Steve Ross

sross@itsross.com | (480) 666-5009 | Phoenix, AZ

WORK EXPERIENCE

The RealReal

May 2024 – Present

Staff, Systems Engineer (Architect)

§ Provided expert technical guidance to support teams and business stakeholders, ensuring optimal system performance and strategic technology adoption.

§ Drove significant cost efficiencies by proactively identifying and optimizing expenditures in areas such as cloud compute resources and software license utilization.

§ Championed the use of AI-powered tools to accelerate complex troubleshooting and automate script development, significantly enhancing the speed of delivery and the quality of work output for the entire team.

§ Managed extensive enterprise infrastructure spanning on-premises hardware and multi-cloud environments.

§ Directed comprehensive root cause analysis (RCA) for high-impact incidents, implementing permanent architectural solutions that eliminated recurring failures and measurably improved long-term system stability.

§ Led initiatives to stabilize critical systems, enhance efficiency, and implement Disaster Recovery strategies for key workloads, significantly bolstering business continuity.

§ Optimized system performance and reliability through the deployment of improved monitoring policies, standardized server baselines, and the automation of critical operations.

§ Proactively identified and resolved complex systemic issues while collaborating with cross-functional teams and vendors to drive continuous infrastructure improvements and enhance overall system resilience.

§ Mentored junior engineers in operational best practices, emphasizing disciplined ticket management and the authoring of high-quality SOPs and knowledge base articles to standardize workflows and elevate team performance.

The RealReal

May 2023 – May 2024

Manager, IT Operations Engineering

§ Promoted to lead and revitalize the infrastructure team (networks, identity, endpoints, systems), successfully transforming team dynamics and boosting productivity and morale following a leadership transition.

§ Strategically aligned technology initiatives with core business objectives, driving major infrastructure projects and critical security enhancements.

§ Fostered a highly collaborative and innovative team environment, promoting knowledge sharing and establishing a culture of continuous improvement.

§ Positioned the team for enhanced performance against key metrics through optimized workflows and proactive feedback mechanisms.

§ Managed all aspects of cross-functional team operations, ensuring seamless service delivery and operational excellence.

The RealReal

Jan 2021 – May 2023

Lead, Endpoint Engineer

§ Managed full endpoint lifecycle across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, overseeing MDM migrations and implementing zero-touch provisioning strategies across platforms.

§ Integrated Okta with Entra ID and led on-prem Active Directory migration to Entra ID, enhancing identity management and system scalability.

§ Designed dozens of endpoint configurations for various use cases, focusing on user experience.

§ Conducted regular security audits and compliance assessments, ensuring adherence to industry standards.

§ Automated routine tasks using PowerShell, and Python.

Entelligence LLC (VMware Partnership)

Jan 2019 – Jan 2021

Senior Consultant

§ Designed and implemented tailored MDM solutions, leveraging VMware Workspace ONE.

§ Managed large-scale deployments of on-prem hosted UEM infrastructure.

§ Led presentations on architecture and capacity planning, enhancing client satisfaction.

§ Cultivated strong client relationships, delivering exceptional service and strategic IT solutions.

§ Conducted capacity planning and performance tuning, optimizing system resources.

§ Delivered training and support for client IT teams, improving their operational capabilities.

§ Resolved complex client issues, ensuring effective and timely resolutions.

§ Developed strategic IT recommendations, aligning technology with clients' business objectives.

Cerner Corp (Oracle)

Jan 2017 – Jan 2019

Systems Engineer

§ Gained foundational expertise in enterprise systems administration, managing core identity and directory services and overseeing 1,000+ endpoints across a diverse environment.

§ Developed automation solutions using scripting languages to streamline routine tasks and enhance system configurations for specialized lab equipment.

§ Executed comprehensive data backup and recovery operations, ensuring business continuity and data integrity.

§ Facilitated large-scale software deployments and managed internal communication platforms, supporting essential business functions.

CERTIFICATIONS

§ Cisco CCNA

§ VMware Certified Professional - Digital Workspace (VCP-DW)

§ AAS Computer Networking

SKILLS

§ Strategic IT Leadership: IT Operations Management, Infrastructure Development, Strategic Planning, Change Management, Cost Efficiency Optimization, Vendor Management, Service Delivery Optimization, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning.

§ Enterprise Systems & Cloud Architecture: Multi-Cloud Solutions Management, Hybrid Environment Scalability, Virtualization & Containerization, System Monitoring & Performance Tuning, Data Analysis.

§ Endpoint & Identity Management: Enterprise Endpoint Lifecycle Management, Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), Identity & Access Management (IAM), Directory Services, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), Secure Device Provisioning.

§ Network & Security Engineering: Network Architecture & Design, Network Security, Zero Trust Security Principles, Security & Regulatory Compliance.

§ Project & Team Management: Project Management, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Technical Mentoring, Client Needs Assessment, Tailored Solution Provision, Stakeholder Communication, Issue Resolution, Process Optimization, Technical Documentation.

§ Automation & Scripting: Advanced Scripting & Automation, API/REST Integrations, Workflow Automation.

SOFTWARE & APPLICATIONS

Cloud & Infrastructure:

· AWS: Auto Scaling, CloudFormation, CloudFront, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, EBS, EC2, EKS, Elastic Load Balancing, IAM, Lambda, RDS, Route 53, S3, Secrets Manager, SNS, Systems Manager, VPC, WorkSpaces

· Azure: Azure Functions, Blob Storage, Virtual Machines, Virtual Network, Azure Virtual Desktop

· GCP: Cloud CDN, Cloud DNS, Cloud Functions, Cloud IAM, Cloud Run, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, Looker Studio

· Virtualization: VMware (vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, vRealize Suite, Aria, vSAN), Hyper-V, Proxmox, KVM, Docker

· Servers & Services: Apache, Microsoft IIS, File Servers, NTP, PXE Boot, Syslog, WSUS, SMB, NFS, CIFS, iSCSI

· Hardware & Storage: Dell iDRAC, HP iLO, Storage Area Networks (SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), Brocade Fabric OS, iSCSI, Fibre Channel

Endpoint Management & Provisioning:

· Apple Business Manager (ADE/DEP), Dell KACE, DISM, Intune, Jamf (Pro, Connect), Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME), MECM/SCCM, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), WinPE, Windows Autopilot, Windows Update for Business, Workspace ONE (UEM, Omnissa, AirWatch), Zero-Touch Enrollment

Identity & Access Management (IAM):

· 1Password, Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS, DNS, DHCP, GPO, ADFS, Certificate Services), BeyondTrust (PAM), Entra ID / Azure AD (Azure AD Connect, Conditional Access), Google Identity, Okta, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), SailPoint IdentityNow, SAML, OAuth, OIDC, Kerberos, LDAP/S, RADIUS

Network, Security & Monitoring:

· Hardware & Software: Caddy, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto Networks (Panorama), pfSense

· Security Services: Carbon Black, CrowdStrike Falcon, IDS/IPS, VPN (IPSec, SSL/TLS), Web Application Firewall (WAF), ZTNA

· Monitoring & Analysis: Datadog, Grafana, PagerDuty, SolarWinds (Orion, Pingdom, NPM, SAM), Splunk, Statuspage, Wireshark

Data & Automation:

· Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server

· Storage & Backup: Druva, NetApp, Nimble, TrueNAS, Veeam Backup & Replication, Wasabi

· Automation: Okta Workflows, Tines, Zapier.

Operating Systems & Languages:

· Operating Systems:

o Windows Server: 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012

o Windows Client: 11, 10, 8, 7

o Linux: Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, SUSE, Amazon Linux

o Other: macOS, iOS, Android, Unix

· Languages: PowerShell, Bash, Python, VBScript, Batch

SaaS & Enterprise Applications

· Asana, Atlassian, Freshworks, Google Workspace, Lucidchart, ServiceNow, Slack, Zendesk, Remedy, Notion, Basecamp, Microsoft Project, GitHub, NetSuite, Zoho