Hello, my name is
Jay Jones
I make broken things work,
and working things smarter.
OPEX Certified, Six Sigma Black Belt, and your go-to for critical support across networks, platforms, and production stacks.
About me
I am an enthusiastic engineer based in Austin, with a rich experience of over 30 years in network, hardware, and software support.
I fix things when they break.
I know what it’s like to be sweating bullets, knee-deep in broken technology and feeling like no one gives a damn. Real, unscripted support engineers that would actually help you seem a million miles away. It hurts. It sucks. You think about your job, and you’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I try to take that pain away so you’re not stuck in it.
I’m a neurodivergent engineer with a passion for sorting out sucky situations. My background blends old-school hacker-style computer science and ontology with a deep interest in the intersection of technology and futurism.
I don’t do customer service. I’m not some scripted talking head — I’m a full-stack solution here to help. My goal is simple: identify the problem so it can be eliminated.
In the military, we’re taught to embrace the suck — but I prefer making your life suck less. Thus, here we are. Below are a few of the technologies I’ve focused on in my career, and areas I can help:
What I do
Linux Administration
I manage enterprise Linux systems, delivering 99.9% uptime for Debian and CentOS servers. With expertise in HA-Proxy and CMS platforms like Magento and WordPress, I ensure robust performance. I’m ready to optimize your infrastructure for scalability and reliability in full-time or contract roles.
Threat Defense
I secure systems with Maldetect, Modsecurity, and APF firewalls, protecting 180+ servers. I led DMARC, SPF, and DKIM fixes for thousands of servers, aligning with industry standards. I’m equipped to strengthen your defenses in full-time cybersecurity or contract roles.
Database Reliability
I optimize MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis for high availability, using Galera replication to power CMS platforms. My WordPress CLI Cheatsheet streamlined admin workflows. I’m prepared to boost your database performance in full-time or contract reliability roles.
Technical Writing
Proper documentation makes the world go 'round, and one of the first things I learned early in my career was the value of proper man pages and creating tech notes. I do it everywhere I go and maintain an Obsidian database. Expect me to bore you to tears with it.
Graphic Design
Like many people, I didn't have the money to pay for artists to do neat things for me, so I finally realized I needed to learn to do all my own stunts. I went to the best school for Graphic Design I could think of... CalArts. Now I use that knowledge almost daily.
development
When I don't like the way something is working, or I can't find the tool I need, I tend to try and code my way out of it. I've done my share of Bash scripting, and have now evolved to Python, Go, TypeScript, and JavaScript. Lua's next. Or maybe the C family.
Automation Excellence
I automate infrastructure with Ansible, Puppet, and Git, streamlining 180+ CentOS servers. I trained admins on Ansible workflows, enhancing deployment speed. I’m eager to craft efficient DevOps pipelines for your team in full-time or contract automation projects.
System Reliability
I ensure 99.9% uptime with HA-Proxy, Galera, and Acronis backups across 180+ servers. My rack move process saved 80% in time. I’m skilled at delivering resilient systems for full-time or contract reliability engineering roles.
Team Leadership
I’ve led multiple teams, including a 4-6 person IT crew and military units as a USAF-A Lieutenant and Army Paratrooper. My Lean Six Sigma Black Belt refines processes. I’m ready to align IT teams for success in full-time leadership or contract consulting roles.
Skills
Recent Experience
2023-2025
Nexcess
Support Systems Administrator
As a Tier IV Linux Administrator, I ensured platform stability and maintenance for a 10,000+ server fleet of Magento and WordPress installations, providing CentOS system and MariaDB database administration and support for shared, dedicated, and high-availability clustered solutions.
2019-Present
Visional Labs
Principal Engineer
Founded Visional Labs to self-fund 30+ certs in Ansible, Cybersecurity, Splunk, AI. Built clustered WordPress on Apache with HA-Proxy, Galera, NFS on Digital Ocean/Linode. Contributed to IETF DMARC discussions to advance email security standards for thousands of servers.
2018-2023
Nexcess
Linux Administrator III
Provided global support for Magento 2, WordPress, WooCommerce, and more on CentOS 6/7 with Apache, MySQL/MariaDB. Resolved complex issues, maintained docs, and handled DNS, mail, spam, and malware mitigation to keep hosting environments stable and secure.
2013-2015
Peer1 Hosting
Linux Administrator II
Supported Magento 1.X and WordPress on Debian VMs with NGINX and MySQL across single, replicated, and clustered setups. Handled intruder threat response, Juniper firewall, Plesk, cPanel, and VMWare admin for customer instances from SMBs to Fortune 1000s.
Most Recent Stack
The Daily Drivers:
Debian Linux
I have been using Debian for the better part of two decades, and is second in my heart only to Sun Solaris. I use the i3 window manager, Tmux and vi to maintain that nice terminal love. It's a stable, community-driven Linux distribution known for its reliability, and I prefer it as a server, too.
Obsidian
I live in Obsidian, where Markdown meets my ticket notes, docs, and time-saving guides for the team. My vault is a collaborative playground backed by Git, so everyone gets the benefits of streamlined workflows — no more reinventing the wheel.
CentOS Linux
I provided support for a 10,000+ server fleet running a mix of legacy and cloud-hosted environments on CentOS 6/7—platforms past end-of-life but still powering production. Stability, automation, and sharp troubleshooting kept critical systems online.
Supporting This:
Magento
Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform known for flexibility and scalability. It powers thousands of online stores worldwide. Now rebranded as Adobe Commerce, it offers advanced features, cloud hosting, and full integration with Adobe's digital experience tools.
Wordpress
WordPress is a popular open-source CMS used to build websites and blogs. It's highly customizable with themes and plugins. WordPress powers over 40% of the web and is often paired with MariaDB and Redis for speed and scalability.
MariaDB
MariaDB is a fast, secure open-source relational database, forked from MySQL. It's commonly used with WordPress and Magento to store website data, including content, user info, and transactions.
Refined By This:
Redis
Redis is an in-memory data store used for caching and session storage. With WordPress and Magento, it boosts performance by reducing database load, storing sessions, and speeding up dynamic content delivery.
Elasticsearch
Elasticsearch is a search engine used to index and search large datasets quickly. Magento uses it to power product search, layered navigation, and catalog performance. It helps users find products faster and more accurately.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a CDN and security platform that speeds up websites and protects against threats. It caches content globally, reduces load times, and adds DDoS protection for WordPress, Magento, and other sites.
And Automated By This:
Ansible
Ansible is an automation tool for IT tasks like server setup, deployments, and patching. It's agentless and great for managing WordPress/Magento stacks, from installing packages to syncing app configs and code.
Puppet
Puppet is an infrastructure-as-code tool used to automate server configuration and management. It ensures consistent environments for apps like Magento and WordPress across staging, production, and scaling environments
Git
Git is a version control system used to track changes in code. It's essential for WordPress and Magento development, enabling teams to collaborate, manage releases, and roll back changes safely.
Vendor Direct
Learning @ Coursera
As It Has Been Said...
