Hello, I’m Daniel McDonough, a DevOps Engineer with a passion for automation, building systems, optimization, and Linux.
Professional Journey:
I started my journey with computer technology at a young age, initially learning on an Apple II in school. From there I learned DOS and then Windows with each release using hand-me-down computers. Junior year of highschool I started using Linux. I went from breaking a hand-me-down Windows 3.1 computer to getting a job at 15 to buy a Windows XP Dell tower.
From there I went to Coastal Carolina University for Chemistry but spent much of the time continuing to learn Linux and the concepts around self hosting. I extensively used live Linux USBs and Owncloud to complete my work in any computer lab on campus. I completed Freshman year using Linux and, by sophmore year, I started using Linux as a daily driver for my laptop. This eventually led to using Linux as my primary OS to this day.
After getting my Bachelors in Chemistry, I decided to get a Masters of Business Administation. From there I got into the industry with the help of the local hacker space run by the former Director of Malware Research at SecureWorks. My Linux knowledge, obesession with learning, and desire to make things has helped myself and companies make their lives easier.
Skills and Expertise:
I specialize in Linux, AWS, Terraform, and the broad specrum of DevOps tools and practices. My holistic approach takes into account the whole project or system to better design and optimize them. Many efforts to modernize or achieve textbook adherence to optimal policies don’t quite meet the mark in the end. A holistic and realistic approach can save a lot of pain and disappointment during the final stretches of a project and during the retrospective.
My interest in cybersecurity early on has given me a security mindset, which is woven into operations work. Operations security goes beyond automated vulnerability scans and checking boxes during cloud security audits. Operations engineers need to analyze the whole system for how it can be exploited and get into a hacker mindset.
I’ve also done AWS cost reduction using right sizing, spot instances, S3 tiering, account cleanup, etc, resulting in over $200k saved per year.
Hobbies:
When I’m not working, I’m likely:
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Working on small electonics projects
- Automated pigeon loft
- Shed security and monitoring
- Home automation with Home Assistant
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Working on my self hosted infrastructure
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Raising award winning racing and roller pigeons
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Hiking in the mountains
- Ravencliff Falls
- Jones Gap