Service Desk Analyst

Service Desk Analyst

Atlanta, GA

Category: Support

Type: Full-time

Montra Solutions is an ambitious next-generation managed IT services provider with plans to revolutionize a $200B global industry. This is no ordinary startup. We have a proven management team that has successfully built and exited multiple software and managed service companies. We are seeking intelligent and motivated people with great upbeat energy and a passion for serving our customers well. We need people who want to get stuff done, but who are also smart enough to figure out new ways to automate and accelerate the work that we do. We like competing and winning, and we know that by constantly improving what we do we will continue to win and grow.

Montra is currently seeking a highly skilled Service Desk Analyst with the drive and determination to help us support our growing client base. We are seeking a problem-solver with a proven track record of working within a team to successfully address challenging IT issues. This position will include identifying customer issues and utilizing a structured problem management and resolution process to remediate them within established SLAs.

This position requires dedication, persistence, follow-up, effective use of available resources, and a desire to deliver great customer service. Candidates must be energetic and motivated to learn new technologies and services. The position reports to the Director of Service Operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Utilize our remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) tools along with other service-specific tools and technologies to deliver great customer support
  • Manage, maintain, troubleshoot and support our customer’s systems, networks, software, SaaS, security and cloud services.
  • Collaborate with NOC staff, engineering, field technicians, and external vendors to resolve service issues.
  • Act as an externally facing point of contact with customers and vendors during issue resolution.
  • Act as an internally facing point of contact to escalate issues and communicate resolution status.
  • Oversee and execute planned maintenance work, minimizing impact to services
  • Prepare and present service monitoring reports to management.
  • Participate in ongoing manufacturer and certification training.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Proficiency in MacOS and Windows Systems in an Enterprise environment
  • Excellent knowledge of our supported software, services and technologies
  • Strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with users and vendors
  • Passion for teamwork, continuing education, problem solving and exceptional customer service
  • Ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing requirements
  • Strong English-language written and oral communications skills
  • Outgoing, organized, detailed-oriented, dependable and flexible
  • Background check and drug screen required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Microsoft Certified Professional status
  • Experience with HP, Cisco, VMware and Citrix technologies a plus
  •  Knowledge and experience with server hardware and OS (Linux, Windows), security and networking
  • Knowledge and experience with virtual server technologies (VMWare/Hyper-V/Citrix)
  • Network certifications such as CCNA/CCNP/CCIE.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

  • Bachelor of Science or Engineering in EE/CS/CE. In lieu of degree, 4 years of relevant work experience.

WORKING AT MONTRA SOLUTIONS

We are building a dynamic environment that includes software development and service operations to support our rapidly growing customer base. Our customers are looking to us to provide rock-solid reliability of their hybrid IT operations, so that their applications and data are available, protected, and in compliance. We are utilizing the latest technologies to integrate disparate IT silos and automate support workflows across the entire IT operation of our customers. We are pushing the envelope for how IT services can be reliably managed and scaled, and we a looking for people that are passionate about taking this journey with us.

YOU WANT TO TALK TO US IF…

  • You have a passion for delivering great customer service.
  • You like innovating for reliability, availability and security.
  • You are motivated by disrupting the norm.
  • You thrive in the frenetic energy of a startup.

WHAT WE OFFER

  • Competitive salary
  • Full benefits coverage
  • Professional development stipend
  • Flexible work environment
  • Modern vacation policies

Montra Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply. We are committed to being an inclusive place to work, while maintaining a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Learn more about us at

www.montra.io/careers.

Senior Security Engineer

Senior Security Engineer

Atlanta, GA

Category: Service Delivery

Type: Full-time

Experience: Senior Level

Montra Solutions is an ambitious next-generation managed IT services provider with plans to revolutionize a $200B global industry. This is no ordinary startup. We have a proven management team that has successfully built and exited multiple software and managed service companies. We are seeking intelligent and motivated people with great upbeat energy and a passion for serving our customers well. We need people who want to get stuff done, but who are also smart enough to figure out new ways to automate and accelerate the work that we do. We like competing and winning, and we know that by constantly improving what we do we will continue to win and grow.

Montra is building a modern, ‘born in the cloud’ application suite that is implemented in cloud-native functions on both Azure and AWS. As a key member of our team, your skills will be expanded by working with leading-edge services on the latest platforms on the planet.

As a Senior Security Engineer at Montra Solutions, you will ensure our customers’ posture is designed, configured, and managed reliably and securely. Systems under management include security information and event management (SIEM), firewalls, IDS/IPS, end-device security, dark web scanning, and file encryption solutions. We’re looking for an engineer that enjoys building and managing scalable security solutions and working with our customers as their needs change and grow.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  •  You will design, implement and manage SIEM solutions for Montra’s customers.
  • You will manage secure solutions for cloud, on-premise and hybrid environments.
  • You will own security monitoring and scanning processes for multiple Montra customers.
  • You will serve as a key member of Montra’s information security team.
  • You will investigate security incidents and report findings to leadership.
  • You will be an advocate for security services at Montra.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • 4+ years of experience engineering and administering security technologies
  • Experience managing event monitoring, including log management and AlienVault SIEM
  • Experience coordinating and conducting event collection, log management, event management, compliance automation, and identity monitoring activities.
  • Experience with vulnerability management, identifying threats and Incident response.
  • Knowledge of networking protocols and addressing schemes, e.g., DNS, HTTP, and TLS TCP/IP functions, CIDR blocks, subnets, addressing, communications, etc.
  • Demonstrated ability to establish relationships and build rapport with colleagues and customers at all levels.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate security concepts to a technical and non-technical audience including senior management
  • Qualified candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or 8 years of equivalent work experience.
  • Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CEH, GPEN, GSEC, OSCP, vendor credentials from relevant vendors, etc.
  • Experience securing and monitoring Linux hosts in AWS or other cloud providers (GCP, Azure.)
  • Solid and demonstrable understanding of Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Some programming and/or scripting experience in any language or scripting tool.
  • Experience automating security tools and processes.
  • Experience defining how logs should be parsed and writing new correlation rules.
  • Understanding of endpoint security solutions including DLP, EPP, file integrity monitoring.
  • Experience with anti-virus software, intrusion detection and prevention, next-generation firewalls, and content filtering technologies.
  • Experience planning and developing security policies, procedures, and standards.
  • Experience in designing secure networks, systems, and application architectures.

 

WORKING AT MONTRA SOLUTIONS

We are building a dynamic environment that includes software development and operations to support multiple customers. Our customers are looking to us to provide rock-solid reliability of their hybrid IT operations so that their applications and data are available when they need it. We are utilizing the latest technologies to integrate disparate IT silos and automate support workflows across the entire IT operation of our customers. We are pushing the envelope for how IT services can be reliably managed and scaled, and we a looking for people that are passionate about taking this journey with us.

YOU WANT TO TALK TO US IF…

  • You have a passion for delivering great customer service
  • You like innovating for reliability, availability, and security
  • You are motivated by disrupting the norm
  • You thrive in the frenetic energy of a startup

WHAT WE OFFER

  • Competitive salary + equity
  • Full benefits coverage
  • Professional development stipend
  • Flexible work environment
  • Modern vacation policies

Montra Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply. We are committed to being an inclusive place to work while maintaining a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Learn more about us at www.montra.io/careers.

Montra Solutions Named a Top 40 Innovative Technology Company

Montra Honored for Innovation and Contributions to the State’s Technology Community by Technology Association of Georgia

ATLANTA — (FEBRUARY 7, 2020) — Montra Solutions, a software-enabled managed IT services provider, has been named one of the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia by The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state’s leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia’s technology industry.

TAG’s Top 40 Awards recognize Georgia-based technology companies for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of Georgia’s technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally.

“The 2020 Top 40 finalists are an elite group of innovators who represent the very best of Georgia’s Technology community,” said Larry K. Williams, president & CEO of TAG. “The 2020 Top 40 finalists are shining examples of what makes our state such a hotbed for technology and we applaud them for standing out as leaders in Georgia’s technology community.”

This year’s Top 40 were selected from among over 100 applications submitted by companies from across Georgia. Companies selected for the “Top 40” will be showcased in an exhibition at The Summit 2020 on March 3-4, 2020, at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

“This year’s Top 40 was more competitive than ever,” said Dennis Zakas, managing partner of Zakas & Leonard, LLP and chairperson of the Top 40 Selection Committee. “In our quest to showcase the most innovative companies in Georgia, we had to make hard decisions, resulting in the exclusion of numerous deserving companies, many of which had been recognized as a Top 10 company in the past. The companies that we selected this year are truly outstanding.”

“We are thrilled that Montra has been named one of the top innovative companies in Georgia. Our business is based on delivering world-class IT management by providing service automation and analytics through our VIA platform,” said Scott Ryan, CEO of Montra Solutions. “This recognition from TAG is another indication that our dedication to modernizing managed IT services delivery is paying off.”

The event will feature internationally recognized keynote speakers, the Top 40 and Top 10 Innovative Georgia Companies competition, the newest inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia, 16 breakout sessions on global trends, and a two-day exhibitor showcase.

About Montra

Montra Solutions is a software-enabled managed IT services provider specializing in Cloud, Security, Devices, and Infrastructure. Headquartered in Atlanta, Montra simplifies the management of increasingly complex IT operations with software that better integrates and automates the monitoring and management of modern IT. Montra’s innovations are enabling scalability and analytics for the highly fragmented, multi-billion-dollar managed IT services industry.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG’s mission is to Connect, Promote, Influence and Educate Georgia’s technology ecosystem to advance the innovation economy.  Through those four foundational pillars TAG serves the technology community, helping to support, grow and ignite tech leaders, companies and the overall Georgia economy.

TAG serves more than 30,000 members statewide through regional chapters in Metro Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon/Middle Georgia, and Savannah. TAG hosts more than 150 events each year and serves as an umbrella organization for 26 professional societies.

TAG provides networking and educational programs; celebrates Georgia’s technology leaders and companies, and advocates for legislative action that enhances the state’s economic climate for technology.

Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive.

For more information visit the TAG website or TAG’s community website at www.hubga.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit www.tagedonline.org.

 

Windows 7 End of Life

When Windows 7 reaches End of Life on January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer patch security holes or fix any bugs that come up in their popular operating system. This means if you are one of the millions of users still on the decade-old operating system, it is time to start planning how to move on.

Without a doubt, Windows 7 has been incredibly successful and popular since it first launched on July 22, 2009. According to StatCounter, 17.91% of US-based desktops were still running the decade-old operating system through the end of 2019.

StatCounter-windows_7_users_December_2019

However, in the light of the success of Windows 10, it only makes sense that Microsoft dedicate their resources to improving the new OS.

Now don’t worry. If you are using Windows 7 now, we are not saying that when you turn on your PC on January 15 it won’t work. You will still be able to use Windows 7 after it has reached End of Life status. However, just because you can use it, doesn’t mean that you should.

Windows 7 End of Life: What it Means for Your Security

Security implications of any operating system reaching End of Life are without a doubt one of the biggest concerns that need to be taken into consideration. In the past, Microsoft has commonly released “booster” security patches leading up to an OS reaching its EOL date in an effort to improve security one last time. However, once those last patches are released hackers have free reign to try and attack the systems.

It’s important to remember that the overwhelming majority of cyberattacks are not targeted, but rather they simply occur wherever a hacker could successfully gain access. Hackers are opportunists, and they choose the easiest target. Outdated operating systems have long been a resource for hackers who can leverage previously known vulnerabilities and expand upon them to gain access to a system. We saw this happen with WannaCry and Windows XP fans who held on after EoL. With 17.91% of nearly a billion Microsoft users worldwide still operating on Windows 7, hackers will have plenty of incentive to try and exploit the operating system once Microsoft releases their final patches.

The facts are clear. The sooner you can get away from Windows 7, the better.

Windows 7 End of Life: What’s Next? 

If you are looking to make a decision on what to migrate to from Windows 7, you have several options, including:

  • Migrate to Windows 10
  • Migrate to a Linux OS such as Ubuntu
  • Migrate to MacOS

All of these options come with pros and cons. We recommend working with IT experts, such as Montra, to decide which course is best for your business needs.

If you are trying to decide what your best option is for moving off of Windows 7, reach out to our experts today for a consultation.

 

 

Tips for Managing Your Sprawling IT Infrastructure in 2020

IT Sprawl is a phenomenon that has risen significantly in small and mid-market businesses over the past several years. This growth can largely be attributed to two factors: rapid cloud services adoption and digital transformation initiatives. Across every industry, cloud services have spread like wildfire due to their ability to increase agility and cost-efficiency. Meanwhile, digital transformation projects have put technology in the middle of almost every business function. These combined factors have led to companies having to deal with some level of the hybrid technical environment.

It is well known that hybrid environments are great for small, growing businesses. Their “best of both worlds” approach to technology adoption allows IT to leverage cloud-based applications while keeping sensitive information on-premises. However, hybrid environments do come with their challenges as well. Over time applications and workflows are added by individual users or departments. This lack of centralization leads to IT teams having a sprawled environment that is difficult (if not impossible) to manage.

Struggling to keep up with the sprawl of hybrid technical infrastructures is nothing new to technology professionals. While the concerns are not new, figuring out how to effectively deal with these challenges is still a top priority for IT teams. According to the 2019 Solarwinds IT Trends Report, 48% of IT professionals plan to prioritize skill development of Hybrid IT Deployment Monitoring and Management within the next 3 to 5 years.

As your organization heads towards the final planning phases for 2020, now is the perfect time to consider if a sprawling IT infrastructure is hindering your business or IT Department. So, what can be done to help you get control over the sprawling technical infrastructure within your organization? Here are our tips:

6 Tips for Managing your Sprawling IT Infrastructure in 2020

Audit Your Environment More Often

The first step to getting your IT environment under control is to conduct a full audit of your systems and applications. Knowing what all is in your environment is the only way to understand how different IT components affect larger business processes. After all, how can you possibly fix a problem if you do not know it exists? Your audit should catalog every cloud service you are using, every server or VM, every network component, and every device. This process should lead to the creation of an inventory of all the technology used in your business and specifically what each component is used for. From this process you should be able to begin to understand:

  • Which services and components are redundant?
  • Which are not aligned with your business and technology strategy?
  • Which are outdated or no longer supported?
  • Which are lightly if ever used?

Prioritize Network Visibility Across the Sprawl

Maintaining network control in a modern, spread-out environment is significantly more complicated than on a local area network. One of the best ways to maintain a level of control over IT Sprawl is to have visibility throughout your entire network. Full network visibility will enable you to know what devices are on your network and what applications are being installed. We recommend partnering with a company, like Montra, who can integrate your various management platforms into a single, comprehensive solution that provides you with end-to-end visibility from a single platform.

Standardization leads to Better Hybrid Management

An easy way of minimizing the burden of sprawling IT management is to standardize the components within your environment. Use as few server, computer, router, VM, etc. types as possible. Once these various types have been decided, consolidate your IT environment to eliminate as many of the others as possible. This will lead to decreased maintenance as IT has fewer components to manage. In the long run, IT employees will achieve additional efficiencies as they become specialists in keeping only a specific number of types of IT components running at their best.

Establish Policies for Deploying New Cloud Applications

It is unlikely an employee will stroll into work with their own server. However, the same cannot be said for cloud and other web-based applications. All too often a cloud-based application enters a company’s environment at the request of a single employee. These services undergo little-to-no vetting and are often duplicated or redundant to applications already in use. An easy way to combat this is to enforce authorization procedures for the selection and implementation of new technologies. These procedures should align to the company’s larger strategic goals and make sure applications fit the “bigger picture.” When properly enforced, these procedures should reduce new or duplicate applications from entering the environment.

Consider Full Lifecycle Cost of New Products

It’s common for businesses to find cheaper technical solutions more appealing than slightly more expensive, yet more efficient, counterparts. However, cheaper solutions can come at their own cost. Choosing cheaper equipment can affect maintenance, power efficiency, and management costs which are not considered in the initial investment. Maintaining these various inefficiencies only gets more complicated as infrastructure grows. When expanding IT components on your network make sure you consider the full lifecycle cost of each product and not just the upfront cost.

Be Cautious of “Jack of all Trades” Hiring

You probably have great experts on your team. However, experts in managing servers may not be able to provide the best insight consolidating your cloud. Modern hybrid business infrastructures are composed of a wide range of technologies and systems. This makes it very difficult to find a generalist that can properly support a mid-sized IT infrastructure. Often times the best result comes from bringing in an outside team of experts. These team members can often better serve as your internal IT team by providing deeper expertise in particular IT specialties. Bringing in additional resources increases the level of specialization of each component within your network. Additionally, an outside team provides you with an “outsiders perspective” that is often helpful in determining the actual validity of a specific service or component even if it is associated with a specific, high-maintenance user.

If you are interested in learning more about managing your sprawling IT infrastructure, contact our experts today.