Christer Edwards

Profile

Hello! My name is Christer. I build cool things. I also write, talk and teach about technology. My background has focused on working within the Linux and FreeBSD open source communities. I've specialized in server automation & configuration management, writing documentation and occasionally I make time for programming. I aspire to be the definition of "remote employee" while exploring the Western United States in my converted Promaster. What I do best is help others see how things could be and then work together to build those things.

Experience

IAM Pulse, An OktaX Company

Remote

Principal Technical Advocate

2021 - Present

  • IAM Pulse is the first project funded by Okta's internal incubator, OktaX. At IAM Pulse we're trying to demystify the complexities of Identity and Access Management in the cloud. Primarily I work with community experts to learn and share best practices, publish guides and facilitate learning. Our community first approach aligns with my belief that "none of us are as smart as all of us". Everyone has something to contribute.
  • Cloud
  • IAM
  • Identity
  • Access
  • Management
  • Community
  • Advocate

HackerU / ThriveDX

Remote

Cybersecurity - Lead Instructor (UNLV & SDSU)

2021 - Present

  • Like so many other people The Pandemic made me evaluate how I wanted to spend my time. This lead to a desire to find more fulfillment with a return to teaching. Now that remote is the new normal I am able to work with more Universities and students in a way that would have been previously difficult. Cybersecurity is the focus now and there's never been a greater need for it. My focus is on Cloud Security, Linux Security and Python Programming. Preparing the next generation of technologist is a rewarding way to share my career experience.
  • Teaching
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud
  • Linux
  • Python
  • UNLV
  • SDSU

BastilleBSD

Remote

Open Source Maintainer

2018 - Present

  • Bastille is a project that I wanted to build for a long time, so I took some time away from work and built it. It was the result of a decade of using and studying FreeBSD's concept of "jails" (the original Container techology). The Jail technology is the key reason I have been so involved in FreeBSD and I'm honored to be listed in history as a contributor. This project builds on my interests in operating systems, security and automation.
  • Bastille
  • FreeBSD
  • Container
  • Security
  • Automation
  • Open Source

Adobe, Inc

Utah

Software Architect

2014 - 2019

  • At Adobe I had the opportunity to work on some global-scale infrastructure. My responsibilities included designing and maintaining large scale, highly redundant core Internet services in support of Adobe's many Digital Marketing products. During my time I also designed and co-created the award-winning HubbleStack. This project exposed me to the challenges of InfoSec as well as industry compliance standards such as CIS, SOC-2, etc. It's rare to have access to such global-scale infrastructure. I'm glad I had this opportunity!
  • Developer
  • HubbleStack
  • DNS
  • NTP
  • MeetUps
  • Kafka
  • CDN
  • Python

Site Reliability Engineer

2012 - 2014

  • I first joined Adobe in their Analytics team working on performance and stability improvements. I spent my first six months building and testing a custom Linux kernel tuned for stability and performance. This role was all about efficiency at scale. The size of the infrastructure pushed me in new and challenging ways.
  • SRE
  • Linux
  • Apache
  • MySQL
  • PHP
  • Kernel

University of Utah

Utah

Instructor - Tech. Ed & School of Computing

2010 - 2013

  • They say "to teach is to learn twice" and it's true. I learned so much while teaching others the things I thought I understood well. Teaching technology has brought me more fulfillment than anything else in my career. It's rewarding to spend time with students and watch them not only begin rewarding careers but thrive in them. I am inspired by the advice to "lift as you climb". Sharing my knowledge in the classroom is my attempt to do that.
  • Teaching
  • Linux
  • Programming
  • MySQL
  • UofU

PartNET

Utah

System Administrator

2008 - 2011

  • At PartNET I worked as a US Department of Defense contractor building and maintaining Linux and FreeBSD servers. Our primary service was the "EMALL" procurement application, often referred to as "Amazon but for the DoD". This position required IT Level-1 Top Secret clearance.
  • FreeBSD
  • Linux
  • Clearance
  • EMALL
  • DoD

Guru Labs

Utah

Instructor - Red Hat Enterprise Linux

2007 - 2008

  • My position with Guru Labs allowed me the opportunity to travel the country training and certifying technology professionals on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. My primary focus was on the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) and Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certifications.
  • Teaching
  • Linux
  • Red Hat
  • Certification
  • RHCSA
  • RHCE
photo of me

Interests

  • Photography
  • Van Life
  • Hiking
  • Terrible Movies
  • Wild Birds
  • Writing

Presentations

    • SCaLE
    • 2011
    • 2012
    • 2013
    • 2016
    • 2017
    • 2018
      OpenWest
    • 2007
    • 2008
    • 2009
    • 2010
    • 2017
      SaltConf
    • 2014
    • 2016
    • 2017
      OSCON
    • 2007
    • 2008
      SAINTCON
    • 2017
      devopsdays
    • 2018