Gary Manas

Dynamic and adept leader with a robust history in Data Center Operations and Infrastructure Management. Spearheaded global projects, integrating cross-functional teams, and fostering relationships. Proven track record in System Integration and Operations Management, delivering large-scale migrations and ITIL best practices with a strategic, results-driven approach.

ExperienceSr. Manager of Data Center Operations

Avaya Inc — Cincinnati

Jul 2017 - Present

• Manage the physical infrastructure of Avaya's Enterprise IT and Private Cloud Data Centers (MicroDC's) globally. This consists of 15000 sq ft floor space across 16 colocation sites in NAM, EMEA, CALA, and APAC
• Successfully manage Avaya's Data Center Operations team with a combination of 6 contracted and full-time direct reports. This includes the team's time management, daily task/ticket tracking (HPSM), as well as weekly DCOps team meetings.
• Continuously engaging and encouraging the team to seek out team operational improvement through OJT initiatives, company paid courses, and cross-departmental areas within IT.
• Serve as a Data Center Architect for Avaya's IT leadership team performing architecture reviews, capacity planning, migration timetables and work scheduling through all project phases within Avaya Data center footprint.
• Designed and built Avaya's Private Cloud Data Centers covering all aspects of the solution. Network, Compute, Storage, Power, Structured Cabling, Cabinet/Rack Layouts, Colocation Cages, Hot/Cold aisle containment systems. We dubbed these our MicroDC reference architecture. They consisted of two fully redundant Network cabinets with the ability to add up to eight compute cabinets.
• I oversaw and managed the DCOps team and build of each MicoDC with a nationally recognized integrator ensuring each build met our requirements prior to shipping to our colocation data centers worldwide. This encompassed extensive international travel to EMEA, APAC, and NA regions.
• Extensive experience in coordinating and troubleshooting with Avaya IT Operations teams the successful implementation or remediation of all planned migration efforts and unplanned service changes and/or outages. Including HPSM Change Management, data center migrations, Incident management, and Service Requests Managed and supported ITIL Standards-Best practices, contract negotiations, vendor selection, and procurement for all of Avaya's Enterprise and Private Cloud data center projects.
• Communicate regularly with senior PMO leadership along with technical and non-technical personnel to build effective cross functional teams and ensure accuracy, consistency, and on time project completion. Developed a strong commutations skillset to work with leadership and others on their level of understanding of the efforts being tasked.
• Data Center project management for various business units. Completed projects include large scale server, networks, and storage installations. Environment upgrades, and large complex data center migrations and consolidations.

  Hardware and Software Platforms involved: (Avaya, Dell (EMC), HP, Oracle, Extreme, Juniper, Cisco, Palo Alto, A10, Lantronix, EMC, NetApp, Brocade, Oracle ZFS, Tintri, Nutanix and Pure

• Proactively involved in project meetings collecting infrastructure requirements including server, network, storage, structured cabling, and power and cooling requirements
• Responsible for maintaining PCI compliant data centers by creating process and procedural documents with Avaya's BCP team to ensure we remain in compliance by providing on time and accurate quarterly reporting and adhering to all processes in place.
• This includes acquiring certifications and AOCs from all colocation vendors for SOC 2, PCI-DSS
• Defined and implemented data center policies, procedures and recommended ITIL best practices including those for new infrastructure deployments for migrations, security, capacity planning, multi data center disaster recovery, and business continuity planning activities.

Oct 2016 - Jul 2017

• Responsible for client-based Data Center infrastructure consulting on implementations, migrations, consolidations, and technology refreshes. Served as a Data Center SME
• Organized project meetings and facilitated communication across client teams and project stakeholders throughout The David-Kenneth Group
• Identified and supervised project dependencies and handoffs between Project Management, Engineering, and Operations teams
• Responsible for keeping project deliverables on track and for identifying potential setbacks – and communicating them to project stakeholders.

Avaya Inc — Dallas

Oct 2010 - Oct 2016

• Managed Avaya's Enterprise IT data centers globally This consisted of 10000 sq ft floor space across 4 colocation sites in NA, EMEA, and APAC
• Served as a Data Center Architect for Avaya's IT leadership team performing architecture reviews, capacity planning, migration timetables and work scheduling through all project phases within Avaya Data center footprint.
• Completed multiple data center migrations from our acquisition of Nortel in 2010 into our colocation facilities within the US.
• Designed and built two new colocation data centers, one in Santa Clara CA, the other in Carrollton TX, as well as expanded our exiting footprint in our Cincinnati OH, facility. This included everything from Network, Compute, Storage, Power, Structured Cabling, Cabinet/Rack Layouts, and Colocation Cages
• Experienced in engineering on a large scale, deployment, and troubleshooting of large-scale multi-vendor enterprise server platforms, networks, and storage environments.
• Extensive experience in coordinating and troubleshooting with Avaya IT Operations teams the successful implementation or remediation of all planned migration efforts and unplanned service changes and/or outages Including HPSM Change Management, data center migrations, Incident management, and Service Requests
• Managed and supported ITIL Standards-Best practices, contract negotiations, vendor selection, and procurement for all data center projects.
• Communicated regularly with senior PMO leadership along with technical and non-technical personnel to build effective cross functional teams and ensured accuracy, consistency, and on time project completion Developed a strong commutations skillset to work with leadership and others on their level of understanding of the efforts being tasked.
• Proactively involved in project meetings collecting infrastructure requirements including server, network, storage, structured cabling, and power and cooling requirements
• Responsible for maintaining PCI compliant data centers by creating process and procedural documents with Avaya's BCP team to ensure we remain in compliance by providing on time and accurate quarterly reporting and adhering to all processes in place. This includes acquiring certifications and AOCs from all colocation vendors for SOC 2, PCI-DSS.
• Defined and implemented data center policies, procedures and recommended ITIL best practices including those for new infrastructure deployments for migrations, security, capacity planning, multi data center disaster recovery, and business continuity planning activities.

Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions — Cincinnati

Jun 2003 - Oct 2010

• Responsible for the daily operations of CBTS's Enterprise data centers in the Cincinnati area
• Served as a team lead, responsible for mentoring and training data center operations technicians, delegating workflow and maintained procedural documentation.
• Worked directly with data center managers to complete SAS70 and SSAE 16 audits along with infrastructure, space, cooling, and power utilization reports.
• Extensive experience using multiple building automation & monitoring software suites including Honeywell's EBI, Emerson/Liebert Site Scan Web to gather required SLA reports and environmental parameters.
• Monitored and maintained facilities main switchgear power distribution systems, UPS systems, and mechanical systems, fire detection and suppression systems.
• Maintained security and availability for multiple enterprise class data centers using security camera systems and access control lists.
• Performed advanced testing and troubleshooting for both copper and optical fiber installations.
• Successfully designed large scale data center environment structured cabling systems
• Responsible for installing, documenting, and testing of all structured cabling, POTS, T1's DS3's and OCx circuits for customer installations.
• Extensive experience using MS Visio, to create as builds and technical drawings for customer installations and data centers construction teams during build phases of a new data center.

Associates of Occupational Studies in Automotive and Diesel Technology

1997 | Universal Technical Institute — Houston

High School Diploma

Round Rock ISD — TX

Completed coursework towards Cisco Academy - Cisco Certified Network Associate

Sinclair Community College

Completed coursework towards Oracle VM Administration: Oracle VM Server for x86

Oracle University

Completed coursework towards Oracle Linux System Administration

Oracle University

Completed coursework towards Avaya Fabric Networking Solutions

Avaya University

Completed coursework towards Structured Cabling Certification

BICSI