ACS QLD Member Spotlight Series: Chris Edwards

^Highlights

• Hear from Chris Edwards as he shares his experiences and proudest moments within his 15 year IT career such as creating an Automated User Onboarding solution for a client Project with a turnaround time of barely 6 weeks, to what advice he would give to a student entering the industry.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Professionally? Approximately 15 years working within the IT Industry, from Helpdesk through to Systems Administration and Infrastructure Support to Cloud Engineering and Automation now with a primary focus on Identity Management consulting. Have always been considered a life long learner, often deep diving into things I find interesting to learn as much as I can about them. Continually striving to learn more, especially within the IT Industry where there's just so many avenues of information to learn.

Personally? Born and bred in Brisbane and lived in Queensland the entire time. Have a young family and spend my spare time either doing my own side gig work, playing games with my friends or listening to live music. Camping and 4wding and regular trips to K'Gaari (nee Fraser Island) is a must. Fascination with all things Space (Sci-Fi, Astrophotography, Physics and Universe subject matter).

What is a key project or initiative that you are personally working on that is tech related?

Working on building a group of in-house PowerShell Modules to effectively automate running current state analysis for client environments (Entra ID andAzure focus).

Used to generate reports for these environments in a standard manner for easy consumption at the beginning of client Project work, then additional work on the modules to then implement these solutions in client environments, again in a standardised manner to ensure strict security and adherence to best practices, allowing variable input where required for client specific configuration. Primary focus on Entra ID Identity Management and Governance feature sets, with some additional inclusions for Enterprise Applications and Conditional Access Policies.

Ensuring the whole thing is tested thoroughly (Pester) and verified by running in our own environment(s) to ensure fit for purpose. And put the whole thing through a strict Azure DevOps pipeline to be treated like any other industry standard Software Project.

What do you enjoy most about working in the tech industry?There is always something new to learn. Always. I'm my 15 years I have bounced from learning all manner of different aspects of the tech industry, from cutting edge cloud computing and machine learning, to dirty on-premise network/server/SCADA configurations. And that is barely touching the tip of the iceberg of what's available to learn within the Tech Industry.

What is your greatest challenge within the tech industry?

Finding my niche. As above, the industry is massive with so many avenues to take that it can be sometimes overwhelming to decide what is both the most interesting aspect to focus on and become an expert in, whilst also ensuring that particular avenue has room for growth and won't become obsolete in the future.

Which ACS member benefit have you found most valuable?

The vast amount of Industry information available via meet ups, webinars or online. There's information always available with regularly scheduled sessions with industry leaders.

How has the ACS membership supported your career journey in tech?

Opened my eyes to just how vast the tech industry network is. It's always been assumed, but seeing the sheer amount of people from all walks with information to provide is fantastic.

What is a tech related project or achievement are you most proud of?

The creation (from scratch) of an Automated User Onboarding solution for a client Project with a turnaround time of barely 6 weeks. Having never done that kind of work previously and being able to crunch and deliver a working and tested solution within such a short timeframe was an epic personal achievement.

I absolutely do not recommend it for business-as-usual work, and ensuring appropriate resources and realistic timelines are set to ensure the best possible work is produced. But the fact I was thrown in the deep end and came out with a working solution to hand over was a proud moment within my career.

What are your future career goals?

A continued focus on IT Security, with a specialisation into Identity Management and Governance, preferably on the Microsoft Entra ID and Azure Platform. But also an automation approach to this, via utilisation of Scripting (PowerShell) and Infrastructure as Code (Bicep/PowerShell DSC) in a DevOps lifecycle.

Is there another ACS member who you would like to shout out who may have helped you on your career goals, or worked together with recently that deserved to be recognised?

Both Michael Pearn (michael@identityxp.com) and Adrian Bole (adrian@identityxp.com) for providing the opportunity to have a dedicated focus within the industry rather than a continued generalist approach.

Are you currently hiring any new staff members for your team and would like to include below?

IdentityXP is always looking for talented Identity Management Consultants all across Australia.

What is the key piece of advice you would give to an student or emerging professional entering the industry?

Don't be overwhelmed by all the different avenues available to you. Spend some time in a Help Desk role to really understand all facets of the Tech Industry and how it'll help you no matter the job. And soft skills. Soft skills are paramount within the Tech Industry, and everyone should understand how to tailor the language used when speaking to different people within the business.

How can others contact you if they are interested in connecting and knowing more?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/korthal

Email: chris@identityxp.com

If you would like to be featured in our ACS QLD Member Spotlight Series please email Alannah.Grech@acs.org.au.