EPISODE 01
Charles Sturt University
B.IT — Networking & Systems Administration · Jul 2016 – Nov 2020
Where the engineering mindset was born. Not just theory — a real, working AWS enterprise infrastructure.
“If you want to shine like a star, burn like a sun first.”
Where the engineering mindset was born
University wasn't just coursework. It was the first real chance to build something from scratch — to architect systems, make decisions, and learn that the best engineers aren't the ones who know the most answers, they're the ones who know how to find them.
Flagship project
AWS Enterprise Infrastructure Migration
Major Project — Live Working System
Migrated an on-premises environment to AWS end-to-end. Every component was live and functional — not simulated.
Situation
Degree work called for an enterprise-style cloud footprint, not a slide-deck mock-up: identity, networking, voice, storage, and endpoints had to work together as a coherent system.
Task
Design and implement a live AWS environment that mirrored real operational constraints (VPC layout, directory-aware services, monitoring, security controls) and could be assessed as a working whole.
Action
Built out VPC and subnets, integrated Managed AD touchpoints, stood up monitoring with Nagios, layered Sophos IPS/IDS, ran 3CX on EC2, used WorkSpaces and S3 where appropriate, and validated each hop end-to-end.
Result
A fully functional migration story with tangible proof of AWS, security, and architecture fundamentals — the foundation that later episodes built on.
Skills this episode
Next episode
TIKS Solutions → Damstra Technology →