Vikram Shanker

Vikram Shanker

viktechcomputers@gmail.com · 262-347-7557 · Shorewood, WI

A person in a red hoodie printed with “Benoni Defense” and a chess king, wearing an ornate layered mandala mask with glowing green eyes, standing on boulders in front of a lake.

About

I do not give up on my team. I’m a technical scuba diver and rock climbing instructor: when the team knows there is core stability, everyone grits down a little harder. I will go back and get people on track that have fallen off track in the kitchen or at station. Fast, smart flow state. Calm customers, short wait times, fresh ingredients, and optimal portion sizing. Knife skills and accurate scoops do the talking. Dishes go away if you do them.

Two climbers at Adventure Rock’s Battle of the Ages competition, arms around each other. One holds a card reading “I took 1st in my division,” the other a card reading “I took dead last in my division.”
Battle of the Ages, Adventure Rock, September 21, 2018.

Technical diving

When the team knows there is core stability, everyone grits down a little harder.

Two technical divers in drysuits, one sweeping a light across a wooden shipwreck in green water.
A diver in a black drysuit sitting on a boat, smiling, with open water and a second dive boat behind.
A diver on a boat in a harbor, grinning while assembling a regulator and wing on a tank.

Core skills

Cybersecurity
Incident Response · Vulnerability Assessment · SIEM Tuning · Risk Assessment · Compliance Auditing (HIPAA, PCI) · Endpoint Protection · Forensic Recovery
Infrastructure
Active Directory · Office 365/Azure · Hyper-V/VMware · WSUS · Veeam · SQL Server · ERP Administration · HA Clustering · WAN/LAN Architecture
Networking
Cisco/Meraki · pfSense/Fortinet · RADIUS · VLAN/VoIP · Wireless (P2P/P2MP) · Traffic Analysis · Ruleset Auditing
Tools
Splunk · Solarwinds · Netwrix · PRTG · Tenable Nessus · Microsoft Defender · Symantec EP · Burp Suite · Nmap · Kali · Wireshark
Coding
Python · PowerShell · Bash · SQL · C/C++ · HTML/CSS
Manufacturing (in progress)
CNC Mill/Lathe Operation · G-Code/M-Code · Blueprint Reading · Precision Measurement · NIMS-aligned coursework
Quality / Process
Six Sigma Green Belt · CI Methodology · Documentation · Change Management

Professional experience

Crew Member

Toppers Pizza, Milwaukee, WI

April 2026 – August 2026

  • Handled food ordering and inventory.

Shift Lead

Brute Pizza, Milwaukee, WI

August 2025 – January 2026

  • Directed three line cooks.
  • Operated kitchen station and dough preparation under Michelin-trained chef.
  • Managed prep list and order list maintenance during high-volume service.
  • Coordinated front-of-house expo and back-of-house prep with small kitchen team.

Produce Journeyperson

Outpost Natural Foods, Milwaukee, WI

2024 – 2026

  • Unloaded and prepped high-quality produce for natural grocery chain.
  • Ensured freshness and maximized lifespan of diverse seasonal produce.
  • Focused on sanitizing and reducing bacterial spoilage.

Cybersecurity Engineer

NetForward Corp, Racine, WI

April 2022 – August 2022

  • Implemented cybersecurity measures and protocols to protect corporate networks and data assets.
  • Conducted vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify and address security risks.

Manager

Chalet Motel of Mequon, Mequon, WI

August 2022 – April 2023

  • Managed daily operations including guest services, housekeeping, and maintenance.
  • Oversaw staff scheduling, training, and performance evaluations.

Landscape Technician

Gavin Landscaping, Mequon, WI

October 2021 – May 2025

  • Performed planting, trimming, and lawn maintenance across residential and commercial properties.
  • Operated landscaping equipment and tools to ensure efficient project completion.

Founder, Chief Technical Officer

Flextech Design, Shorewood, WI

June 2020 – January 2024 (dissolved)

  • Officer for an on-demand micro-manufacturing business.
  • Prototyped manufacturing process monitoring and automation.
  • Designed and implemented concept-to-fulfillment value stream.
  • Managed customer requests, vendor relationships, and technical inquiries.

Security Consultant (Contract)

Monitoring Alarm Services, Milwaukee, WI

August 2020 – November 2020

  • Responded to ongoing ransomware attack on a medium-scale business.
  • Designed remediation plan to respond and recover from the adverse security event.
  • Performed Impact and Risk assessments to identify scope and scale of mitigation.
  • Implemented Azure AD, cloud backup, MFA, MDM, asset tracking, and workstation imaging.

Infrastructure Security Engineer (Contract)

TEKsystems, Mequon, WI

February 2020 – July 2020

  • Designed and implemented security and infrastructure monitoring and alerting for MSP.
  • Deployed vulnerability scanners, performed assessments, and created remediation plans.
  • Implemented comprehensive log monitoring and tuned event alerting.

Operations Manager

Wisconsin Growers Alliance, Colgate, WI

June 2019 – January 2020

  • Managed a team of growers and laborers in a greenhouse revitalization project.

Systems Engineer (Solarwinds, Contract)

Milwaukee County via TEKsystems, Milwaukee, WI

October 2018 – May 2019

  • Iteratively tuned Solarwinds based on organizational requirements.
  • Categorized and classified errors and anomalies; developed response plans.
  • Enumerated infrastructure to identify undocumented or uninventoried resources.
  • Designed and implemented a tiered monitoring and alerting schema.
  • Developed weekly, monthly, and quarterly KPI reports for C-level administration.

Line Prep and Processing

Birch+Butcher, Milwaukee, WI

2018 – 2019

  • Butchered chicken, beef, pork, lamb for diverse menu; grilled and sautéed.
  • Recognized by Chef Owner for outstanding food knowledge.

Security / Systems / Network Engineer

OS Inc, Pewaukee, WI

August 2017 – May 2018

  • Administered IT systems in multidomain environment of 50+ users accessing 100+ healthcare providers.
  • Implemented Netwrix Auditor and SCCM to increase visibility and detection of issues.
  • Performed risk assessments and audits related to Medicare access, internal/vendor security, hardware/software licensing, HIPAA and PCI compliance.
  • Analyzed phishing emails, suspicious files, unusual activity, and indicators of compromise.
  • Upgraded domain controllers, raised functional level, and rebuilt AD using RBAC principles.
  • Developed end-user security training and education materials using emergent threat examples.

IT Manager / Systems Administrator

Construction Forms, Port Washington, WI

December 2015 – February 2017

  • Sole IT employee of international multisite manufacturing company with 150+ employees in US, Wales, and Germany.
  • Administered SQL Server and ERP databases, including writing custom SQL queries to modify and extract data in production.
  • Led contracted development team in development of manufacturing ERP database and integration with partnered concrete-pumping ERP team.
  • Defined business requirements and implemented network/server overhaul including HA Clustering, Network RAID, SSD Tiering, Fiber backbone, and redundant network distribution — $70K investment.
  • Created and maintained Active Directory structure, security and distribution groups.
  • Implemented WSUS server to standardize patch deployment and increase overall security.
  • Administered multidomain Office 365 / Exchange Online / SharePoint / OneDrive / Skype for Business deployment.

Technical Sales Manager

National Broadband (NB Tech), Milwaukee, WI

November 2014 – June 2015

  • Configured and deployed 6 routers and 15 antennas to create a WISP backbone servicing Milwaukee County.
  • Reviewed and responded to monitoring and scanning alerts; recommended and implemented changes to mitigate security issues.
  • Performed physical, data, and network security audits and analysis.
  • Performed on-site RF analysis to plan antenna installation and calibration; designed credential storage policy.
  • Acted as primary liaison for Technical Managers and Administrators during sales process.

Systems Engineer

Manage-Point, Wauwatosa, WI

April 2014 – June 2014

  • Performed administrative maintenance tasks on Microsoft-based infrastructure.
  • Configured 30+ workstations for 7 business infrastructure deployments or upgrades.
  • Resolved 40+ tickets via remote and on-site support.

Managing Technician

Riverwest Computer Repair, Milwaukee, WI

September 2013 – March 2014

  • Created standardized comprehensive deployment to maximize security, simplify usability, minimize infection rate, and create restore points.
  • Deployed PXE and NAS to centralize resources; automated diagnostics and repair via boot images and scripts.
  • Created malware test environments to log filesystem/registry modifications, identify propagation vectors, test AV detection, and optimize removal.
  • Performed packet analysis of infected computers to characterize infections and anomalous traffic.

Junior Engineer

Secure Building Technologies (SBT), Milwaukee, WI

October 2011 – November 2013

  • Collaborated in design and installation of access control and surveillance systems for medium and large business environments.
  • Built and configured custom stand-alone network DVRs.
  • Performed physical security audits to determine areas of coverage, vulnerabilities, access security, and response time.
  • Programmed alarm panels and access control lists.
  • Assisted in creation and implementation of custom covert surveillance tools for law enforcement.

Senior Systems Engineer / Managing Technician

Integrated Technology Solutions (ITS), Milwaukee, WI

August 2010 – December 2015

  • Streamlined diagnostic and repair process by leveraging PXE, NAS, and Bash scripting to centralize and automate scanning, analysis, and reporting.
  • Standardized software deployments on new and existing client computers to increase baseline security, expedite deployment/reimaging, and simplify troubleshooting.
  • Reduced “technician hands-on time to resolution” by 61% through standardization and automation.
  • Decreased technician time-per-machine by 70% via diagnostic automation (separate metric).
  • Implemented custom networking schema to isolate infected client PCs, segregate IT resources, and offer segregated wireless access to customers.
  • Configured server interfaces in Gentoo for redundant switching.
  • Configured routers to utilize RADIUS authentication; managed client access through VISP portal.
  • Designed, implemented, and maintained access control, surveillance, alarm, and POS solutions for medical, manufacturing, government, and large enterprise clients.
  • Assisted in creation, implementation, and maintenance of an ITS-owned Wireless Internet Service Provider servicing Metro Milwaukee.
  • Configured, deployed, and calibrated point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless antennas and bridges.
  • Created topological maps of internal, WAN, and client-side network configurations.

Owner / IT Consultant

Viktech, Milwaukee, WI

2005 – Present (Viktech LLC entity formed July 2010)

  • Repaired 400+ computers for 150+ home and small-business customers.
  • Worked with clients and administrators to perform infrastructure deployments and upgrades.
  • Configured workstations, mobile devices, network firewalls, VPNs, and domain policies.
  • Installed and configured servers, routing, firewalling, switching, printers, VoIP devices, IP cameras, and wireless access points.
  • Planned and managed hardware/software implementation, migration, and integration for SMB clients.
  • Responded and resolved incidents involving data loss, equipment failure, security breaches, and unauthorized disclosure.
  • Designed and implemented Backup, Failover, Recovery, and Secure Destruction solutions.
  • Conducted comprehensive diagnostics of complex systems to investigate, support, and resolve issues.

QA Tester

Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

May 2008 – May 2009

  • Entered post-transplant cancer survey results into newly-developed Oracle database.
  • Provided critical input to increase ease-of-use and accessibility by research staff.
  • Performed testing of input validation and verification processes.
  • Identified, documented, and reported bugs or unhandled errors.
  • Verified proper enabling/disabling of features and permissions based on user account access levels.

Barista

Starbucks, Menomonee Falls, WI

2006 – 2007

  • Trained new employees in operating procedures, beverage standards, and product knowledge.

Dedicated cybersecurity engineering — 4+ years cumulative

(2011–2022, multiple engagements; security responsibilities also embedded in IT roles throughout 15+ year career)

Certifications

Past certifications

Education

Manufacturing Technology Coursework — IESI Institute, Milwaukee, WI

September 2024 – December 2024 (program completed); NIMS Certifications In Progress

Coursework
  • CNC mills and lathes operation
  • G-code / M-code fundamentals
  • Blueprint and technical drawing interpretation
  • Precision measurement (calipers, micrometers, gauges)

Information Security Specialist Coursework Completed, No Degree

Milwaukee Area Technical College — 2018 – 2022

Coursework
  • Information Security Coursework (no certifications):
  • CompTIA IT Technician Essentials (A+ exam prep — exam not taken)
  • CompTIA Network Communications (Network+ exam prep — exam not taken)
  • CompTIA Network Security (Security+ exam prep — exam not taken)
  • MS Server Administration I & II
  • Cisco I & II
  • Unix/Linux Administration and Security
  • Security Policies and Procedures
  • Information Security Principles
  • Router Security; Perimeter Security
  • Securing Wireless Devices and Networks
  • Computer Forensics; Malware Forensics
  • Digital Forensics Coursework — MATC (no diploma issued)

Computer Science (Coursework Completed, No Degree)

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2007 – 2011

Coursework
  • Formal Logic / Symbolic Logic
  • Intermediate Computer Programming (C++)
  • Data Structures & Algorithms
  • Discrete Information Structures
  • Social, Professional & Ethical Issues
  • Introduction to Operating Systems
  • Calculus II / Differential & Multivariable Calculus

Volunteer experience

Affiliations

Interests

Pizza making, sourdough crafting, and fermentation experimentation. Music production (drum & bass, hip-hop). FPV drones and amateur radio. Hammock camping. Leatherworking. Hindu mythology and iconography. Technical scuba diving.