Wilfred R. Longo

Professional Summary

Accomplished IT professional with 20+ years of experience architecting and implementing enterprise-scale unified communications and networking solutions. Proven track record leading strategic IT initiatives that drive operational efficiency and cost reduction. Expert in Cisco collaboration technologies, network engineering, and multi-platform virtualization, with extensive government and defense contracting experience and an active TS/SCI clearance.

How It Started

I built my first Linux desktop in 1992 using a Slackware CD I found tucked inside a library book. I'll admit I initially thought Linux was a program I could run on top of Windows 3.1, but by the time I figured out how to write a chat script to get my modem to connect, I had worked through four Linux books and knew the command line inside and out. That stubbornness turned out to be a career. At 16, I earned my A+ and CCNA through a program that let high school students take community college courses. Not long after, I built my first Asterisk PBX. I've never really stopped tinkering since.

Core Competencies

Professional Experience

• Network Architect — Peake (Remote)   Nov 2024 – Present
  • Architect global voice and network solutions for DISA Enterprise Voice Services.
  • Develop implementation plans and technical guidance for classified and unclassified mission-critical projects.
  • Lead cross-functional engineering teams supporting defense contractors and government agencies worldwide.
  • Support Oracle SBC, Juniper Routes/Switches, Cisco ASAv, Unimax, Arcana Networks' MEBM, IR Prognosis, and other devices and applications as needed.
• Lead UC Engineer — VAE (Remote)   May 2023 – Nov 2024
  • Architected the Western US critical design for the US Government Voice Modernization 2.0 project using Ribbon telephony solutions.
  • Provided technical leadership and design oversight for a multimillion-dollar government modernization initiative.
  • Ensured all deliverables met stringent government security and performance requirements.
  • Continuous training on Ribbon Unified Communications tools and direct work with the vendor.
• Lead UC Engineer — Peake (Remote)   Jun 2022 – May 2023
  • Implemented Cisco Unified Communications for the US Government Voice Modernization 1.0 project.
  • Deployed and configured 20,000+ handsets at Fort Campbell, KY.
  • Led SBC implementation and cutover operations for Fort Liberty, NC, maintaining 99.9% uptime throughout transitions.
  • Configured all Cisco UC applications, after deployment of new hardware for various sites and handled migration.
  • Engineer lead for multiple teams at different US Army installations.
• Senior Unified Communications Consultant — Computacenter (Pivot Technology), Louisville, KY   Feb 2015 – Jun 2022
  • Delivered post-sales implementation and pre-sales engineering services for enterprise clients, including Fortune 500 companies.
  • Architected and implemented Cisco Collaboration solutions inclusive of Route/Switch infrastructure.
  • Developed custom PowerShell and Bash scripts reducing deployment time by 40–60%.
  • Trusted advisor for numerous customers. Requested by name by most customers for all future work.
  • Architected and designed numerous customer solutions and then led the deployment and migration to the designed solution, handling start to finish.
  • Performed numerous staff augmentation sessions for various clients who needed extra help and assistance.
  • Consistently maintained full utilization across concurrent client engagements.
  ★ Rising Star Award, 2015
• Senior Unified Communications Engineer — HCA Healthcare, Nashville, TN   Dec 2013 – Feb 2015
  • Engineered IP telephony deployments across multiple hospital facilities while maintaining critical healthcare communications.
  • Developed automation scripts reducing manual deployment hours by 40–80 per hospital site.
  • Supported Mobile Heartbeat HIPAA-compliant mobile communications for nursing staff from the telephony perspective.
  • Personally visited various hospital systems throughout the country to install and configure new servers, then installed Cisco UCM, UCCX, Unity Connection, and CER.
  • Worked with hospital CEO and CTOs to ensure the systems installation and migrations were minimally invasive and successful transitions.
  • Rewrote the implementation guidance to ensure all hospital systems followed a standardized process for deployment, configuration, and testing of collaboration systems.
• Platform Engineer — HCA Healthcare, Nashville, TN   Feb 2013 – Dec 2013
  • Administered multi-platform healthcare systems across Windows, Linux, and UNIX environments with VMware and EMC storage.
  • Implemented disaster recovery systems ensuring 99.99% uptime for patient-critical applications.
  • Designed physician medication preference and cost analysis system improving patient care workflows.
  • Created scripts which resulted in millions of dollars of savings by reducing required man-hours to setup new EHR systems.
  • Responsible for firewall modifications on Checkpoint firewalls and Cisco route/switch changes to support newly added virtual machines.
  • Deployed thousands of virtual machines in our ESXi environment to support Obamacare requirements and ensure top-tier patient and physician support.
  • Directly supported and designed technical options to interact with ebola patients in HCA hospitals without putting physicians and family members at risk of exposure.
  • Team lead for the Mobile heartbeat HIPAA compliant call and messaging solution for a number of hospitals. Configured and deployed servers to support the operations and participated in Mobile handset tests using iPhone and Android devices.
  ★ HCA Star Award
• Division Telecommunications Engineer — US Army, 82nd Airborne Division   2007 – 2013
  • Designed and implemented voice architecture for Regional Command South, Southwest, and West during 2011–2012 Afghanistan deployment.
  • Managed 30+ Cisco Unified Call Managers, 12 Gatekeepers, 151 CME systems, and 30,000+ phones across theater.
  • Engineered JWICS network providing top-secret voice and data capabilities to battalion level including SCIF inspections and certification process.
  • Executed emergency CUCM rebuild (4.2 to 7.2 on VMware) under combat conditions - migrated 250+ nodes in six hours with zero service interruption.
  • Re-engineered SECOMP-I secure communications for airborne operations; reduced satellite equipment footprint by 30%.
  • Designed and implemented the classified Centrixs-ISAF network deployment on Fort Bragg, providing CX-I systems and access to the division prior to combat deployment. Personally ran cables, configured type-1 crypto devices, configured routers, switches, and PC systems for the network.
  • Monitored and managed JWICS, SIPR, NIPR, and CX-I for the RC-S, RC-SW, and RC-W regions to include configuring traffic engineering tunnels in MPLS on the black-core transport network.
  • Planned and led multiple missions around the area of responsibility to ensure high speed network access provided to all war-fighters.
  ★ Bronze Star Medal★ Meritorious Service Medal
• Earlier Career — US Army & Republic Bank   2002 – 2009
  • Republic Bank - Systems Engineer: Led complete migration from Novell NetWare to SUSE Enterprise Linux, saving millions in licensing costs.
  • US Army - Network Engineer (Commissioned Officer): Redesigned NIPR and SIPR network architecture for Southwest Asia Theater supporting 1M+ personnel.
  • Managed up to 3,000 personnel and $4B+ in military assets across various leadership roles.
  • Managed SWA network re-route operations during the Mediterranean fiber cuts of 2008, directly handling all new circuits and traffic routing to alleviate the loss of bandwidth.
  • Designed and architected SIPRnet office spaces in multiple locations in the southeastern United States to include the networking and systems configuration.
  ★ Bronze Star Medal★ Meritorious Service Medal★ Army Commendation Medal★ Army Achievement Medal
• Owner & Principal Consultant — Longo Consulting, LLC, Louisville, KY   Feb 2013 – Present
  • Provide strategic IT consulting and implementation services for enterprise clients from SMB to government agencies.
  • Deliver architecture guidance across Cisco, Microsoft, Linux, and VMware platforms.
  • Completed 100+ client engagements focused on unified communications and network infrastructure.

Certifications

Education