Richard P. Dissell

Location: Cleveland, OH
Contact: RPDissell@gmail.com | Phone: 216-410-3687 (Text Preferred)
Portfolio: iamrp.dev | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rpdissell | GPG Key: `96DCEA6C34429505`

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Artifact Synchronization & Freshness

Web CV & PDF Alignment: This digital resume and the Downloadable Official PDF (August 2026) are actively synchronized. All metrics, role timelines, and enterprise governance credentials represent live production state.

Executive Profile

A cross-disciplinary engineer and architect with over two decades of applied experience spanning enterprise security, zero-trust infrastructure, and bare-metal hardware diagnostics. Specializing in moving beyond traditional systems administration to build highly decoupled, immutable environments and enforce strict information security policies.

Technical capabilities span from physical hardware limits to high-level corporate governance. Demonstrated expertise in engineering Layer 2 network topologies (macvlan/ipvlan), architecting Zero-Trust integrations for localized Large Language Models (LLMs) via Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, and modernizing enterprise disaster recovery frameworks to build robust, automated, and secure architectures. A versatile technologist capable of rapidly assimilating emerging technologies to solve complex business challenges.

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Core Competencies

Architecture & Security

Enterprise Architecture | Zero Trust Architecture | Cybersecurity | Disaster Recovery | Business Continuity Planning | Information Security Management | Security Auditing | IT Policy Development | Systems Architecture

Cloud, Virtualization & Network

Cloud Computing | Containerization (Docker/Kubernetes) | VMware Infrastructure | Hyper-V | Proxmox | Storage Area Networks (Dell EqualLogic, EMC VNX, Synology, QNAP) | Layer 2 Networking (macvlan/ipvlan) | OpenWrt Edge Routing | Network Design | Firewalls & Routing (SonicWall, WatchGuard Firebox) | Enterprise Switching (HP ProCurve) | Wireless Backhaul (Motorola Canopy) | Voice over IP (VoIP)

Automation & AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration | Local LLM Integration | Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers | CI/CD Pipelines | Automation & Infrastructure as Code | PowerShell Scripting | System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) | Batch Scripting

Systems Administration & Operations

Windows Server Administration | Active Directory | Microsoft Office 365 | Microsoft Exchange | Linux (Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu) | Vulnerability Management (Nessus) | Endpoint Security | Technical Troubleshooting | IT Procurement & Vendor Management | High Availability (HA) | Database Administration

Hardware & Electronics

Hardware Diagnostics | Electronics Repair | Embedded Systems | Bare-Metal Hardware Maintenance | Component-Level Repair (TV/Monitors/Printers) | Automotive Diagnostics & Electrical Systems

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Professional Experience

Infrastructure Security Analyst & Architect (Independent Practice)

RPDevs Consulting & Architecture | Aug 2021 – Present (Independent advisory and infrastructure security consultancy operating concurrently alongside specialized enterprise contracts)

• Delivered end-to-end security consulting, zero-trust infrastructure architecture, and custom telemetry solutions across client environments ranging from boutique practices to distributed enterprise systems.
• Architected and deployed 50+ decoupled microservices across multi-node bare-metal and edge clusters (edge OpenWrt, local NVMe storage arrays, and GPU-accelerated compute hosts) maintaining 99.99% system availability.
• Engineered non-NAT Layer 2 network topologies utilizing macvlan and ipvlan to eliminate container port collisions, enforcing strict IP Address Management (IPAM) and automated DNS delegation.
• Designed Zero-Trust integrations for localized Large Language Models (LLMs), routing external cloud AI agents through Cloudflare Workers and secure Server-Sent Events (SSE) tunnels to localized Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with sub-15ms latency.
• Implemented spatial Tiered Storage Architecture, deploying high-I/O PostgreSQL databases to NVMe SSDs while mapping volatile active-defense honeypots (Cowrie, Endlessh) directly to tmpfs RAM disks to eliminate SSD flash-wear.
• Automated CI/CD pipelines using self-hosted GitHub Actions runners to compile custom OpenWrt firmware and deploy container manifests based on immutable environment states.

System Engineer (Contract via Apex Systems)

Rockwell Automation | Sep 2021 – May 2022

• Delivered critical remote infrastructure engineering for international manufacturing plants in a high-stakes, 24/7 global operation where minutes of downtime equated to millions in operational losses.
• Maintained 99.999% high availability across complex enterprise hardware, including dense blade enclosures, discrete rack servers, and multi-terabyte Storage Area Networks (EMC SAN).
• Administered Active Directory infrastructure and orchestrated virtualized clusters via VMware vSphere consoles to ensure continuous high availability.
• Executed zero-downtime emergency break-fix response and infrastructure maintenance with strict adherence to change management procedures and complex SAN switching fabrics.

Senior System Security Engineer

Clunk, Hoose Co., LPA | Oct 2020 – Jul 2021

• Directed the overarching security infrastructure and disaster recovery architecture for distributed legal operations and remote branch sites.
• Architected and executed an end-to-end onsite-to-hosted datacenter migration for 100+ active users, including a seamless hybrid Exchange-to-O365 deployment.
• Enforced enterprise business continuity by deploying multi-site Veeam backup replication, achieving a <15-minute Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
• Conducted deep-level remediation of 40+ legacy Active Directory and DNS misconfigurations, hardening VMware virtualization clusters against privilege escalation vectors.

Systems Administrator (Contractor)

Q Holding, Co. | Mar 2020 – Jul 2020

• Authored and implemented comprehensive SonicWall firewall hardening baselines to secure multinational corporate infrastructure across 5 geographic sites.
• Architected disaster recovery solutions, deploying and maintaining Unitrends backups and cross-site replication across 50+ TB of critical engineering and manufacturing data.
• Maintained and hardened Synology SAN and QNAP NAS systems across multiple remote sites to guarantee data integrity and high availability.
• Executed critical infrastructure upgrades, re-configuring VMware clusters and remediating legacy Active Directory and DNS misconfigurations.

Senior Systems Administrator / Network Security Analyst

ASM Research (Contracted to Veterans Health Administration) | Mar 2017 – Jan 2020

• Served as Technical Team Lead for VHA sites across Ohio (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Dayton), fostering cross-functional collaboration by communicating critical environment statuses to area managers and mentoring local technicians.
• Managed patching, software compliance, and endpoint security for 6,000+ machines across 5 major medical centers and associated outpatient clinics.
• Interpreted Nessus vulnerability scans to orchestrate prioritized patching cycles, identify false positives, and ensure compliance with strict federal security baselines (NIST 800-53 / FISMA).
• Authored custom PowerShell and Batch scripts to automate Active Directory administration, SCCM task sequences, and large-scale software deployments across thousands of endpoints.
• Assisted executive management with complex overlapping projects, ensuring seamless execution alongside strict contractual SLA duties.

Information Security Officer

Omega Title Agency, LLC / The Law Offices of John D. Clunk Co. / Clunk, Paisley & Associates | Oct 2011 – Mar 2017 (Joint enterprise security and compliance leadership across affiliated legal, title, and technology shared-services entities)

• Architected and administered production and development systems across distributed multi-branch operations, deploying WatchGuard XTM appliances in a high-availability stacked failover cluster and managing SonicWall perimeter VPN tunnels.
• Served as the primary lead for third-party security audits (SOC 2, ISO 27001, ALTA), deploying internal Nessus scanning appliances and scheduled external perimeter scans to maintain a 100% audit pass rate.
• Automated cross-hypervisor disaster recovery using custom PowerShell scripts to orchestrate failover replication from primary VMware ESXi to secondary Hyper-V clusters, achieving sub-30 minute RTO with zero data loss.
• Engineered custom PowerShell log-parsing pipelines to ingest and normalize proprietary application telemetry into centralized, searchable security audit archives.
• Authored, implemented, and enforced 20+ comprehensive IT security policies, operating procedures, and physical security standards (including biometric/keycard access and video surveillance).
• Managed database maintenance, oversaw the deployment and customization of HotDocs document generation engines, and integrated enterprise case management software.
• Managed full lifecycle project planning, technology budgeting, hardware quoting/purchasing, and software licensing. Directed Help Desk operations and out-of-hours critical system maintenance to preserve 100% core business-hours uptime.
• Managed enterprise VOIP phone systems and securely administrated external web properties and password management vaults.

Systems Administrator

ProcessPro LLC (Technology Services Affiliate to Clunk, Paisley & Omega Title) | Oct 2011 – Aug 2015 (Dedicated software integration and infrastructure operating unit for the affiliated legal and title enterprise group)

• Managed high-performance network routing and core HP ProCurve managed switching infrastructure, enforcing Layer 2 Port Security (MAC limiting, sticky learning) and VLAN segmentation across 150+ user workstations.
• Orchestrated strict daily backup routines and critical data recovery procedures to support multi-entity Business Continuity planning.
• Conducted extensive product research, testing, quoting, and procurement for enterprise hardware and software deployments across 150+ user workstations.
• Administered software licensing, inventory lifecycle management, and Help Desk triage workflows to maintain a sub-1 hour resolution time on critical tickets.
• Spearheaded database maintenance, HotDocs template management, and delivered weekly sprint status reports to executive management.

Early Career & Technical Foundations (2003 – 2011)

Foundational Experience & Electronics Mastery

Prior to enterprise security engineering, developed foundational expertise spanning hardware-level diagnostics, component-level electronics repair, web hosting, and municipal fleet RF communications. Full historical records and duty breakdowns are cataloged in the Legacy Roles & Early Career Archive.

• Electronic Technician | Cuyahoga County Engineers | Aug 2010 – Oct 2011
  Diagnosed automotive computer control modules, engineered vehicle communication systems, and maintained UHF radio networks.
• IT Director | BGE Technologies | May 2008 – Mar 2010
  Architected SMB networks with WatchGuard firewalls, deployed Motorola Canopy fixed-wireless broadband links, and administered IIS web servers.
• Diagnostic Technician | PCS Automotive Inc | May 2007 – May 2008
  Programmed and flashed automotive engine control modules (ECMs) and rewired complex electrical harnesses.
• Computer Technician | Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation | Nov 2006 – Apr 2007
  Reconditioned hardware, repaired local area networks, and maintained municipal web infrastructure.
• IT Professional & Electronics Specialist | BGE Technologies | Jan 2003 – Aug 2006
  Administered IIS/Exchange servers, deployed Motorola Canopy wireless bridges, dial-up ISP infrastructure, and executed component-level CRT/PCB electronics repair.

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Education & Technical Training

Formal Education

ITT Technical Institute – Strongsville, Ohio
Associate of Applied Science in Computer Networking Systems | September 2009

• GPA: 3.9 / 4.0
• Inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (View Verification Letter)
• Academic Recommendation by Linux Faculty (View Letter of Recommendation by Tony Godfrey)
• 2 years of software engineering & programming curriculum (C, C++, Java, Visual Basic)

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Comprehensive Technical Toolchain & Skills Matrix