Being Bruce

I have lived in the greater Seattle, WA area since 1973.  My wife and I have two children in college and 2 rescue dogs (Boxer, Finnish Hound) plus a new Boxer in 2021.  I enjoy working in technology and my hobbies include college and NFL football, outdoor adventures, 3D printing, gaming, movies and spending time with my family, friends and dogs.

Currently, I am the Director of Technology for Ryther in Seattle and have over 25 years experience in working in business technology.  Today, I work with organizations that recognize there is a gap in their expectations with respect to how technology enables their business versus the reality of “normal” IT operations. Often this is recognized as frustration with how technology is deployed, or how budgets are designed and spent resulting in an inability to properly support people using technology, lost productivity and opportunities and misalignment with business goals. I also lead efforts to maintain a team of IT professionals through mentoring and leadership.

My first job in the IT world in the early 1990s as a Network Admin working on Novell Netware and Microsoft LAN Manager started me working to consistently improve business through technology.  Since those early days of my career, I have worked on most major systems through current iterations of operating systems, networks and associated services and applications.  I hold certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, ITIL and SANS GIAC. Among my published articles I authored a paper on securing the Windows operating system to complete my GIAC certification. I am currently completing my CISSP exam preparations.

You can see more about my professional life and qualifications in my LinkedIn Profile (Certifications, Publications, Recommendations and Skills/Endorsements). You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceFyfeJr.

Skills & Technologies

Digital Business Leadership • Cloud Computing • Strategic Planning • Digital Transformation • Customer Service • Project Management • Agile • Kanban • Network Engineering • System Administration • Systems Analysis, Design & Implementation • Security • Compliance • Communication • Personnel Management • Teaching • Training • Mentoring • Need & Gaps Analysis • ITIL • ITSM • Financial Management

IaaS • SaaS • PaaS • Virtualization • Windows Server • Windows Desktop • Office / Microsoft 365 • Azure • Azure AD • Microsoft PowerApps • Microsoft Power Automate • Microsoft Teams • SharePoint • Exchange • Internet • Intranet • Firewalls • Active Directory • ADFS • Group Policy • VoIP • Mobile Device Management • HyperV • ERP • CRM • VPN • DNS • DHCP • VDI •  PowerShell • Citrix • IDS • IPS • HTML • SSL • CSS • Ethernet • 802.x Wireless • Routing • Switching • Cisco • LAN/WAN • TCP/IP • OSI Model • SAN • HP Networking • Microsoft Office • Excel • Visio • OneNote • WordPress

What People Say and Think About Bruce

These are recommendations given by people who know and work with me and have offered their opinions via LinkedIn.

“You have great attention to detail while also grasping the big picture in supporting our company’s IT challenges. All the while being extremely responsive. As we all know, communication is the key to success in life and you’re a GREAT communicator! If our company was positioned to need a fulltime CIO we’d hire you in a heartbeat!”  – Jeff Darling, VP of Operations, Washington Liftruck

“Bruce is a knowledgeable tech evangelist with very practical approach. On top of all that, he’s a tremendously enjoyable guy to meet and discuss with. I contacted Bruce for his input on several different topics where I was wanting to do more for our firm, including Security, Project Mgmt software, and migrating our firm to an ERP solution. All very different and all very complex with their own set of unique considerations for our firm. Bruce has the experience and knowledge to speak with ease and in depth on all of these topics and was able to understand how they would pertained to our firm. His input and recommendations allowed me to make real progress on all three fronts in very short order. Bruce is a wealth of information and experience and has been a big help to me and our firm.” –Josh Lysen, President, Merit Homes

“Bruce was a true professional to work with. He had a clear vision on how to drive digital transformation within Lakeside Industries. He was an excellent partner and was able to clearly outline what he needed to drive that transformation. He had great communication with us during planning, implementation, final turn up, and after to make sure that what was needed was being provided. His knowledge, communication, and commitment was impressive.” –Steve Scheer, Director, Comcast Business

“Bruce is a true IT professional and leader. Over the years I have worked with Bruce he has continuously demonstrated integrity, clear-headed decision making, deep technical skills, hyper focus on business value, and loyalty to Lakeside Industries. He is a selfless and tireless architect and steward of high-quality enterprise technology and a skilled leader able to manage teams of professionals to maximum effectiveness.” – John Bartelink, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft

“I have worked with Bruce since he first came to Lakeside, he is a dedicated, team player who tries to work with everyone. This was especially important, and I’m sure frustrating at times, as he came into a construction company at the beginning of its digital communication “age”. Building a communications network isn’t like building a road, you don’t always see the progress, or the benefit until the work is done, and the people are trained in how to use the system. Through this Bruce has helped the company grow and we have seen the benefits of the network he and his staff have built and have come to rely on the system. I’ve seen people go from “we don’t need this” to “I can’t do my job without it”.” – Mike O’Neil, Director of Safety, Lakeside Industries

“[Bruce] stays connected to the IT industry and is always in tune with current and new IT trends and technology. He is a creative thinker who pursues the creative use of technology to address changing business needs.” – Tana Blair, Human Resource Director, The Summit at Snoqualmie

“Bruce is a quality teammate. He puts people first. Bruce is a strategic thinker and do-er. He is skilled at current and emerging technologies. He is open-minded and receptive to feedback” – Cal Beyer, Vice president, CSDZ

“Bruce manages our company IT Department and keeps us all running at an optimum level. He is constantly pursuing new and better ways to manage all of the data that is necessary within our company and empowers people with knowledge to grow and change right along with the changing technology.” – Kimberly Milan, Real Estate & Property Manager, Lakeside Industries

“Bruce professionally managed our quickly growing network on our shoe string budget. This is all the more impressive as network needs were extremely diverse and complex as our business was the business of scientific research. He was energetic, creative, and great with the staff. He would always make himself available for helping folks with their particular IT problems.” – Ed Gonterman, President, Pelagic Data Solutions