Derek Kaelin-Lock
Cloud • Network • Self-Hosting

Derek Kaelin-Lock

Dynamic Cloud Systems Professional • Infrastructure Engineer • Enterprise Operations

Newport, WA
LinkedIn Profile

Professional Summary

Dynamic Cloud Systems Professional and former enterprise business owner with over 11 years of multi-faceted experience blending production enterprise infrastructure management, professional client-side technical support, and entrepreneurial operational leadership. Proven track record of optimizing IT workflow architectures, constructing robust system hypervisors, and implementing automated IoT telemetry networks.

Core Competencies & Technical Skills

Systems Administration

  • Linux Environments: Ubuntu Server, system configuration, service daemons
  • Active Directory: Identity governance, hybrid domain coordination
  • Bare-Metal Hypervisors: Proxmox VE, Unraid, virtualization clustering
  • Containers: Administration of Docker containers & microservices

Networking & IoT

  • Network Design: TCP/IP Topology Design, DNS/DHCP Architecture
  • Security: VPN Gateway Implementation, Network Security Groups (NSGs)
  • Microcontrollers: Custom ESP32 Microcontroller Integrations
  • Automation: Hardware Automation & Home Assistant Telemetry

Support & DevOps

  • ITIL Frameworks: Service Desk Optimization, operational standards
  • Risk Mitigation: Enterprise Risk Mitigation & zero-trust governance
  • Project Management: Technical Project Lifecycle Management
  • Service Quality: Standard operating protocols (SOP) & latency mitigation

Professional Experience

Kalispel Tribe of Indians

Client Support Technician
December 2024 – Present
  • Provide tier-2 enterprise technical support across complex corporate network segments, managing cross-departmental user permissions, localized hardware diagnostics, and enterprise application delivery.
  • Administer identity governance, custom security groups, and cloud-hybrid directory permissions using Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) to ensure compliance with strict internal security frameworks.
  • Optimized organizational service desk efficiency by designing and documenting standardized system operating protocols, successfully mitigating ticket processing latency.
  • Partner with core network and systems engineering teams to diagnose localized connectivity bottlenecks, hardware-level virtualization anomalies, and cross-platform software integration conflicts.

Pack River Farm

System Administrator / Operations Lead
May 2019 – May 2024
  • Designed, provisioned, and scaled the complete bare-metal data and technological framework for a high-production organic agricultural corporation.
  • Engineered a private enterprise virtualization infrastructure using Proxmox hypervisor, establishing isolated LXC environments for automated tracking, inventory databases, and logistics management.
  • Developed a highly reliable IoT telemetry network incorporating ESP32 microcontrollers, custom hydrostatic and climate sensors, and a centralized Home Assistant control loop to ensure automated micro-climate stability.

Black Bear Herbary

Business Owner & Principal Operator
May 2020 – May 2024
  • Founded and operated a commercial retail entity, executing all structural logistics, cloud-based accounting & production frameworks, vendor contract architectures, and long-term procurement budgets.
  • Built and secured the firm's consumer footprint, integrating end-to-end electronic commerce pipelines, encrypted point-of-sale systems, and secure localized relational client databases.

Certifications & Education

CompTIA A+

Computer Hardware, Systems Troubleshooting, & Networking Foundations

PeopleCert ITIL v4 Foundation

IT Service Management, Value Streams, & Operational Governance

LPI Linux Essentials

Linux Systems, File Hierarchy, Shell Scripting, & System Administration

Projects & Lab Environments

Enterprise Azure Hybrid Sandbox Deployment

Advanced Lab

Designed and launched a multi-region, resilient cloud topology within Microsoft Azure utilizing Hub-and-Spoke Virtual Networks (VNets), Network Security Groups (NSGs), and global peering matrices. Implemented secure role-based access control (RBAC) schemas and conditional access matrices within Entra ID to demonstrate zero-trust identity architectures. Configured geo-redundant Azure Storage accounts and recovery vaults to execute automated simulated business failovers.

Home Lab Virtualization Platform & Automation Grid

Self-Hosted

Maintain an independent enterprise-grade home laboratory hosting containerized internal support microservices. Implemented localized secure VLAN isolation to separate production, development, and testing traffic zones.

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