Mark Phillips
mark@markphillips.com
My major interest in computing is helping to build systems which provide sophisticated access to global information resources, yet can be used by people without advanced degrees in computer science. I have no interest in number crunching per se. Rather, networked computers and particularly the Web represent the first baby steps toward the radically ubiquitous, decentralized, and substantially democratized communication infrastructures of the future. Helping to build them is really fun.
I have an unusually wide experience set for an IT professional, encompassing nearly all aspects of Internet-based computing, from Java-based application architectures and software development to data centers to desktop support to network security. All of my experience since 1989 has emphasized the Internet, making me a fairly early adopter of what is now the dominant technology vision. As I rank my own skill and experience sets, my major talents are for world-class Java and Web-based application architectures; rapid and robust Java application development; enterprise-scale technology needs assessment and corresponding application and infrastructure architectures; mentoring of younger professionals; and contributing to the development of high-productivity teams.
I'm currently assisting clients with Internet-based application architecture and engineering projects. In the last few months my clients have included SRA, Google, Macrovision, Revenuebase, Cal State East Bay, Middletone, Aptimus, the Defense Manpower Data Center, SmartMonsters, and others. Projects have encompassed product design; application architecture design; Java and J2EE development; server infrastructure design; network security auditing; technology planning assistance for executive management; project management; hiring and mentoring; and other senior-level tasks. Most recently, I've designed, developed and delivered the new RBEvents product for Revenuebase, a high-profile project completed on time and on budget; assisted Middletone with the Alpha and Private Beta phases of their jaxtr IP telephony product; assisted Cal State East Bay with a re-design of online resources for instructors; and assisted the Defense Manpower Data Center with a major migration of legacy systems to J2EE.
Macrovision is a leader in digital rights management with approximately 300 employees worldwide. After completing an ambitious J2EE/JSP-based deliverable for their Professional Services group ahead of deadline, I co-architected the J2EE-based redesign of the company's enterprise software licensing infrastructure, including the new FLEXnet Manager product -- a multi-year project building the next generation of a core product line. Version 1.0 shipped on time and budget, winning the Codie award for Best Digital Rights Management Solution in 2004. In 2004 I was awarded the company's "Above and Beyond" special recognition award for my work on FLEXnet Manager and other products. Later in 2004 I transferred to Macrovision's Global Consulting Services group, where I designed and implemented integration and customization solutions for customers around the world.
SmartMonsters pioneers next-generation multiuser role-playing games, which I believe are an emerging form of literature. As CTO, I brought SmartMonsters' flagship product to market a full quarter ahead of schedule and 40% under budget.
SmartMonsters' Java infrastructure is significant: over 15,000 classes in all. There are two environments with distinct architectures:
These environments share a common data infrastructure using LDAP for directory services and Oracle for object persistence and data warehousing. Deployment is on RedHat Linux, via the Orion application server. Server machines are from Penguin Computing in San Francisco, collocated at Above Net in San Jose. The data center is protected by extensive firewall, intrusion detection, and other security safeguards. Source code is compressed and obfuscated using IBM's JAX. Profiling is via OptimizeIt for thread and heap analysis, plus Java's standard VM tools for tuning garbage collection. The result is a very fast and robust application running on inexpensive hardware.
Independent IT management consultant assisting Bay Area firms with a wide spectrum of projects:
Customers included Key3Media, gloss.com, SmartAge.com, Softbank Forums, SmartMonsters, and others.
SmartAge.com was a leader of the business-to-small-business space during the dot-com boom. We were a pioneer of the "Application Service Provider" model, providing Web-based solutions to customers numbered in the millions. Of approximately 300 employees, I was employee number seven.
At SmartAge I recruited and led the company's technology organization during the startup phase; formulated technology strategies including platforms, languages, and architectures; managed application development, MIS systems, vendor relationships, and desktop support; designed and implemented the company's data center and enterprise security infrastructures; architected and developed the technology solutions underlying many of the company's major products; internationalized the whole kit and caboodle; and integrated acquired proprietary technologies. Fruits of this experience included over a million customers and $50M in venture funding during the first year. All of these projects were delivered on time and budget.
Ziff-Davis Comdex & Forums (now Media Live International) is the largest producer of computer industry trade shows and educational conferences in the world, hosting 2,200,00 IT industry attendees in 1997. The company produces Comdex, NetWorld + Interop, the Java Internet Business Expo, Windows NT Intranet Solutions, Seybold, the Domino Web Developers Conference, and many others.
At ZDCF I directed the Information Engineering group, charged with in-house application development as well as traditional MIS data systems. I expanded the group from 7 to 27 on both coasts; designed advanced next-generation systems based on CORBA/IIOP, Java, Sybase, the Web, Notes/Domino, and others; and assisted in the merger of disparate organizations with contrasting cultures. Applications included event registration, attendee housing, inventory management, sales, lead retrieval, and financials.
Collegis is a national information systems management outsourcing firm specializing in higher education. The company manages IS departments at 30 colleges and universities throughout the country. Clients I worked with included the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Golden Gate University, Menlo College; the College of Notre Dame; Stanford University; and many others.
At Collegis I was most commonly tasked with design and integration of clients' next-generation computing environments. At this time, "next generation" meant standards-based, interoperable, multi-vendor frameworks largely centered on the Internet Protocols: a very radical skill set for 1994 which is now all but ubiquitous. This experience spans a broad range of systems and projects, including these highlights:
Java; EJB and the major J2EE APIs including Servlets, JSP, JSTL, JNDI, JDBC and so on; SOAP and XSLT; UML; Ant; JUnit; Struts; Stripes; OO design patterns; HTML; SQL; LDAP; various UNIX dialects.
Organization building; recruiting; technology needs and risk assessment; technology due diligence; vendor relationship management; data center and infrastructure management; application development management.
Oracle; Orion EJB application server; Tomcat; Apache Web Server; Jetty; OpenLDAP LDAP servers; Lotus Notes / Domino; Eclipse; IBM VisualAge for Java; Oracle Designer; various SNMP-based network management systems; and a bunch of others.
TCP/IP; IIOP; Java RMI; HTTP; ATM; Frame Relay; FDDI; ISDN; AppleTalk; flat and switched Ethernet; SMTP; DNS; SNMP; NIS/NFS/PCNFS; JDBC; SSL; LANE; X-Windows; and all the usual suspects.
Solaris; Linux; Windows; Mac.
A number of my prose fiction pieces have been published in leading online literary "zines," including Comrades, Physik Garden, Inkburns, the SoMa Literary Review, and others. In November 2002, I was The Blue Moon Review's first-ever guest blogger. I've been "cyberbard" for SmartMonsters since 1999. My travel writing and photography has been published internationally. I am currently (November, 2005) preparing my first photography exhibition.
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