About Ben Piper

I'm a technology author, instructor, and consultant specializing in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cisco enterprise networking. I've spent over a decade helping IT professionals build their skills and advance their careers through books, video courses, and hands-on training.

I've authored and co-authored multiple bestselling IT certification study guides published by Wiley/Sybex, including the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide and the CCNP Enterprise Certification Study Guide. My books have helped tens of thousands of readers prepare for and pass their certification exams.

As a Pluralsight author, I've created over 30 IT training courses covering AWS networking and architecture, Cisco enterprise networking (CCNP ENCOR and ENARSI), Windows Server, and configuration management. My courses are known for their clear, practical explanations and real-world examples.

Key Highlights

What People Are Saying

Never thought I could understand networking concepts. Thanks a lot to the author for making me understand these. I owe you a party.

By far this has been a most effective course in terms of helping me learn networking. Finally, all those terms I have been reading and taking notes on are starting to make sense!

Incredible course. Very clear and informative. Can't praise high enough.

I'm a very big fan of you. You're amazing in the way you explain things, I'm really thankful to you.

Contact / Resume

Ben Piper

Senior Cloud Architect | DevOps Lead | Network Engineer
Remote / Southeastern USA | ben@benpiper.com
GitHub: https://github.com/benpiper | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminpiper/

Professional Summary

Senior Cloud, Network, Systems, and DevOps professional with 15+ years of experience architecting, implementing, and managing enterprise cloud and on-premises infrastructure. Expert in AWS, infrastructure-as-code (IaC), containers, virtualization, enterprise networking, and AI/ML API integrations. Proven instructor and author with enterprise training engagements and widely viewed technical courses. Strong leader with excellent communication skills and ability to deliver results across business units and organizational levels.

Key Achievements

• Trained 500+ employees from Fortune 500 clients on infrastructure and full-stack deployment
• Developed agentic AI solution automating learning design tasks with human-in-the-loop approval, reducing manual work by 70%
• Authored 40+ video courses with thousands of viewers covering AWS infrastructure, Cisco networking, and configuration management
• Generated significant revenue by identifying and implementing IT solutions for multiple clients
• Resolved critical system failures halting order fulfillment, preventing substantial lost revenue
• Developed novel virtualization monitoring solution (patented technology)
• Modernized legacy infrastructure for government and enterprise clients

Technical Skills

Cloud & Infrastructure

• AWS: EC2, S3, IAM, ECS Fargate, ECR, ELB, VPC, Route 53, DynamoDB, CodeBuild, CodePipeline, CloudFormation
• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, CloudFormation, OpenStack
• Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes, ECS Fargate
• Virtualization: VMware vSphere/ESXi, KVM, Hyper-V, Citrix XenApp/Provisioning Services

DevOps & CI/CD

• CI/CD Tools: Jenkins, AWS CodePipeline, CodeBuild, n8n
• Configuration Management: Ansible, Puppet
• Version Control: Git, GitHub, Bitbucket

Networking & Security

• Networking: Cisco NX-OS/IOS, NetScaler, Site-to-site VPN, Remote Access VPN, EIGRP, OSPF, BGP, MPLS, DNS, Load Balancing
• Storage: NetApp, Dell EMC, iSCSI, SAN, EBS, S3

Programming & Databases

• Languages: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, PowerShell, Bash, C#, C++
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, Redis, MongoDB
• Web Frameworks: Next.js, React, Express.js, FastAPI, Flask, Django

AI & ML Integration

• AI Tools: LangChain, OpenAI API, Anthropic API, CrewAI
• Techniques: Prompt engineering, agentic multi-model integrations, human-in-the-loop workflows

Operating Systems & Enterprise

• Operating Systems: Linux (Debian/Ubuntu, Red Hat/CentOS, Amazon Linux), Windows Server, BSD
• Enterprise Software: Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Active Directory/LDAP

Professional Experience

Technology Education Provider — DevOps Lead Instructor | 2023 – 2025

• Trained 500+ employees from Fortune 500 clients on AWS, Terraform, Docker, ECS Fargate, Jenkins CI/CD, Python, JavaScript, React, Node, Express, MongoDB, and Django
• Mentored and led instructors, contributing to record-high satisfaction scores and strong enterprise learner outcomes
• Developed agentic AI solution using Next.js frontend with direct API calls to multiple AI platforms, automating learning design tasks with human-in-the-loop approval
• Engineered prompts to achieve desired outputs, reducing manual course development time by 70%

Wiley — Technical Author | Contract, 2018 – Present

• Authored multiple IT certification guides for AWS, CompTIA, and Cisco
• Produced technical content designed for certification-readiness and practical infrastructure guidance
• Contributed to certification exam preparation materials used by thousands of IT professionals

Pluralsight — AWS and Cisco Course Author | Contract, 2015 – Present

• Designed and produced 40+ video courses and labs with thousands of viewers
• Courses covered: AWS infrastructure design/implementation, Cisco enterprise networking, Windows Server, configuration management
• Key courses: Architecting for Reliability/Security/Operational Excellence on AWS, AWS Networking Deep-dive series (VPC, Route 53, ELB)
• Received extensive positive feedback and testimonials from learners

Payroll Services Company — Systems Engineer | 2011 – 2015

• Architected and deployed virtualization production environment with Provisioning Services and enterprise storage
• Implemented VMware vSphere with High Availability for business continuity
• Automated server management using PowerShell scripts, reducing manual intervention
• Managed mid-size virtualization environment (dozens of VMs) with minimal downtime
• Resolved WAN, printing, and profile issues impacting business operations
• Performed advanced storage replication configurations on enterprise storage systems

Healthcare Technology Services — Citrix Support Engineer | 2010 – 2011

• Supported virtualization platforms for major healthcare customers, ensuring patient-care continuity for critical applications
• Developed novel virtualization license monitoring solution (patented technology)
• Resolved stability and application issues across hosted environments
• Standardized virtualization servers across customer environments to facilitate upgrades
• Published and optimized healthcare applications for remote access

Healthcare Services Organization — Citrix Administrator | 2009 – 2010

• Administered virtualization and provisioning services
• Upgraded virtualization infrastructure while preserving High Availability
• Implemented performance monitoring, resolving application/server performance issues
• Designed network changes improving application performance and reducing resource utilization
• Isolated workarounds for hardware issues affecting critical systems

Technology Solutions Provider — Level III Systems Engineer | 2008 – 2009

• Designed and implemented secure virtualization environment with secure gateway, provisioning services, and load balancing
• Resolved critical system failures halting business operations, preventing substantial revenue loss
• Modernized legacy infrastructure for government agency (server virtualization, directory services, backup/DR)
• Increased employee productivity through training and mentorship
• Delivered significant billable services on infrastructure modernization projects
• Discovered and isolated network issues in carrier infrastructure affecting multiple locations

Web Services Company — Network Administrator | 2008

• Architected company network, security policy, directory services with virtualization, and collaboration platforms
• Developed analytics and database integrations for business intelligence
• Generated revenue by reporting on automated system analysis
• Designed and implemented virtual server solution under budget, saving costs

Technology Consulting Group — Senior Network & Systems Engineer | 2006 – 2008

• Implemented enterprise networking, Windows Server, Exchange, virtualization, MPLS, firewalls, and VoIP
• Generated revenue by identifying and implementing IT solutions for multiple clients
• Led large workstation deployments and client engagements
• Developed equipment tracking system on Linux, saving deployment time
• Resolved network routing issues causing system updates to fail

IT Services Provider — Project Manager | 2005 – 2006

• Managed hardware replacement, POS deployments, BIOS upgrades, and field technical projects
• Oversaw replacement of computer systems at retail outlets
• Performed discovery and replacement of recalled hardware at healthcare facilities
• Installed and configured point-of-sale equipment for retail stores

Government Agency — IT Specialist | 2004

• Deployed and supported Windows systems, Terminal Services, virtualization
• Implemented automated deployment services, cutting deployment time in half
• Facilitated communication among Systems, Network, and Operations Support Teams
• Provided technical guidance for problem identification, prioritization, and resolution

Certifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

• Citrix Certified Administrator

• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)

• CompTIA Network+, A+

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Publications & Courses

• Learn Cisco Network Administration in a Month of Lunches — Wiley (2015)
• Multiple IT certification guides — Wiley (author)
• 40+ online courses and labs — AWS, Cisco, Windows Server, configuration management (thousands of viewers)
• Featured courses: Architecting for Reliability/Security/Operational Excellence on AWS, AWS Networking Deep-dive series

Additional Information

• U.S. Citizen based in Southeastern USA
• Available for remote roles in Cloud, DevOps, Systems, and Network Architecture
• Open to consulting, full-time, or contract positions
• Strong portfolio of published technical content and training materials