William S. Johnston
Systems Support & IT Operations
Summary
IT Professional and CompTIA A+ candidate combining a background in enterprise database management, user training, and technical support with an advanced self-managed infrastructure lab. Hands-on experience with Active Directory administration, hybrid identity, Windows and Linux systems, networking, virtualization, monitoring, automation, and root-cause troubleshooting. Years of experience in fast-paced service environments demonstrate reliability, adaptive communication, and sustained accuracy under pressure.
Technical Skills
Identity & Access Management
Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Entra Connect Sync, Group Policy Objects (GPOs), Organizational Units, User Lifecycle Management, Permissions.
Systems & Operating Systems
Windows Server, Windows 11/10/7, Linux (Ubuntu/Debian), Proxmox VE, Docker, LXC, PowerShell.
Networking & Security
DNS, DHCP, IPv4 Routing, VPNs, Cloudflare Tunnels, SSL/TLS, Nginx Reverse Proxy, Network and Log Analysis.
Observability & Automation
Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Uptime Kuma, n8n, Qdrant, PostgreSQL, Technical Documentation, Backup & Recovery.
Technical Projects — Hands-On IT Lab
Windows Active Directory & Hybrid Identity Lab | Windows Server / Microsoft Entra ID / Entra Connect / GPO
- Deployed and administer a multi-server Active Directory domain environment with redundant domain controllers and Windows 11 clients to simulate a corporate network.
- Built a structured Organizational Unit hierarchy separating administrative, computer, and user accounts and applied role-appropriate permissions and policies.
- Configured Microsoft Entra Connect Sync for hybrid identity with OU-scoped filtering and password hash synchronization between on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID.
- Used synchronization tools, event logs, PowerShell, DNS diagnostics, and replication testing to troubleshoot directory, authentication, credential, and configuration issues.
- Developed and deployed Group Policy Preferences to standardize client configurations and troubleshoot policy application across domain-joined systems.
Homelab Infrastructure & Systems Administration | Proxmox VE / Docker / Linux / Cloudflare — Portfolio: billjohnston.info/homelab
- Engineered and maintain a multi-host Proxmox virtualization environment supporting Windows Server and Windows 11 virtual machines, Linux LXC containers, and Docker-based services.
- Administer self-hosted infrastructure spanning identity, monitoring, automation, databases, documentation, AI applications, and internal web services.
- Provisioned secure external access using Cloudflare Tunnels and reverse proxies, providing encrypted access to selected services without exposing inbound firewall ports.
- Built a backup and disaster-recovery framework using scheduled Proxmox backups, local storage, automated off-site replication, and tested restoration procedures.
- Maintain service documentation, system inventories, dashboards, and operational tooling to support ongoing troubleshooting and administration.
Monitoring, Log Analysis & Observability Stack | Prometheus / Grafana / Loki / Uptime Kuma
- Deployed a centralized observability stack using Prometheus and Grafana for metrics, Loki and Promtail for log aggregation, and cAdvisor and system exporters for host and container telemetry.
- Monitor system health, service availability, resource utilization, and latency across physical hosts, virtual machines, containers, and applications.
- Use centralized logs and monitoring data to identify application failures, authentication issues, network anomalies, and performance problems.
- Built automated operational reporting workflows that consolidate infrastructure health, security events, backup status, and system metrics.
Six String Stevie — AI Assistant & Workflow Automation | n8n / Qdrant / PostgreSQL / OpenAI — Live Demo: billjohnston.info/guitar
- Architected a self-hosted AI guitar instructor using n8n workflow orchestration, OpenAI models, Qdrant vector search, PostgreSQL persistent memory, and Chatwoot messaging.
- Built a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline that indexes a maintained WordPress knowledge base and retrieves relevant instructional material in response to student questions.
- Designed persistent student profiles and lesson-history storage in PostgreSQL, allowing the assistant to retain goals, learning history, and instructional context across interactions.
- Developed separate conversational workflows supporting both email and live web-chat interactions while maintaining a shared knowledge and memory architecture.
- Built supporting administrative and visualization tools to inspect student data, lesson history, and application behavior during development and testing.
Education & Certifications
CompTIA A+ Certification
In Progress
Microsoft IT Support Specialist Certification
Earned 2026
Boston University
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Marketing
Boy Scouts of America
Eagle Scout
Professional Work History
Pyramid Research | Cambridge, MA | Database Marketing Manager
Aug 1999 – Dec 2001
- Managed enterprise data and produced custom reporting used to analyze customer metrics and support operational decisions.
- Authored a comprehensive user training manual and provided hands-on technical support, troubleshooting, and system onboarding at corporate headquarters.
- Deployed internationally to satellite offices in Hong Kong and Singapore to manage remote database installations and provide on-site staff training.
Nordstrom Grill | Newark, DE | Line Cook
Nov 2025 – Apr 2026
Drip Cafe | Newark, DE | Line / Prep Cook
Nov 2023 – Sep 2025
Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen | Newark, DE | Line Cook
Mar 2023 – Aug 2023
Roots Natural Kitchen | Newark, DE | Grill Cook
Jan 2023 – Mar 2023
Platinum Dining Group | Wilmington, DE | Line Cook
Aug 2018 – Feb 2023
Hartefeld National | Avondale, PA | Line Cook
Mar 2016 – Jul 2018
Bill Johnston Music | Tampa, FL / Boston, MA | Performer / Instructor
Jan 2002 – May 2015
JANUS Digital Displays | St. Petersburg, FL | Customer Service Specialist (Concurrent)
Oct 2006 – Jul 2007
Additional historical operations and food-service experience includes roles at Centre Club (Tampa, FL) and Xanterra Corporation (Yellowstone National Park); headlines condensed for space.