Cedrick Lee Ward

About

Professional Summary

Senior IT Systems Engineer with 15+ years of experience in on-premises infrastructure, virtualization, and secure hybrid environments for the DoD.

Expert in VMware vSphere and Cisco networking, with a strong focus on building resilient, high-availability systems in austere conditions. Proficient in managing complex migrations and cloud-managed on-prem assets — Nutanix, Hyper-V, Azure Arc, Azure Files, and Entra ID across NIPR/SIPR and enterprise networks.

Deep background in infrastructure hardening and cybersecurity compliance: STIG enforcement, Tenable Nessus and ACAS vulnerability management, and RHEL hardening on classified and unclassified systems. 20 years of military service (SFC/E7, 25B4O) with proven leadership in deployed and austere environments — Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Kuwait, and Israel.

Dedicated to mission success through technical excellence and rapid adaptation to new technologies. Active TS/SCI clearance.

15+

Years in enterprise IT & secure infrastructure

20

Years of military service (SFC / E7)

5

Overseas deployments & missions

TS/SCI

Active security clearance

Career Timeline

Experience

1. Communications Section Chief

   20 Years of Service

   U.S. Army Reserve

   May 2006 – Present

   • Lead communications readiness and technical operations for a 200+ Soldier organization across training and mission environments.
   • Manage and mentor personnel responsible for enterprise IT, communications support, operational metrics, and readiness reporting.
   • Brief commanders and staff on infrastructure readiness, operational risk, and mission capability.

2. Outside Plant / Inside Plant Section Chief

   Overseas Mission

   U.S. Army Reserve — Israel

   May 2025 – Jan 2026

   • Led a 10-person team across 5 countries installing 500+ miles of Cat5 and fiber (OSP/ISP), including conduit pulls, manhole access, and ceiling runs using J-hooks and cable trays.
   • Oversaw full cabling buildouts from pull to termination — comms closet builds, patch panels, and fiber splicing across multiple deployed sites.
   • Coordinated legacy wiring removal and infrastructure upgrades while maintaining communications continuity and documentation to military standards.

3. Network & Cloud Security Engineer

   Mission-Critical 24/7

   ECS Federal LLC — U.S.N.S. Mercy Hospital Ship

   Sept 2021 – Apr 2025

   • Managed enterprise network infrastructure across NIPR/SIPR for a 24/7 shipboard medical facility supporting up to 1,200 personnel, with zero tolerance for downtime.
   • Maintained and optimized a Cisco environment: Catalyst 9600 core switches, ASA/Firepower NGFWs, voice routers, 50+ access points, WLCs, and virtual CUCM.
   • Deployed and administered Nutanix AOS/AHV clusters for virtualized workloads, including migration of services between physical and virtual environments.
   • Led infrastructure hardening with Tenable Nessus, ACAS, and RHEL Satellite; enforced STIG compliance and managed authentication via Cisco ACS/ISE on classified and unclassified networks.

4. Network Operations Manager

   Deployment

   U.S. Army Reserve — Kuwait Deployment

   Jun 2020 – May 2021

   • Led migration of 600+ switches from Brocade to Cisco across classified and unclassified domains while maintaining continuous operations.
   • Supervised 15 contractors and 9 Soldiers supporting daily operations and maintenance of the Network Enterprise Center at Camp Arifjan.
   • Managed switching across secure hybrid environments and optimized traffic across complex routing paths under latency and bandwidth constraints.

5. System Administrator

   Acara Solutions

   Sept 2018 – Dec 2018

   • Executed Linux workstation hardening for classified F-35 program requirements.
   • Installed and configured VMware/Hyper-V solutions and managed large Active Directory environments.
   • Conducted ACAS scans to support STIG and cybersecurity compliance.

6. Windows Deployment Supervisor

   DXC Technology — Okinawa, Japan

   Jan 2018 – Apr 2018

   • Led a 20-person team across four DoD bases executing Windows 10 migration, user data recovery, and system restoration for 400 users.
   • Briefed DoD stakeholders and senior leadership, delivering modernization objectives ahead of schedule across classified and unclassified environments.

7. Network Engineer

   Deployment

   U.S. Army Reserve — Jordan Deployment

   Jun 2016 – Aug 2017

   • Managed Cisco switching and Cisco Unified Communications Manager in an austere environment.
   • Used Nessus, ACAS, and SCAP tooling to identify vulnerabilities and harden systems to DIACAP and DISA STIG requirements.

8. Systems Engineer

   NCI Information Systems

   Apr 2015 – Jun 2016

   • Remediated vulnerabilities across enterprise systems using SCCM, WSUS, policy updates, and scripting in large-scale secure environments supporting 300,000+ users and 600,000+ devices.

9. Linux Systems Engineer

   Deployed Support

   MEDWEB — Afghanistan

   Dec 2012 – Apr 2014

   • Supported 26 Integrated Healthcare Enterprise sites across multiple domains through remote and onsite technical support.
   • Managed and maintained 50+ Red Hat Enterprise Linux servers across Afghanistan and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons.
   • Trained clinicians and medical staff on radiologic software and hardware platforms.

10. Network Administrator

    Deployment

    U.S. Army Reserve — Afghanistan Deployment

    Dec 2011 – Jan 2013

    • Oversaw the Composite Health Care System II and administered Active Directory, VoIP, and VTC services.
    • Managed hospital communications supporting 50+ joint forces personnel.
    • Administered the Medweb telemedicine platform — user accounts and system availability.

11. Signal Support Technician

    Deployment

    U.S. Army Reserve — Iraq Deployment

    Feb 2008 – Apr 2009

    • Supported the MC4 medical network and served as liaison between DoD and vendor support teams.
    • Provisioned and managed NIPR/SIPR network accounts and maintained tactical radio communications.

Credentials

Certifications

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Resume