the first 6 months, assuring a smooth transition
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Oct-1991 to Dec-1994
Jackson, MS
Systems Manager
Worked in MS DEQ Office of Pollution Control's Field Services Division
Designed, implemented, and supported these "firsts" for MS DEQ:
- Laboratory Information Management System (LabVantage LIMS)
- ARPANet/Internet connectivity (centralized RARP/BOOTP/DHCP and SLIP/PPP dial-up)
- E-Mail and Groupware system (cc:Mail and Lotus Notes)
- LANs and MANs for station-station and building-building connectivity
- File Serving Networks including bindery name services (Novell Netware v2,3,4)
Administration and efficiencies I provided:
- Primary contact for all CDPA communications, including physical and data security, vendor selection/use, EPA/USGS communications, and all connectivity
- Primary support for all local and remote software and hardware (67 users at 5 sites)
- Streamlined the division's data processing expenditures (saving nearly 1 million dollars from 1991-1994)
Hired by JTC's largest customer, MSDEQ, and successfully increased JTC's business and relations within MSDEQ
Jackson Typewriter Company
Oct-1990 to Oct-1991
Jackson, MS
UNIX/Network/Novell technician
Technical work:
- UNIX support and shell scripting - mostly SUN Sparcstations
- Novell Netware installation and support
- Networking design, implementation, and support
- Simply Dental implementation and support, using FoxPro for database
Was hired by JTC when training JTC staff when I was employed by Manpower
Manpower
Aug-1990 to Oct-1990
Jackson, MS
Part time technician
Technical training instructor, mostly for JTC and MSDEQ:
- Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect
- dBase 2
- Data Networking
Part time technical work, between jobs.
Nationwide Check Cashing
May-1990 to Aug-1990
Las Vegas, NV
Vice President
All needed technical work:
- Used and trained employees to use Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, Photoscope, PoS system, etc.
- dBase 2 administration
- Networking administration - Arcnet within and between buildings
Working for the owner, John Kitchen, who was a 2nd father to me
Technical Skills
Application Development: Full-stack developer, SVR4 and BSD UNIX shell, PowerShell, macro-C scripting, PHP frameworks (PHPLib, Pear, CakePHP, SmartyPHP, Zend, Composer, Laravel, Joomla!, ReactPHP), RESTful API with XML/cXML/JSON, node.js, W3C standards and initiatives for Web Development such as HTML/CSS, Bootstrap, XML/cXML, XHTML, ECMAScript, WAI; CAST and The Web Standards Project's BUI efforts; Perl, Basic, OS/2 REXX, Batch files, etc.
Databases and Directory Services: MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, ORACLE, SQL Server, and some others, such as DB2, RBase; LDAP, Novell, X.500, Microsoft Active Directory, OpenLDAP, UM slapd/slurpd
e-Commerce: All major VAN's; LIAISON Delta/ECS; IBM Sterling Integrator; internally-built EDI Library; major clearinghouses such as AMAZON storefront, BRIGHTREE, DSSi, Procurement Partners, Home Care Home Base; high EDI file exchange communications with most supplier-used transaction sets, etc.
E-mail use training/testing: Knowbe4 phish testing/training, internally built and managed fcms.com/SCAMD malicious emails prevention, OpenDNS domain name system forward, and Sendgrid email campaigning services
ERP Solutions and Software: ARIBA, PeopleSoft, SAP, Lawson Financials, NetSuite, UKG, Workday, Peachtree Suite, etc.; GE PACS, Pathways Materiel Management, Synchronicity, Tivoli, Arcserve, Google web tools/Google Cloud MySQL, Office 365, IBM ADSM, Microsoft SMS, Microsoft SQL, Apache, Microsoft IIS, Netscape/iPlanet Enterprise Server, Veritas Net Backup, NetIQ, Optivity, HP Openview, CA Unicenter, DCA Remote LAN Node, and PC Anywhere/LAN
Graphic Design: ADOBE Illustrator/Photoshop/QRcode generator/Acrobat; Gliffy; Visio; Core PHP PDFlib and Laravel's DomPDF; etc.
Hardware: IBM, SUN, SGI, HP, Compaq, DELL; VMware vCenter, XEN Orchestra, Azure/AWS/GC VM's; Generators and power transfer switches, CISC, RISC Computers; Liebert Cooling and UPS's, Best and APC UPS's; SCSI devices; NFR; scanning/OCR; peripheral device sharing; CAD/CAM software/hardware; advanced memory/interrupt management; printers, plotters, and copiers
Messaging and Communications: EDI file exchange communications (ftp, sftp, ftps); Netscape Messaging Server, Multiplexor; SMTP, POP3, IMAP4; Microsoft Exchange; Lotus Domino/Notes; Novell GroupWise, MHS; cc:Mail; Microsoft Mail; Twilio SMS/telephone, UNIX sendmail; iRedMail/Admin on Ubuntu; VoIP/SIP; MIME, Transaction, SMS, MFA
Operating Systems: VMware, Netware, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, IRIX, BSD, SVR4 and BSD Linux variants, NextOS, SCO, Mac OS, Mac OS X, DOS, Windows 286/3/NT 4.0/2000/XP/7/8/10/11, Windows Servers, OS/2 with REXX, etc.
Protocols and Security: TCP/IP, NetBIOS, IPX/SPX, OOB, WAP, Routing, VPN (IPSEC, IKE, GRE, L2LTP, Cisco DMVPN, etc.); PKI, E-Mail, AV/AM, SSL (Comodo, Sectigo, GoDaddy, Let's Encrypt, etc.), PIX, SonicWall, Proofpoint, Fortinet, Checkpoint, Rapid7, Veracode, etc.
Storage: EMC SAN, IBM SAN, Compaq StorageWorks SAN, AMAZON AWS SFS and Glacier, SYNOLOGY, HPE Synergy and Simplivity, BackBlaze, Microsoft AZURE storage and VM's
VoIP/telephone Systems: Asterisk, FreePBX, NetSapiens, Broadsoft, SIP/SIP trunking in TEAMS and ZOOM, Bandwidth Inc.
Wired Networking and Modems, CSU/DSU's: SNMP management; building of data cabling; Out Of Band (OOB), ArcNet, Ethernet (10 - 10000 Mb/s), FDDI, and Token-Ring (Type 1 and 3); SUN, Cisco, Bay Networks, Wellfleet, SynOptics, Western Multiplex, palo alto, Ubiquiti, MikroTik, and NorTel concentrators, repeaters, switches, muxes, firewalls, bridges, brouters, and routers; Kentrox, CUBIX, US Robotics Total Control, and all types of stand-alone modems and CSU/DSU's, including cable modems, such as Motorola SB3/4100
Wireless Networking: Point-Point and Point-MultiPoint bridging of IEEE 802.3; 802.11(FH), 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, and broadcasting
Virtual Networking: AWS, Azure, IBM, Netscape Communications, Jumpline (VNets, NSGs, VPN Gateways, VNet Peering, Load Balancing/Traffic Management, Network Monitoring and Troubleshooting)
Additional Skills
Automating business processes for recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining employees; Social Networking; NOS, protocol, database, code/scripting, and workstation/server/VM migrations; project management (estimating, scheduling, PERT/Gantt charts, Scrum and Kanban agile frameworks, etc.); advanced laboratory equipment (physiograph, oscilloscope, centrifuge, DAS16F, SEM, NMR, GC, GC-MS, AA, etc.); UKG to AD integration; Graphic Design with Adobe products, Visio, Gliffy, and creating/customizing SVG images; President of Harbortowne POA (59 homes, 2004-2014); Board of Directors Northbay POA (520 homes, 2017-2025) and Northbay webmaster; designing disaster recovery plans for IT/IS, including implementation, periodic testing, and maintenance; leading technical conversions/moves/consolidations for companies; optimizing internal business work/data flow models to minimize duplicate use-paths and assign source ownership to all available data; creating e-Commerce libraries to parse/exchange data (HL7, cXML, APIs, text, EDI 5010 spec, etc.) to a single standard (e.g., EDI 4010) and converting responses back to source types invisibly; migrating companies to/from G Suite, Office 365, on-premise Exchange, UNIX Postfix mail, etc.; managing remote teams with high technical and project management skills across the US, Asia, Europe, and South America; building versatile applications with fast, open-source, templated, database-driven web models, adhering to 100% open-source industry standards.
Education
| Millsaps College, Jackson, MS | Graduated May 1990 |
| B.S. in Pre-Medical/Biology with Technical Sciences Emphasis: 3.64/4.00 QPA | |
Graduated with honors, distinction, and the Biology Research Award. Received Ford Foundation and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pre-Medical teaching/research fellowships for parturition physiology research. Designed, built, digitally interfaced, and implemented physiological testing devices. Gained expertise in laboratory instrument setup/calibration, ARPANET/NSFNet connectivity, UUCP digital file transfer over POTS, digital/analogue instrument integration/data parsing with microcomputers, and grant proposal writing/justifications. Developed understanding of UUNET's Usenet/AlterNet, DEC VAX operating environment (mid-range network communications, email/news, statistical computing/modeling). Thesis presented/published at MAS and MCSRS. Member of BBB Biology, AED Pre-Medical, and TNS Natural Science Honoraries. Dean's List all semesters.
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