Simon Watts
Fareham,Hampshire
Summary
Experienced IT Support Engineer with a strong background across service desk leadership, Linux/Unix administration, infrastructure monitoring, and enterprise backup & recovery operations. Since 2009, I have progressed through a range of IT support roles — from first line service desk support to second line technical support and, most recently, a specialised position within the Restore, Monitoring & Storage (RMS) team at Ordnance Survey. I bring hands on expertise in maintaining physical and virtual server estates, managing cloud resources in Azure, and supporting large scale backup environments using NetBackup, Veritas appliances, Data Domain and more recently Commvault. My work has included lifecycle refreshes, security hardening, cloud tier storage, tape operations, and long term data archiving using Bridgehead. Recognised for my ability to take ownership of complex technical areas, I have led major patching programmes, driven process improvements, and delivered reliable, secure backup and archiving services that underpin critical business operations.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
IT Support Engineer
Ordnance Survey
2020.01 - 2026.01
- Provided specialist support within the Restore, Monitoring & Storage (RMS) team, covering enterprise backup, archiving, and infrastructure monitoring.
- Maintained and enhanced backup operations using NetBackup, Veritas appliances, Data Domain, and later Commvault.
- Managed cloud tier storage in Azure for off site backup retention.
- Oversaw lifecycle refreshes, hardware/software upgrades, and security updates across backup infrastructure.
- Supported long term data archiving using Bridgehead, ensuring secure preservation of large datasets.
- Delivered second line support for Linux/Unix servers across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.
IT Support Technician – Second Line Support
Ordnance Survey
2017.01 - 2020.01
- Maintained Linux/Unix servers across development, test, and production environments.
- Introduced structured patching schedules for Solaris and Linux estates.
- Managed server decommissioning processes, defining technical steps and embedding workflows into ITSM tools.
- Supported infrastructure monitoring using Xymon, SCOM and Zabbix.
IT Service Desk - Operational Lead
Ordnance Survey
2015.01 - 2017.01
- Led the IT Service Desk team, ensuring high quality service delivery and adherence to ITIL processes.
- Oversaw incident management, escalations, and service performance reporting.
- Drove improvements in service desk operations and customer experience.
IT Service Desk – First Line Support
Ordnance Survey
2012.01 - 2015.01
- Delivered first line technical support across the organisation.
- Logged, triaged, and resolved incidents and service requests.
- Provided excellent customer service and contributed to continuous improvement initiatives.
Corporate IT First Line Service Manager
Department for Work & Pensions
2009.01 - 2012.01
- Managed first line IT support operations across multiple teams.
- Ensured service quality, SLA adherence, and effective incident resolution.
- Mentored staff and supported the development of IT support processes.
Customer Service Manager
Department for Work & Pensions
2007.01 - 2009.01
- Led customer service teams delivering frontline support to the public.
- Managed performance, training, and service quality.
Administrator / Mentor (Claims Processing & Customer Relations)
Department for Work & Pensions
1995.01 - 2007.01
- Delivered administrative support and customer service across various roles.
- Mentored new staff and supported process improvements.
Education
ITIL v3 Foundation -
01.2011
2 A Levels -
01.1994
8 GCSEs -
01.1992
HNC - Computer Science
Computing Solutions -
Networking -
Computing Platforms -
Skills
- Backup & Recovery
- NetBackup Administration
- CommVault Administration
- Veritas Appliances
- Data Domain
- LTO Tape/Library Management
- Storage Lifecycle Policies
- Cloud-tier backup storage (Azure)
- Unix/Linux Administration (Oracle Solaris, RHEL, CentOS, Red Hat)
- VMware vSphere
- Computer Hardware Management (IBM)
- Infrastructure Monitoring (Xymon, SCOM, Zabbix)
- IT Service & Support
- Technical Support (First & Second Line)
- Service Desk (Analyst & Lead)
- Incident Management
- IT Service Management
- Service Delivery
- IT Operations
- Active Directory
- Microsoft 365
- Cloud
- Azure Cloud Computing (Storage Accounts)
- Archiving
- Bridgehead Data Archiving
Accomplishments
- Introduced a formal patching schedule for ~200 Solaris servers, coordinating with stakeholders and ensuring rollback protection via full system dumps to tape.
- Designed and implemented a staged patching programme for over 1,000 Linux servers, creating a single “source of truth” for configuration items, ownership, and patching windows.
- Defined and embedded a structured server decommissioning process for Windows and Linux, integrating it into ITSM tools (HEAT and TOPdesk).
- Progressed from Technician to Engineer after demonstrating strong capability in backup and archiving operations, taking ownership of lifecycle refreshes, security updates, and off-site/cloud backup strategies.
- Successfully migrated the backup master server to new hardware despite limited vendor documentation, overcoming multiple technical challenges through persistence and testing.
- Led the transition from remote-office Data Domain storage to cloud-based backup storage accounts in Azure, supporting organisational cloud adoption.
Professional Development
- Alison.com – Document Control: Principles to Practice, Alison.com, Completed
- IBM SkillsBuild – AI Fundamentals, IBM SkillsBuild, In Progress
- Alison.com - Introduction to Data Analysis, Alison.com, In Progress
Websites, Portfolios and Profiles
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-watts-036bb93bb/?utm_source=copilot.com
Timeline
IT Support Engineer
Ordnance Survey
2020.01 - 2026.01
IT Support Technician – Second Line Support
Ordnance Survey
2017.01 - 2020.01
IT Service Desk - Operational Lead
Ordnance Survey
2015.01 - 2017.01
IT Service Desk – First Line Support
Ordnance Survey
2012.01 - 2015.01
Corporate IT First Line Service Manager
Department for Work & Pensions
2009.01 - 2012.01
Customer Service Manager
Department for Work & Pensions
2007.01 - 2009.01
Administrator / Mentor (Claims Processing & Customer Relations)
Department for Work & Pensions
1995.01 - 2007.01