Patrick Pierson
About
Director of IT with over 20 years of experience in infrastructure engineering, cybersecurity, and cloud operations. Proven leader in high-performing agile environments, specializing in AWS, CMMC 2.0 compliance, and automated CI/CD workflows. Military intelligence background provides a unique perspective on systems security and mission-critical reliability. Committed to optimizing technology to drive operational excellence and reduce total cost of ownership.
Work Experience
Director of IT / Infrastructure Engineering
Highlights
- Spearheading the organizational transition to CMMC 2.0 Level 2 compliance, implementing NIST 800-171 controls across federal contractor enclaves.
- Managing the deployment and lifecycle of advanced cybersecurity sensors (Security Onion) and hardened Ubuntu server environments with LUKS encryption.
- Lead the DVS Innovation Lab, developing demo applications and automations using the Microsoft Power Platform and Ansible to enhance program efficiency.
- Established a critical Elasticsearch instance to support the US Army Global Cyber Center’s transition to the Unified Security Information and Event Management (USIEM) system.
- Oversee enterprise IT infrastructure, focusing on cloud scalability, cost optimization, and high-availability systems for a large federal contractor.
IronNet Cybersecurity
June 2018 – October 2023
Director of Infrastructure Engineering
Highlights
- Led a 13-member Cloud Infrastructure team, achieving multi-million-dollar cost savings through strategic product re-architecture and cloud efficiency initiatives.
- Optimized flagship product spin-up times, significantly improving the customer onboarding experience and overall system responsiveness.
- Managed a massive global multi-tenant OpenSearch/Elasticsearch platform, ensuring data availability and performance across multiple AWS regions.
- Deployed and maintained hundreds of production Kubernetes clusters, ensuring security and stability for mission-critical cybersecurity applications.
- Established comprehensive health and monitoring initiatives to support 24/7 reliability across all customer segments.
Selection Pressure / Ion Channel
January 2016 – June 2018
Senior DevOps Engineer
Highlights
- Built robust CI/CD pipelines for seamless containerized deployments to AWS ECS, automating the release lifecycle.
- Developed and published 'PyIonic', a Python library on PyPi, to facilitate streamlined API access for users of the Ion Channel platform.
- Engineered serverless reporting and testing engines using Python, AWS Lambda, and Fargate to provide real-time system insights.
- Implemented automated AWS environment provisioning using Troposphere to generate repeatable CloudFormation templates.
Berico Technologies
February 2013 – December 2015
Principal Systems Engineer
Highlights
- Directed all enterprise AWS utilization, optimizing EC2 and cloud-native services for SysOps and DevOps operations.
- Automated monitoring client configurations using SaltStack, ensuring standardized reporting across the infrastructure.
- Deployed ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) for centralized logging, transforming troubleshooting and data analysis capabilities.
- Implemented OpenAudit to automate hardware discovery and configuration change detection for sensitive government data centers.
Sierra Nevada Corporation
June 2011 – February 2013
Field Service Engineer
Highlights
- Delivered prompt and comprehensive computer systems support to field operations, encompassing both Windows and Linux platforms.
- Safeguarded and upheld the integrity of enterprise environments by maintaining and fortifying infrastructure, including Dell servers and VMware virtual machines.
- Enhanced network reliability and responsiveness by implementing a robust Nagios monitoring system hosted on a virtual Fedora server.
- Managed and maintained a highly efficient Postfix mail server hosted on a virtual Fedora server, proficiently handling thousands of emails per month.
- Designed and implemented an open-source trouble ticket system (OTRS 3.2) to streamline incident management.
AT&T
June 2009 – June 2011
System Administrator/Telephone Technician
Highlights
- Led a team in orchestrating comprehensive upgrades for thousands of Dell computers within a four-month timeframe.
- Enhanced site infrastructure and bandwidth allocation to improve service quality for customers and equipment.
- Maintained and operated critical components including SCCM, Active Directory, and Cisco/Foundry networks.
- Managed the strategic deployment of advanced VoIP networks to modernize communication systems.
U.S. Army / U.S. Army Reserves
January 2006 – March 2012
Counterintelligence Agent
Highlights
- Spearheaded counterintelligence operations in Iraq (OIF 07-08) with the 525 BFSB, conducting threat assessments and safeguarding sensitive personnel and data.
- Analyzed multi-source intelligence to provide tactical and strategic insights for military decision-makers.
- Conducted complex investigations and security interviews to mitigate insider threats and external security risks.
- Coordinated with coalition intelligence agencies to share critical information and enhance regional security postures.
Volunteer
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3285
April 2022 – December 2025
Chairperson, New Building Committee
Directed the multi-year planning and construction project for a new Post facility, concluding with a successful grand opening in December 2025.
Highlights
- Successfully delivered the new facility on time for the December 2025 grand opening, overseeing all final inspections and transitions.
- Managed a multi-million dollar budget and led a 26-person committee to align facility requirements with community and veteran needs.
- Coordinated with contractors, architects, and local Frederick authorities to ensure full regulatory compliance and project excellence.
Frederick County Veterans Advisory Council
2024 – Present
Chairman
Lead advisory efforts to local government on issues affecting the veteran community in Frederick County.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3285
June 2020 – June 2021
Commander
Led and represented VFW Post 3285, advancing its mission and serving the needs of veterans and their communities.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, District 7
June 2023 – June 2024
Sr. Vice Commander
TechFrederick
2017 – 2023
Advisory Board Member
Provided strategic guidance to the Frederick tech community, fostering growth, networking, and industry-standard governance.
Amazon Web Services Frederick Meetup Group
2016 – Present
Founder and Organizer
Founded and led the AWS Frederick Meetup Group, fostering knowledge sharing and community engagement in cloud technology.
Python Frederick Meetup Group
2015 – Present
Co-Organizer
Collaborated in the management and growth of the Python Frederick Meetup Group.
Projects
- ADS-B Data Collection: Custom Python scripts to capture and aggregate open-source aircraft data for cloud analysis.
- Get Tested COVID-19: Scalable architecture on Amazon ECS providing resources for testing center discovery.
- VFW Website Template: Static site generator pipeline for local VFW Posts to establish a streamlined online presence.
- MapFrederick.city: AWS-hosted dynamic map data solution and finalist in the 2017 AWS City on the Cloud challenge.
Contact
Frederick, Maryland 21702 US
301-466-7559
Education
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2025 Present
Southern New Hampshire University
Bachelor of Science
Business Administration (Project Management focus)
Grade: In Progress
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2005 2006
Cochise College
Associates
Intelligence Operations
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2005 2005
U.S. Army
Advanced Individual Training
Counterintelligence
Skills
Security & Compliance
CMMC 2.0
NIST 800-171
Security Onion
LUKS Encryption
Identity & Access Management (Entra ID)
Cloud & Infrastructure
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure
VMware
Kubernetes
Docker
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
Engineering & Automation
Python
Ansible
Salt
PowerShell
GitHub Actions
ElasticSearch/OpenSearch