Infrastructure Operations | Data Center Technician Readiness | Critical Environments Awareness
I bring enterprise infrastructure experience across servers, virtualization, AWS cloud operations, monitoring, backup/recovery, documentation, and production support, with focused preparation for hands-on data center operations and platform awareness of modern AI infrastructure environments.
Systems & Cloud Operations
Production Uptime Focused
Incident & Alarm Response
Disciplined Triage
Hands-On Infrastructure
Safety-First & MEP Awareness
Operational Proof
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Systems & Cloud Operations
Production Uptime Focused
AWS OperationsWindows & LinuxVMware ESXiWhat this means: Operating enterprise and cloud environments requires strict adherence to change control, system monitoring, and operating discipline.
How I approach it: I maintain reliable systems, verify backups, review alerts, and execute documented change procedures carefully.
Example: Supported infrastructure-as-code deployment pipelines and system configuration at Choice Hotels, enhancing release consistency.
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Incident & Alarm Response
Disciplined Triage
Runbooks & SOPsMonitoringRoot Cause AnalysisWhat this means: When an alarm triggers, disciplined triage and following standard operating procedures prevent localized failures from spreading.
How I approach it: I utilize runbooks to isolate issues, coordinate vendor support, and document all findings in ticketing systems.
Example: Executed operational runbooks at Plexus Worldwide to support system health monitoring and improve incident response consistency.
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Hands-On Infrastructure
Safety-First & MEP Awareness
Rack & StackLOTO SafetyCabling & LabelingWhat this means: Data centers demand absolute attention to physical safety, cable management, electrical paths, and thermal limits.
How I approach it: I apply electronics training, mechanical troubleshooting, and strict lockout/tagout (LOTO) protocols to all tasks.
Example: Performed hands-on calibration, preventive maintenance, and production validation for manufacturing systems.
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Documentation & Backups
Restore & Ticket Discipline
Backup & RecoveryCMMS / TicketingRunbook SOPsWhat this means: High-reliability facilities run on accurate ticketing, clear runbooks, verified backups, and exact asset tracking.
How I approach it: I verify backup job completion, monitor storage health, document ticket resolution details, and update site-specific SOPs.
Example: Maintained backup verification processes and engineered digital reporting structures for Guardian Home Check field operations.
Built for High-Density Operations
My foundation was built as a Combat Engineer (12B) in the U.S. Army National Guard, where precision, safety, and discipline were non-negotiable. I transitioned those skills into managing mission-critical AWS environments, enterprise data center hardware, and complex manufacturing technology.
This portfolio demonstrates my operating pattern: follow the runbook, secure the facility, diagnose the fault, document the resolution, and protect production uptime at all costs.
Critical Environment Operations
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
Alarm Response & Triage
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
Hardware & Network Troubleshooting
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
CMMS & Technical Runbooks
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
Vendor & Contractor Coordination
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
Safety First & Preventive Maintenance
Enterprise-focused delivery and support operations aligned to physical infrastructure reliability.
Operational Experience
- Supervised infrastructure operations for high-availability business systems at Plexus Worldwide, sustaining 99.9% uptime.
- Led mission-critical AWS platform operations at Choice Hotels, improving deployment velocity by 25%.
- Managed VMware and AWS production environments at Zocdoc, focusing on remote data center infrastructure and out-of-band management.
- Performed hands-on calibration and production validation for CNC/component systems at PulteGroup manufacturing plants.
- Built structured inspection workflows and cloud-based reporting systems for Guardian Home Check field operations.
Infrastructure Platform Experience & Awareness
From enterprise infrastructure operations to modern AI data center platform study, I bring hands-on experience with servers, virtualization, AWS cloud operations, monitoring, backup systems, documentation, and production support, with additional awareness of high-density AI infrastructure requirements.
Dell PowerEdge
Hands-on experience supporting Dell PowerEdge server environments, including Windows Server, VMware ESXi, storage, backup workflows, hardware troubleshooting, and production support.
Direct Infrastructure ExperienceWindows Server / Linux / VMware
Hands-on experience supporting Windows Server, Linux systems, VMware ESXi, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, system monitoring, and operational troubleshooting.
Direct Systems ExperienceAWS Infrastructure Operations
Production infrastructure experience with AWS environments, including EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, Route 53, Lambda, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, CloudFront, OpenSearch, deployment support, monitoring, alerting, and operational reliability.
Direct Cloud Operations ExperienceBackup & Recovery Operations
Hands-on experience with backup tools and workflows, including BackupExec, Windows-based backup tools, backup job monitoring, failed-job review, restore readiness, RAID/storage awareness, and documentation.
Direct Backup Operations ExperienceNVIDIA DGX H100 / B200
Platform awareness of high-density AI accelerator systems, including rack placement considerations, power density, cooling requirements, out-of-band management concepts, and hardware fault triage workflows.
AI Compute Platform AwarenessDell PowerEdge XE9680
Operational awareness of GPU-dense Dell PowerEdge platforms, including redundant power considerations, firmware lifecycle concepts, component replacement workflows, and escalation procedures.
Enterprise AI Platform AwarenessSupermicro AI GPU Servers
Platform awareness of GPU-dense server systems, including redundant power cabling, airflow requirements, BMC/out-of-band management concepts, network separation, and hardware validation procedures.
High-Performance Computing AwarenessLiquid Cooling Systems
Operational awareness of liquid cooling concepts used in high-density data center environments, including chilled-water dependencies, leak detection, thermal monitoring, and stop-work thresholds.
Facilities Operations AwarenessOperational Rigor & Discipline
- Execute Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for hardware and facility management.
- Coordinate with vendor field engineers for complex part replacements under warranty.
- Perform rigorous Receiving, Staging, and Visual Inspections before deploying any rack.
- Manage CMMS-style tickets with disciplined root-cause follow-through and photo documentation.
- Prioritize safety and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols above schedule pressure.
Runbook Library Preview
Standard Operating Procedures
I don't just clear tickets; I operate by the book. Here is a preview of the structured runbooks and operational discipline I apply to protect mission-critical hardware and ensure personnel safety.
Procedure: NVIDIA DGX / PowerEdge XE9680 GPU Triage 1. Confirm asset identity and rack location. 2. Review alert summary and affected GPU/accelerator identifier. 3. Access BMC or vendor health tools only if authorized. 4. Record exact event text, timestamps, GPU ID, and host state. 5. Do NOT reseat or remove GPU modules unless directed by approved procedure.
- Stop-Work Conditions: GPU thermal alarm, NVSwitch fault, missing from inventory, or repeated ECC errors immediately escalate to AI infrastructure engineering.
Direct Hands-On Experience
- Dell PowerEdge
- Windows Server
- Linux
- VMware ESXi
- Active Directory
- DNS / DHCP
- Cisco Switching
- TCP/IP Networking
- BackupExec
- Windows Backup Tools
- RAID / Storage Concepts
- AWS Infrastructure Operations
- CloudWatch / CloudTrail / OpenSearch
- Monitoring & Alerting Tools
- Jira / Confluence
- Ticket Documentation
- Runbooks / SOPs
- Python / Bash / PowerShell
- Jenkins / Terraform / Ansible / Git
Platform Awareness / Study
- NVIDIA DGX Systems
- Dell PowerEdge XE9680
- Supermicro AI GPU Servers
- Liquid Cooling Concepts
- UPS / PDU Awareness
- High-Density Rack, Power & Cooling
- BMC / Out-of-Band Management
- Stop-Work Thresholds
- AI Infrastructure Support Workflows
- CMMS-style Operational Documentation
Christopher Harris
Infrastructure Operations Professional | U.S. Army National Guard
Infrastructure operations professional with a strong foundation in servers, virtualization, AWS cloud operations, monitoring, backup/recovery, documentation, incident response, and hands-on technical support, now focused on data center technician and critical environments operations.
I bring electrical training, hands-on infrastructure support experience, and safety-first operating discipline to data center operations.
As a former Combat Engineer (12B) in the U.S. Army National Guard, and with a background supporting production environments at Choice Hotels and Plexus Worldwide, I understand that downtime is unacceptable. I respond to alarms, execute Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and coordinate vendor support to protect production environments.
My AWS background helps me understand production impact, monitoring, escalation, access control, change discipline, and infrastructure reliability. Furthermore, backup and recovery experience has strengthened my understanding of storage health, hardware reliability, failed drive impact, restore readiness, retention requirements, and the importance of accurate documentation before touching production systems.
In production infrastructure environments, I believe safe execution matters as much as technical skill. If a hardware swap, cable move, power issue, or documented procedure does not match the ticket or approved method of procedure, the right action is to stop, verify, and escalate before creating risk.
I bring more infrastructure experience than the minimum requirement for entry-level data center technician roles, but I am intentionally targeting hands-on infrastructure operations. My focus is reliability, coachability, safe execution, documentation, and learning site-specific procedures. I am not positioning myself as a detached executive or architect. I am focused on hands-on technician work: hardware troubleshooting, cabling, server support, ticket execution, documentation, and escalation discipline.
I hold a Data Center Certified Associate (DCCA) credential from Schneider Electric University, alongside CompTIA A+, Microsoft Certified Professional, and AWS Solutions Architect certifications.
Open to Critical Environments & Data Center Operations roles.
Seeking opportunities to apply my physical infrastructure, incident response, and mission-critical hardware experience in an enterprise facility.