Darren Gurrola

Network support engineer with hands-on experience administering and troubleshooting Cisco Meraki environments exceeding 4,000 devices — switches, wireless access points, and security appliances — across defense, aerospace, nuclear power, and multi-site institutional environments. Skilled at diagnosing complex, high-device-count network issues via the Meraki Dashboard, Wireshark packet capture, and ticketing systems, and at communicating clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to drive cases to resolution. Cisco CCNA/CCENT, Microsoft MCSE, and CompTIA A+ certified, with hands-on experience meeting DoD and NRC compliance standards.

Network / Security Engineer - Diocese of Orange County - Garden Grove, CA

(2022-08)

Lead engineer for an enterprise-level Cisco Meraki campus network spanning 100+ church and school sites, supporting switches, wireless access points, and security appliances end to end.

• Administer and support 2,000+ Cisco Catalyst, Meraki, and Palo Alto devices, diagnosing and resolving hardware, firmware, and connectivity issues via the Meraki Dashboard.
• Secured remote access and DNS-layer protection by standing up Cisco ASA and Palo Alto firewalls, AnyConnect and site-to-site IPsec VPN tunnels, DUO MFA, and Cisco Umbrella.
• Monitor network health via SolarWinds and perform deep-dive troubleshooting with Wireshark packet captures to resolve complex, escalated connectivity issues.
• Oversee VMware clusters and Windows Server environments; maintain network diagrams, equipment racking, and change documentation.
• Reduced capital expenditure through infrastructure consolidation and vendor negotiation; mentored IT staff on troubleshooting best practices.
• Sustained 100% infrastructure uptime across all managed sites.

Network Engineer - Anduril Industries - Costa Mesa, CA

(2022-01 - 2022-07)

Supported a campus-wide enterprise network spanning 4,000+ Cisco Meraki and Cisco devices, serving as first point of contact for hardware and connectivity issues.

• Ran day-to-day operations and support for Meraki switches, wireless access points, and Palo Alto firewalls, plus Corning ONE SD-LAN controllers and switches.
• Performed advanced network troubleshooting using Wireshark and vendor dashboards, rack-and-stack installations, and maintained network maps and change documentation.
• Mentored junior IT staff and sustained zero unplanned downtime throughout tenure.

Senior Network Engineer - Integral Aerospace - Santa Ana, CA

(2020-01 - 2021-12)

Led Windows Server deployments and migrations across 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2019 environments; oversaw Hyper-V, VMware, WSUS, Azure, Exchange, Office 365, Active Directory, and Group Policy.

• Hardened the endpoint security stack with DUO, Proofpoint, and Webroot; ran Palo Alto firewalls and Juniper VPN.
• Built and maintained Cisco Catalyst and HP ProCurve switches/routers, WLAN access points, and WAN infrastructure.
• Owned Veeam backup and disaster recovery strategy; ensured NIST/DoD compliance and integrated custom manufacturing equipment.
• Redesigned IT processes, ran IT projects end-to-end, and delivered training for internal customers; provided CapEx/OpEx budget guidance.
• Achieved 100% SLA response on service tickets and maintained continuous infrastructure availability.

Network / Systems Engineer - Southern California Edison – San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station - San Onofre, CA

(2019-02 - 2020-01)

Provided Tier 1–3 support for 350+ users across Windows 7–10 desktops/laptops and Office 365 in a regulated nuclear facility environment.

• Administered Windows Server 2016/2019, WSUS, Azure, Active Directory, Group Policy, Veeam Backup, and MDM for Android/iOS.
• Configured and managed Meraki LAN/WLAN networks and Palo Alto firewalls with Global Protect VPN.
• Supported CATIA and AutoCAD software; handled adds/moves/changes and break-fix for workstations, servers, printers, and network equipment.
• Achieved 100% SLA response on service tickets; recommended IT process improvements to management.

Senior Network Engineer / IT Manager - DRD Racing Heads - Santa Ana, CA

(2006-06 - 2019-09)

Owned the company's IT infrastructure end-to-end as sole IT Manager, including Windows Server 2008–2016, Hyper-V, Active Directory, and Cisco Catalyst/Palo Alto network equipment.

• Supported engineering and business operations software including SolidWorks, Mastercam, QuickBooks, and VMware across desktop and laptop fleets.
• Implemented data backup and disaster recovery plans; managed vendor relationships and CapEx/OpEx budget planning.
• Sustained full infrastructure availability over a 12-year tenure while single-handedly supporting all IT operations.

Senior IT Engineer - Coca-Cola Fountain USA - Irvine, CA

(1998-06 - 2006-06)

Delivered on-site and remote IT/desktop support for 300+ clients across 10+ sites, including a fully equipped Mac graphics department.

• Administered Windows NT–2003 servers and Active Directory; managed network support for switches, routers, and VPN.
• Led backup/recovery operations, hardware and software troubleshooting, user training, and new-office IT deployments.

Associate of Science - Electronics Engineering - ITT Technical Institute Buena Park, CA

Computer and Electronics Program - College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA

Microsoft Certified Training - Software Education of America Brea, CA

Cisco CCNA Training

Palo Alto Networks Training