Available full or part time, employee or contract.

Gavin Hollinger

Linux Systems Administrator, Principal Cloud Architect, CTO, Director

Hello, I am Gavin Hollinger (INTP-T He/Him 48 years old in Cedar City, Utah, USA). I will be an asset to any technical team or project that uses Linux, Unix, FreeBSD systems and complex networks. I prefer solving problems with diverse world wide teams but am open to working independently at a small organization or management opportunities as well. I am most interested in learning about your project and team so please leave me a text or voice message at +1-435-572-0428 with a good time to call, text or email you back. While I am primarily interested in remote work, I will relocate if needed for tax, emergency response, security, or other needs. 

Recommendations:

"Gavin leads with kindness and is in a class of his own when it comes to making things happen through his innate curiosity, technical and business acumen, and relentless tenacity and persistence. Because of him, we achieved a critical Lab Exit milestone for a first of industry Land Mobile Radio interworking function for P25 communication networks. Gavin brought deep network architecture, cloud, and Linux expertise and experience to bear from Day 1 and spearheaded the resolution of a myriad of complex issues, navigated many Linux-based and proprietary software and technology changes, and recommended and implemented preventive measures for potential issues enabling the Platform Team to successfully execute testing. 
Gavin is also a self-starter who thinks creatively, takes initiative, and goes the extra mile. When some got flustered, Gavin remained focused and found ways to turn adversity into advantage which was instrumental to Lab Exit success. To illustrate this point, shortly after onboarding to the LMR IWF team, Gavin acquired access to and then made time to think through the complications and nuances of utilizing a non-commercial network software key loader application for encryption keys management provided by a vendor. Gavin asked probing questions of the vendor based on his review of the app that exposed additional insights. The insights prompted more discussion that led the Technical Solution Owner to modify the solution design for clarity and completeness. Gavin then recorded a series of instructional videos that helped the team visualize and understand the app mechanics and NSK process sequence overall. 
In short, Gavin is a standout and someone who was integral and essential for LMR IWF success. I enthusiastically give Gavin my highest recommendation!" Annie Zemba, PMP Principal Product Development Engineer - FirstNet at AT&T

"One of the finest Linux Guru AT&T has got. I am privileged to work with Gavin for last four years while working on AT&T Network Cloud Deployments and SysOps. Gavin has relentlessly provided resolution to complex issues on Compute/Storage/Cyber Security that we encounter during IaaS (Openstack and Kubernetes) deployments. With his vast and in depth knowledge as SA, Gavin has made dramatic difference to make AT&T and its customers successful. Gavin has impressed everyone with his leadership, diligence and patience that is much needed while working on cutting edge technology evolution. Gavin will be a asset to any team as a individual contributor or a leader." Vikas Ahuja - Senior Manager, PMP, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner, Certified AWS Solution Architect

"I’ve had the privilege of working in the same organization with Gavin for the past 3 years. He is incredibly knowledgeable and skilled Development Engineer. He has managed large teams for Open Stack and VMware vCenter environments, with thousands of virtual machines. He has successfully executed highly complex and technical cloud orchestration deployments. Gavin is an ethical leader and accomplished speaker; these qualities make him an asset to any organization." Edgardo Cruz-Martínez VMware/Windows specialist

Technical skills:

  • Collaborative and results-focused leader with over 25 years of experience in the wireless/telecommunications industry with extensive expertise in hybrid multicloud architecture, devops, security engineering and operations.
  • Technical leadership of global Linux cloud systems using Proxmox, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, Xen, RHEV, KVM, bhyve, Openstack, Kubernetes, VMware, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services environments.
  • Successfully executed highly complex and technical multicloud orchestration deployments.
  • Solid work ethic, positive attitude, and strong interpersonal skills.
  • Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), EC Council and Storm Wind
  • Software Defined Radio (SDR)
  • Software Defined Networking (SDN)
  • Linux/Unix/BSD Architecture, Engineering, Security & System Administration
  • Agile Development
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Mobile Routing Professional (MRP)
  • Troubleshooting
  • Automated and manual testing
  • Start-up tech companies
  • Coaching and training
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)
  • Unified Security Management (USM)
  • VoIP Specialist
  • Radio & Microwave systems
  • Extensive hands-on knowledge of OpenStack, Kubernetes, docker, Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) AT&T Integrated Cloud (AIC), Network Cloud (NC), UNIX/LINUX, VMWare.
  • Knowledge of configuration management automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, CFEngine, Jenkins, SaltStack, Rudder, Gitlab CI.
  • System administration hands-on expertise, UAM/ORM/Keystone access management, OpsSimple, ASPR compliance, and OS upgrades expertise.
  • Proven foundational hands-on knowledge of lab environments for Cloud Computing.
  • Proficiency with databases and scripting languages such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, MariaDB, Oracle, NoSQL, Cassandra, Hadoop, Hive, Spark, R, Zookeeper, Python, Bash, or equivalent.
  • Knowledge of Ethernet, TCP/IP, and routing protocols. BGP
  • Experience with protocol analysis, network analyzers, packet capture devices, and Wireshark.
  • Knowledge of DNS, DHCP, LDAP, RADIUS, SMTP, HTTP, TLS, HAProxy, F5, NGINX, Akamai, Barracuda and other core network-based services.
  • Agile PG/PM: Agile Development
  • Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Routing Professional (MRP) Certification
  • Lucent Certified Technical Expert (LCTE) – Access – VoIP Specialist
  • Transformation Learning Series: AT&T Network Transformation Track, AT&T University
  • WF2020 - Technology Design Engineer
  • Linux, Unix, BSD, High profile deeply technical outage resolution, Optical, Electrical and Microwave transport systems, Ethernet, plesiochronous digital hierarchy, IPV4, IPV6, BGP, RIP, OSPF, 802.11ax, WiFi6, 5G, LTE, CDMA, TDMA, UMTS, GSM, AMPS.
  • PBX / Telephone Design, Installation, and Maintenance: Asterisk PBX, Web & IP Enabled, VoIP, SIP, IAX, IAX2, DID, DOD, T1 PRI, ISDN, FXO, FXS, Voice Mail, Digital, Analog, Class Features, Voice & Data Convergence, Scalable systems, Remote/Home Office.
  • Central Office, Hub & Cell Site Construction and Deconstruction using Motorola, Lucent, Nortel, and miscellaneous equipment. EMX2500, 5ESS, VCDX, translations, DS0, T1, DS3, OC3, OC12, 3G CDMA, Digital Microwave, Voice Mail, DACS, CSU, DSU, MUX, Power Systems, Grounding. Clients: Verizon Wireless, AirTouch Cellular, CommNet Cellular, CommNet Wireless, VMR Group, RipTel.
  • Internet Access, Design, Installation, and Maintenance. DNS, email (SMTP POP3 IMAP WWW, spam filter), HTTP, FTP, cache, proxy, NTP (time), SNMP, NNTP, SQL, VPN, VoIP, RAS, RADIUS, PPP, Wireless Broadband, ADSL, VPN, LAN, WAN.
  • Live Production Audio & Video: Collin Raye, Gordon B. Hinckley, KREC, Japan F3000, Suzuka Circuit, Hawaii's Polynesian Cultural Center, Disneyland, Southern Utah University, Parowan Community Theater, Parowan High School.
  • Linux, Unix, BSD, Windows, MSDOS, Auto CAD, Tango, Visio, Assembly, Machine Language, Pascal, HTML, PHP, Expect, Shell Scripting, Perl, Sed, Awk, Basic, Several macro languages. Microsoft Office.
  • Industrial control: Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC's), Pneumatics, Servos, Steppers, Pumps, Heating & Cooling, Compressors. Plastic processes: Extrusion, Thermo Forming, Trim Press, Packaging, Conveyer, Warehousing.

Experience:

Silicon Valley Options Group
Linux Cloud Architect - Board Member - Secretary (9 Apr 2021 - Current)
  • Transition many systems to meet the diverse needs of a small non-profit using cloud first technology including: email (Google Workgroups), Web Content Acceleration (Cloudflare), Marketing Automation (Mailchimp), distributed version control (GitHub), collaboration (Microsoft 365), meeting (zoom) and donation management (Punchpass).
AT&T Laboratories, Inc., previously Bell Labs 
Linux Cloud Architect (8 Aug 2022 - 31 Jan 2023)
  • Linux consultant for lab deployment of Interworking Function 2.6, achieving conditional lab exit 30 Nov 2022. Developed in partnership with AT&T FirstNet, Samsung, Etherstack, Motorola and L3Harris. The IWF is a geo redundant hybrid multicloud Linux system that connects mission critical push to talk with Police/Fire/Other Agency P25 land mobile radio systems. 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints 
Volunteer Service Mission - Temple Technology Coordinator ( Apr 2020 - Apr 2022)
AT&T Business
Director of Linux Cybersecurity Strategy & Innovation (1 Apr 2019 - 7 Feb 2020)
  • Principal Architect for Linux, Unix, FreeBSD, Cybersecurity systems in the healthcare industry. See att.com/healthcare and att.com/security
AT&T Laboratories, Inc., previously Bell Labs 
Senior Product Development Engineer/Advanced Linux (16 Nov 2016 - 29 Mar 2019)
  • Served as technical leader for AT&T Labs Linux and Unix System Administration team, responsible for operating system security and ASPR compliance, and managed 11 security contractors directly and 6 indirectly. 
  • Remediated 2,322,054 (AT&T Security Policy and Requirements) ASPR defects previously overlooked by build and design teams in 2018.
  • Successfully managed through 9X system growth and team reductions.
  • Personally discovered, demonstrated, and reported a php user input validation defect in the MUAM web interface that allowed creation of root privileged accounts without approval on 331,027 lab and production servers across AT&T.
  • Facilitated in-person and virtual two-month training of new-hires.
  • Documented and managed the Lab Readiness Testing (LRT) reflecting requirements to be followed and testing to ensure compliance.
AT&T Mobility
Specialist – Ran Engineer+ (1 Jun 2012 - 15 Nov 2016)
  • Designed, planned, and oversaw installation, maintenance, optimization, and performance of wireless radio access network communications systems including radio propagation modeling and prediction, microwave path analysis, interference analysis, frequency coordination, cell site equipment layout, parameter definition, and ancillary equipment. 
  • Primary contact for executive escalations to determine reason for dropped calls and implementation of fixes. 
  • Triaged acute KPI offenders and drove quick repairs by supporting partnering teams.
  • Performance analysis and drive testing. Analyzed RAN data to recommend optimal changes to RAN network to improve all key indexes and performance indicators.
AT&T Mobility
Senior Network Technician (Microwave and Transport Specialist) (5 Jun 2006 - 31 May 2012)
  • Instrumental in network design and troubleshooting. 
  • Established myself as a subject matter expert by solving several complex network problems when others were unable.
  • Crunched data sets and performed root cause analysis to identify problems proactively.
GavTRON
CTO / VP / Senior Linux System Administrator (17 Dec 1999 - 4 Jun 2006)
  • Initially a small startup ISP, built the network and acquired customers and successful within the first 90 days. 
  • Built SIP PBX, routers, DNS, AAA RADIUS, SMTP, HTTP, and SNMP servers from scratch. Linked together with technical reading, open source software, scripts, Linux, and affordable commodity hardware. 
  • After the startup phase, was key in the technical design and implementation of Wholesale RADIUS-based authentication service to allow dial up and Wi-Fi internet subscribers to roam on multiple providers and internet wholesalers such as Ikano and Globalpops, toll free SIP based call management system, Free Call recording service, Millard County Wi-Fi network, Linux-based Web hosting platform, and SNMP monitoring and control system to monitor alarms and utilization of several POPS in Millard County.

Awards & Achievements:

  • Industry first hybrid multicloud Land Mobile Radio interworking function for P25 communication networks.
  • Innovative rural technology achievement for free SAS end user digital call recording to email/https gateway that requires no app, no hardware, and works with any phone including landline, basic cell and smartphone.
  • FCC licensed Amateur Radio operator KC7IHE 18 Jan 1995
  • Alpha Chi Honors Society, Dean's List, National Honor Society, Who’s who, Youth Science Exchange
  • Wiretapped phone at age 7, completed High School at 16 and College at 18
  • Eagle Scout 30 Aug 1992
  • Innovative rural technology achievement for multichannel Voice over IP over 56K Dial up
  • Received President’s Volunteer Service Award for many consecutive years from the U.S. White House in Washington for extensive volunteering with the Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary (Cyber Aux), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rainbow Canyons Amateur Radio Club, Silicon Valley Options Group, and Boy Scouts of America.

Education:

AT&T - Bell Labs - Nokia Alcatel Lucent University - Worldwide - (888) 582-3688
Emphasis: Complex Maintenance and System Administration
I have had many specialized training classes from multiple vendors and employers over the years. Since 1997 I have studied continuously the products and communications innovations of the AT&T, Lucent, Bell family of companies. With all the name changes it is often difficult to realize all the contributions they have made, but they have certainly built the fastest, most advanced and reliable communications networks in the world.
Southern Utah University - 351 W. Center - Cedar City, UT 84720 - (435) 586-7700
Emphasis: Communications, Electronics, Mathematics, Embedded Microprocessors, and Computers.
Masters in Cybersecurity - almost complete. 
I maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in all electronic, computer and telecommunication related classes. General Education GPA: 3.8. Deans List Member, Alpha Chi Honors Society Member, Outstanding Business Communication & Technology Student. Plaque awarded by department head spring 1994. Graduated with Honors June 1994 - Associate of Applied Science Electronic Technology. I completed electronics courses for BS in Electronic Engineering Technology at age 18. However, I graduated with an AAS. I felt that additional time spent on irrelevant general education would not help me reach my personal goals. (Transcripts are available on request.)
Parowan High School - 168 N. Main - Parowan, UT 84761 - (435) 477-3366
Emphasis: Computers, Industrial Arts, and Mathematics
Due to lack of challenge at PHS and all classes being completed ahead of schedule, I began attending Southern Utah University at age 16 without a high school diploma. I graduated PHS later with my friends on the traditional date top of class 1993, with Honors & numerous awards.





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