Allwyn North America Innovation, Technology & Agility

What project are you most excited to work on in 2025, and what is particularly compelling about this work for you?

I’m most excited to continue expanding our automation capabilities across the organization. By leveraging existing technologies like BetterCloud and Jira, we can proactively address potential issues before they impact our users to ensure a seamless experience for everyone. This frees up valuable time for both our IT team and end users, allowing us to focus on improvements and innovation rather than troubleshooting. I’m particularly drawn to projects that allow me to delve into deeper technical challenges and develop creative solutions that benefit our teams and the entire organization.

What does the roadmap for this project look like? Who will you collaborate with, and what challenges do you anticipate having to overcome?

Collaboration is crucial throughout this process. I envision working closely with IT colleagues, department heads and end users to ensure the project meets everyone’s needs. A key element will be working to get stakeholders in the same room to identify pain points, gather requirements and define clear objectives. To illustrate this collaborative approach, our recent office move involved communicating with multiple stakeholders, organizing our project timeline, getting buy-in and then executing the plan with multiple teams, including our marketing department, to accomplish our team goals.

Potential challenges could include resistance to change, integration complexities and  unforeseen technical hurdles. We also need to ensure we have stakeholder buy-in throughout the process. To overcome these, I’ll prioritize clear communication, proactive planning and a flexible approach that allows for adjustments along the way.

What in your past projects, education or work history best prepares you to tackle this project? What do you hope to learn from this work to apply in the future?

My experience in automating IT processes, particularly over the past 10+ years working with Jamf, has provided me with a strong foundation to excel in this project. Developing and implementing automated workflows within Jamf has honed my ability to  identify areas for improvement, streamline processes and maximize efficiency. These skills are highly transferable to other automation platforms like BetterCloud, allowing me to quickly adapt and contribute to new initiatives.

Furthermore, my commitment to professional development is evident in my Jamf certifications, which go up to the administrative level, and my ongoing pursuit of further knowledge through classes focused on advanced BetterCloud functionalities. Looking ahead, I’m eager to deepen my expertise in user provisioning, both onboarding and offboarding. I believe this project offers a unique opportunity to expand my skill set and contribute to the organization’s ongoing automation efforts.

What is your role on the IT team? What are your responsibilities?
I am employed as a senior infrastructure engineer at Allwyn Illinois LLC. My principal responsibilities involve the management of the office’s local network, which is comprised of Cisco Meraki equipment. I also oversee four virtual Palo Alto firewalls along with a Panorama appliance that is hosted in AWS. Furthermore, I supervise infrastructure configuration changes within Allwyn’s colocation data centers and manage multiple domain controller servers.

I actively engage in audit activities, which include the collection of evidence to demonstrate that Allwyn adheres to industry best practices and complies with regulatory requirements. Furthermore, I implement security patches for devices and systems in accordance with the recommendations provided by the security team.

How does your employer support IT professionals? What opportunities for learning and growth are offered? How does your team effectively work together?
Allwyn provides an exceptional learning and development program that fully funds training and certification exams. This initiative has inspired me to pursue a minimum of two professional certifications each year. Furthermore, I have the privilege of collaborating with a team of highly experienced engineers and security professionals, which has significantly contributed to my skill development, understanding of best practices and proficiency in troubleshooting techniques.

Why might someone want to join your company’s IT team? What routines, traditions and perks does your team offer?
Allwyn’s IT team offers a solid foundation of job security within the highly competitive IT industry. It is evident that an IT professional’s job security correlates with their experience, technical and professional competencies which facilitate the attainment of employment opportunities and career growth. Allwyn’s IT team provides a supportive environment where individuals can learn and collaborate with experienced professionals, fostering the development of skills that are invaluable to any organization.

The IT team actively promotes an organizational culture that encourages members to utilize paid time off to refresh and recuperate. Furthermore, it features a wellness reimbursement program designed to prioritize health by covering expenses for gym memberships and other health-related initiatives. Additionally, the hybrid work model affords employees the flexibility to dedicate time to their families.