In previous roles, I have been responsible for building out large scalable hardware and software infrastructures in both public and private companies. I worked as a Database Engineer at RightNow (acquired by Oracle in 2011), a Firmware Engineer at the Space Science and Engineering Lab at Montana State University and a similar role at Jet Propulsion Labs. I also held two roles at Facebook as a Database Engineer and Systems Engineer.
Joining the database team at RightNow was where I picked up a passion for systems automation, database design, and systems engineering. This also coincided with my master thesis research at Montana State. I started to focus all my energy into big data, which led me to take on a role at Facebook as a Database Engineer.
At Facebook, I was privileged to take part in building one of the largest real-time database infrastructures in the world. I worked on a multitude of projects, but the highlights for my tenure were related to being a core engineer for the MySQL Pool Scanner Project and building out the database infrastructure for the Timeline feature. Working on systems at Facebook allowed me to continue my interests in hardware and software automation.
Towards the end of my career at Facebook, I started to renew my interest in systems security while working on my on-line radio station, ETN.fm. I was always fascinated by software security growing up, especially growing up with cult classics like Matrix, Hackers and Real Genius. Without much effort at all, it was apparent that OpenDNS was in the forefront of Enterprise Security Research, and I immediately utilized the product on all hosts for ETN.fm. I visited with OpenDNS engineers and spent time with members of the company and was immediately excited. I saw an opportunity to help construct an infrastructure platform that allows OpenDNS engineers and research teams to do what they do best; securing any device, anywhere anytime. I happily accepted a role as a Systems Engineer within Infrastructure Engineering.
One of the things I noticed within OpenDNS is the excitement people have coming to work everyday. I asked some of my new peers why they also joined the team and here are some of the responses I received;
“I met a few people at meet up about Docker at OpenDNS Vancouver location. They explained some of the technologies they were using and the projects they were working. Not only the work they were doing was interesting and challenging, but everyone seemed really excited to be part of it. That was enough reason for me to want to join OpenDNS. I’ve been here for about 3 weeks now, and it’s been #awesome. There is a lot of stuff to learn and interesting challenges to tackle which makes work quite fun. The work environment is amazing and everything is provided to do your work at the highest level. In summary, if you are not part of this #awesome team, then you should ask yourself what I am waiting for.”
— Hesam Ghasemi, Site Reliability Engineer – Infrastructure Engineering
“I am passionate about connecting people. When I was first contacted by OpenDNS, I was thrilled. I loved the idea of helping people connect and at the same time providing them with an easy and simple way to protect their Internet access, which was always a challenge throughout the environments I have worked on before. Through the interview process I caught a glimpse of the amazing people I would be working with and was awed by the technical atmosphere that was laid out in front of me. Working on a global network serving millions of users every day is certainly fascinating. I was ultimately hooked when I read about the core values and the workplace environment. It sounded like a perfect match and I couldn’t help but say “I’m in!”
— Alvaro Pereira, Network Engineer – Infrastructure Engineering
“I’ve worked in a lot of small shops, and most of that time was spent on my own. There were users, of course, but rarely was there someone I could bounce ideas off, or call in for help troubleshooting, or even share a joke with (and of course, vacation was always a challenge). I kept swearing that my next job would have actual *coworkers*. And turns out not only does OpenDNS have coworkers, they’re smart, funny, and generous people.
That’s the change part; the challenge comes with the scale. I’ve gone from taking care of one server room to working with data centres in 23 cities around the world. Working with some of the newest technologies to make things work for customers, and inventing some of our own. From routing challenges in Docker to correlating ASN activity, there are a *lot* of things that become possible at this scale that I simply never would have encountered anywhere else. I jumped into the deep end when I took this job, but I’m learning a lot and I’m relishing the challenge. “
— Hugh Brown, Systems Engineer – Infrastructure Engineering
With the culture obviously in check, having complicated problems to solve like how to handle 50+ billion DNS queries globally, building high-transactional infrastructure and maintaining an environment that is growing fast, while doing it at Internet scale, were clear reasons to be apart of OpenDNS. In this new role, I am able to bring together my passion for big data, security, and designing a scalable automated global infrastructure.
— Levi Junkert
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