Career Profile
I like networks. I like Linux. I like building and integrating tools to augement the operations of both. I hate loaded buzzwords like SDN and Intent-based. I like it when things work. I don't like it when things don't work. I really don't like when things work and nobody knows how or why they work. I like learning what makes things tick, and I like working with people that do too.
Work Experience
Report to the Network Manager and CISO; serve as an authority on network design, automation, programmability, and network assurance.
Job Details
- Configured, optimized, and maintained network devices including Cisco campus routers and switches (IOS-XE), Cisco Nexus switches (NX-OS).
- Develop Python code for network automation and assurance, using the nornir, genie, pyats, and requests libraries.
- Plan greenfield datacenter migration including moving from a traditional three-tier network to a modern datacenter network network architecture.
Highlights
- Successfully deployed ThousandEyes monitoring for the Credit Union's websites, including sythetic transaction testing of the Member portal for online banking.
Report to the Director of Network and Security Operations; serve as a key member on a team of 10 IT and networking professionals. Manage three ASNs (AS32244, AS53824, AS201682) for accessibility internally and for ~40K global customers. Directprojects of variable size and complexity, either as a sole contributor or team leader.
Job Details
- Configured, optimized, and maintained network devices including Cisco routers (IOS-XR), Cisco Nexus switches (NX-OS), and legacy Cisco switching platforms (IOS), along with Cisco and Palo Alto firewalls.
- Developed Python code with flake8 linting; performed testing in pytest and Bandit. Maintained version control through Git. Implementations varied between vanilla virtualenv installs to containerized deployments.
- Proactively researched emerging trends in networking, to develop an in-depth understanding of the interactions among different network applications and designed risk mitigation strategies for averting conflicts and potential downtime.
- Automated notifications and workflow processes with ChatOps Slack bot tied in to various internal and external APIs.Delivered results that reduced individual task times as much as 80±% and empowered fellow employees to focus on what's important.
- Achieved double-digit labor reduction percentages in management of network team server environments, with Ansible implementations.
- Managed data center end of life (EOL) refreshes. Evaluated hardware platform capabilities, HVAC and power requirements, vendors, and pricing. Drafted budgets and detailed execution plans.
- Leveraged communications skills in developing and facilitating ongoing classroom training on networking topics such as troubleshooting on Linux, DDoS mitigation tools, strategies, and others.
Highlights
- Successfully completed assigned tasks, meeting a time-critical requirement in a $500K forklift overhaul of core infrastructure, for the company’s largest region, with zero customer downtime.
- Crafted a flawless migration to a spine-and-leaf FabricPath architecture that provided a significant reduction in developer cycles, while allowing customers to upgrade, downgrade, or otherwise migrate their VPS, without their IP address changing.
- Overhauled DDoS mitigation abilities with implementation of Layer 3 inter-VRF routing, a software upgrade, addition of a redundant in-line software vendor, and a cloud mitigation scrubbing center, able to withstand over 100Gs of attack bandwidth.
- Slashed expenditures - went from 67.5% to 80% discounts off list for hardware with other concessions that included training credits and better RMA options. Obtained unlimited use of cloud-based DDoS scrubbing for less than the original 12-use per year vendor proposal.
Managed an explosive growth within tenure with a 50% expansion of residential customers and facilitated the growth of the new Enterprise Services portfolio. Developed improved business processes and deployed new networking platforms/devices that ensured network reliability, scalability, performance, and sustainability for both wired and wireless networks.
Job Details
- Drove all aspects of support for Cisco, Juniper, and Alcatel Lucent switched Ethernet networks, along with GPON networks using the Alcatel Lucent ISAM platform. Maintained Ubuntu Linux DNS, DHCP, Apache, MySQL, and monitoring servers.
- Developed configuration-generating scripts using Python with Jinja2 for templates for IOS and Junos platforms, speeding up deployment, while reducing initial errors.
- Negotiated an additional 15% in pricing discounts for Juniper products, going from 45% from 60%.
Contract jobs during college ranging from one-day jobs installing point-of-sale (POS) systems to multi-month engagements offering helpdesk support.
Certifications
CCNP
CCNA
CCDA
DevNet Associate
IPv6 Sage
CCDP
DevNet Professional
CCIE
RHCSA
Network+
Skills & Proficiency
OSPF
STP :(
BGP
Linux
NX-OS
Python
git
IOS-XR
Ansible
Docker
LXD
JunOS
BASH
FortiOS
PANOS
Personal Projects
eric_rochow.conf
$OS | = ['Ubuntu 20.04', 'Arch'] |
$EDITOR | = "vim" |
$TERMINAL | = "KiTTY" |
$COLOR_THEME | = "Nord" |
$CODE_COMPLETION | = "kite" |
$CODE_STYLE | = "black" |
$LANGUAGE | = "Python 3" |
$TEST_SUITES | = ['pytest', 'flake8', 'Bandit'] |
$PRONOUNS | = ['he', 'him', 'his'] |