Joseph (Joe) Spoon

Summary

Experienced IT Engineer who has worked in IT for 20 years in multiple industries and roles. Well-rounded understanding of multiple areas of IT and enjoy technical challenges and researching new areas of expertise. Brings experience, critical thinking skills, and dedication to all projects.

Technical Skills

Languages & Frameworks

C# (Desktop, Console, ASP.NET), Entity Framework, Angular, Java (minimal), Python, PHP, HTML, JSON

Databases

MSSQL, MySQL, Oracle Database

APIs & Integration

REST API (building & interfacing), XML APIs

Networking

Cisco Switches/Routers/Firewalls, Fortinet Switches/Firewalls, Ubiquiti Switches/APs, Sophos Firewalls/Endpoint Protection, VeloCloud SD-WAN

Systems & Platforms

Windows (Desktop & Server), Linux (Desktop & Server), VMware ESXi, Proxmox, Docker, Portainer

Tools & Infrastructure

Git, GitLab, VS Code, Visual Studio, NGINX, Apache, Samba, Jira

Key Achievements

Architected school system router and switch refresh (Cisco 3850 series) of over 50 switches across 9 schools.
Installed and project managed community college VoIP server installation, phone deployment, and UC deployment of over 1000 VoIP endpoints across 5 campuses.
Led technical rollout and support of VeloCloud SD-WAN services which led to the sale of hundreds of SD-WAN endpoints.
Created a remote access device for remote troubleshooting and circuit issue discovery and repair. This device has been deployed to over 1500 locations and has reduced technician time onsite, saving thousands of dollars in dispatch fees.
Provided technical testing and assisted in the rollout of the Sophos XG firewall product. This product is now deployed to dozens of locations, bringing in tens of thousands of dollars of yearly revenue to the company.
Provided technical testing and assisted with rollout of Zscaler products. This service has been deployed to dozens of customers leading to thousands of dollars of additional yearly revenue and additional revenue through bundled sales.
Created a DevOps server that can be used to configure customer deployed hardware and block attacks from external adversaries. This server has successfully blocked thousands of attacking IPs and prevented thousands of dollars in toll fraud. Created router access list cleanup automation and is working towards automating alert-to-block functionality.
Refactored and enhanced several software systems including payment processing automation and broadband qualifications leading to a time and resource savings to the company.

Work Experience

Lingo Telecom / BullsEye Telecom Remote (Southfield, MI)

Manager, Software Engineering March 2025 – Present

Led migration of work items from multiple ticketing and tracking systems into Jira, streamlining team workflows and improving project visibility.
Compile project status updates from team members and deliver regular progress reports to leadership, including the company CEO.
Drive project prioritization and execution in alignment with company objectives and business needs.
Allocate development resources across in-house applications to ensure high-priority deliverables are completed on schedule.
Research and implementation of an internal and external knowledgebase to proliferate subject matter expert knowledge to all users.
Key role in integration between a new system-wide billing platform to legacy and new applications.
Created an in-house project management system utilizing Claude to automate task management and deliverable alerting across departments.

Advanced Software Engineer November 2021 – March 2025

Created an internal DevOps tool that blocks attacking VoIP IP addresses, provides equipment configuration, facilitates Broadsoft SBC realm configuration, automates Broadworks VoIP fraud blocks, and provides vendor support using Python and API connectivity.
Enhanced internally developed broadband qualification tool to support more synchronous location processing for broadband qualifications. This tool checks over a dozen providers through static mapping tables and vendor API interconnectivity. Using C# and MSSQL. Extended this tool to use more API connectivity for vendors when available, increasing the quality of the qualification results.
Created a Java Springboot based API service that extends the usage of the broadband qualification tool to other external services.
Automated customer payment reconciliation through ACH and Lockbox payments from our banking vendors. Using C# and Oracle.
Updated integration with Chase Paymentech payment systems to send more information over to the payment broker during transactions.
Support and migration of Kofax robotics tools for automated vendor orders for POTS services.
Microsoft SQL support for break fix changes and assistance with maintenance activities.
Coordination with vendors during outage situations and for enhancement requests to reach resolution as quickly as possible.
Code / Database review of existing code / objects to look for areas of improvement and find problems when reported.

DataPerk Birmingham, AL

Support Technician Tier 3 August 2021 – November 2021

Installed and supported Cisco and Fortinet networking equipment.
Installed and supported Ubiquiti network and wireless equipment.
Supported hosted Microsoft active directory, email, and Office 365 services.
Led network team in network related training and acted as an escalation point for network related customer issues.

BullsEye Telecom Remote (Southfield, MI)

Senior Research and Dev Engineer October 2015 – August 2021

Career progression: Field Engineer (2015) → Team Lead, Field Operations (2017) → Senior Network Engineer (2018) → Senior Research and Dev Engineer (2020)

Field Engineer: Architected a rate shaping solution for VoIP tagged traffic to receive highest priority within the local network egressing through the upstream modem.
Field Engineer: Architected a remotely accessible test device for use in customer locations with chronic issues using Python and bash scripting.
Team Lead Field Ops Team: Identified and acted on global internet deficiencies that caused multiple customer issues and worked with ISPs to resolve those issues over the internet backbone.
Team Lead Field Ops Team: Supported VoIP and network endpoints for the company and served as the highest level of technical escalation for in-depth issues.
Senior Network Engineer: Primary engineer and architect for the customer VeloCloud SD-WAN implementation.
Senior Network Engineer: Responsible for data center network enhancements and configuration cleanup across multiple data centers.
Senior Network Engineer: Support of equipment and contact with internet and data center connection peers using BGP and EIGRP.
Senior Research and Dev Engineer: Tested and assisted in rolling out Sophos firewall appliance for customer use.
Senior Research and Dev Engineer: Responsible for testing and rolling out security, wireless, networking, and other equipment for customer use and company support.

LST Hokes Bluff, AL

Senior Network and Voice Engineer May 2013 – October 2015

Preparation, installation, and documentation of Cisco phone systems for several college and local school systems.
Implementation of over 1000 physical Cisco phones including IM and presence using Jabber.
Preparation, installation, and documentation of Cisco network equipment in campus networking environments. Optimization of L2/L3 connectivity. Redundancy improvement of campus networks for L2 and L3 connectivity.
Preparation, installation, and documentation of Cisco wireless equipment using lightweight and autonomous images. Synchronization with Windows active directory for authentication.
Management of Linux and Windows based servers and desktop operating systems.
Implementation of Cisco server equipment and interconnection to Cisco Fabric Interconnection devices with various storage communication types.

Earthlink Business Anniston, AL

Trouble Resolution Specialist March 2012 – May 2013

Extensive testing and building T1 circuits from end to end.
Configuration and troubleshooting MPLS connections with Cisco and Adtran Equipment.
Test and configuration Metro Ethernet circuits including split VLAN configuration.
Troubleshooting issues with VoIP networking including QoS and CoS of networks through core and edge equipment.
Troubleshooting static, BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP routing issues.

Consulting & Continuing Education Experience

Creation of WordPress websites integrating booking services and correspondence for a fixed base operator.
Creation of front-end WordPress inventory management system with integration to a custom backend inventory management administration system with Angular, ASP Dot Net Core, and MySQL database integration.
Linux/Windows Server, Linux/Windows PC, and printer support.
Setup and maintain a home lab including Linux servers that host MySQL, MSSQL databases as well as Docker resources for continued education.