Aladdin is a promptly growing Russian IT company that develops and supplies reliable solutions for Information Security. Until 2010, Aladdin R.D. in fact was the official representative of Aladdin Knowledge Systems, and later SafeNet Inc within Russia, CIS, and Baltic States. This includes all aspects of marketing, development, localization, and certification issues.

Main activities and responsibilities
As part of team of 3 IT professionals I was responsible for providing professional expertise and skills in the support of enterprise systems, internal, and external customers (1st to 3rd line support).
Taking over a small site of 60 PCs and 7 servers I have moved to a larger server environment with 10 physical servers and 20 virtual servers hosted on them, and in excess of 120 PCs and laptops. Most core business systems were supported wholly in-house with vendors being involved for 3rd level support only.
My daily duties also included:
• Support and maintain Windows and Linux based servers and monitor server performance, security and functionality; • Arrange and coordinate server software and hardware repairs;
• Maintain a structured backup programme of all corporate data and systems;
• Document all server hardware, software, and email configurations and design changes;
• Enforce procedures relating to network security and access;
• Research and resolve all functionality related issues;
• Respond to internal and external customer’s technical enquiries received by the phone, email or the web in accordance with the SLA.
• Write-up articles for the company’s Knowledge Base;
• Monitor and update the knowledge base and self-help resources available to customers;
• Active participation in tests of pre-releases of new products;
• Provide analysis of issues; collaboration with other departments (Sales, R&D, Product Management (Russia and Israel), Technical Support (Israel)) to improve the company’s products.
• Provide support and training for staff of the Technical Support department;
• Provide occasionally pre and post sales support to customers;

Main achievements
• Since in the company there are a number of critical on-line services I have developed root cause analysis process to get rid of mission critical service interruptions. Recommended solutions were approved by CIO, successfully implemented, and highly effective.
• Along with the usual duties of System Administrator I also had a number of challenges. First of all for lack of a technical support service I needed to organize and develop it. I have not only organized a new Technical support department, but have also realized selection and training of the new staff, have drawn up all guidelines documents, SLA, and other ITIL related documents. As a result, technical support department has very quickly developed into not only one of our most important business tools for support but also one of the few packages that our new and existing company's customers have possibility to use.
• Implemented a number of new services e.g.: a knowledge base and an issue tracking system that was integrated with a bug tracking system of R&D department.
• During my work in the company, sales volume was increased more than five-times and a profit were increased by 95%.
• I have introduced many of the key business processes that have been adopted in the company.
• I have developed and introduced the project of all network communications for the new office building of the company within a limited timeframe.

Technologies Used: MS Windows 95-2008, Linux (RedHat, CentOS, Ubuntu), Mac OS X, Cisco, AD, Exchange 2003-2007, IIS, IAS, RRAS, Certification Authority (MS, Keon), ISA Server, Terminal Servers, MS SQL Server, Citrix, Thin clients, Smart Cards (USB Tokens), Identity Management Systems (Aladdin, SafeNet, Athena, Microsoft), ASP.NET, Crypo API, PKCS11, PHP, JavaScript, Perl, Lotus Notes, All Aladdin's products, Whole-Disk Encryption, EFS, VMWare, Virtual PC, Oracle, Access control system with Proximity cards (RFID).