So, about me…

One man can make a difference, Michael. These are words I’ve heard since I was a teenager, and although it’s fun to use quotes from 80′s TV shows, it actually seems pretty apt for my skill set, as I wear many hats. I’m a Forensic IT Consultant and a Web / Graphic Designer come all-round IT guy. I’ve been in the IT and Design industry since leaving school and have skills in basically every aspect of IT and Design.

I spent 10 Years living in Northern Ireland (Derry/Londonderry) before moving back to England in 2001. I have had the privilege to have worked for many high profile companies like Microsoft Corporation, Orange PCS, Dell, HP, The Irish Genealogical Project, Paramount Pictures, Mass Illusion Visual FX, the YMCA, & the US and UK Governments, as well as working on top projects like ‘Vital Voices – Women in Democracy‘ headed by Hillary Clinton and the then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

My working style

The way I work is by always going for the WOW factor (the reaction, not the game). I design things pretty quickly but I’m also a perfectionist. I may start a design or project and scrap it 5 times before I’m completely happy with the result. I always go for clean graphics with a professional business or cinematic look. So if your here and wanting me to produce a £99/$99 website or flyer, then you have come to the wrong place.

My I.T skills are very broad, spanning over 30 areas of I.T (most are listed below). I have a fantastic ability to solve problems as well as work confidentially and quickly. With the skills and experience I have gained from the companies above, tethered with freelance and contract work has made me excel in the fields that I work in, and that I love. I couldn’t see myself working in any other area and I’m always looking to better myself and learn new technologies and ways of working.

If, interested… I’m a complete tech geek and love all aspects of the web, technology, science, current affairs and people. I am a Alpha/Beta Tester for Microsoft, Adobe, ESET and many other companies. Also, Windows 7 was my idea.

Technical Skills

Over the years I have been lucky to have worked at some of the best companies in the world and I have picked up skills and experiences that have changed my life and allowed me to do what I do for a living.

IT Skills used on a Professional Level:

• Microsoft Windows Support, Implementation and Deployment
• Microsoft Office Support, Deployment and Implementation
• Computer Forensics and Security
• Group Policy Specialist (Administration / Security)
• Document Redaction
• Forensic Investigation / Data Recovery / Penetration Testing
• Password Retrieval / Password Cracking
• People Tracing / People Finding
• Social Network & Email Marketing / Usage (Twitter / Facebook / YouTUBE) plus Marketing Software
• Web & Graphic Design (including print)
• Web/Email Hosting & Support
• eCommerce Development and Design  / Payment Gateway
• Domain Registration / Resolutions / Support
• Information Security / Encryption / Data Protection / PCI-DSS
• Server Support, implementation, deployment
• Network Support, design and implementation
• Network Security (Encryption / Group Policies)
• Sharepoint (MOSS) deployment, design and support
• Virtualisation (Parallels, VMWare, MDOP, Hyper-V)
• SEO & Internet Marketing / Sales / Internet Research (Any Subject) / Analytics
• Business Solutions (ERP, CRM, CMS, ROI) and IT Consultancy / Advice
• Media (Video Production, 3D design, Sound Recording)
• Training Services / Training Materials Production
• Technical Writing

Software used to a Professional Level:

• Adobe: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Premier, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Pro, LiveCycle, Director, Captivate, RoboHelp, Framemaker, InCopy, Flex, Air and more (Up to CS5.5)
• Microsoft: Windows (all versions of Desktop and Server), Office, Sharepoint (MOSS), Dynamics, BCM, Project, Visio, Mappoint, and most other Microsoft Products
• Open Source: Linux/*nix, PHP, MySQL, LAMP, cPanel, OpenX, Tons of other Open Source software
• Media (Graphics,3D, Audio): CorelDraw, Quark Xpress, 3D Studio Max, Maya, Lightwave, Cinema 4D, AutoCAD, Cubase, SoundBooth, and more. I have an MPSE in Sound Engineering
• Forensic: Encase, Forensic Toolkit (FTK), Microsoft Cofee, Digital Evidence and Forensic Toolkit (DEFT), Linux Backtrack (Forensic Edition),  MOBILedit, Helix, Passware Kit, DNA, WinHEX Forensic,  Face (Identikit Software), ERD Commander, Forensic Toolkit (Hardware), Various Hardware such as UltraBay II, UltraKit, Rack-A-TACC, ShadowCOPY

Programming / Web App Skills

• Web: HTML, XHTML, DHTML,  PHP, MySQL, AJAX, XML, ASP, .NET, SQL, IIS, Javascript, Web2.0 Frameworks (MooTools, Prototype, Scriptilicious, JQuery, JSON), cPanel, Plesk, Parallels, VmWare, Virtual PC
• Flash: a little  Action Script
• CMS: Expert with – Joomla, WordPress, Expression Engine, Drupal, Typo3, sNews, PHPBB, Vbulletin, IPB  and more
• eCommerce/Marketing: Magento, osCommerce, CubeCart, Interspire Shopping Cart/Email Marketer, Goldmine, X-Cart, Zen Cart, DotMailer, e-Shot and more

Main Qualifications

• Microsoft Certified: MCP, MCSE+I, MCSA
• Microsoft Certifified Trainer (MCT)
• Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions
• Microsoft Certified Enterprise Administrator
• Microsoft Office Specialist Master
• ITIL V3 Foundation
• ITIL Expert
• CompTIA & A+ Certified
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Forensic Examiner (CFE)
• City & Guilds: Information Technology
• City & Guilds: Graphic Design
• City & Guilds: Customer Care
• Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
• D32/D33 Assessor (GNVQ/RSA)

Available for freelance work.

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