Don A Sands III

Intro

Hello, I'm Don, a dedicated IT professional with a strong background in system administration and network engineering. With over a decade of enthusiest and professional experience, I have honed my skills in various areas, including network security, and remote support for a wide range of devices and systems.

Currently, I serve as an IT Support Specialist II at BioAgilytix, where I prioritize and respond to IT requests for over 1000 users. I am responsible for supporting and administering critical systems like Watson LIMS and MesoScale Discovery Workbench, ensuring data integrity and regulatory adherence. Explore more about my professional journey and the projects I've undertaken.

Work

My career began as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy, where I maintained operational readiness and ensured the medical and dental readiness of fighting forces. I provided accessible, high-quality, comprehensive healthcare, prevented illness and injury, and promoted wellness and health. During my service, I was honorably discharged and awarded 2 Good Conduct Medals, 2 Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Following my time as a Corpsman, I served in Staff Education and Training at NMC Portsmouth. I provided technical assistance to over 6,000 staff members in training on three of the largest computer-based training systems in Navy Medicine. Additionally, I taught Basic Life Support to staff, ensuring competency and command-wide readiness. My efforts were recognized with the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a Letter of Commendation from the Commander, Rear Admiral of the Medical Corps.

Over the years, I have built a robust career in IT support and network administration. At BioAgilytix, I have successfully managed IT requests for a large user base, implementing GxP compliance to ensure data integrity. My role involves extensive support and administration for Windows systems and specialized laboratory software solutions.

Previously, as a Remote Support Engineer at PJ Networks, I provided managed support for over 1300 devices and network administration for more than 80 businesses. I delivered professional remote support across various platforms, showcasing my ability to adapt and resolve issues efficiently.

Key Skills and Tools:

• Office 365 Admin
• Entra Active Directory
• Windows Server Admin
• Hyper-V / Virtual Box
• IT Support
• Unifi Administration
• HIPPA Compliance
• Customer Service
• Network Administration
• Network Security
• Linux Administration
• N-Able N-Central
• ConnectWise
• IT Glue
• Remote Systems Admin
• StorageCraft
• Axcient (Replibit)
• Sophos Administration
• GxP Compliance
• Watson LIMS Admin
• Gen 5 Admin
• MSD and Methodical Minds Admin

About

My journey into the world of technology started with a humble word processor, featuring a green screen monitor that only accepted text. Though I can't recall the system's name, I fondly remember saving all my early, albeit useless, writings to floppy disks.

Soon after, I inherited the family computer, where my passion for gaming and graphic art truly ignited. I spent countless hours on MS Paint, meticulously crafting images pixel by pixel. I even created lightning storms that looked strikingly realistic – I wish I still had those masterpieces!

My foray into overclocking for better gaming performance marked the beginning of my deep dive into hardware, albeit at the cost of the family computer's health. This was my first major learning experience in tech.

In high school, I built my first computer and started exploring the intricacies of the Windows operating system. Unpopular opinion: Windows Vista was the coolest with its live desktop and the ability to use a USB drive to boost RAM capacity.

After high school, I joined the Navy, deciding to step away from tech to try something different. I chose to work with weapon systems, training on everything from small arms to torpedoes and missile launching systems. However, my knack for technology kept drawing me back.

I later transitioned to being a corpsman, venturing into the medical field. Even then, my technical skills were in constant demand, affirming my innate connection to IT.

Post-Navy, I finally embraced my destiny in the IT field. Today, I proudly manage my home lab, a 22U server rack housing three servers. One V Host manages my firewall, Domain Controller, and web hosting – yes, this very site is hosted on my own server. A second V Host handles backups, redundancy, and my evolving security system. The third server is dedicated to my newfound enthusiasm for AI, which I hope to showcase in the future.

Contact

You can email me at DSANDS@DASIII.COM

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