Chris Michaels Senior Analyst, Web Designer, Trainer, Technician, Entrepreneur 4075 Old Dundas Street, Suite 208 Toronto, ON M6S 2R7 Phone: (416) 900-4194 E-mail: chris@chrismichaels.ca >>> PLEASE VISIT MY WEBSITE AT https://chrismichaels.ca FOR DOWNLOADBLE & PRINTABLE PDF VERSIONS OF MY RESUME, AS WELL AS MY PORTFOLIO AND OTHER CURRENT INFORMATION. <<< MY STRENGTHS - what sets me apart: ============ 1) TALENTED: I’m experienced and proficient across multiple disciplines. 2) TEACHABLE: I’m knowledgeable, but also eager to learn, share and collaborate. 3) SAVVY: I’m creatively client-driven, solution-searching, and results-focused. In plain English, the above three strengths translate to the following: 1) Chances are that I've seen the solution to your problem before... 2) ... but if I haven't, I know where to find the answers... 3) ... so that I can help your business prosper & grow. MY SKILLS - what I bring to the table: ========= as a SENIOR ANALYST ● The art and science of understanding my client’s business needs, and translating them into technological & operational solutions, delivered on time and on budget. as an ENTREPRENEUR ● Managing and growing my own freelance business by helping small and medium-sized businesses solve their technology challenges. ● Staying up to date on technologies, business issues and market dynamics through daily exposure. as a WEB DESIGNER ● Designing, building, upgrading and maintaining web properties to support client business objectives. ● Leveraging my technical, design, artistic and business skills to implement turn-key solutions, or improve existing installations. as a TRAINER ● Developing & delivering training sessions to individuals & groups of various sizes and varying technical abilities ● Sharing my expertise and knowledge effectively, while ensuring participants enjoy and find value in the training as a TECHNICIAN ● From swapping out power supplies to configuring enterprise networking hardware, from installing a new mouse to planning & implementing an entire facility move: understanding ground-level considerations improves the quality & relevance of high-level project plans, helping them be more successful. MY EXPERIENCE - how I learned to prosper & grow: ============= chrismichaels.ca - Owner & Principal ------------------------------------------- July 2006 to Present SUMMARY: Web design & e-commerce solutions, infrastructure planning & implementation, technical support, and business process consulting for small & medium size businesses across southern & southeastern Ontario. DETAILS: ● Designed, tested and deployed e-commerce & informational website properties for numerous clients, including non-profit charities, musicians, and entrepreneurs; assisted with site redesigns and overhauls, and also implemented full turnkey solutions ● Provided field and phone support, web and database design, IT planning, infrastructure maintenance, and training to small & medium size businesses, and individuals ● Performed on-site repair and maintenance of client systems, including diagnosis of applications & operating systems ● Supported client servers using remote management tools, including network monitoring, backup administration, and analysis of system and application logs ● Diagnosed client network issues, including cabling faults, switch and hub configuration, router set-up, and Internet connectivity (firewalls and proxies) ● Prepared documentation for client instruction on common administrative and application tasks ● Managed all financial & operational aspects of company, including sales, billing and marketing SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Apache Web Server ● BASH Scripting ● Cisco IOS ● Cpanel Web Admin ● CSS Web Styling ● Datacentre Management ● Desktop Hardware Management ● Entrepreneurship ● IMAC (Install Move Add Change) ● Infrastructure Monitoring ● Lifecycle & Inventory Management ● Linux OS Installation & Management ● MS Office Support ● PHP Programming ● Planning & Deployment ● Project Management ● Python Programming ● Remote Access Management & Training ● Security Research & Management ● Training ● Unix OS Management ● Web Design ● Web Hosting Management ● Windows OS Management ● Wordpress CMS Deployment & Design Correctional Service of Canada - Technician, Correctional Officer & Trainer --------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 2006 to October 2015 SUMMARY: Providing technical and project support to Help Desk and Security initiatives, and delivering training to correctional officers on Security technologies & annual skills recertifications. DETAILS: ● Served at Collins Bay Institution from April to November 2007, at Kingston Penitentiary from November 2007 until its closure in September 2013, at Millhaven Institution until Jan. 2014 (as a CX-1 and CX-2 Correctional Officer), and at the Ontario Regional Staff College until Oct. 2015 (as a CX-3 Staff Training Officer) ● Delivery, coordination, evaluation and contribution to the development of Correctional Skills Training Programs (includes but is not restricted to security techniques, employee orientation and continuous learning) at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) Ontario Regional College for newly recruited and established CSC Correctional staff ● Teaches correctional methods and related subjects to CSC staff (primarily newly recruited and established correctional officers as well as other trainers) in a variety of learning activities as a coordinator, lecturer and/or discussion leader in courses and workshop sessions. ● Provides national or regional expertise and portfolio management for the teaching of particular subject areas such as firearms, gas, restraint techniques, etc. ● Conducts learning needs analyses and evaluation of proposed curriculum, teaching methods and other topics related to adult education for correctional staff. ● Contributes to the development of strategies, standards, plans and policies related to the design, delivery, evaluation and validation of training programs. ● Supervises the training of correctional officer recruits in Core Training Programs ● Monitors/Supervises the effectiveness of operational training programs including refresher training for correctional officers in firearms and other correctional methods. ● Contributes to the evaluation of the effectiveness of training programs and regional compliance for national and regional training standards. ● Assists in the preparation of estimates of costs for the repair of equipment, the purchase of inventory and the implementation of new courses and validates expenditure projections for annual and multi-year training plans. ● Training of CX-2 officers on operation of the Smiths Detection IonScan system (Ion Mobility Spectrometry), and development & delivery of training materials and manuals related to the system, as well as the Visitor Control post at the Principal Entrance of Kingston Penitentiary ● Troubleshooting, maintenance and clean-up of the HandNet biometric authentication system for staff sign-in at the Principal Entrance of Kingston Penitentiary ● Information gathering, assessment and reporting for Threat Risk Assessments for offender visitors as part of the Visitor Control post duties, and assistance in subsequent processing of this information for the offender's OMS records ● Familiarity with the offender disciplinary process, including submission and classification of charges, as well as informal resolution, and Insitutional Court ● Proficiency with all related legislation, regulations and policies, including all Commissioner's Directives ● Familiarity with many relevant forms and reports, including Officer's Statement and Observation Reports, Threat Risk Assessments, Post-Search Reports, and others ● Completion of all required periodic recertification in Suicide Prevention, Weapons Recertification, First Aid / CPR / AED, SCBA / Fire Prevention, Chemical Agents, Use of Force, Self-Defence and other related job training ● Provided first-level technical support to computer users at Kingston Penitentiary ● Assisted with all software, hardware and network issues that affected user operation ● Inventoried, catalogued and disposed of computer assets using the ITIMS Inventory Management System ● Developed, documented and trained fellow technicians on network management tools for the computer network at Kingston Penitentiary; as part of this major project, identified and corrected several configuration/connection issues that were impeding network performance at the institution SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Documentation ● Knowledge Management ● Planning & Deployment ● Reporting & Analysis ● Security Research & Management ● Training ● Database Design/Management/Reporting ● Desktop Hardware Management ● MS Office Support ● Planning & Deployment ● Security Research & Management ● SQL Admin/Reporting/Management ● Windows OS Management ● Desktop Applications ● Help Desk Tools & Management ● IMAC (Install Move Add Change) ● Infrastructure Monitoring ● Lifecycle & Inventory Management ● Networking Install/Config/Management CGI Canada - Lead & Junior Inventory Analyst (ITM-GTA) ------------------------------------------------------ January 2004 to July 2006 SUMMARY: Worked with internal & external clients to provide engineering, development and production support for all aspects of inventory lifecycle management and related business processes. DETAILS: ● Lead a team of five Inventory Analysts, providing work-related guidance and training ● Interfaced with clients and CGI management on the Inventory Team’s activities and deliverables ● Responded to client and internal CGI concerns regarding Inventory reports and projects ● Coordinated data gathering, analysis, QA and reporting of monthly and ad-hoc Inventory reports ● Worked with other CGI teams on projects and day-to-day business ● Engineered, prototyped, and deployed internal solutions for Inventory data and analysis needs ● Provided lab management and architecture services to other teams within the ITM-GTA division of CGI ● Worked with internal and external clients to provide engineering, development and production support for all aspects of inventory lifecycle management and processes ● Developed, tested, deployed and supported a variety of inventory and management tools, including Centennial Discovery, Microsoft SMS, Altiris, GFI Languard and other infrastructure tools ● Coordinated with Field Services technicians and other internal & client-facing teams on all stages of asset lifecycle ● Developed, created and automated reporting tools using SQL and Microsoft Access databases, and generated ad-hoc reports using Excel and other reporting tools, as required ● Worked with CGI Security team on workstation patch management and virus control SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Cisco IOS ● Database Design/Management/Reporting ● Datacentre Management ● Desktop Hardware Management ● Documentation ● IMAC (Install Move Add Change) ● Infrastructure Monitoring ● Knowledge Management ● Lifecycle & Inventory Management ● Networking Install/Config/Management ● Planning & Deployment ● Project Management ● Reporting & Analysis ● Server Operations/Deployment/Management ● SQL Admin/Reporting/Management ● Team Supervision & Training ● Training ● Windows OS Management ● MS Office Support ● Remote Access Management & Training ● Unix OS Management JAID Associates Toronto - Senior Technical Analyst & Principal -------------------------------------------------------------- November 1999 to January 2004 SUMMARY: Web design & networking solutions, infrastructure planning & implementation, technical support, and business process consulting for small & medium size businesses across the Greater Toronto Area DETAILS: ● Provided field and phone support, web and database design, IT planning, infrastructure maintenance, and training to a diverse client base ● Performed on-site repair and maintenance of client systems, including diagnosis of applications & operating systems (Install Move Add Change) ● Supported client servers using remote management tools, including network monitoring, backup administration, and analysis of system and application logs ● Diagnosed client network issues, including cabling faults, switch and hub configuration, router set-up, and Internet connectivity (firewalls and proxies) ● Prepared documentation for client instruction on common administrative and application tasks ● Managed all financial aspects of company SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Apache Web Server ● BASH Scripting ● Cisco IOS ● Cpanel Web Admin ● CSS Web Styling ● Database Design/Management/Reporting ● Documentation ● Entrepreneurship ● Help Desk Tools & Management ● IMAC (Install Move Add Change) ● Networking Install/Config/Management ● PHP Programming ● Planning & Deployment ● Python Programming ● Training ● Web Design ● Web Hosting Management INTRIA HP - Intermediate Technical Analyst (NT/Unix/Networks) ------------------------------------------------------------- January 1999 to December 1999 SUMMARY: Project management, client consultation, team & resource planning, server & datacentre support, and research lab management for the NT/Unix/Networks team, supporting CIBC banking operations. DETAILS: ● Successful projects included the rollout of new Intrusion Detection technology (RealSecure from ISS) to the I-HP network space, and the successful pilot and phased rollout of an Enterprise Knowledge Management system within I-HP ● Consultation with clients regarding project requirements (design, resources and scheduling) ● Co-ordination of NT/Unix/Networks internal resources and other Intria-HP teams to meet project deliverables and costs; included workload planning and logistics ● Built, configured and deployed servers and networks as required; included OS and hardware configuration, racking, cabling, troubleshooting and ongoing monitoring ● Conducted research into new technologies and methodologies; involved on-line and off-line research, consultation with vendors and other experts, and in-house lab testing & piloting SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Cisco IOS ● Datacentre Management ● IMAC (Install Move Add Change) ● Infrastructure Monitoring ● Intrusion Detection & Security ● Knowledge Management ● Networking Install/Config/Management ● Planning & Deployment ● Project Management ● Server Operations/Deployment/Management ● Unix OS Management ● Windows OS Management PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS - National Specialist (Client Services) -------------------------------------------------------------- March 1997 to January 1999 SUMMARY: Provision of Second-Level Support to all PwC Canada ofices for desktop/productivity applications, including Microsoft Office. Communication with front-line staff, creation of end-user and support documentation. testing and deployment of software & customization upgrades. training for end users & support staff, research & testing. and backup support for other members of the National Specialist Team (when needed). DETAILS: ● Provided Second-Level Support to all Canadian offices and the Metro Toronto Help Desk for desktop/productivity applications (Microsoft Office, IBM Antivirus, and others) ● Communicated with front-line support staff and end-users on installation & configuration of these applications on NetWare file servers and Win95 desktop systems; supported for internal PwC customisations of these applications ● Documented any new processes, changes and upgrades to the PwC application infrastructure in the appropriate reference databases; assisted with the testing and deployment of these upgrades and changes ● Assisted with projects for the various service lines throughout Canada, including training/deployment for SECUR-ID Remote Access Solution across Canada, and desktop/server standardisation projects for various offices ● Provided backup second-level support to the other members of the Specialist team and their respective areas of expertise; became familiar with all aspects of second-level support within the Specialist group SKILLS LEARNED & TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZED: Desktop Applications ● Desktop Hardware Management ● Help Desk Tools & Management ● Macro Integration & Support ● MS Office Support ● NetWare OS Management ● Networking Install/Config/Management ● Remote Access Management & Training ● Windows OS Management TRAINING & CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT - Things I do to stay informed: ================================= First Aid / CPR / AED (Level C) ● Previously certified in 2007, 2010 and 2013 Correctional Service of Canada - January to April, 2007 ● Completed Correctional Training Program (CTP) #48 as of Apr. 13, 2007 Government of Canada ● Obtained Reliability Status Security Clearance Certificate as of May 2006, and Enhanced Reliability Status Security Clearance Certificate as of April 2007 ITIL Service Management Foundations - Toronto, February 2005 ● Obtained the Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management, covering the concepts, terms, objectives, definitions, benefits and relationships within core IT service management processes and functions, according to ITIL. Project Management: Skills for Success - Learning Tree International - June 1999 ● Project management fundamentals, including resource planning, use of available tools, and other general concepts Chemical Engineering - University of Toronto - September 1989 to May 1991 ● Completed two years of a four year degree program, as well as a sixteen month co-op work term with Falconbridge Ltd. in Timmins, Ontario VOLUNTEER, CHARITABLE & SOCIAL ACTIVITIES - Things I do to stay connected: ========================================= Volunteer Work -------------- ● Volunteered with ADHD Parent Support Group of Kingston for various events, including information booths at local fairs, and the annual Walk for Kids' Mental Health, in partnership with other community organizations. ● Volunteer Webmaster for Brothers Before Others, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity based out of New Jersey & New York, which was created to provide floral arrangements to the families of law enforcement officers lost in the line of duty. The charity's work has subsequently expanded to include a whole host of other activities across North America, with a matching expansion of the role of the charity's website and social media presence. Charitable Efforts ------------------ ● Recurring involvement in workplace United Way fundraising campaigns, especially at CGI and Correctional Service of Canada. ● Coordinated a community emergency response for a neighbourhood family who lost their house and belongings in a sudden fire. Included "day-of" and "week-of" collection and coordination of donations, goods and monetary assistance, as well as toys and school clothing for the family's children. Also assisted with data recovery efforts for the family's fire-damaged computers and digital devices. Social Activities ----------------- ● HackerNest Toronto Tech Socials - Networking & knowledge sharing. ● Tech In Motion: Toronto - Networking & socializing. ● TechToronto #TechTO Monthly Meetup - Knowledge sharing from industry leaders & networking. ● PitchIT Toronto & #PitchItTOCityHall - Supporting and learning about the local entrepreneurial & funding ecosystem. ● Recreational activities includes cooking new recipes, riding new bike trails, watching old & new movies, and searching out all kinds of music (live & recorded).