Michael T.

Mikelas
1000 Greenhill Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15209-1335
412.897.5037
mmikelas@gmail.com


IT Leadership: Accomplished IT professional with over a decade of industry experience in
progressively responsible and challenging roles. Highly accomplished project leader with repeated
success leading both technological and organizational change including full life-cycle technology
solutions, enterprise level infrastructure upgrades, and organizational transitions. Technically
sophisticated IT leader with a well-earned reputation for strong decision-making, effective
troubleshooting, and administration of mission critical systems. Innovative technology professional
with a proven ability to control costs, foster continuous improvement, and add value. Proven ability to
both lead and develop followers while building and managing synergistic relationships with internal
and external stakeholders.


CAREER PROGRESSION

Axiall Corporation Pittsburgh, PA 2014 - Present
Position is responsible for the strategic architecture and implementation of security
information systems and design to enable Axiall Corporation business to operate in a safe and
secure environment. Functional duties include: establishing and implementing an information
security framework and technical architecture for all Axiall locations; designing, developing
and implementing information security products; gaining organizational commitment for all
systems plans; leading efforts in evaluating and selecting all security technologies required to
complete the systems plans; providing information security expertise and consulting to
Network, Systems, Application and Process Control Network teams; interpreting laws &
regulations and establishing security technologies that meet industry best practices and align
with ISO and NIST Security standards while providing technical leadership across the Axiall IS
organization.


Highmark Inc. Pittsburgh, PA 2009 - 2014
Senior Architect
Productive member of a lean group responsible for supporting a complex, rapidly growing,
network infrastructure, in a highly regulated industry that is required to comply with strict
audit and security mandates. Responsibilities include installation, configuration and
management of a variety of Cisco platforms including firewalls, routers, switches, wireless,
and management products. Have served as the project leader, technical subject matter
expert or key contributing member to a wide variety of initiatives including, but not limited to:
the establishment and emergence of the Allegheny Health Network; the sale and
disengagement of the Medicare business to Novitas Solutions Inc.; connectivity solutions for
teleworkers, satellite offices and business partners; annual disaster recovery drills; and much
more.

Overview of recent accomplishments:
Led the integration of Highmarks former subsidiary, EBDS, into the business and
technology environments of the parent company, including the transition of business
processes and technology infrastructure, throughout the first year of employment.
Leading the network effort to disengage and transition the Medicare business to its new
owner Novitas Solutions, Inc.
Coordinated and led an effort to stabilize and refresh the organizations NICE call recording
solution resulting in improved reliability and performance.
Played a key role in the RFI/RFP effort to refresh the organizations IVR/CTI solution.
Led the implementation of the Avaya Secure Access Link (SAL) implementation enabling
secure vendor support of the organizations Avaya voice environment.
Transitioned a significant number of smaller satellite offices away from traditional leased
line connectivity solutions to broadband-based VPN solutions resulting in significant cost
savings and increased productivity.
Participated in the organizations annual disaster recovery drills.
Support organizational and business partner required remote access solutions through
Cisco ASA firewalls and AnyConnect SSL VPN solutions.
Coordinated and prepared the virtual server infrastructure for the Avaya Modular
Messaging implementation.
Contributed to a proof-of-concept implementation of a carrier based SIP voice solution
using ACME Packets session border controllers.
Contributed in the implementation of Microsoft Office Communicator for organizational
unified communications including conferencing, desktop sharing, instant messaging, and
call control.
Aid in supporting Cisco Wireless solutions, 802.1X authentication efforts, IOS code
upgrades, infrastructure deployment, day-to-day troubleshooting, maintenance, and more.


Employee Benefit Data Services, a Highmark Company Pittsburgh, PA 2008 2009
IT Operations Manager
IT Team Lead / Network Administrator
Managed a team responsible for the supervision, design, implementation, support, and
training of the voice, network, and data systems for this Highmark subsidiary. A technology
infrastructure comprised of Cisco based networking solutions; HP blade, SAN, and backup
solutions; Avaya VoIP telephony; Microsoft Windows as well as VAX and Alpha/Itanium based
VMS servers. Responsibilities included key roles in a variety of high profile, business critical,
time-sensitive projects. Many required focused interaction with the parent company,
Highmark.

Nominated for an ISG Team Excellence Award by Highmark in 2008

Overview of accomplishments:
Migrated companys flat, 3COM, broadcast-based network over to a properly segmented
and managed Cisco network dramatically improving performance and manageability
Replaced an aged WatchGuard firewall and VPN solution with a properly secured,
maintained, and managed Cisco ASA5520 device cluster supporting both VPN and IPS
traffic inspection
Introduced the companys first DMZ network segment eliminating direct access to LAN
servers directly from the Internet
Implemented a Cisco ACS 3113 appliance cluster for proper access restriction and logging
for VPN authentication and access to the both the core and access switches throughout the
network
Upgraded several Windows 2000 domain controller servers, to Windows 2003 then
upgraded domain functional level to native 2003 format
Replaced a mis-configured and ineffective Computer Associates antivirus solution with a
mutli-tiered, managed, Trend Micro solution
Deployed GuardianEdge hard drive encryption across all laptops throughout the
organization
Implemented IPSwitch Whats Up Gold for monitoring of the IT infrastructure
Worked with SecureState to help perform and analyze a penetration test of the EBDS IT
environment
Transitioned numerous stand-alone, tower based servers to HP Blade servers
Implemented an HP EVA 4400 SAN for improved disk based storage performance and
redundancy
Transitioned the company from using more than a dozen stand-alone tape drive units and
numerous copies of Symantec Backup Exec to a centralized HP Data Protector solution
utilizing disk to disk to tape rotations via a HP Virtual Tape Library and Autoloader
Implemented companys first VMWare ESX Server cluster, subsequently virtualizing the
majority of the companys servers
Implemented WebSense Internet Content Filtering to manage Internet usage throughout
the organization
Deployed the companys first Blackberry Enterprise Server while working with Highmark to
ensure device policies remained aligned with those of the parent company
Worked directly with Highmark to transition the EBDS InterTel voice solution to an Avaya
VoIP solution, including call recording, in only four months with zero post-implementation
issues
Implemented Microsoft WSUS server to ensure proper, timely patching of all Windows
systems throughout the organization
Implemented Altiris Client Management, Patch Management, and Service Desk solutions
Transitioned existing Exchange 2003 environment to Exchange 2007
Transitioned and standardized all Microsoft Office installations throughout the organization
to Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007
Coordinated a transition from the Genifax fax server solution to a solution provided by
Highmark
Help coordinate and complete a software licensing true-up resulting in an Enterprise
Agreement with Microsoft and better accounting of EBDS software across the organization
Implemented a Barracuda Anti-Spam filtering solution via an multi-appliance cluster
Worked directly with Highmark to transition EBDS into the Highmarks MPLS networking
solution
Coordinated and performed the relocation of the entire EBDS IT Infrastructure out to the
Highmark managed Data Center located at Bretz Drive
Worked with Highmark to prepare for, and activate, a viable DR scenario at the
Harmarville location during the G20 Summit event held in Pittsburgh


Tube City IMS Corporation Glassport, PA 2004 2008
Manager of Information Technology
Managed a team responsible for design, implementation, support, training, and management
of a global wide-area network. A rapidly growing network included thirty-two (32) servers
(Windows/Sun Solaris) and 600 workstations (Windows 2000 Pro/XP Pro) located across two
data centers and seventy (70) sites throughout the US and abroad. Duties required heavy
involvement in projects related to both business continuity/DR and Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory
compliance.

Overview of accomplishments:
For nearly the first year of employment, worked as both the IT Manager and Systems
Administrator
Implemented DHCP throughout the enterprise eliminating time consuming, tedious
administration of machines with static IP addressing
Implemented a multi-layered, centrally managed enterprise antivirus solution from
Symantec eliminating the near weekly virus outbreaks within the organization
Implemented Symantecs Ghost system imaging solution which reduced the time required
to rollout or update workstations from days to mere hours
Implemented and managed a Blackberry Enterprise Messaging Server for 250 handheld
devices
Rebuilt and secured the organizations Lotus Domino implementation including a complete
systems migration from version 5.x to version 6.5.3 both server and client
Played role in negotiating a new voice and data services contract with Qwest
Communications, replacing AT&T, resulting in tremendous cost savings
Over a six month period, worked with Qwest engineers to migrate all existing voice and
data circuits at all locations over to Qwest including the migration of many frame circuits
to Private Routed Network (PRN) circuits for reduced cost and better performance
Replaced the companys aged Cisco equipment with Adtran resulting in an annual cost
savings of more than $20K in maintenance/support charges
Implemented new PBX systems at the corporate headquarters and several other remote
locations
Implemented VoIP networking between several of the new PBX systems between locations
Quickly learned and rebuilt the organizations Nokia IP350 Checkpoint firewall configuration
bringing the device current in terms of OS and software versions
Worked with US Steel to re-design and re-implement a site to site VPN connection to
provide secure data transmission between the corporate data center and a US Steel site in
Kosice Slovakia, completed a similar connectivity solution with AK Steel
Implemented client to site VPN solution as an alternative to a costly, administratively
heavy Citrix implementation
Eliminated the use of costly and insecure dialup RAS access to the data center at several
remote site through VPN solutions
Migrated the organization from Lotus Domino 6.5.3 to Microsoft Exchange 2003 over a
single weekend with zero post implementation issues
Completed a complete domain migration (both servers and workstations) over the same
weekend
Replaced Gateway with Dell as the vendor of choice for IT equipment resulting in
considerable cost savings and improved support and system reliability
Retired, replaced, and/or consolidated multiple servers running legacy hardware or found
to be inadequately sized for their function
Deployed NAS devices for dedicated file sharing at several remote sites significantly
reducing WAN traffic improving overall network performance
Worked with ADP to upgrade the organizations payroll implementation initial
implementation was severely dated and no longer supported by ADP
Over a six month period standardized all client systems and eliminated all legacy Windows
OS installations. 130 machines replaced, all systems standardized on Windows 2000
Pro/XP Pro, and all systems running Office 2003 Pro
Deployed CIS ScaleCOM software a multiple sites to serve as a software interface between
weigh scales and the companys ERP system
Implemented a centrally managed keycard entry system at multiple sites with Sonitrol
Worked with the Director of MIS to eliminate the organizations long history of dependence
on third-party outsourcing the cancellation of two long standing contracts saved the
company over a million dollars annually
Have compiled detailed documentation of the WAN including numerous Visio diagrams
Implemented a Biscom Enterprise Fax Server solution first under Lotus Domino then
migrated the deployment to support Microsoft Exchange
Standardized and upgraded all Windows data center servers to Microsoft Windows 2003
Server
Implemented in-house network monitoring using Woodstones ServersAlive product
providing real-time alerting and notifications to MIS staff
Updated the data center network backbone to dedicated, managed gigabit switches
Reviewed then updated all power protection and backup needs within the data center all
equipment now protected with networked UPS devices for monitoring and reporting
Designed, coordinated, and implemented LANs at several new sites
Have designed and proposed a WAN infrastructure overhaul moving remote sites away
from traditional leased line circuits to cost-effective site to site VPN deployments where
favorable.
Replaced the companys Checkpoint firewall with a SonicWall for significant cost savings in
annual maintenance as well as to lay the ground work for the proposed WAN changes
Enabled Sonicwall's Unified Threat Management (UTM) systems on the firewall providing
Gateway Antivirus, AntiSpyware, and Intrusion Prevention at the gateway further
strengthening network security
Deployed a SonicWall CF3200 Internet Content filtering device to ensure productive use of
the Internet for business purpose.
Following merger, job responsibilities significantly increased as the number of remote
locations instantly rose from 22 to 68 and the company gained a second data center
network continues to grow and expand internationally
Worked to unify the WAN infrastructures of both companies heavily leveraged the
Internet to accomplish this goal by deploying hardware site-to-site VPN connectivity
Leveraged an Internet-based WAN infrastructure significantly reducing costs and further
bolstering network security by leveraging Soncwall's UTM systems on the hardware at
each remote location
Further expanded the use of VPN technologies through the deployment of SSL based
hardware VPN solutions.
Completely documented then refreshed all servers at the second data center
Worked with IT staff to ensure company software standards were deployed across all
systems in the organization
Developed and currently deploying a DR/Business Continuity program for all business
critical systems program utilized CA/XOSoft's replication software and VMWare's ESX
Server product to replicate primary data center servers to the secondary data center then
failover to those servers as needed
Worked with an independent auditing firm to achieve Sarbanes-Oxley compliance firm
helped identify areas of non-compliance, assisted in finding solutions, and helped
implement changes required to achieve and maintain SOX requirements
Deploying Computer Associates email archiving solution along with the Discovery add-on
module for increased Microsoft Exchange efficiency as well as to meet legal and regulatory
compliance requirements


Schroeder Industries LLC McKees Rocks, PA 2001 2004
Network/Systems Administrator
Was responsible for design, implementation, support, and training of a small, global network
comprised of seven (7) servers (Windows NT 4.0/DG-UX) and 130 workstations (Windows 9x,
2000, NT 4.0 and XP Pro) located throughout the domestic United States and the United
Kingdom. Responsibilities included the management of the telecommunications infrastructure
(PBX and Voicemail). Supervised projects to implement network faxing, VPN connectivity, and
bandwidth upgrades for the organization.

Overview of accomplishments:
Documented entire network including Microsoft Visio diagramming
Created and continue to maintain detailed network inventory database in Microsoft Access
97
Designed and implemented a standardized workstation naming scheme
Standardized and organized NT/Unix account naming conventions and groupings
Organized the Exchange 5.5 recipients store to include department level groupings and
distribution lists within the Global Address List (GAL)
Brought all server operating systems to the same operating system patch revision level
resulting in 99.999% uptime
Standardized client application software used throughout the organization
Created standardized system build utilizing Norton Ghost imaging software promoting
rapid deployment of new or refreshed PCs
Implemented desktop faxing utilizing FaxBacks NetSatisFAXtion product
Assisted in integrating AdvancedWares AWFORMS package with ERP system in order to
eliminate all pre-printed paper forms
Helped integrate desktop faxing and Exchange email with the companys ERP system
eliminating a lengthy, cumbersome, manual invoicing process
Assisted in a project to implement laser check printing for Accounts Payable eliminating
another manual process which utilized expensive, pre-printed checks
Assisted in the complete redesign of the companys Intranet to achieve a goal of anytime,
anywhere connectivity to company data
Implemented a robust, Intranet based Help Desk system at no cost to the company
utilizing a freeware package from Liberum.org
Implemented and maintain enterprise-wide managed virus protection using McAfees
ePolicy Orchestrator
Worked with Cisco Systems to reconfigure the companys PIX firewall to provide VPN
connectivity for remote sales personnel
Customized an installation package of the Cisco Universal VPN Client software to provide
automated VPN software deployment and configuration to authorized remote personnel
Implemented Internet content filtering using St. Bernard Softwares iPrism device
Assisted with a 56k to 128K bandwidth upgrade for the dedicated WAN connection
between the McKees Rocks, PA and Cumberland, MD plants
Implemented shared resource booking through Microsoft Outlook
Update and create IT related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Contributed to the companys written Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans
Assisted in developing a project to perform a Windows 2000 migration for the entire
company (project never implemented due to rumors of company buyout)
Deployed Virtual Network Computing (VNC) software throughout the enterprise to allow IT
to provide remote desktop support anywhere within the organization


International Academy of Design and Technology - Pittsburgh, PA 2000 2001
Assistant Network Administrator
Was responsible for troubleshooting, maintenance, user and software management of 1200
user, 400-workstation network comprised of Windows NT, Win95, Novell Netware, and SCO
UNIX.

Overview of accomplishments:
Assisted in documenting the network
Wired and rewired new and existing computer labs
Maintained all wiring closets - activating/deactivating ports, upgrading/replacing
equipment
Utilized Windows Policy Editor to standardize and restrict PC desktop environments and
available configuration options
Each quarter, created system image builds for each lab based on course scheduling using
PowerQuest DriveImage software
Used PowerQuest DriveImage software to deploy system images to each lab prior to the
start of each new quarter
Created and maintained all student and faculty network accounts
Monitored network activity for unauthorized peer to peer (P2P) file sharing or gaming
activity
Regularly scanned all lab hard drives for unauthorized software installations
Provided hardware and software support for both students and faculty
During two week Christmas break of 2000, completely reorganized, upgraded,
standardized and re-deployed all eight school labs
Tutored students as needed




EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

Duquesne University 2012
Masters Degree in Information Technology Leadership

ITIL Certification 2008
IT Service Management Foundation

University of Phoenix 2007
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

International Academy of Design and Technology 2001
Associate Degree in Specialized Business, Computer Information Management