Identity · Endpoints · Infrastructure
Nate Roper
IT professional focused on security, identity, and systems administration.
I keep enterprise environments secure and running — administering identity and access for ~195 users with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, managing Windows Server and VMware/Horizon virtualization, and working endpoint security with CrowdStrike and Intune. Off the clock, I run a VLAN-segmented homelab.
Pittsburgh, PA · Open to NYC metro
3+.
Years in enterprise & academic IT
195.
Users administered across M365 / Entra ID
Secret.
DoD clearance–eligible, U.S. citizen
Experience
Where I've worked
Enterprise and academic IT — from frontline support to identity administration, virtualization, and endpoint security.
IT Help Desk Technician
Mar 2025 — PresentHenderson Brothers, Inc. — Pittsburgh, PA
- Administer identity, access, and device security for ~195 users via Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, enforcing least-privilege access and MFA policies.
- Manage the Windows Server environment — Active Directory users and groups, Group Policy deployment, and DNS/DHCP troubleshooting.
- Run Omnissa Horizon VDI infrastructure (pool creation, entitlements, session troubleshooting) on VMware vSphere/ESXi, including VM provisioning and hypervisor-level troubleshooting.
- Support CrowdStrike EDR operations — assisting with investigation and remediation of endpoint alerts — alongside device management with Intune and NinjaOne RMM.
- Design and manage phishing simulations and security awareness training with KnowBe4; maintain secure remote access via Cloudflare WARP.
- Resolve Tier 1–2 security incidents involving authentication failures and compromised accounts.
- Own the hardware lifecycle — asset inventory, OS imaging, secure wiping, provisioning — plus AV support for hybrid company-wide meetings and Poly/Teams Rooms systems.
IT Help Desk Technician
Jan 2022 — Mar 2023University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, PA
- Troubleshot authentication, network, and system access issues across Windows and macOS environments.
- Resolved account lockouts and access failures while reinforcing secure login practices.
- Educated users on security-aware behavior and IT best practices, reducing repeat incidents.
- Assisted with equipment inventory, device provisioning, and peripheral distribution.
Freelance Web Developer
OngoingIndependent
- Designed, built, and deployed a full business website for a Pittsburgh company — bootleggerspgh.com.
- Design and maintain this site, nateroper.com, as a living portfolio.
Projects & Homelab
What I build on my own time
A homelab and security research practice that goes well beyond the job description — real infrastructure, real isolation, real debugging.
VLAN-Segmented Homelab
Full network architecture built on Proxmox, OPNsense, and Pi-hole across ThinkCentre mini PC nodes — VLAN segmentation, managed switching, and hands-on firewall configuration.
Bootleggers Pittsburgh
Complete business website for a Pittsburgh company — design, development, and deployment, built end-to-end as an independent freelance project.
Docker Game Server
Containerized Halo CE (SAPP) game server deployment, placed on its own VLAN segment for clean isolation from the rest of the home network.
Self-Hosted Security Practices
Custom-domain encrypted email, Unix pass password management with GPG and Git-synced storage, and per-device SSH key hygiene — daily-driven on Fedora.
Low-Level Hardware Debugging
Diagnosed a ThinkPad input failure down to a false tablet-mode signal from the thinkpad_acpi kernel module; also side-loaded KOReader onto a reMarkable 2.
Also Exploring
FPV drone building — ELRS radio, analog video, and a micro whoop build in progress. 3D printing on a Flashforge AD5M with engineering-grade filaments. CTFs and security research, building toward a home-lab SIEM project.
Skills
Tools of the trade
The stack I work with daily across identity, infrastructure, endpoints, and the network.
Security & Identity
Server & Virtualization
Platforms & OS
Scripting & Automation
Networking
Endpoint & AV Support
Education
Background & credentials
B.S. Information Science
Dec 2024University of Pittsburgh · School of Computing and Information
Relevant coursework
Clearance & credentials
- DoD Secret clearance–eligible — U.S. citizen with no disqualifying factors, positioned for defense-sector infrastructure roles.
- Security specialization track — actively building toward security certifications alongside hands-on homelab work.
Contact
Let's connect
Whether it's a role, a project, or just talking shop about homelabs and security — my inbox is open.