Nicholas Beard
About Nicholas Beard
Nicholas Beard is an IT Specialist at Faurecia in Banbury, United Kingdom, where he has worked since 2017. He specializes in server setup, network configuration, and system management, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Leadership and Management from Coventry University.
Work at Faurecia
Nicholas Beard has been employed at Faurecia as an IT Specialist since 2017, contributing to the company's operations in Banbury, United Kingdom. In this role, he is responsible for setting up physical servers, configuring RAID arrays, and managing server hardware, which includes tasks such as racking and cabling. He integrates network monitoring with the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and acts as the first point of contact for monitoring issues within the UK. Additionally, he oversees backup and recovery planning for IT systems.
Education and Expertise
Nicholas Beard studied at Coventry University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Science from 2013 to 2017. Following this, he pursued a Master's degree in Leadership and Management at the same institution, completing it from 2017 to 2019. His educational background equips him with a solid foundation in both technical and managerial aspects of IT.
Technical Skills and Responsibilities
In his role as an IT Specialist, Nicholas Beard configures Cisco switches, including VLANs, trunk ports, and uplinks, and creates network topology diagrams for network cabinet layouts. He manages VMware ESXi hosts, handling the installation, configuration, and maintenance of guest virtual machines. He ensures compliance with security policies by managing device inclusion in Active Directory, antivirus updates, patching, and encryption.
Previous Experience at Faurecia
Before becoming an IT Specialist, Nicholas Beard worked at Faurecia as an IT Student from 2015 to 2016. This position allowed him to gain practical experience in the IT field while still pursuing his studies at Coventry University. His early involvement with the company provided him with insights into its operations and IT infrastructure.
Disaster Recovery and System Management
Nicholas Beard oversees backup and recovery planning and testing for IT systems. He addresses various scenarios, including air-conditioning failures in server rooms and production server failures. His proactive approach to disaster recovery ensures that the IT infrastructure remains resilient and operational.