Network Engineer

Job Role: Network Engineer

Location: Irving, TX

Job Description:

Must Have Technical/Functional Skills

1. Network Administration:

• Design, configure, and maintain the network infrastructure, including switches, routers, firewalls, and load balancers.
• Monitor network performance and ensure high availability and reliability for SAS environments and storage systems.
• Troubleshoot and resolve network connectivity issues between SAS servers, storage systems, and client endpoints.
• Implement and manage VLANs, subnets, and network segmentation to optimize traffic flow and security.

2. SAS Platform Support:

• Ensure proper network connectivity for SAS environments, including SAS Viya and SAS 9.x platforms.
• Collaborate with SAS administrators to optimize network configurations for SAS workloads, including CAS (Cloud Analytic Services) and distributed processing.
• Monitor and troubleshoot network-related issues impacting SAS performance, such as latency or bandwidth bottlenecks.

3. Storage Integration:

• Configure and manage network connectivity for storage systems (e.g., Dell power Flex, Isilon, NAS, SAN).
• Ensure proper integration of storage systems with SAS environments, including high-speed data transfer for analytics workloads.
• Monitor storage network traffic and optimize performance for data-intensive applications.

4. Security and Compliance:

• Implement and maintain network security policies, including firewalls, access control lists (ACLs), and intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS).
• Ensure compliance with organizational security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Perform regular audits of network configurations and access permissions.

5. Performance Optimization:

• Analyze network traffic patterns and identify areas for improvement to enhance performance and reduce latency.
• Optimize network configurations for high-speed data transfer between SAS servers, storage systems, and client applications.
• Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize critical traffic, such as SAS workloads.

6. Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintain detailed documentation of the network infrastructure, including diagrams, configurations, and processes.
• Generate regular reports on network performance, capacity, and incidents.
• Provide recommendations for network upgrades and improvements.

7. Collaboration and Support:

• Work closely with SAS administrators, storage teams, and application teams to ensure seamless integration and operation of the network.
• Provide technical support for network-related issues and assist in planning and executing network upgrades and migrations.
• Collaborate with vendors and service providers to resolve hardware and software issues.

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Required Skills and Qualifications:

Technical Expertise:

• Strong experience (10+) with network administration, including configuring and managing switches, routers, and firewalls.
• Proficiency in network protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, BGP, OSPF).
• Experience with SAS environments (e.g., SAS Viya, SAS 9.x) and their network requirements.
• Knowledge of storage systems (e.g., Dell Power Flex, Isilon, NAS, SAN) and their integration with network infrastructure.
• Familiarity with network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Nagios, Wireshark).

Troubleshooting and Problem-Solving:

• Ability to diagnose and resolve network issues impacting SAS environments, storage systems, and other applications.
• Strong analytical skills to identify and address performance bottlenecks.

Security and Compliance:

• Experience with firewalls, VPNs, and network security best practices.
• Knowledge of compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS) and their impact on network configurations.

Certifications (Preferred):

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or higher (e.g., CCNP, CCIE).
• VMware NSX certification or equivalent for virtualized network environments.
• Dell EMC Proven Professional certification for storage systems.

Soft Skills:

• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

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Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with hybrid cloud environments and integrating on-premises networks with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform).
• Familiarity with software-defined networking (SDN) and network automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).
• Knowledge of backup and disaster recovery solutions for network and storage systems.