Ryan Johnson¶
Professional Experience¶
Distinguished Engineer, Product Engineering¶
Broadcom
Palo Alto, California (Remote)
November 2023 — Present
Note
VMware acquired by Broadcom.
- Authored comprehensive design and implementation guidance and high-quality technical documentation, enabling efficient private and hybrid cloud adoption and cultivating a more informed user base.
- Developed and maintained open-source infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools and modules (e.g., PowerShell, Terraform, Packer), significantly streamlining deployment processes, enabling automation, and fostering community engagement.
- Improved cloud product usability and customer satisfaction by identifying and resolving key integration and user experience deficiencies, actively influencing product features with engineering and product management.
- Provided expert guidance as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on private and hybrid cloud solution stacks, empowering customers, partners, and internal field/engineering teams to optimize cloud environments and make informed decisions.
- Enabled successful private and hybrid cloud solution adoption through direct engagement and expert guidance for customers and field teams, driving best practices and optimizing cloud environments.
Senior Staff Solutions Architect, Product Engineering¶
VMware, Inc.
Palo Alto, California (Remote)
November 2017 — November 2023
Position History
- Senior Staff Solutions Architect (August 2022 – November 2023)
- Staff II Solutions Architect (November 2017 – August 2022)
- Authored comprehensive design and implementation guidance and high-quality technical documentation, enabling efficient private and hybrid cloud adoption and cultivating a more informed user base.
- Developed and maintained open-source infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools and modules (e.g., PowerShell, Terraform, Packer), significantly streamlining deployment processes, enabling automation, and fostering community engagement.
- Improved cloud product usability and customer satisfaction by identifying and resolving key integration and user experience deficiencies, actively influencing product features with engineering and product management.
- Provided expert guidance as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on private and hybrid cloud solution stacks, empowering customers, partners, and internal field/engineering teams to optimize cloud environments and make informed decisions.
- Enabled successful private and hybrid cloud solution adoption through direct engagement and expert guidance for customers and field teams, driving best practices and optimizing cloud environments.
Staff Architect, Technical Marketing¶
VMware, Inc.
Palo Alto, California (Remote)
November 2014 — November 2017
Position History
- Staff Technical Marketing Architect (November 2016 – November 2017)
- Senior Technical Marketing Architect (July 2016 – November 2016)
- Senior Technical Marketing Manager (November 2014 – July 2016)
- Transformed complex technical features into actionable insights, accelerating technology deployment and driving widespread adoption through clear value articulation.
- Drove efficiency in implementation processes by championing validated designs and expertly managing technical product launches for maximized market impact.
- Empowered stakeholders with comprehensive technical enablement, developing and delivering impactful content like presentations and hands-on labs that significantly boosted proficiency and adoption.
- Elevated market presence and strengthened partnerships by expertly showcasing innovative solutions through compelling technical demonstrations and keynote sessions.
- Optimized product relevance by strategically prioritizing feature enhancements based on direct customer and partner feedback, ensuring alignment with market demands.
Staff Technical Account Manager, Customer Success¶
VMware, Inc.
Palo Alto, California (Remote)
April 2010 - November 2014
Position History
- Staff Technical Account Manager, Team Lead (July 2012 – November 2014)
- Senior Technical Account Manager (April 2010 – July 2012)
- Drove cloud technology adoption and strategic standardization, conducting comprehensive client assessments to implement cutting-edge solutions that boosted operational efficiency and mitigated project delays.
- Cultivated and nurtured pivotal stakeholder relationships, including C-level executives, building trust and aligning technology investments directly with critical business objectives to maximize ROI.
- Provided end-to-end project oversight, offering comprehensive project management, solutions architecture, and consultative review, while serving as a central point of accountability for escalations across diverse product divisions and partner communities.
- Minimized client risks by leveraging deep technical expertise and extensive organizational resources, ensuring the delivery of robust solutions and proactively informing decision-making with product updates and roadmaps.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration with product management, engineering, and consulting teams, ensuring the effective delivery of impactful solutions and skillfully managing project teams to achieve exceptional outcomes.
Enterprise Architect¶
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
Tallahassee, Florida (On-Site)
January 2008 — April 2010
Position History
- Enterprise Architect (June 2008 – April 2010)
- Senior Systems Engineer (January 2008 – June 2008)
- Established the Enterprise Architecture Program, defining its charter and monitoring performance to ensure comprehensive coverage across information, application, and technology domains.
- Optimized project pipeline efficiency for the Project Management Office by assessing risks and opportunities, thereby accelerating the delivery of technology platforms and services.
- Analyzed complex technology and business challenges, designing and deploying proofs-of-concept with detailed business cases and cost projections to inform decisions and validate proposed architectures.
- Executed detailed design and system analyses, defining comprehensive requirements, developing robust interface and data architectures, and implementing stringent governance protocols.
- Translated strategic objectives into actionable designs and roadmaps through close collaboration with business experts and cross-functional teams, optimizing architectures to minimize costs and significantly improve business outcomes.
Senior Enterprise Consulting Architect¶
Infinity Software Development
Tallahassee, Florida (On-site)
March 2005 — January 2008
- Led diverse technology initiatives including virtualization, storage, business applications, messaging, directory, and file services, ensuring direct alignment with organizational goals.
- Refined technology architectures to meet best practices, developing detailed implementation roadmaps to guide modernization efforts.
- Managed projects end-to-end, consistently ensuring adherence to timelines and budgets while delivering high-quality results.
- Developed strategic technology roadmaps that successfully drove the adoption of new technologies and facilitated the efficient migration of legacy systems.
Senior Systems Engineer¶
Aderant
Tallahassee, Florida (On-site)
June 2000 — May 2005
- Managed integrated technology projects, ensuring the seamless delivery of tailored solutions across North America, Asia/Pacific, and Europe.
- Led the global integration of networks and systems, standardizing operations and significantly enhancing efficiency worldwide.
- Engineered and designed global data centers, successfully managing migrations and consolidations with minimal disruption to service levels.
Senior Systems Engineer¶
Datamaxx
Tallahassee, Florida (On-site)
May 1999 - June 2000
- Engineered and deployed enterprise-level document and image management software, demonstrating a strong ability to deliver scalable and efficient systems.
- Directed all phases of project lifecycles, from initial design through to final implementation and integration, consistently adhering to timelines and specifications.
- Integrated software solutions with existing client infrastructure, ensuring seamless operation and minimal disruption to business processes.
Senior Network Engineer¶
The University of Georgia
National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL)
Tifton, Georgia (On-site)
September 1998 - May 1999
- Engineered and managed critical IT infrastructure and services for university research, including Microsoft Windows NT environments, remote access, web, mail, file, and print services.
- Secured and optimized research data management, implementing robust maintenance, security, and storage retention procedures, while also migrating core network infrastructure to Cisco foundations.
- Developed and designed specialized content management systems and websites to support and disseminate university research initiatives.
Forest Ecology Researcher¶
The Jones Center at Ichauway
Newton, Georgia (On-site)
June 1998 – September 1998
- Conducted field sampling, data collection, and lab analysis for Longleaf pine forest research, including controlled burns and canopy growth, alongside research data curation and GIS mapping.
Network Engineer¶
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, Connecticut (On-site)
April 1997 - May 1998
- Managed and monitored campus-wide LAN/WAN infrastructure, including Windows NT servers/workstations and comprehensive IT services, supporting over 5,000 students, faculty, and staff.
- Led critical system migrations, successfully transitioning customers from UNIX messaging to Microsoft Exchange and upgrading Windows NT environments.
- Designed, deployed, and managed core network infrastructure using Cisco switching and routing, including the specialized Neuroscience technology lab for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Systems Analyst¶
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, Connecticut (On-site)
August 1995 - April 1997
- Delivered comprehensive technical support for a mobile computing program and university campus customers, resolving hardware and software issues.
- Managed helpdesk requests and performed fieldwork, effectively repairing and servicing systems to ensure operational continuity.
- Developed and maintained an intranet website to provide essential information and services to mobile computing customers.
Education¶
Bachelors of Science, Biological Sciences¶
Sacred Heart University, College of Arts and Sciences
Fairfield, Connecticut
August 1995 - May 1998
Developed a strong foundation in ecological principles and environmental science, preparing me for roles requiring analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
Certification¶
- HashiCorp Certified, Terraform Associate
- GitHub Certified, GitHub Foundations
- GitHub Certified, GitHub Actions
- GitHub Certified, GitHub CoPilot
- GitHub Certified, GitHub Advanced Security
- GitHub Certified, GitHub Administration
- GitLab Certified, Git Associate
- GitLab Certified, Project Management Associate
- GitLab Certified, CI/CD Associate
- GitLab Certified Security Specialist
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- Microsoft Certified, Azure Fundamentals
- VMware Certified Professional, VMware Cloud Foundation Architect 2024
- VMware Certified Professional, VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator 2024
- VMware Certified Professional, VMware vSphere Foundation Administrator 2024
- VMware Certified Implementation Expert, Data Center Virtualization
- VMware Certified Implementation Expert, Network Virtualization
- American Red Cross Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED
More certifications available on Credly.
Patents¶
Managing L4 Ports
US 20230021019 A1 · Issued Jan 19, 2023
Transforming ports (L4) from passive conduits of data into security aware code ("software defined") that have the ability to securely configure themselves so that applications and network traffic are actively secured.
Publications¶
Mastering VMware vSphere 6.7, Sybex, 2018
ISBN: 781119512943
Contributing Author, Chapters 11, 12, and 14
Honors and Awards¶
- HashiCorp Core Contributor, 2025 and 2022
For contributions to Terraform providers and Packer plugins. - VMware vExpert, 2013 – 2025
Skills¶
- GitHub
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab
- Go
- PowerShell
- Bash Scripting
- Python
- APIs/SDKs
- Open Source Management
- Agile/Scrum Methodologies
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Ansible
- JetBrains IDEs
- Visual Code
- JIRA
- Confluence
- Figma
- OmniGraffle
- JSON and YAML
- Markdown
- HashiCorp Terraform
- HashiCorp Packer
- HashiCorp Vagrant
- VMware Cloud Foundation
- VMware vSphere
- VMware NSX
- VMware vSAN
- VMware Fusion / Workstation
- Amazon Web Services
- Microsoft Azure
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Linux, macOS, and Windows
Open Source Projects¶
Terraform
Packer Plugins
PowerShell
Volunteer Experience¶
Assistant Scoutmaster and Advancement Coordinator¶
Scouts BSA Troop 114
Tallahassee, Florida
January 2019 - March 2023
Set Builder¶
Young Actors Theatre
Tallahassee, Florida
August 2021 – Present