## Daniel LaForce

# Systems Administrator & IT Expert Network & Cyber Security Professional Infrastructure & Systems Architect DevOps & Automation Expert

Helping businesses run faster, safer, and smarter—through automated infrastructure, secure architecture, and real-world engineering.

> Ready for deployment...
Lab Status: Online
> Monitoring infrastructure...
> CPU load: Normal
> RAM usage: 42%
> Network: Stable
> Containers: 23 running
> Backing up critical data...
> Status: All systems operational
View Portfolio View Resume

### Solving Complex IT Challenges

#### Seamless Microsoft 365 Migrations

Executed with 60% less downtime than industry average

#### Secure Remote Work Infrastructure

Zero-trust architecture implementation for distributed teams

#### Automated DevOps Pipelines

Reducing deployment times by up to 85% with CI/CD automation

#### Containerized Application Deployment

Simplified scaling and maintenance with Kubernetes orchestration

#### Enterprise-Level System Administration

99.98% uptime across critical infrastructure components

#### Network Infrastructure Optimization

40% reduced latency and improved throughput for business applications

#### Responsive Technical Support

Average ticket resolution time reduced by 68% through process optimization

#### Server Consolidation & Virtualization

35% cost reduction while improving redundancy and disaster recovery

# Professional Portfolio

A selection of my most impactful technical work across various domains and technologies.

### Enterprise Data Center Deployment

Novus Professional Services
June 2023 - December 2023

Complete data center build-out from ground up, including rack design, power distribution, cooling optimization, precise cable management using CAD-designed pathways, and redundant network topology implementation. Integrated custom-fabricated components using mechanical engineering principles and 3D-printed mounting solutions for specialized equipment.

Infrastructure Design Network Engineering CAD/3D Modeling Linux Mechanical Engineering Soldering/Fabrication Thermal Management
View Gallery

### TerraMappix Land Claim Mapping Service

Inovin LLC
January 2023 - Present

Developed TerraTracer, a Python/Node.js geospatial engine powering TerraMappix.com. Converts BLM coordinates and legal metes-and-bounds into precise, GIS-ready property maps with accuracy down to 1.08 inches. Built for mining firms, prospectors, and land managers, featuring topo overlays and automated claim boundary validation.

Custom GIS Solutions Land Survey Data BLM Integration Geospatial Analysis Python Web Development
Visit Website

### SharePoint & M365 Migrations

Enterprise Migrations
March 2022 - November 2023

Seamless migration of enterprise data from legacy systems to Microsoft 365 environments. Successfully transitioned organizations from on-premises file servers, Dropbox, Google Workspace, and Egnyte to SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business, with minimal disruption and comprehensive user adoption training. Utilized PowerShell automation for large-scale transfers.

SharePoint Online OneDrive Teams Exchange Online PowerShell Migration Tools Systems Administration
Case Study

### TerraTracer Geospatial Engine

Inovin LLC
October 2023 - Present

A Python-based geospatial mapping solution focused on lode/placer claim mapping, property delineation, and GIS integration. Leveraging powerful libraries to provide efficient mapping capabilities for mining, civil engineering, and land management applications, automating complex coordinate transformations.

Python GeoPandas Matplotlib GIS GDAL/OGR
GitHub Repo

### Full-Stack Web Development Solutions

LaForceIT
2021 - Present

End-to-end web solutions for businesses of all sizes, from responsive frontend designs to robust backend systems deployed on containerized infrastructure. Specializing in interactive dashboards, e-commerce platforms, and custom web applications with seamless API integrations.

JavaScript/TypeScript React/Vue/Svelte Node.js/Python API Integration Docker SQL/NoSQL
Visit Example

### AI-Driven Used Car Price Prediction Model

Western Governors University (Capstone)
January 2023 - March 2023

An AI-powered car price estimator combining extensive data analysis with machine learning. Features comprehensive data preprocessing, a Random Forest Regression model with over 90% accuracy, and an interactive Jupyter Notebook interface for exploration and prediction.

Python Machine Learning Scikit-Learn Pandas Data Analysis Jupyter
GitHub Repo

### Infrastructure Monitoring Dashboard

Personal Project / Live Lab
2022 - Present

A custom, real-time monitoring solution for my home lab infrastructure. Features metrics visualization (via Grafana), service status tracking, and resource allocation management, built with web technologies and pulling data from Prometheus/other sources.

Kubernetes (K3s) Prometheus Grafana JavaScript Docker Ansible
Live Demo

### Enterprise Ansible Automation

Infrastructure Automation Projects
2021 - Present

Developing and managing comprehensive Ansible implementations. Designing reusable roles, complex playbooks, and integrating with CI/CD (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) for automated infrastructure deployment, configuration management (Linux/Windows), and application orchestration.

Ansible AWX/Tower YAML GitLab CI/GitHub Actions Jinja2 Infrastructure as Code
Ansible Sandbox

### CPE WiFi Firmware Test Bed Prototype

Infrastructure Engineering Project
October 2022 - February 2023

Designed and built a sophisticated testing environment for customer premises equipment (CPE) with full remote access capabilities for firmware development and QA testing. Includes thermal safeguards, optimized wiring structure (Visio diagrams), and robust equipment integration with WAN-facing accessibility.

Visio/Diagramming Hardware Integration Network Engineering Systems Administration Linux Remote Access (VPN/SSH) Firmware Testing Electrical Engineering
View Diagrams

## Standard Operating Procedures

Examples of comprehensive documentation and process guides for technical operations.

Infrastructure

### Kubernetes Cluster Deployment & Maintenance

Complete guide to setting up, configuring, and maintaining production-grade Kubernetes clusters (e.g., K3s, RKE2), including security best practices (RBAC, NetworkPolicies), monitoring/logging setup, backup strategies, and upgrade procedures.

Security

### Zero Trust Network Implementation Guide

Step-by-step procedures for implementing zero trust security architecture using tools like Cloudflare Access/Tunnel or self-hosted alternatives. Covers identity verification (SSO/MFA), network segmentation (VLANs, Firewalls), least privilege access control, and device posture checks.

Automation / DevOps

### Ansible Playbook Development Standards

Guidelines and best practices for developing maintainable and scalable Ansible automation. Includes role structure conventions, variable management (inventory, group_vars, host_vars), secrets handling (Vault), idempotency checks, linting/testing (Molecule), and GitOps integration patterns.

Cloud / Migration

### M365 Tenant-to-Tenant Migration

Comprehensive workflow for planning and executing complex Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migrations. Covers pre-migration assessment (data volume, dependencies), identity mapping, tool selection (e.g., BitTitan, ShareGate), phased execution strategy (mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams), communication plan, and post-migration validation.

## Expert Services

Comprehensive IT solutions tailored to your business needs, from network infrastructure to cloud migration.

### System Administration

Expert management of Windows & Linux servers, virtualization, and cloud infrastructure. Ensuring your systems remain secure, optimized and reliable.

Windows Server Linux VMware Proxmox

### Network Engineering

Design and implementation of robust network infrastructures. Specializing in routing, switching, firewalls (pfSense/OPNsense), and secure network solutions (VPN, VLANs).

pfSense OPNsense VPN VLAN

### Cloud & Virtualization

Implementation and management of virtualization (VMware, Proxmox) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes/K3s) technologies. Cloud integration & migration (Azure focus).

Docker Kubernetes K3s Azure

### M365 Migrations & Management

Seamless migration to Microsoft 365, tenant administration, and automation. Expertise in Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Azure AD integration.

Exchange Online SharePoint Azure AD Teams

### IT Security

Implementing robust security measures: Zero Trust architecture (Cloudflare), firewall configuration, VPN setup, endpoint security hardening, vulnerability assessment, and security audits.

Zero Trust Cloudflare Endpoint Security Auditing

### DevOps & Automation

Streamlining operations with Infrastructure as Code (Ansible), CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions), and scripting (Python, PowerShell, Bash) for efficient workflows.

Ansible Python PowerShell Bash

## Live Infrastructure Lab

I maintain a production-grade homelab that serves as both a testing ground and showcase for my technical skills. View real-time stats and deployed services.

### Lab Architecture

My lab runs on Proxmox VE hypervisors hosting VMs and LXC containers. Workloads are managed via Docker Swarm and a K3s Kubernetes cluster, exposed securely through Cloudflare Zero Trust tunnels and an OPNsense firewall. Infrastructure is managed via Ansible.

#### Core Components:

- Proxmox VE Cluster
- OPNsense Firewall (HA Pair)
- K3s Kubernetes Cluster
- Docker Swarm
- Traefik Ingress / Load Balancer
- Gitea, TrueNAS SCALE, Monitoring Stack
- Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnels
- Ansible Automation (AWX)

View Live Dashboard Ansible Sandbox

### Real-Time Metrics

Cluster Status ONLINE
CPU Usage --%
Memory --%
Storage (ZFS) --%
K3s Nodes --

#### Key Active Services:

Gitea
VSCode Server
Monitoring (Prom/Graf)
Synology NAS 1
Synology NAS 2
Proxmox Hypervisor
Argobox Node 1
Argobox Node 2
Traefik
K3s API
Cloudflared
FileBrowser
OpenWebUI/Ollama
Obsidian LiveSync
Ansible Sandbox (On Demand)
Plex
AdGuard Home

### Example Deployment (GitOps via Flux)

Services are deployed declaratively to Kubernetes using FluxCD, pulling manifests from Gitea:

`# flux/apps/gitea/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
kind: Kustomization
metadata:
name: gitea
namespace: flux-system
spec:
interval: 10m0s
path: ./kubernetes/apps/default/gitea/app
prune: true
sourceRef:
kind: GitRepository
name: home-ops
dependsOn:
- name: longhorn # Ensure storage is ready
# --- Corresponding Deployment/Service/Ingress manifests in path ---`
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