Conor Allen
Bedfordshire
Summary
Experienced Networks & Security Specialist with a strong background in delivering comprehensive solutions for organizations, holding UK Government Security Clearance.
Expertise in network design, LAN & WAN management, and firewall implementation, with a proven ability to engage C-level executives during pre-sales and cyber incident responses. Focused on enhancing organizational network security and efficiency through managed service solutions.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Network Security Manager
BT
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
10.2024 - Current
- Managed a team of 15 engineers across vendors including Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Cisco to ensure exceptional service delivery.
- Led customer engagement initiatives such as Service Improvement Plans and service reviews.
- Acted as technical lead on complex bids to address non-standard customer requirements.
- Fostered diverse teams to enhance customer service and develop industry-relevant skills.
- Executed successful deployment of Fortinet Hosted Infrastructure in public and private cloud environments using IaaC.
- Established strong executive and technical relationships with customers through direct engagement.
- Presented technical solutions to customers, promoting BT managed security offerings.
Network Security Specialist
BT
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
10.2022 - 10.2024
- Lead on project which proved capabilities to manage Quantum safe encryption with Juniper SRX firewalls
- Lead technical SME within team for Fortinet Networks and Security Solutions
- Lead TOA for customer, providing technical recommendations and driving improvements to the managed estate, restoring customer’s faith in BT’s capabilities to manage the solution
- Lead customer engagement through initiatives such as Service Improvement Plans, SOC visits and service reviews.
- Engage directly with customers on technical presentations and selling BT managed security solutions.
- Support audit and compliance requirements – ISO27001 and Critical National Infrastructure.
Data Engineering Specialist (LAN)
BT
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
04.2021 - 10.2022
- Responsible for 3rd line troubleshooting and incident resolution for multiple customer LAN estates, dealing with BGP, OSPF, LAN switching, and wireless faults
- Team SME for Truesight Network Automation tool (TSNA), creating documentation and training videos
- Used TSNA to automate remediation and customer upgrade tasks, saving 100s hours of resource
- Used bespoke scripts to automate tasks that couldn’t be automated within TSNA toolset
- Lead Technical Support Engineer for customer estate, becoming their go-to technical resource for any networking issues
- Lead project engineer for physical migration project, facilitating by raising circuit orders, and carrying out physical migration of lab infrastructure to new site, minimising downtime to 3000+ users
- Lead engineer facilitating new customer connections into management platform for support by BT teams
Data Engineering Specialist (WAN)
BT
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
03.2020 - 04.2021
- Executed third line troubleshooting for BT CNSP network, ensuring swift resolution for key CNI customers.
- Facilitated migration from legacy networks to BT Datacentres, enhancing operational efficiency.
- Liaised with stakeholders, including NHS Digital, to manage and resolve P1 incidents.
- Oversaw acceptance into service and resilience testing for new sites, ensuring compliance with standards.
- Led implementation of change requests across estate, providing training for team members on processes.
- Developed comprehensive process documentation to standardise practices and ensure continuity.
Education
BA - Philosophy
University of Nottingham
09.2012 - 07.2015
A-Levels - Philosophy, English Literature & History
Luton Sixth Form College
09.2010 - 07.2012
Skills
- Network Design & Architecture
- LAN & WAN Management
- Firewall Implementation & Support
- SD-WAN & SASE
- Network Monitoring & Troubleshooting
- HLD's and Proposals
- Network Access Control
- Compliance & Risk Management
- Vulnerability Identification & Remediation
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
BT 2017 - 2020
Higher Apprentice Engineer, Hatfield
Certification
Fortinet Certified Solution Specialist Secure Networking 2025 - Present
HPE Aruba Networking Certified associate - Switching 2022
Implementing Cisco Enterprise Advanced Routing and Services 2020
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Network Security Manager
BT
10.2024 - Current
Network Security Specialist
BT
10.2022 - 10.2024
Data Engineering Specialist (LAN)
BT
04.2021 - 10.2022
Data Engineering Specialist (WAN)
BT
03.2020 - 04.2021
BA - Philosophy
University of Nottingham
09.2012 - 07.2015
A-Levels - Philosophy, English Literature & History
Luton Sixth Form College
09.2010 - 07.2012