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Matthew Jones

AI & ICT Strategy and Technology Consultant | Infra/Cloud/Security Architect | Modern Workplace Specialist and Technical Lead

Academic

  • Bachelor of Computing Systems (BCS)
  • Certificate in Architectural Draughting (CAD)

Certification & IT Training

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect
  • Certified VMware Cloud Expert
  • VMware VCP6-DTM
  • ITIL Service Management Essentials
  • ITIL Practitioner Configuration Change & Release
  • Microsoft MCSC
  • Infomap Technical Writing
  • Cisco Networking Technologies Essentials

Personal Qualities

  • Excellent communication skills, both written & verbal

  • Strong leadership & ability to act on initiative

  • Highly resourceful & problem-solving oriented

  • Committed to continuous improvement & professional growth

  • Customer-focused mindset, ensuring high-quality service delivery

  • Ability to perform well under pressure & in positions of responsibility

Personal IntErests

Outside of technology & work I enjoy time spent with family & friends. over 40 years playing rugby at various levels have left my knees needing a rest so I like to keep fit now at the gym or by cycling or walking at least an hour a day. I enjoy making music & perform on occasion with guitar & vocal. Flying is also a huge passion of mine. I am currently going through the process of obtaining my Private Pilot's license.

other WORK HISTORY

2008-2008 - Senior Technical Specialist - Vector Ltd (Contract)

2007-2008 - System Specialist - Unisys (Contract)

2005-2007 - Desktop, Infrastructure & Network Specialist - Ministry of Justice

2000-2005 - Regional IT Support Advisor - Ministry of Justice

References

Available on request.

Summary

Highly accomplished IT professional with a wealth of experience designing, implementing & managing secure, scalable enterprise solutions. Proven track record in optimising infrastructure, cloud & modern workplace environments to enhance operational efficiency & security. Adept at leading cross-functional teams, driving digital transformation & enhancing security & resilience through well-architected modern technology solutions. Strong expertise in cloud migrations, modern workplace, emerging AI solutions, IT security & governance, with additional strengths in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement & both business & technical analysis.

Work History

Oct/2017Apr/2025

Senior Technical Lead – Infrastructure & Architecture

Loyalty New Zealand
  • Led the oversight, technical delivery, maintenance & monitoring of Loyalty NZ’s ICT infrastructure to ensure seamless operations & alignment with organisational objectives. Led enterprise architecture & strategic planning initiatives to align technology with business goals.
  • Led the architectural design & technical implementation for multiple, key  migrations, including Datacenter to VMware on AWS production migration (completed March 2022) & VMware on AWS to full AWS production migration (completed November 2024).
  • Championed Microsoft 365 Copilot, Viva, Power Platform, Azure & OpenAI, crafting business cases & user stories that underpinned an AI-driven modern-workplace stack.
  • Architected & implemented Zscaler ZIA, ZPA & ZDX solutions to secure remote access & improve user browsing security & network performance across enterprise environments.
  • Engaged cross-functional stakeholders to capture requirements & define ICT & AI strategic goals, aligning outcomes with Loyalty NZ’s business roadmap.
  • Designed & deployed multiple Modern Workspace solutions, OS upgrades & initiatives across Mac & Windows platforms using Intune, Autopilot, Workspace ONE, Jamf & other MDM tools. Extensive experience delivering modern workspace VDI solutions through Horizon View & Microsoft AVD deployments.
  • Led migrations from legacy systems to modern Microsoft 365 services, including SharePoint, Exchange & other Workplace tools, leveraging AI driven automation & Power Automate to enhance governance & productivity. Collaborated closely with stakeholders to gather requirements & ensure seamless, disruption free transitions.
  • Extensive experience with Microsoft 365, including Defender, Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams etc, ensuring secure & efficient collaboration. Skilled in Azure SSO implementation using SAML & OAuth.
  • Collaborated with Dev & DevOps teams using Docker, Kubernetes (EKS) CI/CD Pipelines, using Github & Agile frameworks including Jira & other Atlassian apps. 
  • Collaborated with the Chief Security Manager to architect & implement technical security solutions, aligning with the organisation's security strategy. Translated security & data-governance strategy into scalable solutions (Defender, Purview, AI-assisted threat analytics) through impact analysis & stakeholder collaboration.
  • Designed, implemented & configured multiple enterprise security solutions, including Zscaler, email filtering, anti-phishing, antivirus/malware, EDR & application control (via Threatlocker). Managed DMARC, SPF & DKIM to enhance email security & prevent spoofing.
  • Worked in partnership with internal teams, managed service providers & security risk managers to scope projects, review proposals & statements of work, ensure compliance with security standards, challenge inefficiencies in upgrades or implementations & efficiently minimise business risks.
Dec/2016Oct/2017

Architect

Ministry of Education
  • Provided architectural direction, design & documentation for the ESTI programme, enabling shared hybrid infrastructure & ICT services for sector organisations & Ministry of Education business groups.
  • Created Solution Architecture Descriptions (SADs) & associated documentation to support the onboarding of Education Sector agencies to the ESTI platform.
  • Conducted analysis & requirements gathering to facilitate datacenter migrations & onboarding processes for sector agencies.
  • Developed conceptual migration methods for sector agency datacenters, translating logical designs into actionable technical processes & producing detailed designs for implementation.
  • Designed solutions & produced documentation for on-premise & Azure toolsets, including Identity Management, Privileged Access Management (PIM), Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA), Security Information Event Management (SIEM) & Operations Management Suite (OMS).
  • Prepared cost estimates, business case documentation, installation guides, run procedure manuals, testing plans & scripts to ensure service readiness for various cloud-based & on-premise tools & services under the ESTI platform.
  • Operated within highly regulated sectors, with experience aligning solutions to compliance & security requirements similar to those in financial services
Jul/2016 Dec/2016

Solution Architect / Technical Lead

Ministry of Education
  • Development & documentation of the Solution Architecture Description (SAD) & associated detailed design for the re-platforming project.
  • Comprehensive technical design covering both front-end IIS/UI components & back-end SQL systems, ensuring seamless integration with Ministry student applications & other systems.
  • Leadership of the technical implementation team, providing direction to align with Ministry infrastructure, processes & security requirements.
  • Oversight of external vendors managing elements of Ministry infrastructure, including collaboration with Datacom & F5 on relevant solution design aspects.
  • Coordination & support for solution penetration testing in conjunction with internal & external security teams, identifying risks, controls & implementing mitigations where necessary.
  • Steering the project through Certification & Accreditation (C&A), including risk assessments related to security/privacy management; guiding one application into production as an interim Project Manager.
Jun/2013 Jul/2016

Senior Systems Administrator

Dimension Data
  • Led the design, build, maintenance, support & documentation of the Ministry of Education's IT infrastructure across two Datacom-managed data centres, Kapua (Production) & Orbit (DR & Pre-Production), encompassing over 100 physical servers over 2000 virtual servers, appliances & desktops.
  • Contributed as a technical resource for an award-winning server migration project from Wellington to Kapua & Orbit data centres.
  • Played a key role in the development & implementation of New Zealand's first two-way Disaster Recovery capability between Kapua & Orbit using VMware SRM.
  • Served as architect & technical lead on the Airwatch MDM project for Special Education mobile users, including the design, deployment, maintenance, support & documentation of an on-premise VDI solution.
  • Oversaw multiple VMware-related initiatives such as ESX host cluster design/management, vSAN sizing/configuration/maintenance, VM capacity planning via vRealize & Horizon View Desktop Services infrastructure with AppVolumes/User Environment Manager.
  • Collaborated in F5 solution design with Datacom for load balancing (GTM/ASM/LTM), while providing expert guidance on diverse projects like datacenter relocations, building transitions & DR failover testing processes.
Nov/2008 Jun/2013

Senior Infrastructure Specialist

NZTA
  • Managed the design & implementation of IT infrastructure for key projects, including Johnston’s Hill, Victoria Park & Waterview Tunnels.
  • Designed, built, administered & supported VMware ESX host & guest server clusters to ensure reliable operation.
  • Played a pivotal technical role in constructing a scalable video wall system within the new traffic management center.
  • Maintained, configured & supported MS  Exchange & other messaging systems. Technically responsible for Upgrades/Migrations of these systems.
  • Administered network security protocols, including patching, firewall configuration & backup/restoration systems using Commvault.
  • Oversaw Hitachi SAN administration, Brocade fiber switching for redundancy & zoning, as well as IBM Blade/XSeries server hardware support.