Nicholas Gourley

Sole owner of on-site IT infrastructure for a manufacturing company, accountable for security and availability of identity, network, endpoint, server, and backup systems. Controls user access, administers firewall and network infrastructure, and owns backup and recovery operations.

Secured enterprise identity infrastructure across Active Directory and Microsoft 365, enforced role-based access control and least-privilege provisioning. Administered FortiGate firewall, Dell switches, and Microsoft Intune endpoint hardening, and managed ERP and QMS platforms.

Authored a comprehensive disaster recovery plan for corporate infrastructure including VMware, Veeam, DataDomain, and Microsoft 365. Managed Active Directory and Entra ID synchronization, configured Veeam backups, and supported global end users.

Researched threats in AI training scheduling software and assessed container escape techniques. Built an AI Fuzzer penetration testing tool and documented source code architecture with formal manuals.

Designed and managed firewall policies, maintained network infrastructure, and implemented endpoint monitoring. Administered Windows Server environments including Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP, and developed backup and disaster recovery strategies.

Pursued a Master of Science in Cyber Defense at Dakota State University, completing in 2025.

Earned a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations from Dakota State University in 2023.