CV

Gavin Simms

Multi-Disciplinary IT Consultant | Systems Infrastructure & Digital Transformation Lead

Sydney, AustraliaEnglish

Professional Summary

I come baked with extensive experience in IT Systems Management and Development that give me the practical experience to add value to your team...

What sets me apart from other ICT professionals are my soft skills. I am a social person, I enjoy and work well with people, not just computers. I have a love for the socio-technical aspect of computing not just the technology. I am experienced and skilled at getting people to work with technology, not against it.

Career Timeline

Work Experience

Consultant

Cider IT
Dec 2012 - Present
Sydney, Australia
  • Cider IT is a specialist Creative IT Consultancy based in Sydney, providing bespoke infrastructure solutions and digital transformation for Apple-centric business environments.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Practice Management: Directed all aspects of the consultancy, including business strategy, financial oversight, procurement, and end-to-end client account management.
  • Technical Solutions Architecture: Designed and implemented scalable IT systems for a diverse client base, ensuring seamless integration of hardware, software, and cloud services.
  • Vendor & Partner Relations: Managed external contractors and third-party service providers to deliver complex technical projects on time and within budget.
  • Business Development: Led lead generation and networking initiatives, successfully building a sustainable client portfolio from the ground up.
  • Key Achievements
  • Apple Consultants Network (ACN) Accreditation: Successfully enrolled the firm into the ACN by completing rigorous technical examinations and meeting Apple’s professional standards. This provided exclusive access to Apple’s internal resources and established the consultancy as a premier specialist in the region.
  • Cloud Transformation & Integration: Orchestrated the migration of legacy systems to modern cloud-based environments, advocating for and implementing suites including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, AWS, Xero, and Dropbox.
  • Strategic Business Growth: Scaled the consultancy from a startup to a profitable, sustainable enterprise within a short timeframe through strategic networking and a reputation for technical excellence.
  • Cross-Platform Expertise: Expanded the company’s service offering beyond Apple-centric origins to include comprehensive web and productivity solutions such as Squarespace, Evernote, and advanced SaaS integrations.

Implemenation Consultant

Entsia
Sep 2025 - Dec 2025
Sydney, Australia
  • Entsia is a leading cloud-based SaaS provider specialising in end-to-end insurance platform solutions. The platform automates complex insurance processes, including policy management, claims, and distribution, for underwriting agencies and brokers globally.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • SaaS Implementation & Delivery: Lead the end-to-end implementation of the Entsia platform for new clients, ensuring technical configurations align with specific insurance business requirements.
  • Business Analysis & Requirements Gathering: Conduct deep-dive discovery sessions with stakeholders to define business processes, document functional specifications, and translate complex needs into technical workflows.
  • Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary technical point of contact for clients, managing expectations and providing strategic guidance throughout the implementation lifecycle.
  • Product Configuration & UAT: Execute platform configurations and lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) phases to ensure system integrity, data accuracy, and alignment with client objectives.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Product and Engineering teams to communicate client feedback, assist in bug triaging, and influence the product roadmap based on market requirements.
  • Project Governance: Manage project timelines, deliverables, and documentation, ensuring implementations are delivered on time and within scope.
  • Key Achievements
  • Streamlined Client Onboarding: Successfully managed multiple concurrent platform implementations, reducing time-to-value for clients through improved requirements gathering and standardised configuration templates.
  • Process Optimisation: Identified and documented key business process improvements for clients, leveraging the Entsia platform to automate manual insurance workflows and increase operational efficiency.
  • Technical Problem Solving: Resolved complex implementation hurdles by bridging the gap between client business needs and the platform’s technical architecture, ensuring high adoption rates post-launch.
  • Quality Assurance Excellence: Led comprehensive UAT cycles for high-value accounts, resulting in a significant reduction in post-go-live support incidents and improved client satisfaction.

Technical Account Manager

Kaseya
Apr 2024 - Sep 2025
Sydney, Australia
  • Kaseya is a leading global provider of IT management software, delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and IT professionals, with a focus on automation, security, and business continuity.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Strategic Client Partnership: Provided comprehensive technical account management and strategic guidance to MSPs and enterprise clients utilising Kaseya's product portfolio, including Kaseya 365, VSA X, Unitrends, BCDR, Spanning, and Datto SaaS Protection.
  • Solution Optimisation: Advised clients on best practices for product deployment, configuration, and integration to maximise system performance, operational efficiency, and return on investment (ROI).
  • Proactive Support & Escalation Management: Delivered proactive technical support, troubleshooting complex issues, and acting as the primary escalation point for high-value accounts.
  • Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR): Partnered with clients to design and implement robust BCDR strategies, ensuring data resilience, compliance, and minimal downtime in the event of system failures.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Liaised with Product, Engineering, and Sales teams to communicate client feedback, influence product roadmaps, and ensure seamless service delivery.
  • Training & Enablement: Conducted technical training sessions and workshops for clients and partners, improving platform adoption and empowering teams to leverage advanced features.
  • Key Achievements
  • Client Retention & Satisfaction: Maintained high client satisfaction scores through proactive engagement, rapid issue resolution, and strategic value delivery across a diverse portfolio of MSP accounts.
  • Product Adoption & Expansion: Drove increased adoption of Kaseya's BCDR and SaaS Protection solutions by demonstrating measurable business value and aligning technical capabilities with client objectives.
  • Technical Expertise & Thought Leadership: Established credibility as a trusted technical adviser, providing tailored solutions that addressed unique client challenges in automation, security, and disaster recovery.
  • Seamless Integrations: Enabled clients to achieve seamless integration of Kaseya platforms within complex IT environments, reducing deployment timelines and improving operational continuity.

Technical Account Manager

Epsilon Accelerate (formally Yieldify)
Apr 2021 - Apr 2024
Sydney, Australia
  • Epsilon Accelerate (formally Yieldify) is a fully managed end‑to‑end personalisation and experimentation platform enabling ecommerce brands to increase revenue through data‑driven, personalised customer experiences. Supported over 1,000 ecommerce brands across North America, Europe, and APAC, contributing to $2.5B+ in incremental revenue.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Provided regional technical support for APAC Customer Success Managers (CSMs) and Sales teams, acting as the primary escalation point for complex technical and implementation issues.
  • Supported the implementation and ongoing optimisation of client personalisation campaigns, including site mapping, revenue tracking, and page‑type configuration.
  • Led technical onboarding and platform implementations, ensuring accurate deployment of Yieldify scripts, tracking, and integrations across client ecommerce sites.
  • Acted as a technical liaison between product engineering, sales, and services teams, translating business requirements into technical solutions and vice versa.
  • Independently executed front‑end development and troubleshooting tasks, reducing reliance on central engineering teams.
  • Supported pre‑sales and post‑sales technical discussions, enabling Sales and CSM teams to confidently position platform capabilities.
  • Key Achievements
  • Successfully transitioned into a technical client‑facing role after completing a 9‑month full‑stack coding bootcamp, rapidly applying new development skills in a production environment.
  • Reduced engineering team workload by resolving client‑side technical issues independently, improving response times and customer satisfaction across the APAC region.
  • Strengthened collaboration between APAC commercial teams and London‑based engineering by translating technical concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non‑technical stakeholders.
  • Empowered regional Sales and Customer Success teams with greater technical confidence, directly supporting platform adoption, campaign performance, and client retention in APAC.

IT Manager & Systems Engineer

Heckler
Jan 2018 - Jan 2020
Sydney, Australia
  • Heckler is a premier international post-production house specialising in high-end visual effects, 3D animation, and digital content, with studios in Sydney and Singapore.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Strategic IT Leadership: Directed Group IT operations across Sydney and Singapore headquarters, reporting directly to Company Partners on IT strategy, R&D, and digital transformation.
  • Infrastructure Management: Managed complex hybrid environments, including high-performance GPU pipelines for 3D FX rendering, video editing suites, and high-speed file storage systems.
  • Team & Vendor Management: Led IT staff and external contractors; oversaw vendor relationships, procurement, and resource allocation for multi-regional operations.
  • Financial Oversight: Developed and managed annual IT budgets, ensuring cost-effective technology investments and operational efficiency.
  • Project Management: Spearheaded end-to-end IT project lifecycles, from initial R&D and scoping to deployment and maintenance of mission-critical production systems.
  • Key Achievements
  • International Studio Launch: Project managed the complete IT infrastructure setup for the Singapore office. Achieved full operational status within 30 days of lease signing, delivering the project on time and under budget through remote and on-site leadership.
  • Disaster Recovery & Data Integrity: Engineered and implemented the company’s first automated 3-2-1 Backup system, ensuring data redundancy and business continuity for massive post-production datasets.
  • Render Farm Scalability: Orchestrated a 600% expansion of the GPU Deadline render farm, significantly increasing production throughput and integrating cloud-based GPU redundancies for peak-load scaling.
  • Operational Excellence: Modernised legacy systems to support high-bandwidth post-production workflows, transitioning the studio from basic communications to a robust, scalable technical infrastructure.

Apple Subject Matter Expert (Apple SME)

Cisco Systems (Contract)
Jul 2012 - Jul 2013
Sydney, Australia
  • Cisco Systems is a global leader in networking, hardware, and telecommunications, providing the foundational infrastructure for the internet. The Sydney Global Technical Response Centre (GTRC) serves as a critical hub for enterprise-level internal support and global service delivery.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Escalated Technical Support: Provided Tier 3 technical support for Apple macOS and iOS devices to Cisco’s internal global workforce, resolving complex hardware and software incidents.
  • Technical Training & Enablement: Led the internal Apple Support training programme for the Sydney GTRC, upskilling support engineers to manage Apple-specific workflows within a traditionally Windows-centric environment.
  • Strategic Advisory: Acted as the primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for management, advising on best practices for integrating and supporting Apple products within the corporate infrastructure.
  • Knowledge Management: Authored comprehensive technical documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to streamline incident resolution and knowledge transfer.
  • Key Achievements
  • Pioneered Apple Support Framework: Successfully established the first dedicated Apple support capability at Cisco, providing a structured service model for a global user base of over 16,000 Apple endpoints.
  • Global Documentation Standardisation: Developed and deployed training documentation and troubleshooting guides for international support centres in India and China, ensuring global consistency in service delivery.
  • Operational Efficiency: Reduced escalation rates to engineering by empowering the Sydney support centre through structured training sessions and the creation of a robust internal knowledge base.
  • Enterprise Integration: Advised on the successful adoption of Apple technology within Cisco’s secure networking environment, bridging the gap between consumer hardware and enterprise security requirements.

IT Manager

Next Fifteen Communications
Jul 2007 - Jul 2012
London, United Kingdom
  • Company Overview
  • Lexis PR (now Next Fifteen Communications) is a leading independent public relations and communications agency based in London, specialising in consumer lifestyle, technology, and corporate communications. The agency represents high-profile clients across multiple sectors, delivering strategic PR campaigns and media relations services.
  • Key Responsibilities
  • IT Infrastructure Management: Managed the complete IT infrastructure for Lexis PR, ensuring reliable operations for client communications, media distribution, and internal collaboration systems.
  • Systems Administration: Oversaw day-to-day IT operations, including email systems, file storage, network administration, and end-user support for PR consultants and senior management.
  • Team Leadership: Managed and mentored IT staff, delegating tasks and ensuring effective delivery of technical support and project initiatives.
  • Training & User Enablement: Delivered technical training to non-technical staff, improving digital literacy and adoption of new platforms and security protocols.
  • Key Achievements
  • Email & Collaboration Migration: Successfully migrated the organisation from Kerio Connect to Google Workspace (Google Apps), improving collaboration, mobility, and system reliability whilst reducing infrastructure overhead.
  • Mobile Device Transformation: Led the complete migration from BlackBerry to a fully integrated iOS environment (iPhone and iPad), enhancing user experience and aligning mobile strategy with modern enterprise standards.
  • Disaster Recovery Modernisation: Transitioned backup infrastructure from legacy tape media to cloud-based offsite replication, significantly improving recovery time objectives (RTO) and data resilience.
  • Security & Compliance Enhancement: Implemented a comprehensive IT Security Policy, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and SSL certificate-driven encryption to protect sensitive client data and ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Identity & Access Management: Integrated Open Directory with Google Workspace via Single Sign-On (SSO), streamlining user authentication and improving security posture across the organisation.

Certifications

Certificate in Information Technology and Computing
The Open University (UK)
Google Workspace Administrator Fundamentals
Google
Apple Certified System Administrator
Apple
Apple Certified Associate - Mac Integration
Apple Certified Support Professional
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator
Apple Certified iOS Technical Training
Information Technology Information Library (ITIL) | V3 Foundation
Evernote Certified Consultant
Remote Pilot Licence (RePL)
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
G Suite Administrator Fundamentals
Coursera
Programming Foundations: Fundamentals
LinkedIn
Programming Foundations: Beyond the Fundamentals
LinkedIn
Programming Foundations: Object-Oriented Design
LinkedIn
Learn Ruby Course
Codecademy
Learn JavaScript Course
Codecademy
Learn Git Course
Codecademy
Learn the Command Line Course
Codecademy
Learn How to Use ChatGPT Course
Codecademy
Kaseya Certified Technician in SaaS Protection
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Administrator in Datto BCDR
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Technician in VSA 10
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Administrator in VSA 10
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Expert in Datto BCDR
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Technician in Kaseya 365
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Technician in Datto RMM
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Administrator in Datto RMM
Kaseya
Kaseya logo Kaseya Certified Administrator In Kaseya 365: Final Assessment
Kaseya
Kaseya Certified Technician in Spanning
Kaseya

Education

Diploma in IT

AIT – Coder Academy (Sydney, Australia)
2020 - 2021

Advanced Diploma of Information Technology Project Management

TAFE NSW
2018 - 2018

Bachelor of Science (Honours) In Computing & Information Technology and Design

The Open University (UK)
2009 - 2015

Skills & Expertise

BASH
Windows
Linux
Mac OS
Git
GitHub
Jira
Confluence
HTML5
CSS
JavaScript
Ruby
React
Rails
Java
Groovy
Node
SQL
TypeScript
Mercurial
Trello
Leadership
Project Management
Staff Management
Budgeting
Cost accounting
Training
Public Speaking
Documentation
Docker
Markdown
eCommerce
Azure
Azure
AWS
Google Cloud
Proxmox

Featured Projects

Profile site

Profile site quick demo of basic web skills...
HTMLCSSJavasript

GitHub

You can see some more of my experimental projects on GitHub
gitGitHubMarkdownHTMLHTML 5CSSRubyRuby on RailsReactSQLPostgresSQLNode

My CV

You're looking at it right now. Playing around with docker and an easy way to host my CV Thanks, in part, to Vincent Makes: https://github.com/vincentmakes/cv-manager
Docker

Business Page

My personal consulting page all self hosted and maintained.
SQLReactHTMLCSSDNS