Fix it properly
Root cause over workaround. Two decades of break/fix, from depot benches to enterprise service desks, taught me the quick fix is rarely the cheap one.
Jody Gristwood — IT Technical Analyst in Calgary and Airdrie, Alberta
I keep people and their technology working. Twenty-plus years across the service desk, endpoint management, identity and Microsoft 365 — from fixing laptops at the kitchen table to enterprise migrations at Cenovus and Enbridge.
- Microsoft Intune
- Active Directory
- Microsoft 365
- Power Apps
- SCCM
- ServiceNow
- Group Policy
- Exchange
- WDS & MDT
- Entra ID
01
About
I'm the person people call when technology gets in the way — and the bridge between end users, technical teams and vendors. I've automated deployments with Intune, MDT and SCCM, led users through an enterprise domain migration, written the runbooks other analysts rely on, and built the ticketing app my team uses every day. I care about two things equally: fixing the problem properly, and making sure the person on the other end feels looked after.
20+
Years in IT support & systems
250+
Business applications supported
15
Roles across energy, engineering & MSPs
7
Industry certifications
Write it down
I built Enbridge's enterprise runbook, Cenovus's migration guides and Lanmark's imaging playbook. Good documentation means the next person doesn't need me.
Keep it human
Q&A sessions, MFA classes, one-on-one Microsoft 365 setups. Technology only works when people feel confident using it.
02
Experience
Two decades across enterprise IT, oil & gas, engineering and my own businesses. Select a role for details.
-
2023 — Now
Technical Analyst
CANA Group of Companies- First point of contact for every technical issue across the organization.
- Own user onboarding and offboarding through Active Directory and Vista.
- Provision and image devices with Microsoft Intune.
- Designed, built and maintain the team's ticketing application on Microsoft Power Apps.
- Triage the ticket queue and route work to teammates by specialty.
- Write and maintain end-user and IT documentation.
-
2021 — 2023
Client Support Specialist
Cenovus Energy- Helped design the end-to-end user and support process for an enterprise domain migration.
- Wrote the migration documentation used by both end users and support staff.
- Led pre-migration Q&A sessions and coordinated day-of migration support in Microsoft Teams.
- Ran post-migration sessions getting users set up and productive in Microsoft 365.
- Taught classes on enrolling in Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication.
- Managed and resolved incidents in ServiceNow.
-
2020 — 2021
System Administrator
Lanmark Engineering- Stood up Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT).
- Built and captured reference images for multiple hardware models.
- Created task sequences and driver profiles for automated, zero-touch style deployment.
- Enforced machine policy through a combination of Group Policy and registry configuration.
- Documented the full imaging process so the IT team could deploy machines independently.
-
2019 — 2020
Urban Desktop Analyst
Enbridge- Created and maintained Enbridge's enterprise-wide Runbook (knowledge base).
- Handled troubleshooting calls, installations, desktop maintenance and upgrades to service standards.
- Imaged systems with SCCM and deployed Cisco IP phones and HP laptops.
- Managed the incoming ticket queue and assigned incidents to analysts.
- Documented technical support and business processes; scoped and executed system reconfigurations.
-
2015 — 2016
Technical Support Analyst
Pason Systems- Resolved complex software, hardware and technical issues for customers by phone and email.
- Diagnosed remotely with a range of tools and escalated to field technicians when on-site work was needed.
- Logged every client and field interaction, tracked issues to resolution and updated Pason's knowledge base.
-
2015 — Now
Owner & Lead Designer
Gristwood Design- Design and redesign websites for small businesses, from concept through launch.
- Front-end development and search engine optimization.
- Logo, brand and web graphic design. (This site included.)
-
2002 — 2017
Owner & Lead Technician
Active Computing- Ran a 15-year IT services business supporting home and small-business clients on site.
- Managed Active Directory, Exchange and server/workstation patching for corporate clients.
- Supported SMBs across Windows, Linux, BSD and macOS.
- Trained clients on new systems and applications; tracked quality and satisfaction to keep improving service.
2006 — 2015 Earlier roles (7)
- 2010 — 2015Senior Technician / Web DesignerDucktoes Computer Services
Home, office and depot repair; migrated the invoicing and inventory system; redesigned the business and client websites.
- 2011 — 2012Desktop AnalystConnacher Oil & Gas
Supported 250+ applications; SCCM imaging; Active Directory and BlackBerry Enterprise Server administration; network monitoring in Orion.
- 2010 — 2011Tier 2 Service Desk / Deskside SupportPengrowth Energy
Next-day support for the Windows 7 / Office 2010 migration; supported Tier 1 staff; Remedy ticketing.
- 2010 — 2011Network AdministratorCGI
Active Directory users, groups and distribution lists; Exchange management; phone and email support.
- 2009 — 2010Field TechnicianUnisys Technical Services
Unsupervised on-site warranty repair of Dell desktops and notebooks.
- 2008 — 2009Senior TechnicianGeeks On The Way
On-site repair of desktops, notebooks and servers; home-to-corporate networking; data recovery; malware removal.
- 2006 — 2008Configuration / Dispatch / Depot TechnicianMetafore IT Solutions
Built and upgraded PCs, notebooks and servers; multicast imaging; depot and client-site deployment.
Recommendations
It is apparent when talking with Jody that he is passionate about technology… He was well respected within our team, and provided leadership for our team when our supervisor was unavailable.
An excellent tech with years of experience, extensive knowledge and skill, and good with people. I also trust him and find him very honest.
03
Toolkit
What I use to keep an organization's people, devices and identities running.
Identity & Access
- Active Directory
- Entra ID / Azure
- Group Policy
- Multi-Factor Auth
- Exchange
- On/offboarding
Endpoint & Deployment
- Microsoft Intune
- SCCM / MECM
- WDS
- MDT
- Task sequences
- Reference imaging
Microsoft 365 & Power Platform
- Teams
- Outlook
- Excel
- Word
- Power Apps
- Windows 10 / 11
Service Management
- ServiceNow
- Remedy
- Queue triage
- Runbooks & KB
- Remote support
- Orion
Hardware & Platforms
- Windows & Windows Server
- macOS
- Linux
- BSD
- Dell · HP · Lenovo
- Cisco IP phones
Web & Design
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- WordPress
- SEO
- Figma · Adobe CC
04
Certifications
- Microsoft · SAITMCITP: Server Administrator
- CompTIA · SAITA+
- CompTIA · SAITNetwork+
- DellDCSE — Certified Systems Expert
- LenovoLenovo Desktops & Notebooks
- HPHP Certified
- ToshibaToshiba Certified
Let's keep things running.
Hiring for IT support, systems or service-desk leadership in Calgary, Airdrie or remote? I'd like to hear about it.
- Résumé PDF
- Airdrie / Calgary, Alberta, Canada