Jeff Brice
IT Infrastructure & Applied Systems, from design and architecture through to production
PCI Internal Security Assessor · 8 years across IT and support · 5 years Fortinet fleet management
Summary
Infrastructure and applied systems generalist with eight years across IT and support. I have technical skills that span the entire physical layer and the software that drives them. Expert at breaking down complex technical issues and implementing sustainable, long-term solutions.
Core competencies
| Infrastructure & Networking | Skilled in architecting robust firewall policies, network segmentation, and secure remote access frameworks to protect enterprise assets. |
|---|---|
| Cloud & Data | Experienced in building serverless pipelines that turn vendor APIs into queryable, reportable data, with identity, secrets, and cost controls set before launch. |
| Automation & Integration | Expert in designing unattended workflows, scheduled tasks, and automated data backups that eliminate manual overhead and ensure business continuity. |
| Web & Application Delivery | Sites and small applications end to end, build, domain, certificates, hosting, and handover docs. Fast, responsive, and cheap to run. |
| Delivery & Project Management | Requirements, vendor management, stakeholder sign-off, rollout planning, end-user training, and runbooks instead of tribal knowledge. Apple Business Manager and Microsoft Intune for mixed fleets that configure and secure themselves. |
Technical skills
| Category | Core Technical Areas & Tools |
|---|---|
| Network & Security | Fortinet / FortiGate, FortiManager / FortiAnalyzer, Firewall policy, Network & VLAN segmentation, Secure remote access, Traffic shaping, Network monitoring, AP deployment, Cloudflare Tunnel, PCI DSS, Physical infrastructure documentation |
| Cloud & Identity | Azure Functions, Azure SQL, Static Web Apps, Blob Storage, Entra ID, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Graph, SharePoint, Power Automate, Cloud SQL, Google Cloud |
| Device Management | Apple Business Manager, Microsoft Intune, Entra ID, Conditional access, Compliance policies, MDM, Automated Device Enrollment, Zero-touch deployment, App & profile distribution, Remote lock & wipe, Update & encryption policy, Single-app / kiosk mode, macOS / iOS / iPadOS, Windows |
| Automation | cron & scheduled tasks, systemd timers, Timer-triggered functions, API middleware (glue code), Power Automate, Bash scripting, Python scripting, Automated alerting, Scheduled reporting, CI deploys |
| Data & Integration | T-SQL, PostgreSQL, REST APIs, Scheduled ETL, Data backfill & repair, Rate limiting, Excel / CSV pipelines, Reporting & alerting |
| AI & Inference | Ollama, OpenCode, Claude Code, Skill building, On-prem deployment, RAG / document Q&A, Structured extraction, Model harnessing, System integration, Model selection |
Experience
Systems Administrator, IT
2018 – PresentBrumit Restaurant Group, Asheville, NC
IT for a 65-restaurant franchise group across three states. Help desk through firewalls, servers, cloud, and the internal applications on top.
- Manage the Fortinet FortiGate firewall fleet across every location: policy, VLAN segmentation, VPN, routing, and secure remote access. Managed and logged centrally through FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, five years in production.
- PCI Internal Security Assessor for the company: scoping, network segmentation, evidence, and the annual assessment of the cardholder-data environment.
- Built serverless Azure pipelines that pull POS and vendor APIs on a schedule into Azure SQL, and the Power BI reporting and internal dashboards that run on top.
- Rolled out zero-touch device management for a mixed Apple and Windows fleet using Apple Business Manager, Microsoft Intune, and Entra ID conditional access.
- Windows and Linux servers, backup and restore, TLS, uptime monitoring, and the scheduled automation that keeps reports, provisioning, and backups running unattended.
- Started on the help desk and still take tickets.
Maintenance Technician
2011 – 2018Brumit Restaurant Group, Asheville, NC
Field maintenance for the same 65-restaurant, three-state footprint, covering HVAC, commercial refrigeration, kitchen equipment, and the buildings themselves.
- Troubleshot electrical, mechanical, and refrigeration faults to the failed component, working from schematics and wiring diagrams, usually with the kitchen still running.
- Serviced rooftop HVAC units, walk-in coolers and freezers, ice machines, and cooking-line equipment on preventive-maintenance routes that cut emergency calls.
- Ran, terminated, and tested electrical and low-voltage wiring; the daily setting was ladders, lifts, rooftops, above ceilings, and tight mechanical rooms.
- Triaged simultaneous work orders across dozens of sites, coordinated contractors and vendors, and left every repair documented.
Human Resources Specialist · Mechanized Infantryman
2005 – 2011North Carolina Army National Guard
Six years of service, including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, from 2008 to 2010.
- Personnel and administrative operations, covering records, actions, evaluations, and reports where accuracy and confidentiality are non-negotiable.
- Mechanized infantry: operated and maintained vehicles, weapons, and equipment as part of a small team with full accountability for all of it.
- Reliability, composure under pressure, and clear communication up and down the chain, learned where they were not optional.