The Team
As an IT services company, AnswerZ is reliant on the calibre of its consultants to develop and maintain our reputation. Our hiring policy at AnswerZ reflects our business model: we'd rather forego the growth and maintain the quality. Only quality personnel with a proven record and strong personal recommendations are considered. We admit that our whole recruitment process can be a little long-winded and is very limiting on the pool of potential new starters, but the process pays dividends in client satisfaction.
The AnswerZ Team
Our skills span a variety of IT disciplines and a range of life experiences and interests. One interest that many of us share is music and so the AnswerZ Team and "the band" have become almost synonymous.
As often as we can, which is nowhere near as often as we'd like, a few of us get together at someone's house and frighten the neighbours with our musical renditions of whatever takes our fancy. (Don't know that one? I can hum a few bars if you like) Sometimes it doesn't sound too bad.
Meet a few of the team ....
- Andrew
- Bec
- Bernie
- Clem
- Dave A
- DeeJay
- Dr Dave
- Eddie
- Geoff
- Ivan
- Jason
- Jeremy
- Jody
- Lee
- Matthew
- Michael
- Nathan
- Paul
- Pete
- Rhys
- Ross
- Smitty
Andrew
Andrew has brought a whole new hardware focus to the AnswerZ service offering. We're talking build-your-own circuit kind of stuff!
With Andrew’s assistance, we’ve been developing the AnswerZ business in to completely new fields. In fact, all manner of strange and mysterious capabilities and experience seem to be in Andrew’s repertoire.
And he's not just restricted to IT skills : Andrew can also wield a pretty mean axe - and I don't mean guitar. So when Andrew talks about cutting through to the heart of the issue. I, for one, am paying attention! Coffee Andrew? Sugar with that mate? Anything else I can get you pal?
Bec (aka, Rebecca)
In what seems like only yesterday, Bec was one of a crop of new kids on the block - but in no time flat, she has become another integral player in the AnswerZ team.
Our security practice is where you'll find Bec - in both a practitioner role and, more often of late, providing advice and assessments. Apart from being a font of knoweledge on a range of issues, we've come to rely on Bec to step into the breach at short notice to meet pressing, unforseen requirements : and she hasn't disappointed.
If we could get Bec interested in "the band", I've a feeling that percussion would be her forte. I expect Bed would revel in the opportunity to give the Takio drums a run (my money is on Bec).
Bernie
As a founding member of AnswerZ, Bernie is active in many of our accounts (did I hear a quip that, at his age, any activity is a bonus?)
A sometime wordsmith / network manager / developer, Bernie is often deployed in support roles to assist with peak periods. We also pitch Bernie into new sites where his years of experience (so many age jokes, so little time) prove particularly beneficial.
An idiosyncratic sense of humour means there are occasions when we keep Bernie on a short leash. But given the right client dynamics, he can be the just the right person for the job.
Clem
How can it be? Our one-time, go-to man for all things Windows and security has morphed over into a Linux specialist and a security touchstone. A sign of things to come perhaps?
That is not to belittle Clem's Windows skills - they remain formidable. But Clem has increasingly broadened his O/S experience to the extent that he is now a reference point for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux as well as being more than capable with Solaris. More recently, Clem has seized the opportunity to take on the field of identity management.
Clem is also a sometime member of "the band" and wields a serious axe. (In this case, I did mean an electric guitar)
Dave A
In addition to his network and systems management prowess we rely on Dave for his application development and scripting skills par excellence.
We also rely on Dave to keep his off-beat sense of humour and strange dancing style under control – did I mention he had redeeming qualities?
Dave's also a bit of a movie buff, gadget fiend and (these points notwithstanding) a very popular member of the team. We've coaxed Dave out for a few sessions with "the band" (he's a guitarist) but methinks he's a little stage shy.
DeeJay
We had serious reservations about recruiting DJ. Not so much because he's a sometime disc jockey (could find a spot for him in "the band" perhaps) but because DJ is actually another Dave. To have two Daves in our little team could be considered coincidence, to have three starts to look suspicious!
Another in our legion of IT Administrator / Security types, DJ always gets a good rap from our clients for his work and his track record for problem solving is as good as gold. Always queued and raring to go, DJ is not averse to taking Firewall-1 for a spin and knows how to get an Oracle DB on song.
OK, so the disc jockey references are wearing a bit thin, but rest assured, DJ is a hit with the AnswerZ Team. (Just had to put one more pun in there, didn't you!)
Dr Dave
Dave is in fact a Doctor of Mathematics – we tease him about the Doctor thing. Oddly enough, it's a trait that runs in his family – Father, Mother, Wife. Then there's Oscar the baby son and budding genius - has he finished that cold fusion thesis yet Dave?
Dave is asked to perform all manner of miracles for AnswerZ clients. We have a running gag about Dave where a client asks for something weird and Dave says "actually, I've already written that – but my app will also ..." It's funny, but only because it's "science imitating life".
A super keen member of "the band", Dave is our bass man but can also turn his skills to the sax or drums.
Eddie
Network and Systems Management hold no fears for Ed: no network storm is too big, no threshold monitoring task too complex. He amuses himself with MicroMuse – he's the Mr Ice of NetCool.
Ed is also one of our consultants with International project management experience and is more than a useful scripter (Perl, of course!) and one of the "brains trust" on all matters network related.
Known as "tonsils"(OK, so it's only me that calls him that, but it's pretty catchy, right?) Ed is our premier vocalist in "the band" and helps out on acoustic guitar and bongoes.
Geoff
There he was, minding his own business - happily working away implementing large scale MPLS networks and making Citrix and Voice over IP look like they were meant to work over WANs. So we told him that his current client was a dud, that we were having a great time partying and carousing and stuff and that he should come and work with us because it was heaps better than whatever lame things he was already doing. OK, so a small fib or two, but we meant well. So basically, we stole Geoff.
And what a steal! For a long time we’d been looking for someone to help out the network team. Someone with lots of Cisco experience. Someone who could tackle network security, network planning and network operations and who wasn’t shy of mixing it with the ISPs. Someone who could talk to our clients, and the occasional propeller-head, with the same level of comfort. And Geoff is certainly that someone.
Shame we can’t let him take time off – but the manacles are at least fur-lined :)
Ivan
Our resident stickler for ensuring that no corners are cut, Ivan is never one to just let something slip past. Not so much Ivan the Terrible, more Ivan the Terrier.
Ivan is also one of our Solaris whizzes. Loves the stuff. IT Security – eats it! Doesn't even mind doing documentation!
But then, just when he seems like a regular mainstream systems administrator / security guy (albeit, very talented) you find out that Ivan has this way of being just a little different. You say Perl– he says awk. We bemoan our PCs – he revels in his Mac (OSX of course!) We WinCE – he Palms. Viva la Difference!
Come to think of it, the Mac OSX thing isn’t such a big difference anymore – seems we’ve all got one now. Ivan the trendsetter! How could he possibly live that down?
Jason
Jason is one of our young guns. Flashy sports car to boot, yet butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Well, it might - but not for some time. Dedicated family man, but still needs the occasional reminder to call it a day and head home! Of course, we wouldn't take advantage of that and work him into the ground. No - not us (not much!)
A pretty keen network and systems administrator, Jason has managed to put his not inconsiderable coding and scripting talents to good purpose building end-to-end monitoring tools and providing the glue for a myriad of disparate point solutions.
More recently, Jason has been tripping the light fantastic providing assistance and the occasional miracle for our Security team. He’s proven a welcome addition and has lots of fans, especially amongst those whose best scripting days are behind them – aka, yours truly. Thanks Jase
Can't get Jase near "the band" - he's a mad keen mountain-biker. No getting hurt now mate - did I mention I had some more work for you?
Jeremy
You probably won't meet a more gentle soul, but Jeremy has a number of passions. (Aside from his family of course)
Jeremy is a hands-on kind of guy – loves a technical challenge and is right into the gadget / techno thing. And yet, and this is rare, he's keen to make sure the documentation is kept in order and that maintenance gets its rightful attention.
And he manages to top that off with some (formerly hidden) musical talents. No one trick pony, Jeremy's ace-in-the-hole is his acoustic guitar talents (two Paul Simon allusions in a single sentence - I'm Rhymin Simon!).
Way to go Jezza!
Jody
Is it white, is it black? Now, just what would the colour of that hat be?
Welcome to Jody, the man of hats with a thousand hues – metaphorically speaking, of course.
Jody is one of our IT Security team and our lead when the job calls for penetration and assurance testing. He loves the stuff. A contributor to a number of articles on the subject, Jody has proven himself on a number of major assignments.
Apart from his outstanding security skills, Jody also has a penchant for finding odd snippets of pretty useful information on the Net. I guess he must have an eclectic collection of bookmarks - it sure won't be because he has spare time!
Lee
Our one-time graphics workstation wizard, these days Lee spends (way too much of) her time on accounts – thanks ever so much to the Goods and Services Tax.
When she's not balancing the books, Lee is also our pinch-hitter for HP-UX and high availability issues as well as being a handy person to call on when we need some experienced UNIX skills in a hurry. Disk farms, SANs, storage silos, network backups, failover – bread and butter stuff for Lee.
Haven't managed yet to get "eighty-eight fingers Lee" to strut her stuff on the ivories for the band – but she's at least an enthusiastic supporter.
Matthew
Matthew is a reasonably recent addition to our development team - but you wouldn't be able to determine that based on either the quality or the quantity of his output. Matthew has certainly proven to be a handy addition to the AnswerZ team (and my apologies for those in the know for the blatant pun).
Matthew's current assignment involves J2EE and all manner of other acronymns in that development space that leaves yours truly a regular visitor to Wikipedia and Google.
Matthew also has a reputation for an interest in gadgets - that's a remarkable reputation to have in a group that's generally gadget enamoured. Some say this makes Matthew either an uber-geek or a very sick puppy ... but perhaps, and this seems more likely, Matthew is someone who has found work and a hobby that coincide.
Michael
Combining a strong background in geographic systems, extensive Delphi experience and a passion for robotics and communications, Michael is another to bring a new dimension to the AnswerZ team.
Michael is Mr Quiet himself at the regular company meetings and you can't get even a hum out of him at "the band" sessions, but he's a different animal altogether when it's (e-)games night! Drives (and rides his mountain bike) a bit the same way in real life (joke Michael).
Along with our clients, we're trying to encourage Michael to turn his hand to cloning technology – for someone with his talents, "how hard can it be?"
Nathan
Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. And when you find yourself wondering whether this highly available gateway is ever going to make it back into life, the next call for help is best directed to Nathan. How does he remain so calm and collected? How does he manage to find the issue and resolve it so quickly? I wonder whether his extensive knowledge on all things *NIX and network would have anything to do with it.
From a rather quiet start, Nathan has developed into a keen contributor to technical discussions and blossomed into a team player. And since we got him into a suit .... there's no stopping this man.
"The band" and Nathan are yet to cross paths. I wonder if Nathan might not be a closet didgeridoo player (might be a bit loud in a closet I guess). But I equally wouldn't be surprised to find him knocking out a jazz number on a glockenspiel (ok - in fact, I would be surprised).
Paul
Happily ensconced in the land of the long white cloud, Paul, an ex-Pat Ozzie, is one of our enterprise management team. Of course, because of the tyranny of time zones, Paul get's first crack at all the issues from overnight that didn't quite make it to call-out stage. Lucky Paul.
Amongst his specialties, Paul can point to Solaris and Linux tempered by an unfailing interest in gadgets and the obscure (there's a cheap shot there and I'm showing such will power.)
Occassionaly we coax Paul back for a visit but todate he's studiously avoided getting roped into a gig in "the band". My guess is that the tnstrument of choice for Paul might be the (glass armonica).
Pete
Not sure what Pete's middle name is, but no one would be surprised to find out it was Tivoli! Pete is one of our Tivoli specialists and he lives the stuff.
Pete's got a mainframe background but is also a dab hand at AIX in particular and Unix in general. And unlike some of the rest of us, Pete has meddled a little on the Microsoft front as well. What a brave soul!
We haven't managed to drag Pete into "the band" as yet – I could see him on percussion. I see a big drum set – Pete would be a mean man on the skins, for sure ;)
Rhys
Rhys is one of the AnswerZ team who really is certified ... in an educational sense. The guy has certifications left, right and centre, as in: A+, MCP, CCNA, CCDA, MCSE, CCNP! No doubt he's added to that with an LMNOP by now! ;-)
Obviously Rhys has too much spare time to be able to do that amount of study. Difficult to see how he does it since we're working him just as hard as is legal (and then some).
Recently we've had Rhys performing some Mac OSX magic for a client - turned him from "who cares" to "fan boy" overnight. We'll, over a few weeks anyway. And they said he'd never amount to anything more than a Windows genius. Ha!
Ross
Few and far between are the ICT issues for which Ross is not "Da Man". Which is both a reflection on his many years in the field as much as his keen interest in keeping well informed on a range of topical ICT subjects.
Predominantly working in our security team, Ross has domestic and international consulting experience and a particular penchant for all matters Solaris. Another major focus for Ross is identity management and this has already proven very valuable for several of our clients. Ross is patiently coaching the rest of us through the transition to the bigger picture issues of SAML and Federated Identity to name but a few identity topics that are near and dear to his heart.
Not sure that we'll be seeing Ross in the band - more the enthusiastic audience / heckler would be my take. Could surprise us though. If Moog had chosen a Solaris based platform .... things could have been so different.
Smitty
Smitty is another of the AnswerZ development team: university medallist, certified Java developer, proud father of two and a nice guy to boot.
Having initially been drawn to the "dark side" as our Microsoft development specialist, Smitty has seen the light (hallelujah brother) and now waxes lyrical about J2EE and open source.
Smitty is also a glutton for punishment when it comes to training: sainthood beckons!
And while he's all sugar and spice at work, Smitty packs a mean riff on lead guitar with "the band".