Andrew G. Hargreave, III
Shorewood, IL | andrew@hargreave.net | linkedin.com/in/ahargreave
Professional Summary
Strategic
IT Director with 35+ years of experience leading enterprise infrastructure,
data center operations, cybersecurity initiatives, and automation projects.
Proven ability to align IT strategies with business objectives, drive
operational efficiencies, and lead transformative technology initiatives.
Expert in building scalable, secure systems, managing cross-functional teams,
and mentoring technical talent.
Core
Competencies:
IT
Strategy | Enterprise Infrastructure | Cloud Computing | Virtualization | Data
Center Operations | Cybersecurity | Disaster Recovery | DevOps Automation |
Vendor Management | NIST Compliance | Network Architecture | Team Leadership |
Budgeting & Procurement | Scripting (Ansible, PowerShell, Bash)
Professional Experience
84.51°
(A Kroger Company)
– Cincinnati, OH
Technical Director, Tech Foundations & Data Center Operations
Mar 2012 – Mar 2025
- Directed
enterprise-wide infrastructure strategies for the Tech
Foundations and Data Center Operations teams, aligning technology
initiatives with long-term business goals.
- Led teams
ranging from 4 to 13 engineers, fostering a collaborative, high-performance
environment and mentoring staff across infrastructure, storage, and
security disciplines.
- Managed
enterprise storage systems (Dell ECS, PowerScale,
Oracle ZFS, PureStorage, Synology), ensuring
availability, scalability, and disaster recovery readiness.
- Oversaw procurement,
vendor relationships, and lifecycle management for server and storage
hardware.
- Streamlined
change control processes using ServiceNow, partnering
with the change board to optimize workflows - achieving a 90% monthly
reduction in change tickets through enhanced automation and
documentation.
- Centralized
technical documentation via Confluence, greatly improving on-call support
effectiveness and issue resolution speed.
- Drove
automation initiatives, implementing Ansible, PowerShell, and Bash
scripting to standardize data storage operations, server deployments,
and security audits across the enterprise.
- Led the
post-acquisition integration of Market6 infrastructure, collaborating
with cross-functional teams from both companies and coordinating with
external vendors to transition full support internally - maintaining
uninterrupted service for customers and developers.
- Responded to a
critical infrastructure emergency during a frozen water pipe incident by leading the
disaster recovery execution - restoring full customer access to systems in
under 18 hours using a pre-developed disaster recovery (DR) plan.
- Successfully
achieved certification for NIST SP 800-53 compliance, reinforcing
enterprise security posture.
- Led bi-annual
data center maintenance events as Datacenter Operations Manager, coordinating
cross-functional teams to patch all systems across dual data centers;
successfully reduced downtime from 3 days to 1.5 days through improved
planning and execution. Additionally, transitioned quarterly OS patching
windows to a monthly cadence, shifting from disruptive 12-hour Saturday
outages to efficient weeknight patch cycles, minimizing business impact
while maintaining system integrity.
agh3
IT Services LLC
– Shorewood, IL
Founder & Freelance IT Consultant
Aug 2006 – Present
- Provided end-to-end
IT consulting and support for small and medium-sized businesses and
nonprofits, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing technology
costs.
- Designed,
secured, and maintained client networks, including firewall
implementation, VPNs, endpoint security, and proactive monitoring systems.
- Delivered
website development, hosting, email services, and offsite backup
solutions.
- Managed
infrastructure relocation projects for clients, achieving four seamless
office moves with zero downtime.
Earlier Career
Experience
Director & Architect – Technical
Infrastructure and Security
Geneer, Inc. | TLC Networks | AgileTek
— Des Plaines, IL
1989 – 2006
·
Led
the design, implementation, and modernization of enterprise IT infrastructure
across consulting and corporate environments.
·
Directed
multi-site data center buildouts, business continuity planning, and
cross-functional support operations.
·
Managed
endpoint security, access control, and firewall solutions in
compliance-sensitive industries.
·
Provided
technical leadership on network architecture, server/storage planning, and
infrastructure migrations.
·
Delivered
hands-on support and systems integration for mid-size clients and internal
teams, ensuring uptime, scalability, and secure access.
·
Oversaw
vendor relationships, hardware/software procurement, and lifecycle planning.
Technical Skills
- Infrastructure
& Storage: Dell ECS (S3), PowerScale, Oracle ZFS, PureStorage, Synology
- Automation: Ansible,
PowerShell, Bash scripting
- Virtualization: VMware ESX, MS
Virtual Server, Proxmox VE
- Operating
Systems: Windows (Server & Desktop), Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, Debian), MacOS
- Cloud
Platforms: Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, AWS
- Networking
& Security: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPNs, Firewalls, Data Encryption, RFID Access,
Video Surveillance
- Enterprise
Systems: Microsoft 365/Office365, Google Workspace, Atlassian
Confluence/JIRA, ServiceNow
- Backup &
Monitoring: Veeam, Cohesity, Commvault, Zerto, Zabbix
- Web &
Hosting: Wordpress, Apache, Nginx
- Leadership:
Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Client Management, Strategic Planning,
Mentorship
Education
Bachelor
of Science in Computer Information Systems
DeVry Institute of Technology
Professional Affiliations
League
of Professional Systems Administrators – www.lopsa.org