During our search for new team members, ProActive Solutions looks for IT professionals with extensive experience. When we chose Ken Foote as our new IT Infrastructure Leader, we were impressed by his credentials as a nearly 30-year IT infrastructure expert.
ProActive is excited to welcome Ken to our team. Ken’s strong foundation in network infrastructure and engineering makes him a key player in ProActive’s efforts to strengthen our clients’ network environments.
Career Journey
The trajectory of Ken’s career reflects his desire to expand expertise while developing core competency in network infrastructure. Ken’s career has progressed from providing technical support for production systems, at Ford Motor’s Kansas City assembly plant, to serving as IT Infrastructure Manager (Networks) at Cornerstone Building Brands. Here’s an overview of some of the milestones in Ken’s career that show his evolution.
Ford Motor Company
At Ford in Kansas City, Ken honed his problem-solving skills and learned to interact directly with senior management in critical situations.
New Century Computer Solutions
Ken was responsible for the installation, connectivity, and maintenance of various hardware and software systems, at New Century Computer Solutions. His systems engineering efforts involved Microsoft server and desktop operating systems, server and back-office applications, and networking hardware.
TEKSYSTEMS (UtiliCorp United)
Ken’s focus on network engineering solidified at TEKSYSTEMS, where he engaged in conceptual network design, standards compliance, project planning and implementation, and budget management.
Heartland MLS
He further developed his network expertise at Heartland MLS, where he served as Senior Network Engineer, managing all network infrastructure, including Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and Internet Hosting, as well as Windows server and Telecom services.
PNC Bank
Ken broadened his skillset to encompass systems administration, systems engineering, project planning, server management, and various applications through his work at PNC Bank.
Ply Gem
Ken’s role at Ply Gem showcased his ability to manage infrastructure projects and resources, including system engineers, helpdesk personnel, and technical vendors.
Cornerstone Building Brands
Most recently, as IT Infrastructure Manager (Networks) at Cornerstone Building Brands, Ken was responsible for the IT network infrastructure across numerous sites in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Network Infrastructure Expertise
Ken’s career path shows how he continued to develop his core competencies in designing, evaluating, and upgrading a wide range of enterprise network infrastructure environments, including LAN, WAN, and WLAN infrastructures. Ken’s designs reflect enterprise network engineering best practices with an emphasis on performance, security, and scalability.
For example, his experience at TEKSYSTEMS included LAN evaluation, recommendations for site upgrades to corporate standard Cisco hardware, and campus LAN network configuration for VoIP implementation. This early work on Cisco hardware standards and campus LANs laid the groundwork for high availability networks and disaster recovery solution implementation for critical services in complex environments.
Systems Engineering & Infrastructure Management
Ken’s experience at PNC Bank included systems engineering, infrastructure project planning, server support, Storage Area Network (SAN) provisioning, and secure file-transfer solutions. His hands-on role in Windows server deployments, SAN hardware, and secure network environments expanded the breadth of this technical expertise.
Global Leadership & Project Management
Ken’s most recent position as IT Infrastructure Manager at Cornerstone shows his capacity for global IT leadership through his ability to oversee multi-site infrastructure environments across the US, Canada, and Mexico. His work at Cornerstone involved leading a team of engineers, supporting a variety of hardware and service vendors, and providing hands-on support to resolve major network issues and outages. His work at Ply Gem demonstrates Ken’s project management skills, including his ability to lead multiple teams.
Certifications & Continuous Learning
Throughout his career, Ken has augmented his practical experience with certifications from industry-leading vendors, including Microsoft (MCSE+I), IBM (PSE), Check Point (CCSE), and Motorola (WiMax Enterprise Deployment Specialist). Ken’s industry-leading certifications validate his expertise and show his commitment to professional ongoing growth.
Strengthening the ProActive Solutions Team
Ken’s unique skill set supports ProActive Solution’s mission of delivering robust, scalable, and secure enterprise infrastructure solutions, including those for networking.
Ken’s network engineering and leadership abilities directly enhance ProActive’s service offerings and promote client success.
Experience the advantage of working with ProActive experts like Ken. Request a consultation for IT services.
