Thobane Cele

About Me

I am an IT Infrastructure professional with experience supporting enterprise environments and delivering reliable technology solutions.

Currently working As an IT Support Engineer at Playbook Engineering, I serve as the first line of defense, providing a world-class, consumer-centric support experience for our team. I am the primary point of contact for all technical inquiries, specializing in rapid triage, diagnostics, and resolution of hardware and software issues within our high-demand enterprise environment. I embrace the 'Pick Up An Oar' mentality by taking full ownership of support tickets, from initial logging to resolution or seamless escalation to senior engineering teams. My goal is to 'Hone My Craft' by documenting every solution to build a robust knowledge base, ensuring our internal systems remain as modular and reliable as the betting platform we provide to our global partner

My technical experience includes Microsoft 365 administration, cloud infrastructure, enterprise networking, cybersecurity technologies and identity management platforms.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and multiple certifications across Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, Fortinet and major cloud providers.

Education

BSc in Information Technology (System Engineering

Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology - Dec 2025

Programming Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, C++, Java, C#
Databases & Data Science: SQL, Database Systems, Big Data, Data Science
Software & Systems: Software Engineering, Operating Systems, Server Technology, Computer Architecture
Emerging Tech: IoT, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning
Mobile & UI/UX: Mobile App Development, Human-Computer Interaction
PNetworking & Systems: Networking, Information Systems

Business Management N4

Professional Certifications

Cloud

AWS Cloud Architecting
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Azure Solution Architect Expert

Cybersecurity

CC Certified in Cybersecurity
Cisco Ethical Hacker
Cisco Endpoint Security
Cisco Cyber Threat Management
Fortinet FCA FortiGate 7.4 Operator

Networking

CompTIA Network+
CompTIA A+
Cisco Network Defense

Microsoft

M365 Security Administrator
M365 Teams Administrator
System Administration Microsoft

Professional Experience

Technical Support Engineer

Company: The Unlimited (BPO), Sep 2025 - Present

Industry: Call Centre

Location: Durban, Umhlanga Ridge

Role Type: 1st Line Application & Infrastructure Support

Supported Microsoft 365 environments including Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Entra ID (Azure AD) user administration.
Assisted with cloud-based monitoring and alerting, reviewing logs and dashboards from platforms hosted on AWS and Azure-backed infrastructure.
Supported identity, access, and MFA-related incidents in Microsoft 365 and Entra ID environments.
Collaborated with DevOps teams supporting applications deployed in cloud-hosted environments, ensuring uptime and service continuity.
Delivered L1 support using Jira, Alerta, Grafana, Kibana, Slack alerts, and AnyDesk.
Monitored systems, analyzed logs, and coordinated cross-team incident resolution.
ASupported automation initiatives via Jenkins pipelines (Python)
Maintained documentation, knowledge bases, and SLA-driven reports.

IT Support Technician

Company: iSite Computers, Jan 2025 - August 2025

Industry: Managed IT Services Environment

Location: Durban, Sherwood

Role Type: 1st & 2nd Line Application & Infrastructure Support

Administered Microsoft 365 tenants, including user provisioning, licensing, mailbox management, Teams configuration, and security policies.
Supported Azure AD / Entra ID for identity management, password resets, MFA enforcement, and secure access control.
Managed cloud-hosted email, websites, and applications using cPanel-based hosting environments.
Assisted clients with cloud migration support, backup configuration, and SaaS application integration.
Provided guidance on Microsoft 365 security best practices, conditional access, and endpoint protection.
Resolved IT tickets via Autotask and documented solutions in IT Glue.
Performed proactive monitoring using Datto RMM and KaseyaOne.
Supported UniFi, Mikrotik, VPN access (Netmaker), and endpoint security solutions.
Delivered remote and on-site support, mentoring junior technicians.

Mid-Level Network Engineer

Company: Medipost Pharmacy, Sep 2018 - May 2024

Industry: Pharmaceutical Logistics & Healthcare Distribution

Location: South Africa

Role Type: 2nd & 3rd Line Application & Infrastructure Support

Designed and supported hybrid environments integrating on-prem infrastructure with Microsoft 365 and Azure services.
Administered Microsoft 365 including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and identity synchronization with Active Directory.
Supported Azure services including identity management, networking concepts, and secure access models.
Gained hands-on exposure to AWS core services (compute, storage, networking) supporting hosted systems and integrations.
Implemented cloud-aligned security controls following ISO, NIST, and CIS frameworks
LAN/WAN/Wi-Fi design, Cisco routing & switching, VLAN segmentation.
OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, QoS, DHCP, DNS, IP addressing.
SolarWinds, NetFlow, PRTG monitoring and troubleshooting.
FortiGate firewall configuration, ACLs, vulnerability assessments.
Windows Server, Linux, VMware, SQL Server, Active Directory.
Veeam Backup & Replication, disaster recovery planning.

Roving Site Agent/ Pharmacy Administrator

Company: Medipost Pharmacy, Feb 2016 - Aug 2018

Industry: Pharmaceutical Logistics & Healthcare Distribution

Location: South Africa

Role Type: Pharmacy Aministration

Handles crucial, high-volume data capturing of chronic prescriptions
Prescription Processing & Data Management
Administration and Operations
GCommunication & Support
Compliance & Quality Assurance/li>

About Me

Education

BSc in Information Technology (System Engineering

Business Management N4

Professional Certifications

Cloud

Cybersecurity

Networking

Microsoft

Technical Skills

Professional Experience

Technical Support Engineer

IT Support Technician

Mid-Level Network Engineer

Roving Site Agent/ Pharmacy Administrator

Network Monitoring Dashboard

Network Uptime

Active Devices

Alerts

Network Lab Simulation

GitHub Projects

DevOps Pipeline

Cyber Threat Map

Technical Blog

Troubleshooting DNS Issues

Azure Identity Security

Enterprise VLAN Design

Contact Me