Director of Technology & Research
MCPD: Enterprise Application Developer 4.0/3.5/2.0
MCSD.NET, MCAD, MCP
Kentico Certified Developer
Kentico Certified Trainer
Kentico MVP
Microsoft Virtual Technical Specialst
Bio
Blog
Resume
Contact
Bryan J. Soltis is the Directory of Technology & Research for Bit-Wizards Custom Solutions, Inc. in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Bit-Wizards is an innovative custom software engineering and consulting firm specializing in commercial application and professional services. Bryan has over 12 years of experience designing and implementing solutions using Microsoft technologies.
Bryan’s interest in computers and technology began at an early age with a friend’s Commodore 64. After spending many hours programming and experimenting, Bryan knew that technology would be his focus. This interest would set him on a career path in software design and exploring and experimenting with new technologies.
Bryan’s professional career began with desktop and network support for a concrete construction company. This experience introduced him to server and networking, computers and peripherals, and basic web design and programming. Following this, Bryan worked at a surgical supply company where he provided network administration, in addition to web programming skills. Bryan’s next position as a Senior Technical Test developer at QWIZ software introduced him to ASP and SQL Server where he became the chief developer and administrator of QWIZ’s online testing application. At QWIZ, Bryan was responsible for all application programming and maintenance of the QWIZTek system, including system updates, bug tracking/resolution, and Y2K compliance.
Following QWIZ, Bryan worked at MeasureUp, Inc. as a Project Lead, specializing in web and windows development. Bryan developed and maintained several international applications for Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, HP, and Cisco. Bryan developed applications for Microsoft’s Partner Network for voucher distribution, a project that earned a “Team Ball” achievement within Microsoft. Bryan also created and maintained the ISTE project, an innovative use of Microsoft Terminal Services and Microsoft Office to test youths on their ability to use the applications. Bryan’s position at MeasureUp afforded him the opportunity to explore and develop with emerging technologies and systems, including Terminal Services, .NET, and high availability architectures.
Bryan joined Bit-Wizards in 2008 as a Senior Software Engineer and was immediately tasked with exploring and implementing emerging technologies. Bryan pioneered Bit-Wizards' Silverlight development by designing and developing prototypes to replace existing applications. This development resulted in the drastic reduction of development efforts for projects and enabled Bit-Wizards to provide better service to its clients. Since 2008, Bryan has focused his efforts on several new technologies, including WPF, Windows Azure, SQL Azure, Silverlight, and Windows Phone 7 development. He has implemented Hyper-V , load balancing, SQL clustering, and other high-availability systems for both Bit-Wizards and clients. Bryan was honored as a Superior Performer in 2008 and as Employee of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
Bryan is extremely involved in the local and national development community. Bryan is the Vice President of the Gulf Coast .NET User group, as well as an avid speaker at many of the area conferences. Bryan was a part of the Microsoft Silverlight 4.0 Exam alpha testing, as well as a Microsoft Virtual Technical Specialist (VTSP). Bryan has spoken on Kentico CMS and Windows Azure on an international level at numerous conferences including MIX 2011 in Las Vegas, NV, Microsoft WPC 2011 in Los Angeles, CA, and Kentico Connection in Prague, Czech Republic.
Bryan attended school at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA prior to working at Bit-Wizards where he studied computer sciences .Bryan currently holds certifications as a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer in .NET 4.0, 3.5, and 2.0.is also a Kentico Certified Developer and Certified Trainer, as well as the only US Kentico MVP.
Bryan resides in Fort Walton Beach with his wife Valerie. They enjoy living at one of the most beautiful beach communities on earth, as well as traveling to see his daughter and other sites around the world. Bryan and Valerie are avid boaters, red wine connoisseurs, and fans of the local culture and music.
Technical Skills
| Operating Systems: |
| Win Server 2008/2003 |
Win 7/Vista/XP/2000 |
Win 98/95/ME |
Win Phone 7.1/7 |
| MS-DOS |
Linux Redhat 5 |
Fedora 10/9/8/7 |
Win Mobile 6.5 / 6.1 |
| |
| Languages/Databases: |
| C# |
Visual Basic.NET |
LINQ |
T-SQL |
| HTML/DHTML |
XML/XAML |
CSS |
JavaScript |
| MS Access |
VBScript/ASP |
Visual Basic 6 |
|
| |
| Software/Technology: |
| .NET 4.0/3.5.20.1.1 |
Visual Studio (all vers) |
Infragistics |
Active Reports |
| Expression Studio |
Query Analyzer |
Visio |
Terminal Services |
| SQL Mgmt Studio |
Ontime |
IE/Firefox/Safari |
Adobe Photoshop |
| Visual Source Safe |
IIS |
Telerik |
MS AJAX |
| Component Art |
Kentico CMS |
MS Project |
DNS |
| DHCP |
VPN |
Active Directory |
Exchange Server (all) |
| Browserhawk 12/11 |
SharePoint 2007/2010 |
ComponentArt |
Flash |
Work Experience
Director of Technology & Research
Bit-Wizards Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Jan 08 – Present
Senior Software Engineer in charge of several projects within the company. Duties include project management, .NET software development, Silverlight development, Kentico CMS development, Networking / Infrastructure, web farms, terminal services, full lifecycle project development, customer relations, and marketing/sales.
Windows Azure Development
- Created and implemented Windows Azure migration process for existing applications. Migrated applications to Windows Azure and SQL Azure. Partnered with Kentico Software and Microsoft to prepare Kentico CMS for Windows Azure.
Silverlight Development
- Pilot Catastrophe
- Silverlight Training Engine - Designed and development a Silverlight based training engine for Pilot Catastrophe. The engine uses Silverlight to deliver feature-rich, dynamic content to users including audio, video, and embedded Silverlight animations. The engine communicates with Pilot’s backend SQL server via .NET web services.
- Badge Printer - Designed and created a badge creator application using Silverlight. The application extracts data from a backend SQL Server using .NET web services and allows users to dynamically manipulate badge designs. The application allows users to upload custom images and resize/position within the application. The application uses .NET web services to convert the user’s saved badge design to file and facilitates printing from within the Silverlight application.
- Home Page Animation - Created and developed several Silverlight animations based off of existing Flash technology. Converted all transitions/images to use Silverlight and significantly reduced development costs for the client.
- ITGuflcoast.org
- Created a custom Silverlight application to display site sponsors. The application reads data from a user-maintained XML file and through the use of LINQ extracts information to display. The application also allows linking directly to sponsor sites.
- Encounter Technologies, Inc.
- Created custom Silverlight media player for use within client’s site. The player allows specific, external files to be delivered within the player. The player accommodates audio and video files, provides full-feature media control, and static images for audio files. Customized the player design to match the client’s existing site and specification.
- TailgatorCarrier.com
- Designed and created video player using Silverlight. The player allows for multiple files in a library, as well as multiple bandwidth settings for a customized user experience.
.NET Development
- Pilot Catastrophe
- Maintain several projects using .NET development, SQL Server, Silverlight, AJAX, CSS, Kentico CMS, and other .NET technologies. Manage 2+ resources working on several projects concurrently and oversee all areas of development for the client.
- Florida’s Great Northwest
- Reviewed and modified client’s code to resolve performance issue and enhance user experience. Prior to modification the site would take 30+ seconds to respond to user interaction. After modifying the code, the site was responding in < 2 seconds, even when returning complex data form the database. Assisted the client in deploying the site in a suitable production environment and with configuration of their backend systems.
- TailgatorCarrier.com
- Updated the legacy web application to .NET 2.0 and modified all source code within the site. In addition, updated all 3rd party components within the site to their most recent versions.
Kentico CMS
- Site Development - Created numerous Kentico CMS sites for several companies. Many of these sites have complex, custom functionality including custom e-commerce transactions, AJAX integration, integration with 3rd party web services, and Silverlight/Flash media. Mentored several developers within Bit-Wizards on Kentico CMS development and site management.
- Kentico Consulting - Consulting several companies on Kentico CMS development. Often traveling on-site, having assisted companies with new site development, as well as existing site configuration/optimization.
- Kentico Training - Conducted several Kentico CMS training classes of varying sizes and agendas. Conducted certified Kentico CMS training, as well as custom training tailored to client’s needs.
- Kentico CMS Training Program - Attended a Kentico Training Conference to assist in the creation and configuration of the Kentico Certified Training program. Attended the conference with 11 other Kentico partners and collectively derived the training program and its focus.
Project Lead - Application systems & Development
MeasureUp, Alpharetta, GA Mar 00 – Dec 07
Responsibilities to include ASP.NET/ASP development, weekly production web site migrations, web site/database support, SQL Server 2000/2005 development, VB.NET/VB 6 development, localization, Windows 2003/2000/NT domain support, Active Directory support, Exchange Server 2003/5.5 support, Terminal Services development/integration and support, Office 2007/2003/XP/2000 Automation development, Private Label site development/branding, custom application development, project management, specific documentation, Data storage backup/restoration, and Linux/Perl development/support.
- Microsoft / ISTE - Designed and created a testing engine for the Microsoft / ISTE project to test 8th grade users on Microsoft Office. The project consisted of developer a VB.NET application, using the Microsoft Office Interops to be assessed a user’s competency in The Microsoft Office Suite. The application was delivered Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services. This required extensive configuration of Terminal Services, as well as Active Directory integration and performance optimizations.
- Microsoft Partner Voucher Program - Developed and maintained a web application to interface with the Microsoft Partner extranet to deliver test vouchers to partners on Microsoft’s behalf. Interacted with Microsoft’s extranet via web services and X59 certificates. The application delivered several vouchers to partners, as well as maintained a security model to control access.
- Microsoft Learning Exams - Developed and maintained a web application to deliver Microsoft Learning practice exams to Microsoft users via the Microsoft Learning site. Development entailed creating the application, securing per Microsoft’s code review process, and assisting in its deployment on the Microsoft servers. The application delivered thousands of tests including beta exams, upcoming topics, and translated versions via LionBridge provided content.
Senior Technical Test Developer
QWIZ, Inc., Atlanta, GA Mar 99 – Mar 00
Responsibilities to include ASP/VB 5 development, SQL Server 6.5 development, Technical test development, project management, Contract Subject Matter Expert management, sole developer on for entire product line, product, specification, process, and development documentation, and website customer support.
Network Support
Dexterity Surgical, Roswell, GA Aug 98 – Mar 99
Responsibilities to include Windows NT network support, Data backup/restoration, HTML/JavaScript development, Customer/Sales support, and web site development support.
Certifications & Awards
- Microsoft Certified Professional Developer 4.0
- Microsoft Certified Professional Developer 3;5
- Microsoft Certified Professional Developer 2.0
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer 1.1
- Microsoft Certified Application Developer
- Microsoft Certified Professional
- Kentico CMS Certified Developer
- Kentico CMS Certified Trainer
- Kentico MVP
- 2010 Employee of the Year Award
- 2009 Employee of the Year Award
- 2008 Superior Performer Award
- Microsoft Virtual Technical Special (VTSP)
- Selected for Alpha Review of Microsoft Silverlight 4.0 Exam
- Microsoft Achievement – Configuring Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
- Microsoft Achievement – Delivering Value Planning Services
Community Involvment
I have spoken at several developer conferences and meeting on a variety of topics:
- WPC 2011 – Windows Azure & Kentico
- MIX 2011 – Windows Azure & Kentico
- SQL Saturday 2011 – Windows Azure & Kentico
- Gulf Coast .NET Users Group – Windows Phone 7
- Gulf Coast .NET Users Group – Silverlight 2.0
- Pensacola SQL Saturday – Silverlight 2.0
- Gulf Coast .NET Users Group – Kentico CMS
- Pensacola SQL Saturday –Kentico CMS
- Pensacola SQL Users Group – Kentico CMS
- Write/Maintain personal blog on a variety of development topics: http://blogs.bitwizards.com/bryan_soltis/
- Involved in several online communities including Silverlight.net and Kentco.com
Education
1999-2000 Kennesaw State University – Kennesaw, Georgia
1996-1997 North Metro Tech – Acworth, Georgia
1994-1995 Kennesaw State College – Kennesaw, Georgia
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