An experienced and well-rounded technology professional in systems engineering with a proven track record of over 20 years in enterprise operating systems, server infrastructure, web development, and Linux systems administration. Thrives on challenging opportunities for professional growth and advancement across all aspects of the technology landscape.
A strong team player willing to embrace 24/7 on-call rotations and travel when required. Excels in dynamic and complex environments, solving intricate problems with enthusiasm. Passionate about the ever-evolving field of Unix Systems. Committed to staying abreast of the latest technology trends.
Maintains strategic partnerships and direct sponsorship from renowned technology leaders such as Cisco, Datadog, SolarWinds, Zoho Corporation, and numerous other industry-leading companies.
Favorite quote: “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford
Snapshot Bio
In 1996 my parents purchased a desktop PC with a CRT monitor and enrolled for dial-up internet. This enabled my interest in the internet and information technology to grow even more.
At the time, options for tech-related education were limited on the island. Regardless, I made it a goal to become a web developer. After high school, I enrolled in NRI schools (McGraw-Hill Education) for a remote course in web development. By 1999, I started working as a web developer with the “Antigua Sun” Newspaper.
Also, in the late 90s, I created purehonda.com as a business startup, which grew to over 200k monthly visitors and 50k members.
PureHonda was featured in Sport Compact Car, Super Street [2 times], and Honda Tuning before I sold it on Sept 10th, 2001, the day before the 9/11 attacks and just before the dot-com crash.
In 2004, I launched PinStack.com, a smartphone discussion community. Then in 2009, I sold it. By then, it had grown to over 3 million monthly pageviews and 700k members.
These and other websites allowed me to achieve my goal of becoming a web developer and also helped in expanding my knowledge and experience in Linux server and application performance.
Looking back, I was employed full-time for almost ten years, where I gained added hands-on experience with PC support, IT support and finally, network routing and switching.
Currently, I run StackLinux.com – Linux web hosting – while supporting clients from the island of St. Kitts.
Work Experience
Antigua Computer Technology Nov 1998 — May 2000| IT Technician
— Comprehensive support services, internet, phone, PC/server support, networking, and troubleshooting.
— Web development initiatives.
In my role as an IT Technician, I delivered comprehensive support services encompassing internet, phone, on-location assistance, PC/server support, networking, and troubleshooting. Additionally, I provided out-call support for computer and network issues, which involved complete LAN setup for corporate clients. I also contributed to web development initiatives.
Antigua Sun Newspaper October 2002 — July 2003 | Web Developer
— Daily online edition deployment for the newspaper.
— User-friendly back-end system for seamless maintenance.
Assigned with the responsibility of executing the daily deployment of an online edition for the newspaper. Subsequently, established a user-friendly back-end system that allowed seamless maintenance by the staff, ensuring a smooth handover process.
Free Trade & Processing Zone May 2001 — Jan 2002 | Webmaster & Web Developer
— Developed/maintained websites for prestigious organizations.
Took on the role of developing and maintaining websites for prestigious organizations such as the Free Trade & Processing Zone and ABIIT (Antigua & Barbuda International Institute of Technology).
Antigua Wireless Ventures (AT&T Wireless/Digicel) Feb 2002 — Jul 2005 | Desktop Support & Server Admin
— Desktop support, LAN setup for corporate clients.
— Maintenance of office servers, backups, email servers.
Served as a Desktop Support & Server Admin professional, initially employed by Cingular and AT&T Wireless until the acquisition by Digicel. Provided comprehensive desktop support to customer service representatives across multiple store locations. Held accountability for the maintenance of office servers, office network, backups, email servers, and the Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES). Additionally, delivered on-call 24/7 customer support to larger corporate clients.
Cable & Wireless Nov 2005 — Sept 2007 | Network Technician & Network Analyst
— Managed regional internet traffic routing.
— Technical support for corporate and residential customers.
I held a position at a local ISP in Antigua, where I had the responsibility of managing regional internet traffic routing to neighboring islands. My role encompassed providing technical support to corporate and residential customers, including routers, switches, and WiMax equipment. I also administered multiple Cisco routers, Linux and Windows servers. Additionally, I was entrusted by the General Manager to proactively monitor and analyze network/internet performance and stability for the eastern Caribbean region, as we served as the internet hub for these islands. This involved monthly team discussions to ensure optimal network operations.
EvoWise Apr 2016 — Dec 2016 | Linux Technical Engineer
— Established servers for Evowise as CDN-backed mirror.
— Optimized software and Linux distributions.
Engaged in a variety of fixed-term projects, including the successful establishment of servers for Evowise as a prominent low latency, high-speed, glabal CDN-backed mirror for popular softwhere and Linux distributions such as Apache, Debian, Ubuntu and Mariadb.
linuxblog.io 2011 — Present | Linux Systems Analyst & IT Consultant
— Specializing in remote support of web servers and applications.
— Extensive experience in resolving complex issues.
As a Linux Systems Analyst and IT Consultant, I have spent over a decade specializing in remote support and optimization of highly reliable web servers and web applications for clients worldwide. As a result, I have successfully collaborated with hundreds of clients and completed thousands of projects.
Through working with a diverse client base and managing a comprehensive project portfolio, I have acquired extensive hands-on experience in successfully resolving a wide array of issues encompassing Linux servers, server hardware, and network infrastructure. This exposure has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the complexities involved and the ability to provide effective solutions in a variety of scenarios.
linuxblog.io attracts over one million readers annually, offering a wealth of technical articles carefully crafted during my free time. Additionally, the platform features guest articles contributed by sponsors and strategic technology partners, further enriching the content and providing diverse perspectives for the readership.
StackLinux 2012 — Present | Founder and Principal Managing Partner StackLinux
— Invitation-centric service offering custom-built SSD Linux servers.
— Complete control over hosting environments, low maintenance.
StackLinux is an exclusive service offering custom-built SSD Linux servers. Our servers are meticulously designed and optimized for exceptional speed, delivering an unparalleled performance experience. Our platform has been crafted to provide clients with complete control over their hosting environments, resulting in a remarkably low-maintenance business model.
Qualifications Summary
Extensive hands-on experience gained over the past 20 years.
Throughout my career, I have wholeheartedly immersed myself in a myriad of domains, including website development, server administration, LAN and WAN networking, hosting, SEO, system audits, and a diverse array of technological landscapes. I approach my work with humility, never settle for workarounds and understand that solutions need to evolve continuously because relying on the same solutions and technologies indefinitely is not conducive to success.
Technical Proficiencies
— Extensive experience with Linux operating systems such as Red Hat, Debian, Ubuntu, etc.
— Extensive experience managing hosting infrastructure and cloud platforms in data center locations in Canada and France.
— Proficient in Windows Server administration, including the latest versions like Windows Server 2022.
— Strong knowledge of popular HTTP servers such as Apache, Nginx, and Varnish.
— Skilled MySQL DBA with expertise in optimizing MySQL databases for enhanced performance.
— Proficient in server administration best practices, troubleshooting methodologies, and performance enhancements.
— Experienced in conducting website audits to optimize page load speed, adhering to current industry best practices.
— Proficient in setting up and managing modern email server solutions using popular options such as Exim, Dovecot, Postfix.
Service Types
Anti Virus Scan & Protection, Amazon EC2 Management, CDN (Content Delivery Networks), Capacity Planning, Cloud Management, Consultancy, Control Panels, Data center Management, DNS (Domain Name System), Kernel Customization, Load Balancing, Monitoring, Networking, No Downtime Migration, Operating Systems, PCI DSS Compliance, Proactive Response, Project Management, Recovery, Script Installations, Cybersecurity & Vulnerability Scanning, Web Applications (WordPress, Magento, Drupal, etc.), etc.
Software and Applications
Bind/PowerDNS, CheckMK, Courier, cPanel/WHM, Imunify360, Iptables, KVM, Lighttpd, Litespeed, MariaDB, Memcached, Mod_Security, MySQL, Nagios, Nginx, OPcache, OpenSSH, OpenVZ, Plesk, Postfix, Proftpd, Redis, Roundcube, SELinux, bash/terminal, Vsftpd, Zabbix, etc. Script Installation and management: Bash, Nodejs, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby On Rails, etc.
Education
Certified Web Developer 1997 — 1999
McGraw-Hill National Radio Institute (NRI) NRI schools in Washington DC was previously owned and operated by McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. Since nothing web or server related was available in Antigua at the time, I was able to apply to this school and complete a certification course as a Web Developer.
Professional Development 2002 — Present
— Continuously pursued self-directed learning and professional development in various technology domains.
— Proactively acquired knowledge and skills through extensive reading, online courses, tutorials, and practical application.
— Demonstrated dedication to staying up-to-date with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices.
— Acquired in-depth understanding and proficiency in areas including Linux systems administration, web development, server infrastructure, networking, and cybersecurity.
— Engaged in hands-on projects, personal initiatives, and independent research to further enhance knowledge and expertise.
— Actively participated in technology communities, forums, and online platforms to exchange knowledge and learn from industry experts.
— Worked with hundreds of clients and completed thousands of projects across a wide range of technologies.
— Gained valuable experience and expertise by working on diverse projects spanning multiple technology domains.
— Adapted quickly to new technologies and effectively solved complex problems for clients with varied requirements.
Testimonials
“Thank you for driving the site to achieve over 99% uptime and a significantly faster page load speed across the site. You have our server optimized and we are experiencing growing traffic and increased on-site content to over 98,000 pages. Our being a reliable source of online medical information since 2003 is a hallmark of our credibility. Your service has assisted in us improving our reliability for our readership. Thanks, you are the best!” — Gina G. – urotoday.com
“After searching for a VPS hosting company, I was thrilled to come across Hayden James and StackLinux. Working with Hayden has been an amazing experience and it is very refreshing to work with someone so knowledgeable and professional. Hayden is, without a doubt best in class and knowing that my site is hosted with StackLinux and thus worry-free, it allows me to forget about the server aspect of running a web-based business and allows me to focus my attention and energy on growing my business.” — Rick P. – coachendurancesports.com
Thanks, Hayden! This is the most confident I have ever been in my server configs and I’ve been at this for 6 straight years. Many thanks to you!” — Dusty D. – versatube.com
“For several years, Hayden has been my Linux System Administrator. My design firm hosts dozens of websites on Stacklinux servers with literally zero downtime. Hayden is a brilliant, pleasant and diligent vendor who is meticulous in his work. Prior to hiring Mr. James we had several horrendous experiences with other hosting companies. Hayden took the time to work with me, explain and migrate dozens of sites to Stacklinux seamlessly. Hayden’s professionalism and desire to get it right has made a critical part of my business simple and no longer a concern. Truly he is a genius who has mastered his profession.” — Christine O. – 181agency.com
“Perfection. Hayden knows this stuff better than any SysAdmin I’ve ever worked with.” — Jordan L. – highexistence.com
“Hayden has incredible domain knowledge, is responsive and communicates well. Probably the best we’ve ever worked with.” — Jason P. – elevenwarriors.com
“We put Hayden in an interesting spot, troubleshooting a slow machine running PHP/MySQL with an unknown problem. He was successful in quickly identifying the performance issue, and tweaking the database to improve the performance to the level we needed, and did it within one evening, the day contracted. Highly recommend, extremely professional, and really cared and genuinely wanted the project to be successful, and he was.” — Josh B. – stillen.com
“Worked fast and professional on a rather tricky optimization job. He looked at all the options, told us what to do best, and got our system much faster. This guy knows all the tricks, the newest hardware, and the best options to get your system running at its best.” — Ralf T. – photographytalk.com
“Even though we’d spent years tweaking our server configurations, Hayden made numerous improvements after finding things we never thought to look for. He was also very fast and punctual, and easy to get a hold of.” — Charles K. – hawaiianbeachrentals.com
“Hayden is an excellent server administrator, he has been helping us since 2012. Features that are his strong point: dynamism, commitment to deadlines, dedication, availability, and deep knowledge of best practices applied to Linux server administration. We recommend his services with complete certainty.” — Jonatas S. – brivincorp.com
Media Mentions
Quoted in the front-page cnn.com article: ‘Unprecedented’ cyberattack involved tens of millions of IP addresses. (https://money.cnn.com/2016/10/22/technology/dyn-cyberattack/index.html) — CNN
“Hayden, thank you for your image optimization suggestion. Millions of web surfers now get a faster web experience because of it!” — Cloudflare. Technical writer for RedHat.com: “How to customize the Linux top command” (https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/customize-top-command) — RedHat.com
Technical writer for Techtarget.com: “Optimize PHP with finely tuned IT resources and settings” (https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/Optimize-PHP-with-finely-tuned-IT-resources-and-settings) — TechTarget.com
Mentioned by The HUDSON WEEKLY: “The Observability Cloud Continues to Expand and Evolve Rapidly” (https://hudsonweekly.com/the-observability-cloud-continues-to-expand-and-evolve-rapidly/) — hudsonweekly.com
Mentioned by Datadog: “Read about our thoughts on the evolution of observability in Hayden James’ blog: https://www.facebook.com/datadoghq/posts/read-about-our-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-observability-in-hayden-james-blogh/4247313885312507/ — datadoghq.com
References
Ladimer Gumbs | Manager, Business Banking | Retail Banking | CIBC FirstCaribbean – cibcfcib.com.
J Emile Ferdinand | KC, Attorney-at-Law
Dusty Dean | Chief Executive Officer | BITCADET – bitcadet.com.
Gina Carithers | Chief Communications Officer | Prostate Cancer Foundation – pcf.org.
Errol Douglas | Consulting Engineer/Project Manager | EF Douglas & Associates.
Christine Otten | Owner | 181 Agency – 181agency.com.