Tom's Resume
tom.oloughlin@proton.me
tom.oloughlin@proton.me
Senior Systems & Storage Infrastructure Engineer
Customer-focused infrastructure engineer specializing in Linux, cloud-native storage platforms, and large-scale distributed systems. Proven track record in technical leadership, customer success engineering, and complex troubleshooting across enterprise storage, networking, and virtualization environments. Expertise in driving cross-functional initiatives and mentoring engineering teams.
Operating Systems & Platforms
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu/Debian, CentOS/Rocky
Microsoft Windows Server & Desktop platforms
VMware ESXi (through 6.7), Apple macOS
Storage & Infrastructure
Modern Platforms: VAST Data, Qumulo, Dell EMC PowerScale/Isilon, Dell EMC EqualLogic
Hardware: HPE, Supermicro, Dell PowerEdge, IBM XSeries
Protocols: NFS (NFSv3/v4), SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, S3
Networking & Security
Cisco Catalyst, Dell Networking (Force10/PowerConnect), Mellanox/NVidia switches
Network protocol analysis, packet capture
VPN technologies, firewall administration
Tools & Automation
Git version control, Ansible automation
Bash scripting, intro Python
Performance testing: diskspd, vdBench, fio
AWS cloud platforms, WordPress
Certifications (mostly expired):
Certifications were a big part at previous companies, however they were allowed to expire due to lack of focus on those areas. I want certifications to reinforce that my skillset was more than that of passing an exam.
RHCE7 #100-012-905, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Storage+, SNIA SCSE
Customer Success Engineer - Technical Lead | September 2022 - Present
Leading customer success initiatives for AI-powered, all-flash storage platform handling structured and unstructured data at scale
Leadership & Strategic Initiatives
Architected and executed US Citizen/US Soil Federal on-call rotation program
Established Subject Matter Expert (SME) framework with defined KPIs and career progression paths
Led cloud support strategy development with measurable performance metrics
Drove cross-departmental initiatives to enhance team capabilities and customer outcomes
Technical Delivery
Serve as technical escalation point for strategic customer accounts, maintaining high satisfaction scores
Lead defect investigations through data-driven root cause analysis and collaborative engineering sessions
Mentor engineers on complex cases to reduce time-to-resolution metrics
Conduct in-house reproductions to minimize customer disruption during issue investigation
Customer Engagement
Facilitate technical consultations via video conferencing for architectural reviews and issue resolution
Participate in extended coverage rotations during critical periods
Customer Success Engineer | December 2020 - September 2022
Delivered technical support for scale-out NAS platform specializing in massive-scale file data management
Core Responsibilities
Provided deep expertise in Linux networking, NFS, and SMB protocols for enterprise-scale deployments
Conducted real-time troubleshooting using packet captures, enhanced logging, and live system analysis
Maintained personal lab environments (Active Directory, LDAP) for rapid issue reproduction
Engaged with customers via Slack, screen-sharing platforms, and voice for air-gapped/secure sites
Technical Contributions
Developed bash automation scripts to accelerate issue triage and resolution
Collaborated with engineering teams to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction
Performed offline analysis of complex protocol-level issues requiring deep packet inspection
Sr. Principal Engineer (L9 / SME) | January 2018 - December 2020
Subject matter expert for Dell EMC Isilon/PowerScale scale-out NAS platform
Training & Development
Selected for 9-person pilot program transitioning from EqualLogic to Isilon (Sept 2017)
Designed and delivered hands-on lab curriculum for 15+ engineers, drastically reducing ramp-up time
Created vSphere lab environments with supporting infrastructure (AD, DNS, NIS, LDAP) for team use
Technical Excellence
Drove NFS protocol and authentication/authorization escalations to resolution
Led cross-business-unit project migrating multi-VM diagnostic toolset from iSCSI to NFS-backed infrastructure
Recipient of multiple "Inspire" awards for customer escalation handling and team mentorship
Principal Engineer (L8 / L3) | November 2011 - January 2018
Level 3 escalation engineer for EqualLogic iSCSI SAN platforms
Escalation & Support
Provided Tier 3 support on 4x10 schedule (Sun-Wed, 2nd shift) for global customer base
Performed full-stack triage of iSCSI ecosystems (compute, network, storage)
Direct customer engagement via phone, email, and WebEx for critical issues
Infrastructure & Automation
Administered mission-critical Oracle Enterprise Linux infrastructure for global Tier-1 services
Developed performance testing frameworks using diskspd and vdBench
Implemented version control (SVN, Git) for support tooling and scripts
Created triage automation reducing mean-time-to-resolution and improving customer satisfaction
Team Development
Delivered Linux proficiency training to local and remote engineering teams
Mentored junior engineers and new hires on troubleshooting methodologies
9-time recipient of Individual Performance awards
Owner | 2005 - 2015
Technology consulting firm serving home users and small businesses
Designed and implemented custom infrastructure solutions for diverse client base
Served as single point of contact for comprehensive technology needs
Authorized reseller for avast! Security software (MA, ME, NH)
NETGEAR beta tester for networking hardware and firmware
IT Administrator / CISO | 2008 - 2011
Not-for-profit healthcare analytics organization
Infrastructure & Security
Sole technology and security leader for healthcare data analytics platform
Designed and maintained VMware ESX 4 environment with 24TB EqualLogic iSCSI storage
Administered Red Hat/CentOS Linux servers including hardening and open-source integration
Managed Checkpoint NGX R65 firewall cluster, IPSec/SSL VPN, and IPS infrastructure
Compliance & Operations
Designed secure file transfer process for Meaningful Use Phase 1 Certification
Ensured HIPAA-compliant handling of protected patient data
Supported all business units with technology research and deployment
Northeastern University | Boston, MA
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration | June 2001
Concentrations: Management Information Systems, Supply Chain Management
Available for remote or hybrid work arrangements