Above and Beyond: Initiative & Problem-Solving

This section showcases real-world examples of proactive problem-solving, team consideration, and going beyond standard job requirements. These experiences demonstrate the initiative and critical thinking skills essential for cybersecurity roles.

🛡️ Emergency Network Infrastructure Protection During Critical Business Hours

Situation: During a scheduled network maintenance window at one of our hotel properties, the primary internet connection failed unexpectedly, threatening to disrupt guest services during peak business hours.

Challenge:

Critical business-hour disruption imminent
Guest Wi-Fi and operational systems at risk
Standard escalation procedures would take hours
No immediate backup connectivity solution in place

Initiative Taken: Rather than following standard escalation protocols that would have left the site offline for several hours, I immediately:

Rapid Assessment: Conducted remote diagnostics to isolate the failure to the ISP connection rather than internal infrastructure
Creative Solution: Identified that the site’s backup 4G connection (normally used only for monitoring) could be temporarily reconfigured to handle guest traffic
Immediate Implementation: Remotely reconfigured the Meraki firewall to:
- Route guest Wi-Fi traffic through the 4G backup
- Prioritise critical operational systems
- Implement bandwidth management to ensure stable service
Proactive Communication: Immediately informed both the hotel management and our operations team of the temporary solution and expected resolution timeline

Impact:

Zero guest impact - Wi-Fi remained operational throughout the incident
Business continuity maintained - All critical systems continued functioning
Cost avoidance - Prevented potential revenue loss during peak occupancy period
Team efficiency - Allowed primary support team to focus on permanent fix without emergency pressure

Technical Skills Demonstrated:

Network troubleshooting under pressure
Creative problem-solving with existing infrastructure
Remote configuration management
Understanding of business priorities and impact

Lessons Learned:

Importance of having pre-configured emergency procedures
Value of understanding the full capability of backup systems
Critical nature of immediate communication during incidents

📖 Detailed Project Stories

For in-depth technical details about specific projects and their implementation:

Building a MAC Address Extractor Tool: From Problem to Solution - Complete development story with technical details and lessons learned

💡 Key Principles Demonstrated

Proactive Problem-Solving

Rather than simply escalating issues, I analyse root causes and implement creative solutions using available resources.

Business Impact Awareness

Understanding that technical problems have real business consequences drives urgency and solution prioritisation.

Team Consideration

Taking immediate action relieves pressure on colleagues and allows for more thoughtful long-term solutions.

Communication Excellence

Keeping all stakeholders informed prevents confusion and demonstrates professional reliability.

This section will be regularly updated with new examples of initiative and problem-solving as my career progresses.