Hands-on seniority
I still work directly with Windows Server, Microsoft 365, Hyper-V, backups, networking and difficult technical incidents.
SENIOR IT INFRASTRUCTURE · MICROSOFT CLOUD · IT OPERATIONS
Willem Grobler
Senior Infrastructure Engineer · Microsoft 365 & Azure · IT Operations
I keep business-critical IT environments available, recoverable and secure. My background spans hands-on Windows and Microsoft cloud engineering, MSP service delivery and IT leadership across aerospace, manufacturing, government and healthcare.
Based in South Africa · Open to fully remote international opportunities
110+Current Users Supported
120Microsoft 365 Accounts
39Multi-site Locations
99.9%Service Availability
ABOUT
Senior enough to lead. Technical enough to stay hands-on.
I’m an IT infrastructure and operations professional with more than 20 years in enterprise, MSP, government, aerospace and manufacturing environments.
My current role combines technical administration with operational ownership. I still troubleshoot difficult server, Microsoft 365, backup, network and application incidents, while also managing staff, budgets, vendors, licensing, security controls and infrastructure lifecycle decisions.
I’m now targeting fully remote senior infrastructure, Microsoft cloud, MSP engineering and IT operations roles where practical judgement and ownership matter as much as the technology itself.
WHY HIRE ME
What I bring to a remote infrastructure team.
Operational ownership
My role extends beyond administration into budgets, vendors, licensing, staff supervision, lifecycle planning and business continuity.
MSP perspective
I have supported multiple customer environments with different priorities, technical estates and service expectations.
Recovery experience
I have restored an entire department from enterprise backups after a major infrastructure failure.
Microsoft cloud
I administer Microsoft 365, Azure, Entra ID, Intune, Defender, MFA and Conditional Access in production environments.
Remote-ready
I am based in South Africa and specifically targeting fully remote international infrastructure and IT operations roles.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Microsoft-first infrastructure, backed by real operations experience.
Microsoft Cloud
Microsoft 365, Azure, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive
Identity & Endpoint
Entra ID, Intune, MFA, Conditional Access and Microsoft Defender
Infrastructure
Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, Hyper-V and VMware
Backup & Recovery
Veeam, Backup Exec, restore operations, recovery planning and disaster recovery
Networking & Security
TCP/IP, VPN, VLANs, Cisco networking and Sophos firewalls
Enterprise Systems
SYSPRO, Teamcenter, CATIA, Jarrison and business-critical engineering systems
SELECTED CASE STUDIES
Evidence behind the resume.
The strongest parts of my background are easier to understand as outcomes than as technology lists.
MICROSOFT CLOUD
Microsoft 365 & Azure Migration
Large-scale public-sector cloud transitionLed or played a key technical role in migrating the Limpopo Department of Health and Social Development to Microsoft 365 and Azure.
Read case study →DISASTER RECOVERY
Department-Wide Recovery
Business operations restored from enterprise backupsRecovered an entire department after a major infrastructure failure, using tested restore processes and disciplined recovery verification.
Read case study →WINDOWS SERVER · ACTIVE DIRECTORY
Active Directory Time Synchronisation
Domain time hierarchy restored and verifiedTraced an Active Directory time-skew issue, corrected the authoritative time source and verified domain synchronisation using Windows Time diagnostics.
Read case study →EXPERIENCE
From technical support to infrastructure leadership.
2023 — Present
IT Manager / Senior IT Administrator
Paramount Aerospace Industries
- Lead IT operations supporting approximately 110 users across business, engineering and manufacturing functions.
- Administer Microsoft 365 for approximately 120 users across Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Entra ID, Intune and Defender.
- Manage 12 Windows Servers and 10 Hyper-V virtual machines while maintaining close to 99.9% service availability.
- Manage MFA, Conditional Access, backup and recovery, infrastructure lifecycle, vendors, budgets and business-critical systems.
2019 — 2023
IT Engineer
CHM Vuwani First Technology
- Delivered Microsoft cloud and infrastructure services in an MSP environment supporting customer estates of approximately 20 to 600 users.
- Administered approximately 21 Windows Servers plus VMware and Hyper-V environments.
- Performed Microsoft 365 and Azure migrations, including the Limpopo Department of Health and Social Development.
2015 — 2019
IT Technical Lead
IT Masters
- Administered Windows Server, Office 365, Hyper-V, VMware, firewalls and backup solutions across MSP customer environments.
- Provided technical leadership to a team of approximately 10 people while remaining hands-on with escalated technical work.
PROJECTS
Using AI and modern tooling to solve practical IT problems.
Selected projects built around service management, infrastructure operations, reporting and knowledge capture.
Grovoris
IT service-management platform covering ticketing, CMDB, asset discovery, service workflows and knowledge capture.
View project →Quality Operations Dashboard
Read-only operational dashboard for calibration, NCR and approved-supplier visibility.
View project →PAI Quality Dashboard
Dashboard work focused on operational quality visibility and spreadsheet-backed reporting.
View project →GitHub Portfolio
Additional infrastructure, automation and application projects.
View project →CERTIFICATIONS
Technical foundations built over a long IT career.
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)VMware VCP6-DCVITIL FoundationCompTIA Network+CompTIA A+Cyberoam CCNSPCertified Novell Administrator
CONTACT
Need someone who can own the problem and still do the technical work?
I’m available for fully remote international roles in senior infrastructure engineering, Microsoft 365/Azure, MSP engineering and IT operations.
South Africa basedRemote internationalMicrosoft infrastructureMSP experience