RESUME

Umer Mahmood

Senior Systems Administrator & Site Lead · Ridgecrest, CA · umerm89@gmail.com · linkedin.com/in/umer-mahmood-225293163

Professional Summary

Senior Systems Administrator and Site Lead with over 10 years of experience managing, securing, and optimizing complex datacenter and cloud environments. Expert in troubleshooting critical technical issues, enhancing system performance, and implementing innovative solutions through collaboration with technical teams, business stakeholders, and vendors. Deep expertise in virtualization (Nutanix, VMware), cloud platforms (AWS), Windows/Linux administration, and security compliance (STIG, RMF, ATO). Proven ability to lead ATO efforts (7+ successful ATOs, 2 as lead at SMX), translate business needs into technical strategies, reduce operational costs, streamline processes, improve customer satisfaction, and lead technical teams to achieve objectives.

Technical Skills & Expertise

Systems & Cloud Platforms
AWS (Outpost, VPC, EC2, S3, Security Groups, CloudWatch), Nutanix HCI, VMware vSphere/vCenter/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Windows Server, Red Hat, Oracle Linux, Ubuntu, CentOS
Security & Compliance
STIG hardening, RMF, ATO (7+ successful efforts), Nessus, Tenable ACAS, eMASS, OpenRMF, SCAP, IDS, Kiwi Syslog; limited experience with McAfee SIEM and LogRhythm
Networking
Cisco (IOS), Aruba (Airwave, ClearPass), Juniper, Brocade (Layer 3, Fibre Channel), F5 BIG-IP, TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, VPC; limited experience with Infoblox
Scripting & Automation
PowerShell, Python, Ansible, AWS Systems Manager, Tanium
Monitoring & ITSM
SolarWinds NPM, ServiceNow, Remedy, AWS CloudWatch
Directory Services & Virtualization
Microsoft Active Directory, Group Policy, Nutanix Prism, VMware vCenter, Nutanix Flow/Microsegmentation
Backup & Recovery
Rubrik solutions (50 TB+ environments, high success rates)
Leadership & Project Management
Led onsite teams (up to 12 administrators), Product Owner for PI planning, Agile methodologies, vendor and project coordination

Professional Experience

Senior System Administrator / Site Lead

SMX · Ridgecrest, CA · Oct 2023 – Present
  • Lead of two full ATO packages; overall contributed to seven successful ATO efforts across career
  • Manage 12-administrator datacenter team and lead PI planning as Product Owner
  • Migrated 100+ VMs from VMware to Nutanix HCI with <4h downtime
  • Engineered microsegmentation saving $100K+/year
  • Authored PaaS Shared Responsibility Model and service catalog
  • Deployed AWS Outpost; optimized costs from $1,400 to $300/month via CloudWatch
  • Hardened servers per STIGs; remediated Nessus findings

Senior Systems Administrator

Life Cycle Engineering · Ridgecrest, CA · Sep 2022 – Oct 2023
  • Primary POC for three ATO efforts
  • Administered Rubrik backup appliances (50 TB, 99% success)
  • Deployed SolarWinds NPM for 1,000 devices
  • Hardened 200+ servers and 1,000+ network devices to DoD STIGs

System Administrator

Trowbridge & Trowbridge · Ridgecrest, CA · Jan 2018 – Sep 2022
  • Major contributor to secure campus wireless ATO with NSA integrators
  • Developed DoD Secure Wi-Fi solution for SIPRNet
  • Migrated ~150 VMs from VMware VxRail to Nutanix HCI
  • Reduced critical vulnerabilities by ~80% managing Tenable ACAS (~100 assets)

Network Administrator

Epsilon, Inc. · Ridgecrest, CA · Nov 2016 – Oct 2018
  • Managed full lifecycle network infrastructure across multi-vendor environments
  • Completed hardware/software upgrades with minimal downtime
  • Led first on-time hardware refresh in 18 months

Information Technology Specialist

IntellecTechs, Inc. · Bridgeport, CA · Apr 2016 – Nov 2016
  • Replaced hardware and performed backup restorations
  • Resolved ~50 Remedy Service Desk tickets weekly
  • Maintained active security clearance

Network Administrator / Engineer

Kurtis Company · San Francisco, CA · Oct 2014 – Apr 2016
  • Conducted A/V and network site surveys
  • Created network diagrams and supervised installations
  • Configured routers, switches, wireless APs, IP cameras

IT Support / Technician

The Gamer's Network · Modesto, CA · Nov 2009 – Mar 2011
  • Maintained 50 Windows 7 workstations and Catalyst 3750 switches
  • Created custom OS images; installed Cat5/6 cabling

Freelance Web Developer / IT Consultant

Self-Employed · Modesto, CA · Jan 2009 – Jun 2010
  • Designed WordPress sites and managed hosting
  • Provided on-call IT support

Sales Representative

Cutco · Modesto, CA · Jan 2009 – Dec 2009
  • Conducted door-to-door sales and product demonstrations

Education

Bachelor of Science, Cloud Computing (AWS track)
Western Governors University, Millcreek, UT (Online) · Expected August 2026

Computer Science Studies
Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA · Sep 2007 – Dec 2009 · Completed coursework toward Associate degree

High School Diploma
Fred C. Beyer High School, Modesto, CA · Aug 2004 – Jun 2008

Certifications

  • Nutanix Certified Professional – Multicloud Infrastructure 6 (issued Mar 2025)
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (valid through Aug 2026)
  • CompTIA CySA+ ce (valid through Nov 2027)
  • CompTIA Security+ ce (valid through Nov 2027)
  • LPI Linux Essentials (issued Feb 2022)
  • Microsoft Technology Associate: Networking Fundamentals (issued Oct 2016)
  • (ISC)² CCSP examination passed (Oct 2023; endorsement window lapsed)