Daniel LaForce

Enterprise IT Solutions Architect & Security Expert

Professional Experience

Freelance IT Consultant – Infrastructure, Security & GIS Solutions

Inovin LLC
April 2023 – Present | Colorado Springs, CO
Developed TerraTracer, a GIS mapping platform used by independent mining claim prospectors to automate boundary plotting, terrain-informed site selection, and BLM/state compliance, reducing manual research by 85%.
Consulted on virtualization and DevOps projects for SMB clients, implementing Proxmox/VMware solutions, containerizing legacy apps with Docker, and orchestrating microservices with Kubernetes.
Built secure cloud environments integrating Azure AD, SSO, and VPN/firewall solutions, increasing operational resilience while aligning with HIPAA and zero-trust principles.
Automated infrastructure tasks via PowerShell, Python, and Bash, optimizing system deployment, backup routines, and monitoring pipelines.
Administered Azure AD security policies and MFA enforcement, reducing monthly vulnerabilities by at least 20% across client environments.
Served as Interim Virtual Chief Security Officer for 11 clients, conducting penetration testing using BURP Professional and managing enterprise security stack deployment including Blackpoint & Webroot (Endpoint), DNSFilter (Network), and ThreatLocker (Application Control).

Project Engineer

Anchor Point IT Solutions
December 2023 - June 2024
Executed 5 Microsoft 365 and SharePoint migrations with downtime reduced by 60%.
Implemented comprehensive security stack including BlueMira & DUO (Identity), SentinelOne (Endpoint), ConnectSecure (Network), and Email Mesh Security.
Reduced security incidents by 83% through security implementations and improved system updates by 60%.
Managed approximately 235 clients with environment sizes ranging from 30 to 1000 people.

Network Engineer II

NOVUS Professional Services, Inc.
August 2022 - March 2023
Designed and implemented a WiFi testing cage for remote firmware testing of router models (Wave2, WiFi6).
Developed Python automation for Plume device registration and Ansible scripts for network tasks.
Managed RF testing and signal verification across 9 headends and maintained network connectivity for ~100 routers across two sites.

Field Engineer

COMPUTEK Dental Systems
December 2021 - August 2022
Managed IT infrastructure for 300+ dental practices (3700+ workstations, ~300 Windows Servers).
Developed VSA Deployer application (Kaseya VSA RMM) for agent installation, reducing deployment time by 80%.
Maintained server, Hyper-V VM, and MySQL/MSSQL backups using N-Able Backups, Windows Server Backups and AIS.

End-to-End Systems Engineer

Lockheed Martin
June 2018 - December 2019
Maintained 2 IRON databases (AIMS and RAPID) with ~1800 configurations each, ensuring 100% database accuracy.
Collaborated with engineering team to implement Remote Tracking Station (RTS) configurations.
Identified and documented an average of 27 critical defects every month.

Technical Skills

Cloud & Infrastructure

Microsoft Azure Azure AD SharePoint Teams AWS EC2 S3 GCP VMware ESXi/vSphere Hyper-V Docker Kubernetes (K3s) ProxMox Traefik CI/CD

Networking

LAN/WAN VPN OSPF EIGRP STP HSRP VTP IPv4/IPv6 ACLs NAT/PAT DNS/DHCP VLANs QoS Cisco Routers Catalyst Switches ASA Firewalls UniFi Systems pfSense OPNsense

Programming/Scripting

Python JavaScript (Node.js) PowerShell Bash C/C++ SQL MySQL/MSSQL AutoHotkey Ansible

Security

Penetration Testing BURP Professional SentinelOne Blackpoint Webroot ThreatLocker Zero-Trust Architecture HIPAA Compliance BlueMira DUO DNSFilter Email Mesh Security MFA

Operating Systems

Windows Server Active Directory Group Policy Exchange Server Linux Ubuntu CentOS Debian Fedora Kali Linux Cisco IOS

GIS & Data Science

Geospatial Mapping GeoPandas GDAL/OGR KML Generation Data Visualization Machine Learning TensorFlow PyTorch Scikit-learn Pandas NumPy Matplotlib Seaborn

Management & PSA Tools

N-able N-central Kaseya VSA ConnectWise Automate ConnectWise PSA PRTG SolarWinds Addigy ImmyBot Commit Ticket CRM

Education

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

Western Governors University
June 2019 - April 2023
Activities and societies: Sigma Alpha Pi Honors Society (The National Society of Leadership and Success)
Skills: Python (Programming Language) · Project Management · Machine Learning · Team Leadership

Cyber Ops

Cisco Networking Academy
2018
Skills: Networking · Cyber-security · Cisco Technologies

Computer Science and Innovation

University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)
January 2017 - December 2017
Grade: 4.0
Skills: C++ · Team Leadership

Associate's degree, General Studies

Pikes Peak State College
2015 - 2018
Grade: 4.0
Activities and societies: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Skills: Linux · Virtual Server · C++ · System Administration · Wireless

Associate's Degree, Computer Wide Area Networks

Front Range Community College
2014 - 2016
Grade: 3.87
Activities and societies: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Magna Cum Laude honors
Skills: Virtual Server · C++ · Networking · Wireless

Certifications

Project+ (CompTIA)
Network+ (FRCC)
A+ (FRCC)
CCNA Cyber Ops (2021)
CCNA Routing & Switching (2021)
Virtual Cyber Security Officer Training (vCSO Advanced)

Notable Projects

Enterprise Data Center Deployment

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

Infrastructure Design Network Engineering CAD/3D Modeling Thermal Management

TerraMappix Land Claim Mapping Service

Developed a Python/Node.js geospatial engine powering TerraMappix that 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 and land managers.

Python Node.js Geospatial Analysis GIS

Infrastructure Monitoring Dashboard

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

Kubernetes (K3s) Prometheus Grafana Docker

CPE WiFi Firmware Test Bed Prototype

Designed and built a sophisticated testing environment for customer premises equipment (CPE) with remote access capabilities for firmware development and QA testing, including thermal safeguards and optimized wiring structure with Visio diagrams.

Network Engineering Visio/Diagramming Hardware Integration Firmware Testing