May 2024 – Present
Grafana Labs
Technical Support Engineer II
May 2024 – Present
Technical Support Engineer
Apr 2022 – May 2024
Professional Summary
Technical Support Engineer at Grafana Labs with 20+ years of experience across Linux, cloud and observability. Previously a Linux Support Escalation Engineer at Microsoft (Azure) and a systems administrator and team leader at IBM Romania, with consulting work for major telecom clients. Passionate about open source, mentoring and readiness.
Areas of expertise include:
Experience
Career timeline2005 – today
Grafana LabsSupport Engineer I & II
MicrosoftLinux Escalation Eng.
AQUASoft / IBMSysadmin, IT Support
AQUASoft / IBMSenior Linux Engineer
AQUASoft / IBMBMW ISPI SME
KistioRomSupport Engineer
Star-TechSupport Engineer
BitechSupport Engineer
Mar 2017 – Mar 2022
Microsoft
Linux Support Escalation Engineer
Mar 2017 – Mar 2022
- Supporting Linux on Azure customers
- Developing and writing content/solutions Linux on Azure related
- Training and mentoring colleagues and new hires on Linux on Azure
- Developing scenarios for internal Linux on Azure certifications
- EMEA focal point for Linux Readiness within the organization
Apr 2011 – Feb 2017
AQUASoft
IT Support Specialist - Systems Administrator @ IBM Romania via AQUASoft
Jan 2015 – Feb 2017
- Responding to user incidents and requests via ticketing system, mail & phone
- Preparing documentation and learning materials for deployed solutions
- Testing new tools/methods used internally
- Developed various web applications for internal use
- Installing and configuring ESXi
Senior Linux Engineer @ IBM Romania via AQUASoft
May 2016 – Aug 2016
- Building Proof of Concept Infrastructure for potential customers
- Preparing RedHat 6 and 7 server Golden Images
- Preparing local repositories for Ubuntu 14.04 systems
- Testing and debugging newly created images before deployment
- Working with Security and Virtualization teams for system integration and security
BMW ISPI Subject Matter Expert
Apr 2011 – Jan 2015
Mar 2005 – Aug 2010
Consulting engagements
S.C. KISTIOROM S.R.L. — Technical Support Engineer
Dec 2008 – Aug 2010
Star-Tech Company — Technical Support Engineer
Dec 2008 – Jul 2010
Bitech Company — Technical Support Engineer
Mar 2005 – Sep 2008
Education
„Spiru Haret” University - Bucharest
Bachelor's Degree, Psychology and Sciences of Education
Nov 2018 – Jun 2021
"Tudor Vladimirescu" High School
High School, Mathematics and Physics
1995 – 1998
Licenses & Certifications
ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management
EXIN · Issued Jan 2013
Credential ID 4664896.1167845
Kepner Tregoe Practitioner
Microsoft · Issued Jul 2018
CSS Trainer
Microsoft · Issued Jan 2020
Azure Virtual Machines
Microsoft · Issued Dec 2019
Work and Organizational Psychology
Romanian College of Psychologists · Issued Apr 2022
Credential ID 28295
Projects
- BeWordSmith: An open source, zero-dependency Markdown wiki. Drop Markdown files into a folder and get an auto-generated menu, gradient hero headers, and callouts, tabs and accordions. It runs on Python or PHP, including shared cPanel hosting, with no build step and no database. View on GitHub · Live demo
- Sysadmins.tech: A personal blog focused on IT and systems administration. This site serves as a platform for sharing insights, tutorials, and expert commentary on industry trends. Visit Website
- ITACoffeeSystems.com: A professional website developed for a customer, showcasing my capabilities in creating robust digital platforms tailored to business needs. This site is specifically designed to enhance the client’s online presence and operational efficiency. Visit Website
- Warehouse Management System: Developed a comprehensive warehouse management system for a client, designed to optimize inventory management, logistics, and operations. This system integrates advanced tracking and reporting features to facilitate real-time data access and decision-making. Although not publicly accessible, this project highlights my expertise in developing tailored solutions to complex business challenges.
Professional Contributions
Technical Reviewer - Contributed to the book "Migrating Linux to Microsoft Azure", authored by Rithin Skaria and Toni Willberg, published by Packt. Worked alongside Micha Wets to ensure the technical accuracy and relevance of the content, focusing on practical applications and challenges in migrating Linux systems to Azure environments.