Azure Administrator

Primarily responsibility of this position is to support Windows Server operations on VMWare / Azure platforms.

 Education & Relevant Experience (in brief):

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Information Systems

• Overall, 3-5 years of IT Server support & administration experience.

• Should have a minimum of 3-5 years experience in managing MS Windows Server Infrastructure, 2-3 years experience in Enterprise VMWare ESXi Server Infrastructure, and 1-2 years experience in Cloud technologies (Microsoft Azure) are required.

• VMWare, Azure, and MCSE/MCSA Certifications are a plus.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build, configure, maintain, and administer Microsoft Windows Server environment.

• Carry out day-to-day administrative tasks & regular maintenance activities on the Windows Server Infrastructure.

• Responsible for proactively monitoring Service Now ticket queue and providing incident response & resolution within the stipulated SLAs. Ensure the resolution steps are well documented.

• Perform H/W Firmware & BIOS upgrades. Troubleshoot H/w-related issues and coordinate with vendors to get them resolved.

• Responsible to implement OS upgrade from Windows server 2008/2008 R2/2012 R2 to 2012 R2/2016 respectively working with relevant stakeholders.

• Install, configure, upgrade and maintain VMware ESXi & vCenter servers (version 6. x & above). Contribute actively to delivery of VMware Server Infrastructure upgrade projects.

• Creation, migration, cloning, snapshots, backup, recovery, and troubleshooting of Virtual machines.

• Perform health checks of VMware farms (VM and host performance, resource utilization, tuning, etc.).

• Provide configuration & support for new/existing server hardware, network print management, peripherals, and applications on Windows Server platforms.

• Perform migration of on-prem application workloads into Azure using Azure Site Recovery (ASR). Carry out disaster recovery drills to failover systems to the DR site following detailed DR procedure documents.

• Conduct a detailed investigation and troubleshooting using various monitoring & logging tools to address performance, utilization & system-related issues.

• Perform root cause analysis & implement corrective actions working with various stakeholders on all major incidents/problems.

• Develop, review and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all support activities. Guide L1/L2 teams to effectively utilize SOPs to resolve future incidents.

• Cater to the platform support needs for all major project requirements.

• Plan & implement service improvement plans for managing systems in both the VMware & Azure environment.

• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision in troubleshooting issues, researching solutions, and providing resolution on IT-related issues.

 Desired Skills and experience:

• Strong experience in VMWare/Azure & Windows Server Administration is required.

• In-depth knowledge & strong troubleshooting skills on Windows Server operating system (Windows 2003, 2008/2008 R2, 2012/2012 R2, 2016 & 2019).

• Sound working knowledge & experience with Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, Firewalls, Load Balancers, and GPOs.

• Must be very familiar with key Server Hardware/OS concepts such as RAID Configuration & Setup, Disk & File System Management, Windows Failover Clustering, etc.

• Excellent hands-on experience in troubleshooting Windows OS and application-related issues.

• Scripting knowledge (PowerShell/VBScript) for use within Azure/VMWare/Windows infrastructure. Knowledge of VMWare PowerCLI & Azure CLI is a plus.

• Must be able to prioritize work and multitask, to meet ticket SLA requirements and critical project deadlines.

• Should possess the ability to develop relevant technical configuration & procedure documents.

• Experience managing & maintaining VMWare ESXi Server Infrastructure (ver 6.x and above).

• Experience and working knowledge of Enterprise Infrastructure Monitoring Solutions (such as SolarWinds).

• Strong knowledge of server management tools & Remote system administration.

• Have knowledge of backup & recovery of VMs & virtual servers through backups solutions such as BackupExec/Veeam.

• Good hands-on experience in diagnostics & troubleshooting of Azure/VMWare ESX server environment.

• Knowledge of or experience working with Dell servers & storage hardware is a plus.

• Knowledge of ITIL processes is a plus.

• Demonstrate sound judgment and ability to work in a team environment with minimum supervision and direction is required in order to perform professional and organizational responsibilities.

• Excellent Oral and Communication skills to interact and work with global IT teams, vendors & end customers.