Abdel Salem

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Engineer

Accomplished Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Engineer with 8 years of experience in designing, implementing, managing, and migrating VDI solutions. Expertise in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop technologies to enhance remote work capabilities and deliver critical business applications. Extensive experience working with virtualization platforms, hypervisors, and virtual machines, as well as Windows client and server operating systems and various EUC technologies. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration and optimal performance. Committed to staying at the forefront of industry trends and best practices to deliver innovative solutions that meet organizational needs.

Skills

Certifications: Citrix Certified Associate - Virtualization (CCA - V), Citrix Certified Professional - Virtualization (CCP - V), Microsoft Certified : Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140), Microsoft Certified : Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Technologies: Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Azure, Nerdio Manager for Enterprise, Nutanix Acropolis, VMware vSphere, Windows 10/11, Windows Server, Microsoft Entra ID, NetScaler, Citrix App Layering, Citrix WEM, ControlUp, FSLogix, Microsoft Intune

Work Experience

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Engineer

• Day-to-day administration of the VDI environment using Citrix Studio/Director and Nerdio Manager for Enterprise
• Designed and deployed a full Citrix MCS environment from scratch, including access layer (Citrix NetScaler), infrastructure layer (Nutanix Acropolis/AHV), and a complete DR/BC solution
• Designed and deployed an Azure Virtual Desktop environment and led the migration of the entire VDI environment from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops to Azure Virtual Desktop under a tight deadline, helping the firm avoid a $500k Citrix renewal
• Designed, deployed, and administered a full Citrix App Layering (ELM) solution to support multiple golden images and a Citrix Workspace Environment Management (WEM) solution
• Responsible for managing all aspects of Windows 10/11 and Server golden images using Group Policy, Intune, Windows Update
• Providing administration guidance to other Citrix team members, as well as operational guidance to other IT departments Integrated various information security solutions with VDI and ensured compliance with strict security standards through systems hardening

Citrix Analyst

• Day-to-day support of the Citrix XenApp & XenDesktop environment, including proactive diagnosis and troubleshooting of user-facing issues
• Troubleshooting various complex issues in all facets of the VDI environment, including Citrix components, Windows 10/Windows Server, Active Directory, and network infrastructure
• Designed and deployed a Citrix FAS solution to integrate modern authentication (SAML via Azure AD) with the VDI
• Performed numerous full environment upgrades of the on-prem Citrix platform software (Delivery Controller, StoreFront, Director, etc.)
• Completed a complex migration of the core Citrix infrastructure servers from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Server 2019

Education

• University of Florida - Gainesville, FL