Anthony Collis
IT Professional
About me
Hey! I’m Anthony, an award-winning IT professional and tech enthusiast with 7 years experience turning my passion into practice.
I developed my passion for technology at a young age, it started at school when I began helping the IT guy out with problematic computers during some lunch breaks, I really enjoyed the challenge each problem presented to me and the sense of achievement I got from solving a problem, particularly ones that required some hours of troubleshooting.
From there during college I was put forward to compete in the 2014 WorldSkills IT Support Technician competition, having won the gold medal first in the regionals, my result landed me in the top eight scoring people across all regions of the UK making me eligible to compete in the national competition against the other seven, after months of training including on weekends I won the gold medal to make me the national champion in this category. Two years later I competed in the IT Network Systems Administrator category where I won bronze medal in the South East regionals.
Over the years since then I have continued to build on my technical knowledge, in the covid lockdown period being stuck at home I focused my time on learning Linux and gaining a better understanding around infrastructure through various personal projects, these skills have translated into the workplace over recent years allowing for further professional successes.
I am now currently studying for certifications in the areas of cloud computing and scripting.
In my time away from the technical life I like to travel and explore new places, having travelled Australia for a year this has inspired me to go and see new places, as well as catching up with friends and family wherever possible.
If you would like get in touch, feel free to do so via the contact options listed on this page.
What I Do
I’m a Systems Engineer, always looking to learn and expand my knowledge in different areas of computing. In my current role some of the technologies I’m working with regularly include; RedHat Linux, Windows Server, Microsoft SQL, AWS Cloud Services, VMWare, Docker and Ansible along with dabbling in scripting, particularly python and bash.
I see myself as a generalist with experience in a broad range of areas in computing, having a broader knowledge has helped me better support and develop platforms.
Experience with technology across a broad range of business
With years of experience working with technology in business I understand the critical role that technology plays in the day-to-day operations and how requirements differ between types of businesses.
This means I’ve faced new unexpected challenges, sometimes in areas I previously haven’t had much exposure to which has allowed me to adapt and learn things in a quick proficient manner, to aid my learning I have a home lab where I practice my technical skills risk-free.
TCP/IP
Networking knowledge in both on-prem and cloud based infrastructure in the areas of VLAN’s, firewall management,
OpenVPN, SSL certificates, SSH, SMB, DNS, IMAP, HTTP(S), load-balancing and remote management solutions.
VIRTUALIZATION
Using Virtual Machines (VM’s) and Docker containers both in the cloud and on-prem hypervisors hosting a range of services from web servers, VPN solutions, SQL Databases and even game servers.
LINUX & WINDOWS
Competent in both Linux and Windows operating systems, from supporting single hosted applications to multi-server systems and the application of best security practices across both operating systems.
Skills
My Experience
2022-present
Junior Systems Engineer
I provide on-going support as part of an engineering team for platforms hosting software applications providing water utilities companies smart water metering solutions.
I am involved with the day-to-day support of these platforms, particularly around servers used to host the platform, the networking between the servers and system database config.
Typical upkeep involves a focus around patch testing, system upgrade procedures, replicating & finding solutions to reported system issues and providing technical instructions to the end customer.
I am continuing to make good progress with my technical skills in this role.
2019-2022
Global IT Support Administrator
I was responsible for providing global support to 800 internal employees across all offices as part of a global team, along with the writing and implementation of IT processes, creation of PS scripts for system automation and administration of systems including; Domain Controllers / Active Directory, Azure AD, Office 365 tenant, Intune, AutoPilot and Connectwise remote solutions.
I started this role at a time when the company began a number of acquisitions along with the Coronavirus pandemic changing the way in which we now work, being apart of these changes opened up new opportunities for me to get involved with different technologies and new products.
2016-2018
IT Technician
I worked with a variety of external customers from care homes to restaurants providing support for new and existing IT infrastructure, Domain Controllers / Active Directory, VoIP telephone, managed print services and Office 365 products.
Due to the good variation in clients I supported, this role helped me understand the difference in technology requirements between types of businesses.