Thiago Rios
Senior Network Engineer

Senior Network Engineer and Technical Consultant with more than 15 years of experience delivering enterprise networking, security, SD-WAN, wireless and cloud connectivity solutions across healthcare, telecommunications, mining, utilities, retail, government, and education sectors.
Experienced in leading large-scale transformation programs including data centre consolidations, SD-WAN migrations, cloud security implementations, network integrations, and infrastructure modernisation initiatives. Strong background spanning pre-sales, architecture, design, implementation, and operational support, with proven success working directly with executive stakeholders, vendors, managed service providers, and project teams.
Recognised for combining deep technical expertise with strong customer engagement skills to deliver reliable, scalable, and business-aligned solutions.

 

Academic Qualifications

Advanced Diploma in Network Security
TAFE Meadowbank – Cisco Network Academy, 2012

Bachelor of Science – double major in Graphic Design and Product Design
University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1996
www.esdi.uerj.br/english/i_intr.shtml

Certificate IV in Multimedia – IT
TAFE – Crows Nest Campus, Sydney, 2001

 

Professional Experience

I have at times worked as a full time employee as well as a freelancer contractor and consultant.

Ramsay Health
Senior Network Engineer
August 2024 - October 2026

Responsible for the delivery, support, and optimisation of enterprise network, security, and remote access services across a large healthcare environment. Worked across project delivery and BAU operations supporting critical clinical and corporate infrastructure.

Key Achievements

  • Led migration of Palo Alto GlobalProtect authentication from LDAP to SAML, enabling passkey-based MFA and improving security for remote and third-party users.
  • Designed and implemented Opengear out-of-band management infrastructure, providing resilient 4G-based emergency access to critical data centre services.
  • Participated in the design and evaluation of Zscaler Private Access (ZPA), including network connector architecture supporting voice services.
  • Delivered Aruba ClearPass platform migration from version 6.9 to 6.11 through deployment of a new Red Hat-based cluster and staged service migration.
  • Conducted evaluation and proof-of-concept activities for Palo Alto SD-WAN technology.
  • Provided Level 3 engineering support across enterprise network and security platforms.

Telstra Purple
Senior Technical Consultant - Networks
December 2019 - August 2024

Delivered pre-sales, solution design, implementation, and migration services for large enterprise customers undergoing network transformation initiatives. Led SD-WAN, security, cloud connectivity, and data centre modernisation projects from discovery through to operational handover.

Selected Achievements

  • Delivered multiple SD-WAN transformations using VMware SD-WAN (VeloCloud) and Aruba Silver Peak technologies across environments ranging from 35 to 150 sites.
  • Led customer workshops, technical design sessions, proof-of-concept activities, and implementation planning.
  • Designed cloud-connected architectures leveraging Zscaler, Fortinet, Palo Alto, AWS, and Equinix Fabric connectivity.

Key Projects

Ventia: Led a major data centre consolidation program reducing five data centres to three. Designed and delivered core network architecture using Cisco, Fortinet, VMware SD-WAN, Zscaler and Equinix Fabric services.

Komatsu: Delivered migration from MPLS to SD-WAN across 65 sites and four hubs. Integrated Silver Peak, Palo Alto, Nexus switching and Zscaler technologies.

John Holland Group: Delivered proof-of-concept, pilot implementation and production rollout of Silver Peak infrastructure across AWS, data centres and regional locations. Project was later adopted as a Silver Peak reference use case by HPE

Goodman Fielder: Delivered migration from MPLS to VMware SD-WAN covering approximately 60 sites across two data centre hubs.

GFG Alliance: Delivered migration from MPLS to VMware SD-WAN and Forcepoint Cloud Proxy across approximately 150 sites.

Mirvac: Designed segmented SD-WAN architecture supporting corporate, guest, retail and building management networks across 80 sites.

Caltex Australia
Network Engineer
January 2013 - Present

Working as a contractor, I played a key role supporting the rollout of the retail network of over 800 sites using Cisco routers and switches. All retail sites are being upgraded from Argent dial up to ADSL/BDSL/Frame-Relay as the main link and 3G as backup link.
I am also working as System Administrator managing computers and user accounts in Active Directory in the Retail Back Office System domain (RBOS)
My duties include:

  • From Head Office, support onsite technicians during the upgrade and troubleshooting routing/switching issues.
  • Provisioning WAN and LAN routes on Telstra Portal (MPLS VPN cloud).
  • Creating configurations releases with changes, manly on firewalls, to allow new applications to communicate to servers in the data centre and business partners.
  • Applying this changes on a template generator to create router and switch configuration for all sites
  • Creating and managing usernames using Tivoli Identity Manager
  • Responsible for troubleshooting account issues in Active Directory Users and Computers
  • Responsible for the running reports and deploying applications on all POS computers using ITCM from Computer Associates
  • Supporting routers and switches after the network upgrade
  • Monitoring link utilization with Scrutinizer and MRTG
  • Pre-staging router, switch and Back Office Computer before sending to site

I was also responsible for:

  • Designing, implementing and documenting multiple NAT overload (PAT). One NAT to allow bank transactions from retail sites to go through F5 firewall on the core of the network, another to communicate with Woolworths network for fuel discount, and the last NAT to allow confidential messages from head office to sites about price changes and sales. This was required when Caltex had to change all pinpads to be compliant with Australian standards for security.
  • Improving the QoS using policy-map
  • Improving the fail over to 3G on BDSL sites using IP SLA
  • Creating frame-relay router and switch configuration for remote sites

TAFE NSW – North sydney institute
Computer Support Officer (CSO)
June 2012 - January 2013

Initially at North Sydney College, I then was transferred to Meadowbank College to support the Cisco Academy, all desktops laptops and the network infrastructure.

My duties included:

  • Manage incidents using Remedy. Resolving incidents remotely when possible.
  • Re-image or deploy software using Altiris
  • Troubleshoot issues with servers, desktop, laptops and printers
  • Troubleshoot account issues in Active Directory
  • Troubleshoot client VPN access using Cisco VPN Client or SSL VPN over the TAFE portal

Department of Education and Training
Technology Support Officer (TSO)
July 2009 - June 2012

I initially started at Sydney Secondary College - Blackwattle Bay Campus, in December 2009 I moved to Pittwater High then in June 2010 went To Manly Selective. In charge of supporting around 430 laptops, but also helping the system administrator with a network of 150 desktops and 3 servers.
My duties included:

  •  Monitoring the wireless APs, wireless controller (Arruba), router (Cisco 2821) the head-end switch (HP Procurve 5406zl) and another 5 layer 2 switches.
  • Level 1/2 support to a fleet of 430 laptops running Windows 7 Enterprise.
  • Logging incidents using Remedy and escalating when I can’t or have no privileges to resolve.
  • Rollout of laptops every year to year 9 students
  • Managing the laptop fleet – Allocating devices to students. Liasing with suppliers to fix broken devices. Stocktake every year
  • Re-imaging laptops every year to a new SOE.