10648 Woodbridge St. #101 Toluca Lake, CA 91602   (310) 844-5625  manu@manunarayan.com              

Vice President | Director of Technology | Enterprise Architect | Cloud Strategy | Business Development

I am a results driven technology professional focused on business transformation through technology adoption.  I view leveraging emerging technologies such as cloud platforms and virtualization as a crucial business advantage to reduce IT overhead, improve efficiency, and create more robust disaster recovery platforms.  I have the unique combination of being both highly technical while also understanding the role technology plays with core business needs.  My ability to speak with non-technical audiences allows me to effectively present technical concepts in way that is approachable to end users, investors, or C level executives.  Additionally, I have a strong commitment to customer service and instill a customer first attitude within the teams I lead.

 

Experience                                                                            

 

Applied Minds, LLC                                                      Burbank, CA

Applied Minds is a small company that invents, designs and prototypes breakthrough products and services for both industry, military, and government. We are an interdisciplinary group of artists, scientists and engineers, with skills in architecture, electronics, mechanics, physics, mathematics, software development, system engineering, and storytelling. Our projects range from toys to cancer treatments, from buildings to algorithms, and from off-road vehicles to high-resolution displays. I joined Applied Minds to set a strategic direction for Technology services, assist in rapid growth of both the IT team and the firm, and to establish a Technology Security Program, inclusive of classified projects.

 

Director of Technology4/2015-Present

Accomplishments

·          Planned, managed, and executed a corporate data center relocation between an on premises server room to a colocation facility

·          Created a cloud based render farm on Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2.  Render farm reduced production time from 8 hours per 8K image to 30 minutes, increasing output and productivity for 3D artists

·          Designed, planned, and managed infrastructure build out for new corporate campus

·          Created a 5 pillar enterprise architecture plan covering all major areas of Information Technology

·          Designed and planned a comprehensive cybersecurity program, including Intrusion Prevention & Detection, Host Based Security, Application Security, and advanced monitoring

 

Responsibilities

·          Develop, socialize, and adopt long term strategic Technology plans

·          Develop and manage IT operating budget, including year-end variance reports

·          Manage Technology staff ranging from support to engineering

 

CIM Group, LP                                                         Los Angeles, CA

CIM group is a private equity real estate investment firm focused on urban redevelopment.  CIM is a fully vertically integrated real estate firm undertaking acquisitions, management, and development of a broad spectrum of asset classes including residential, retail, commercial, and hospitality.  Under my leadership the technology group has provided platforms and services which have enabled rapid growth from 80 employees and $2 billion in assets under management to 650 employees across 50 sites with $18 billion in assets under management in less than a decade. 

 

Vice President, Technology 4/2013 – 4/2015

Accomplishments

·          Oversaw the consolidation of the IT function across three operating companies into a single shared services IT group; achieved cost reductions through decreased redundancy and improved economies of scale

·          Established an 18 month roadmap focusing on a migration to cloud applications, Azure, Office 365, and Azure Active Directory

·          Implementation and maintenance of a Sarbanes Oxley compliance program and IT General Controls

·          Planned and managed the technology infrastructure and systems for a new corporate campus; $1M capital expense; Project was completed on-time and under-budget

·          Led the design and implementation of a SharePoint Online product focusing on increased data availability and collaboration across business units; hosted formal training seminars, informal lunch and learn sessions and oversaw the creation of quick start guides

·          Led a data integration project to connect Salesforce, SharePoint, Yardi Property Management, and other LOB applications

·          Volunteered to create a steering committee to improve CIM’s asset onboarding process; conducted cross functional meetings to document all processes in a swim lane diagram; identified risks and inefficiency; implemented process improvements based on findings

·          Oversaw a migration to Exchange Online; managed a vendor to create a highly available single sign on platform leveraging Microsoft Azure, Active Directory Federation Services, and Azure Active Directory

 

Responsibilities

·          Oversee planning, implementation, management, and support for all non-financial enterprise systems

·          Management of long term enterprise planning, including, but not limited to service contracts, software versions, hardware platforms, and strategic initiatives

·          Manage a $3M annual operating budget; budget includes all non-payroll IT expenses: services, contractors, and capital expenses

·          Direct a team of 14 full time employees and consultants responsible for all infrastructure, support, Salesforce CRM, and document management systems

·          Present to potential investors conducting due diligence to discuss business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber security; participant in CIM’s annual investor and advisory board meetings

·          Assist in due diligence process for potential acquisitions; work with investment personnel to evaluate technology infrastructure, technology related business opportunities, and identify technology risks

·          Provide training and mentorship for junior staff; created a personal development program for staff, focused on training, seminars, and identifying areas for growth

·          Operate as Director of Technology for affiliated entities; OFS Capital, a business development company focused on mid-market lending; Orchard Capital, an equity investment firm

·          Planning, implementation, management and support for affiliated entities financial systems: Wall Street Office, Microsoft Dynamics GP, and Everest by Black Mountain Systems

 

 

Director, Infrastructure & Support 3/2011-4/2013

Accomplishments

·          Implemented business process improvements leveraging data tracking and workflows in Salesforce

·          Received executive management approval for a BYOD policy; launched a Bring Your Own Device campaign for employees to transition from an employer provided cell phone plan to a fixed monthly stipend; Program decreased operating expenses, lowered support burden, and increased end user satisfaction

·          In collaboration with other department heads, oversaw creation and implementation of a formal business continuity plan

·          Implementation of a cloud based 'warm site' for disaster recovery as part of a business continuity plan using Microsoft Azure

·          Negotiated exclusive marketing deals with service providers at residential properties to generate revenue and increase net operating income for assets; with expected market capitalization the increase in NOI can be realized as an additional $500,000 in profit per residential tower at time of sale

·          Created a platform for paperless investor meetings; in addition to presenting a green platform for current and potential investors, the project had a positive ROI through reduced printing and shipping costs

·          Led a project to upgrade Cisco Unified Communications Manager from version 4.1 to 8.6; platform upgrade also increased site survivability by migrating to a virtual UCS platform

 

Responsibilities

·          Responsible for all infrastructure, service, and support across the enterprise; customer service and quality control for the technology group

·          Manage a team of seven employees focused on infrastructure, service, and support

·          Oversee a portion of the technology department operating budget; $1.5M annually in non-payroll operating and capital expenses

·          Lead the technology acquisition onboarding process; design a repeatable process for technology to bring a recently purchased asset in house; manage an onsite team to provide network & desktop infrastructure to newly on boarded employees

 

IT Manager 11/2006-3/2011

Accomplishments

·          Implemented a Windows Distributed File System (DFS) infrastructure; two-way replication of data between multiple sites; decreased latency for remote users; increased disaster preparedness with data in multiple geographically diverse locations

·          Upgraded Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010; created hybrid mode between both email servers; successfully migrated mailboxes between servers with no downtime for users

·          Led a server consolidation initiative; managed a migration to a new virtual infrastructure; implementation of a VMWare ESXi platform leveraging NetApp central storage; physical to virtual migration for existing servers

·          Implemented a new Crystal Reports delivery service, CRD

 

Responsibilities

·          Manage a team of three Help Desk personnel and a systems administrator; provide training and mentorship for junior staff; responsible for feedback, reviews, and hiring decisions

·          Manage network and server infrastructure; Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Windows Server 2003-2008 R2, Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2010, Microsoft Active Directory, Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls; manage site to site connectivity over LAN to LAN IPsec VPN tunnels

·          Salesforce administrator; day to day maintenance of Salesforce platform; manage user accounts, sharing roles, profiles, and access

·          Provide escalated tier 3 end user support

 

Systems Administrator 6/2004-11/2006

·          Microsoft Active Directory and Domain administration; manage DNS, DHCP, Group Policy

·          Mobile Messaging implementation and support; Blackberry Enterprise Server, Good Server, & Microsoft ActiveSync

·          Cisco Network Administration; PIX Firewalls, ASA 5500, 2800 series routers, and 3500 series switches

 

Sunrise Computing                                                       Los Angeles, CA

Sunrise computing was a boutique technology services firm.  Founded in September 2000, Sunrise Computing focused on providing IT marketing & infrastructure services to small businesses.

Principal Consultant, Owner9/2000-6/2004

 

University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center - Department of Anesthesiology                                  

UCLA Medical Center is one of the leading medical institutions in the nation.  The Department of Anesthesiology plays a role both in active medical procedures at the Ronald Reagan Hospital as well as education through the David Geffen School of Medicine.
Computer Resource Specialist4/2001-9/2002

Related Experience & Professional Groups                                                          

Microsoft Future Community Council

Council member6/2015 – Present

A member of a small bi-monthly council hosted by Microsoft to discuss product roadmaps, application features, and forward looking product changes.

 

Gerson Lehram Group8/2015 – Present

Council Member

GLG is a group of technology executives who provide advisory services.  In my capacity as a council member I have provided advisory services ranging from broad market research to industry specific technology to applications or infrastructure specific information.

 

Argyle CIO Forum2/2014 – Present

Member at Large

 

India Friends Association(IFA)Camarillo, CA

Web Master6/2003 – 9/2012

 

Las Virgenes Unified School DistrictAgoura Hills, CA

Computer Technician9/1998-6/1999, 12/1999-1/2000

 

 

Education & Certifications                                                                    

Attended University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

Studied Astrophysics

 

Security Clearance

Secret (Active)

 

Technical Knowledge                                                                       

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