Profile · Cloud & Messaging Engineering
John Thomas
Microsoft 365 Engineer & Cloud Solutions Specialist
A seasoned IT professional specializing in Microsoft 365 engineering, with deep expertise in large-scale mailbox migrations and cloud integration. Experienced leading international projects and building efficient, high-performing environments for organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises.
Background
John Thomas is a Texas native and alumnus of the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University. He began his career in the Dallas area working for government agencies and Microsoft partners, and has since built over 20 years of experience as a messaging and directory services consultant.
He has deep expertise designing solutions on Microsoft 365, Exchange, Azure, Windows and Active Directory, with hands-on experience managing enterprise-level projects and service delivery teams — including migrations, restructuring and IT infrastructure consolidation through mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, plus high-availability and site-resilient implementations.
A senior messaging resource for numerous organizations over the years, John has served as the sole technical resource on dozens of successful migrations to Microsoft 365 from on-premise environments — for clients ranging from small and mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 enterprises.
Areas of Expertise
Certifications
Education
Selected Experience
Senior Systems Engineer
HD Vest
Managed highly virtualized Microsoft and VMware environments and led the infrastructure team's expansion following a corporate divestiture.
Exchange Architect
PNM Resources
Led an enterprise messaging architecture project and served as technical lead for an Exchange 2003-to-2010 upgrade, coordinating internal and external resources to deliver on schedule and budget.
Systems Engineer III, AD Focused
FTS International
Supported enterprise systems across 45 sites and 3,000 users; led a data center relocation and an Active Directory / DFS redesign.
Recommendations
I worked with John on a large Active Directory and Exchange greenfield implementation for a national business insurance company. John did a great job building the project plan, managing budget and status, and serving as a technical resource — completing many design and implementation tasks himself. The project finished on budget and on schedule, the first time in memory for this client.Jim Booth Advisory Managing Director, Microsoft, KPMG
I have had the pleasure of working with John on two complex infrastructure migration projects — as project manager on one, and as technical lead on the other. In both capacities his work was exemplary. Beyond technical ability, his customer focus and dedication are an example to those around him.Steve Ross Global Technology Strategist, Director at Microsoft
John upgraded our Active Directory infrastructure from Windows 2003 to Windows 2008 R2. The transition was very smooth with little issue. He also consolidated our group policies and improved logon time. Very personable and easy to work with.Eddie Paredes Systems Engineer Specialist, Cook Children's Health Care System
John is an extremely capable and dedicated IT professional with strong analytical and communication skills. On many occasions he was a lifesaver — as a peer, I could call him and get reliable, spin-free answers and detailed technical information.Matt Hall Sr. Systems Engineer, MCSE, Sec+CE, TS/SCI
It was an honor to work with John. He worked well on client sites and learned new technologies quicker than almost anyone I've had the pleasure to work with — a team player willing to do what was needed, including public speaking and pre-sales support.Cameron Fuller Director, Automation Solutions, Quisitive
Besides being a thoroughly good guy, John is an outstanding technologist and consultant. He takes ownership of his activities and follows through to ensure the job not only gets done, but gets done correctly.Peter Elkin Product Owner, DEX and DR