Ken Watkins

•Directed all aspects of IT budgeting, cost forecasting, and strategic financial planning; managed annual IT budget exceeding $25M

•Managed global IT operations and change control governance; participating in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, driving operational excellence through ITIL-aligned incident, problem, and change management and automated compliance tracking using SCCM, Intune, and PowerShell.

•Oversaw contract lifecycle, vendor management, and procurement negotiations for SaaS, cloud (Azure/M365), and infrastructure partners, achieving cost savings and service improvements through multi-year strategic sourcing.

•Partnered with Business, DevOps, and Engineering leads on an Agile-based global digital transformation initiative, shaping the Azure-based centralized data warehouse, driving security and licensing compliance, and co-leading deployment of dynamic asset and fund performance dashboards (Power BI, Tableau).

•Conduct annual cybersecurity training globally; developed and delivered specialized sessions for Asset Management, Property Management,  Treasury, and board-level stakeholders. Conduct annual vendor risk and privacy assessments for existing and new vendors, ensuring compliance with internal standards and third-party frameworks.

•Lead quarterly Cybersecurity Committee meetings, aligning technology strategy with risk appetite and regulatory expectations.

•IT representative for all annual operational due diligence meetings with institutional clients, covering cybersecurity posture, BCP, and core IT operations.

•Created and executed business continuity tabletop exercises globally, improving response readiness across key business units.

•Designed and implemented a PropSec (Property Security) program to strengthen cybersecurity posture across real estate assets—initiatives include public IP monitoring for vulnerabilities, OT/IT security standards embedded into third- and fourth-party vendor contracts, deployment of building-level cloud security tooling, and tailored incident response plans for properties.

•Directed IT operations and support for 400+ users across North America, serving as a trusted advisor to business leaders and key contributor to the IT Steering Committee.

•Designed and deployed a high-definition virtual property tour system (4K-capable) under a 2-week deadline during COVID-19, reducing travel costs by $250K annually and enabling uninterrupted asset inspections.

Led a $2.1M enterprise laptop and software deployment, overseeing budgeting, cost analysis, system architecture, vendor negotiation, and end-user training.

•Owned and executed software and hardware budgeting and forecasting across the regions.

•Produced and supported high-profile firm events including the Annual Investor Conference and Annual Employee Meeting with full A/V and technology planning.

•Managed a team of five, overseeing their professional development and ensuring service excellence in deskside and remote support.

•Implemented endpoint management systems, enhanced GPO policies, and automated administrative tasks using PowerShell.

•Piloted firmwide cybersecurity awareness efforts and endpoint hardening standards in collaboration with internal audit and compliance.

•Sole technology lead for a mid-sized law firm, responsible for all aspects of IT operations including infrastructure, maintenance, end-user support, cybersecurity, budgeting, and compliance.

•Designed and implemented an internal OSINT platform to monitor client and litigation activity, integrating PACER, Google, and court databases to automate alerts on legal exposure and reputational risk.

•Oversaw VOIP migration, server consolidation, and core switch upgrades—delivering all projects on time and under budget.

•Developed and enforced document retention policies and network security protocols that reduced firm liability and improved regulatory compliance.

•Built and managed the firm’s public-facing website and supported online visibility efforts, hosting, SEO for attorneys and practice groups.