Richard Hillard

Member of Slalom's Cross-Market cloud enablement team focused on helping clients with datacenter migration journeys. Works as part of a diverse team of peer consultants to establish Cloud Migration Factory best-practices to enable and accelerate cloud adoption within client organizations. 

Member of the Cognizant Cloud Advisory Services Team focused on developing infrastructure transformation strategies to migrate an organization's portfolio of technology services to the cloud. Responsibilities include strategic consulting offerings around Journey to the Cloud and Cloud Readiness Assessment including Application Portfolio Assessments. Capable of providing a cloud-based “Innovation as-a- Service” offering to generate concepts around new products and services through techniques such as crowdsourcing and other idea incubator techniques and move these services through a structured lifecycle. Services range from developing a business-aligned cloud strategy that supports the organizational goals and objectives, along with the business case of anticipated improvements, impact on Infrastructure Operation, and IT Cloud Governance.

Recent engagements include role of Chief AWS Cloud Architect on a multi-disciplinary project team assisting a worldwide media corporation with the consolidation of their global datacenters to public cloud infrastructure. Richard worked with team members to assess, plan, migrate, and manage scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant cloud workloads. Richard and his team managed direct-connect build-outs and created all virtual private cloud architecture to include gateways, route tables, subnets, CIDR blocks, etc. He ensured proper configuration of all required network access control lists and security groups to establish proper security and access controls. Richard managed automated creation of resources via cloud formation scripts to ensure consistent environment builds and leveraged industry standard tools such as Racemi to perform batch cloud migrations. Rich also led all client application migration technical discovery sessions and managed the project team to establish application migration groups, develop the post-migration cloud-optimized architecture, and establish the migration approach for each business operating unit.

Developed Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) application cloud implementation and migration strategies. Educated clients and staff about EPM application hosting and support services. Evangelized the cloud to sales and marketing teams while championing the value of these services to clients. Established several key client relationships, including a well-known international bank performing consolidations on the cloud with Oracle Hyperion Financial Management, a global manufacturer also deploying Oracle HFM on the cloud for use by over 200 end-users and partners, and a publicly-held advertising agency running Oracle Hyperion Enterprise on the cloud.

2014: Successfully managed the transition of SiteVentures' client base and operations to NSK & Associates of Boston, Massachusetts via an asset purchase and sale agreement. Helped refresh NSK's market strategy by introducing cloud services, initiating several new strategic partnership programs to include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Office 365.
2013: Helped several client companies move their entire IT infrastructure to the cloud via Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Office 365, and the SnomONE Hosted VoIP PBX.
2011-2012: Developed Virtual Private Cloud services for businesses by leveraging key partner relationships such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Microsoft Service Provider Licensing Program. Managed clients' virtual private cloud infrastructure entirely on AWS while providing a familiar Microsoft Windows experience via Remote Desktop Services.
2010: Created the Anywhere+ Hosted PBX phone system by operating SnomONE multi-tenant PBX software on the Amazon Web Services cloud. Provided calling services through wholesale carrier partners and managed VoIP desktop phone deployments nationally.
2009: Designed a data center virtualization stack to host clients' virtual servers from a colocation facility in Bedford, NH. Engineered and managed all aspects of this platform, including Citrix XenServer, HP Proliant Servers, SonicWall Enterprise Firewalls, NetApp SAN Storage, and PHD Virtual Backup & Replication.
2004-2005: Transitioned the company from a break-fix service provider to a managed services business model offering clients a flat-fee for support of computer systems on a monthly service agreement.
1999-2003: Discovered an aptitude for managing complex computer systems and networks, provided information technology consulting services to a regional client base.
1998: Founded the company while stationed in Keflavik, Iceland with the U.S. Air Force.

Managed a complete network upgrade project to modernize network infrastructure, servers, and workstations. Implemented MIE-Solutions' MIE-Trak MRP system using barcode scanning throughout the facility to collect production and job-costing data in real-time. Supported high-end engineering workstations with multiple CAD software packages.

Performed all aspects of information technology management of a small business network with a Novell server and Microsoft Windows desktops.

Completed rigorous military training regimen including U.S. Army Military Free-Fall (HALO) Parachutist Course, U.S. Army Combat Diver Qualification Course, U.S. Air Force Survival School, and NREMT Paramedic certification during two-year PARARESCUE training pipeline.
Served for two years with the 23d Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as a member of the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) during Operation Joint Endeavor. Performed as PARARESCUE team leader on multiple missions and joint operational exercises.
Completed enlistment with the 56th Air Rescue Squadron at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland. Participated in rescue operations off the coast of Iceland and provided support at the Transoceanic Abort Landing site in Zaragoza, Spain for NASA Space Shuttle missions.

Successfully completed 2-year U.S. Air Force PARARESCUE training pipeline, to include: U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training and PARARESCUE Indoctrination Course (Lackland AFB, TX), U.S. Army Basic Airborne Parachutist (Fort Benning, GA), U.S. Army Military Free-Fall Parachutist (Fort Bragg, NC), U.S. Army Combat Diver Qualification Course (NAS Key West, FL), U.S. Air Force Survival School (Fairchild AFB, WA), U.S. Navy Underwater Egress (NAS Miramar, CA), U.S. Air Force PARARESCUE School (Kirtland AFB, NM) Ground Operations, Weapons and Tactics, Air Operations, and Medical (including NREMT-Paramedic certification) training phases.