John Watson

John Watson

IT Architect at IBM Corporation

Fayetteville, North Carolina Area

Past

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Education
  • Methodist College
  • Fayetteville Technical Community College
Recommended
John has 4 recommendations 4 people have recommended John
Connections
85 connections
Industry
Information Technology and Services
Websites

John Watson’s Summary

Fast learner with a broad skill set. Primarily focused in the IT industry, but quite a few skills outside of that arena as well.

John Watson’s Specialties:

infrastructure architecture, team leader, project management

John Watson’s Experience

  • IT Architect

    IBM

    (Public Company; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    July 2000 — October 2009 (9 years 4 months)

    See client sections to view responsibilities and accolades for the varied skill sets and achievements that I have completed throughout my career with IBM.

  • IT Architect

    IBM - Client: Philips Consumer Electronics

    (Public Company; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    July 2004 — September 2009 (5 years 3 months)

    Responsible for planning and executing the outsourcing of Philips Consumer Electronics’ Service Contracts, Finance and Accounting, Commerce and associated applications to IBM Global Services. This included the setup and configuration of AIX, Linux, and Windows-based systems and associated applications to fully assume control of all operations supporting Philips’ business operations. This also included setting up multiple call centers and help desks to support these services. Created a monitoring application based upon a combination of expect, tcl/tk, and Load Runner that continuously monitors the environment by testing system and service availability, linkages between systems and actual operations as if a user was conducting the operations.

  • IT Architect

    IBM - Client: Wachovia

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    November 2003 — June 2004 (8 months)

    Responsible for planning and executing a data center consolidation and reorganization involving multiple UNIX and Windows based systems between multiple data centers. This operation involves a phased approach using multiple move dates as well as the establishment of a DR location.

  • IT Architect

    IBM - Client: Fleet Numerical Meteorological and Oceanographic Center (FNMOC), US Navy

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    March 2003 — October 2003 (8 months)

    Performed the design, documentation, and installation of several Linux lusters at the U.S. Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center in both the unclassified and classified network environments. This hardware consisted of an e-Series 1350 clusters with additional x-Series 345’s and 445’s providing supporting services. All of these systems were connected to FAStT 700 and 900 storage arrays through McData Directors, with the file systems being shared using GPFS. Parallel processing and system management was controlled using CSM. Provided assistance to FNMOC personnel to migrate their applications from Sun and SGI servers to the Linux platforms.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: Cendant

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    November 2002 — February 2003 (4 months)

    Provided system administration support for multiple Windows NT and Windows 2000 Servers. The primary focus of this engagement was to upgrade the Falcon and Broker applications within Cendant's Real Estate division to the new releases and to train other personnel on how to perform these upgrades.

  • IT Architect

    IBM - Client: McDonald's

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    August 2002 — October 2002 (3 months)

    Designed a plan to relocate over 300 servers to a different data center located over 900 miles away. Since these servers are all in a production environment, this plan had to be executed in such a manner that no apparent downtime was seen from the outside world and that operations were not impacted for any of the franchise restaurants in their ordering or accounting processes. Prior to relocating the systems, a complete network architecture was designed and built at the new location.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: IBM internal Project - Storage Services

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    January 2002 — October 2002 (10 months)

    Worked on the design, layout, and publishing of an internal quarterly newsletter. Associated technologies included Lotus Notes scripting, graphics editing and manipulation using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw, HTML programming, and Adobe Acrobat publishing.

  • IT Architect

    IBM - Client: Siemens

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    May 2002 — July 2002 (3 months)

    Performed a customer assessment to design a server consolidation plan involving over 600 Windows-based servers and several dozen AIX systems. This assessment involved the use of the IBM CDAT utility as well as custom scripting to identify and capture information on the Windows systems using a combination of Bash scripting (using the Cygwin port of the Bash shell to Windows) intertwined with Windows-specific commands.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: IBM Internal Project - Linux Roadshow

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    March 2002 — June 2002 (4 months)

    Provided support services for the 2002 IBM Linux Roadshow. This involved providing hardware support on the iSeries, pSeries, and xSeries systems as well as an eSeries 1300 cluster. Supported operating systems included Red Hat, SuSE, and Caldera Linux as well as Microsoft Windows 2000, OS/400, and AIX 5L. Supported a variety of applications on these systems while they traveled throughout the various locations to include: CSM, GPFS, Steeleye HA Lifekeeper, VNC, VMWare Server, DB2 Universal Database Extended Edition for Linux, Apache, WebSphere Commerce Suite, Tivoli Enterprise Console, Tivoli Distributed Monitor, Tivoli Policy Director, and Tivoli Workload Scheduler.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: Intrado-Verizon

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    February 2002 — March 2002 (2 months)

    Performed a data migration to coincide with hardware upgrades on several NUMA-Q systems that were responsible for running the 911 phone system throughout the north-eastern and mid-western regions of the US. The hardware upgrades included quad upgrade and replacement, fibre-attached storage arrays (FAStT 700). These upgrades also required upgrading to the latest release of DYNIX/ptx. Documented upgrade procedures and trained Intrado staff on how to perform these upgrades.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: E*Trade

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    December 2001 — December 2001 (1 month)

    Performed Linux kernel performance tuning and kernel upgrades using Red Hat Linux 7.2 on IBM xSeries hardware. Assisted in the migration of the Halcyon monitoring utility as well as E*Trade internal applications from Sun to Linux. Recommended best practices and provided some training to E*Trade personnel on Linux operations.

  • Senior IT Specialist

    IBM - Client: EDS, NASD, and Nasdaq

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Information Technology and Services industry)

    July 2000 — September 2001 (1 year 3 months)

    Responsible for monitoring, maintaining, and troubleshooting multiple mid-range enterprise NUMA-Q servers running DYNIX/ptx 4.4 and 4.5.1. Layered software packages included ptx/SVM and ptx/Clusters. Required to maintain a 99.9995% uptime guarantee, excluding scheduled maintenance time. Responsible for the creation and allocation of filesystems assigned to specific user groups, as well as tracking disk usage for multi-terabyte Oracle database applications. This also involved the migration of data across various EMC Symmetrix frames. Created and maintained korn shell scripts to automate administrative and monitoring tasks. Performed system monitoring and system performance tuning using internal UNIX and SVM tools, and third-party tools such as Team Quest and EMC Control Center. Monitored and maintained backups using the Alexandria software package. Restored from backup as needed. Mentored and supervised junior personnel.

  • Senior System Administrator

    Advanced Internet Technologies

    (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)

    January 2000 — June 2000 (6 months)

    Responsible for connectivity and performance monitoring, maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrading of over 100 servers using UNIX, Red Hat Linux, and Windows NT/2000 in support of over 60,000 web domains from customers in 137 different countries. Major areas of responsibility included administration of web, FTP, and email servers; Windows script programming and troubleshooting; assisted in monitoring network and physical security procedures within the company; developed standard operating procedures and trained other administrators and technical support personnel on these procedures. Provided technical support to 6 internal departments. The majority of this work involved the maintenance and troubleshooting of the SQL 6.5 Server, the Web-based billing server and associated client connectivity software. Responsible for training subordinates and peer UNIX System Administrators on Windows NT administration.

  • Database Administrator

    Saint Andrews Presbyterian College

    (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Higher Education industry)

    September 1999 — March 2000 (7 months)

    Oversaw the conversion of a legacy client-server database application to a 32-bit SQL Server 6.5-based client application. This application was used to store all financial, administrative, and academic records for the institution. Assisted in the administration of a 250-node heterogeneous network consisting of NetWare 3.11, Windows NT 4.0, and UNIX servers. The client machines were primarily Windows 9x machines, connected through the LAN and through RAS. Assisted in the planning and directing of disaster recovery operations with minimal downtime and data loss. Provided help desk and technical support to the clients on the network. Trained non-technical staff members on database connectivity, queries and report generation techniques. Trained and managed Student Workers assigned to the Computer Services department.

  • Staff Sergeant (E-6), System Administrator

    US Army, Product Development Company, 8th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg,

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    April 1997 — September 1999 (2 years 6 months)

    Expanded a three stand-alone system department into a Local Area Network consisting of two servers and 30 Windows NT English and Arabic client systems; as well as Exchange Server 5.0, Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0, and SQL Server 7.0 services. Duties included the planning and installation, administration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of all systems. Designed and published an internal web site using Microsoft Front Page 98/2000 and IIS 4.0. Integrated a SQL Server database into the web site using Active Server Pages. Documented and assisted in developing the file transmission standards to be used by all active duty and reserve Psychological Operations personnel within the United States Army. Provided user-level technical support and training to both active duty and reserve personnel within the Special Operations community. Trained assistant administrators on Windows NT, internetworking tasks, troubleshooting, and maintenance of servers and workstations.

  • Staff Sergeant (E-6), Plans and Exercices Coordinator

    US Army, HHC, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne)

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    October 1996 — March 1997 (6 months)

    Developed automated methods to increase the functionality and timeliness of mandatory reports. Coordinated for overseas travel, country clearances, and visa requests for 200 personnel. Assisted in developing and managing long-term operational planning.

  • Staff Sergeant (E-6), Training NCO

    US Army, A Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    May 1995 — September 1996 (1 year 5 months)

    Supervised a team providing assistance to the United Nations Mission in Haiti. Provided user-level technical support to Psychological Operations and Special Forces personnel in Haiti. Established my first network consisting of Windows 95 workstations in a peer-to-peer configuration.

  • Sergeant (E-5), Information Systems Security Officer

    US Army, HHC, 8th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    June 1994 — April 1995 (11 months)

    Implemented systems to track the computer assets within the company and while traveling to overseas locations. Ensured that all computer systems met C2 security requirements and that antivirus software was up-to-date. Reported computer security violations to higher management and implemented measures to prevent reoccurrences of the violations. Trained over 100 personnel on proper computer security procedures and the correct usage of antivirus software.

  • Sergeant (E-5), Product and Graphics Development Specialist

    US Army, A Company, 8th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    October 1991 — May 1994 (2 years 8 months)

    Designed graphics products and page layouts using Corel Draw, Adobe PhotoShop, and Aldus PageMaker. Trained personnel on basic page layouts and integration of the Risograph printing system with IBM-based computer systems. Set up the layout for the Rajo newspaper in Mogadishu, Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope.

  • Specialist (E-4), Loudspeaker Team Member

    US Army B Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    October 1990 — September 1991 (1 year )

    Served on a loudspeaker team during Operation Desert Shield/Storm in Saudi Arabia. Volunteered to participate in humanitarian assistance operations to the Kurdish people in northern Iraq following the Gulf War.

  • Private First Class (E-3), Trainee

    US Army Multiple locations and units

    (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)

    June 1988 — October 1990 (2 years 5 months)

    June 1988 - August 1988: Basic Training, D-6-10th Infantry Division, Fort Leonardwood, MO

    September 1988 - December 1989: Persian Farsi Basic Language Course, Defence Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLF-FLC), Monterey, CA

    January 1990 - June 1990: 98G Voice Intercept Specialist Course, Goodfellow Airforce Base, TX

    July 1990 - September 1990: 96F Psychological Operations Specialist Course, Fort Bragg, NC

    October 1990: Basic Parachutist Course, Fort Benning, GA

John Watson’s Education

  • Methodist College

    Psychology, Social Work 1992 — 1993

  • Fayetteville Technical Community College

    Taking classes for fun 2008

Additional Information

John Watson’s Websites:

John Watson’s Interests:

New technology, homebrewing, marksmanship

John Watson’s Groups:

Disabled American Veterans, National Rifle Association - Endowment Life Member, National Association of Rocketry, Universal Life Church, USA Taekwondo

  •    American Red Cross
  •    Tae Kwon Do
  •    Cisco Certified
  •    Microsoft MCSE Club
  •    US Army
  •    NRA Member
  •    Friends of the United States of America
  •    IBMers
  •    The Official John McCain - Sarah Palin 2008 Group
  •    Republican National Committee
  •    Carolina Hurricanes
  •    Friends of Jägermeister
  •    Carolina Panthers Fans
  •    Linked local in Fayetteville, NC

John Watson’s Honors:

Professional Certifications:
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Linux Professional Institute Certified - Level 1
Sair Linux and GNU Certified Professional
CompTIA Network+, Internet+

NRA Marksmanship Program:
Sharpshooter - Sport Shooting
Marksman First Class - Handgun

United States Army:
Army Commendation Medal (2); Joint Service Achievement Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award (3); Army Good Conduct Medal (3); National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2); Humanitarian Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer's Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 2; Overseas Service Ribbon; Kuwait Liberation Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal with 3 Bronze Campaign Stars; Basic Parachutist Badge; British,Italian and French Parachutist Badges; Expert Markmanship Qualification Badge (Rifle)

The President's Volunteer Service Award (2007-Bronze)

John Watson’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

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  • expertise requests
  • business deals
  • reference requests
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