Solutions Architect
Devops Engineer
Software Developer
Rashad Ewing
Your friendly neighborhood automation superhero, on a mission to eliminate manual processes one script at a time! Whether you're wrestling with repetitive tasks or drowning in manual workflows, I'm here to swoop in with cloud-native solutions and DevOps magic. Remember: automating is the game, innovation is the aim!
What I Do
Cloud Architecture
Design and oversee scalable application architectures across public, private, and hybrid cloud platforms. Develop comprehensive cloud adoption strategies, establish best practices for deployment, and implement robust systems for monitoring and maintaining cloud infrastructure.
Cloud Security
Conduct comprehensive security assessments of cloud environments to identify vulnerabilities and compliance gaps. Deliver actionable remediation strategies and implement defense-in-depth security controls including WAFs, IAM least-privilege policies, and secure network architectures.
DevOps & Automation
Streamline operations by engineering automated solutions that eliminate manual processes and reduce operational overhead. Design and implement CI/CD pipelines, serverless architectures with Lambda, and containerized environments using ECS to accelerate delivery and improve reliability.
Database Architecture
Engineer robust database solutions for both relational systems (MySQL, MS SQL, Oracle) and NoSQL platforms (DynamoDB, MongoDB). Design optimized schemas, implement high-availability architectures, and ensure performance meets stringent SLA requirements.
Cloud Skills
VPC Management and Design
95%
CI/CD Pipelines
75%
CloudFormation
85%
Cloud Security
90%
Serverless Architecture
90%
Coding Skills
HTML / CSS
100%
PHP
90%
JavaScript
90%
Python
85%
Node.js
85%
Experience
2024 - Current
Gainwell Technologies
Advisor Application Architect
- Build and administer EKS clusters (Fargate and Auto Mode) across a multi-account AWS Organization supporting healthcare applications for multiple state government programs
- Create custom CloudFormation templates and Terraform/Terragrunt modules for full-environment provisioning
- Build CI/CD deployment workflows using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps pipelines, with Ansible and AWX deploying applications to EC2
- Author all Kubernetes deployment manifests (deployments, services, ingress, ConfigMaps) for the .NET application workloads running on EKS
- Provide application support on EKS, working with development teams to troubleshoot pod, networking, and configuration issues
- Design and deploy serverless applications using Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFront, and S3
- Provision and manage RabbitMQ, Redis (ElastiCache), Route 53 DNS, ACM, and SSL certificate lifecycles
- Manage application secrets using AWS Secrets Manager, External Secrets Operator, and GitHub secrets
- Configure AWS network security using WAF, security groups, NACLs, and VPC networking including subnets, routing, and VPN access
- Design and implement disaster recovery plans for supported applications as part of cross-team DR planning and exercises
- Support production releases end to end, including maintenance windows, cutovers, and war-room troubleshooting
2021 - 2024
2ndWatch/Ollion
Cloud Operations Architect
- Owned VNS Health's entire 10-account AWS Organization end to end as dedicated cloud architect: networking, security, IAM, CI/CD pipelines, and vulnerability management for one of the largest nonprofit home-healthcare organizations in the US
- Governed the Organization with service control policies (SCPs) and rolled out baseline infrastructure across all accounts using CloudFormation StackSets
- Built a suite of custom Python Lambda automations for estate hygiene and security: security group cleanup, access key rotation management, unused EBS volume and ENI cleanup, and vulnerability reporting through the Alert Logic SDK
- Designed those automations on a report-then-remediate pattern, generating an Excel report of affected resources for client review and sign-off before anything was deleted, keeping cleanup auditable in a healthcare environment
- Migrated client web applications from a Fortinet firewall to AWS WAF and implemented hybrid DNS with Route 53 Resolver endpoints across the VPC estate
- Built CI/CD pipelines with AWS CodePipeline and deployment automation with Lambda and ECS
- Ran vulnerability management through Alert Logic: triage, remediation, and client reporting across production estates
- Designed and troubleshot multi-account network architectures using Transit Gateway, VPC Peering, and site-to-site VPN
- Conducted IAM security audits and implemented least-privilege access controls across client environments
- Built reusable Infrastructure as Code templates in CloudFormation for consistent resource provisioning
2018 - 2021
Rackspace Technology
AWS Cloud Engineer III
- Supported production environments for Rackspace managed-cloud customers across the full AWS service surface: compute, networking, databases, storage, serverless, and IAM, not a single fixed stack
- Administered Windows and Linux EC2 fleets across customer accounts, including performance tuning and security hardening
- Designed and maintained highly available database tiers using Multi-AZ RDS with read replicas
- Built redundant, self-healing architectures using Auto Scaling behind Application Load Balancers, Network Load Balancers, and Classic ELBs
- Maintained custom CloudFormation templates for provisioning customer environments
- Guided customers through datacenter-to-AWS migrations, from architecture design through cutover
- Implemented S3 storage solutions with lifecycle policies, encryption, and granular IAM permissions
- Managed backup and recovery strategies using EBS snapshots, AMIs, and automated patching schedules
- Automated operational tasks with the AWS CLI, PowerShell, and the Python SDK
- Advised customers on AWS architecture patterns and cost optimization
2016 - 2018
Amazon Web Services
Cloud Support Associate
- Frontline support engineer on the Windows platform queue, troubleshooting customer production workloads on EC2: Active Directory, IIS, and other Windows Server roles
- Supporting EC2 meant supporting everything it integrates with, so I resolved customer issues across VPC networking (routing, VPNs, peering, security groups), EBS, KMS, IAM instance roles, and backup and recovery
- Helped customers design and debug redundant architectures using Auto Scaling Groups and Elastic Load Balancers
- Advised customers migrating physical infrastructure onto AWS
- Delivered remote technical support using Bomgar and screen sharing tools to resolve critical customer issues
- Educated customers on AWS best practices, the Well-Architected Framework, and cost optimization strategies
2015 - 2016
Intel Corporation
Windows and Unix System Administrator
- Developed and updated internal applications and websites in C# and the .NET framework
- Managed physical servers in Intel data centers, working hands-on in the facility to install and configure ESXi hypervisors
- Supported the engineering labs where Intel's chip teams worked, maintaining the Windows and Linux machines their work depended on
- Installed, configured, and maintained Windows and Linux servers across multiple sites
- Administered Active Directory and IIS, managing user accounts, group policies, and web application hosting
- Kept server and workstation fleets patched and current through structured patch and service pack deployment
- Built and maintained internal web applications using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP
- Provided remote technical support to resolve hardware, software, and network connectivity issues
- Documented incidents, resolutions, and action items in the ITSM ticketing system
2013 - 2015
OpenText
Technical Analyst
- Supported OpenText's eDOCS document management platform in customer environments, spanning its SQL Server back end, the Windows Servers it ran on, the user desktops that connected to it, and its Office suite integrations
- Troubleshot the full path of a document management issue, from the client workstation and Office integration, through the application server, down to the database
- Administered Microsoft SQL Server for the eDOCS back end: backups, restores, performance tuning, and user access management
- Built and maintained virtualization environments on VMware ESXi and Citrix XenServer, sizing and provisioning the virtual machines that hosted customer application tiers
- Installed, configured, and maintained multi-server environments across multiple customer locations
- Managed Active Directory, DNS, and IIS infrastructure including domain controllers, zone management, and the web services eDOCS depended on
- Ran proactive patch management so workstations and servers stayed on current security updates
- Provided responsive remote technical support to end users and to the system administrators running the platform
- Documented technical issues, resolutions, and procedures in the ITSM ticketing system for knowledge transfer across the team
- Delivered IT support services across multiple geographic locations while holding to SLA commitments
2010 - 2013
Florida State University
IT Support Specialist
- Provided workstation and technical support across multiple campus locations, serving faculty, staff, and students
- Performed Active Directory administration including user account management, group policy deployment, and security permissions
- Developed and updated departmental web pages, working from stakeholder requirements and campus usability standards
- Maintained secure workstation configurations, deploying critical patches and service packs on a regular cycle
- Kept endpoint security current by maintaining up-to-date antivirus definitions across all networked computers
- Managed the support ticket queue, prioritizing requests by business impact and urgency
- Handled IT asset lifecycle management: purchasing, inventory tracking, and hardware disposal
- Documented issues, resolutions, and action plans, and communicated them clearly to stakeholders
- First IT role, where the Windows, Active Directory, and web development fundamentals everything since has been built on came from
Education
Certifications
Let's Connect
Get in Touch
Have a project in mind or need cloud solutions? Feel free to reach out and let's discuss how I can help.