Peter Whyte
Site Reliability Engineer / DBA
Remote (Edinburgh, Scotland)
I’m a confident & optimistic individual, approaching my work with enthusiasm and a strong belief in the value of teamwork. My greatest strength lies in my ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, bringing teams together to work towards a common goal.
I am extremely determined and committed to achieving every success in my career. I need to be aligned with the direction, purpose and values of a company. I believe that a clear vision of the long-term rewards is critical for keeping motivated and focused, and I always keep my sights set on the bigger picture.
Beyond the world of servers and databases, I’ve cultivated a hobby that has spanned over 8 years, which is creating and managing websites. I’m in a lucky position where my passions align seamlessly with my current job, making my work at GoDaddy a great & fulfilling journey, where I can fuse enthusiasm for database administration while making the Internet a better, and more secure place for all.
Career History
GoDaddy
Site Reliability Engineer – Database Services
Aug 2021 – Present
# Work within the Database Services Team to provide global support and engineering for SQL Server, MySQL, and NoSQL databases.
# Lead initiatives to ensure reliable and high-quality SQL Server (MSSQL) operations, directly impacting service quality for our customers.
# Oversee traditional DBA responsibilities, including High-Availability (FCIs, AAG), Replication, Mirroring, Change Data Capture (CDC), and Partitioning, while also managing backups, security protocols, and full estate monitoring.
# Participate in the MSSQL on-call rotation and respond to critical incidents to uphold performance and reliability across systems.
# Support and collaborate with global teams, aligning support improvements to meet long-term goals.
# Maintain Reliable Database Backups, automate database test restores host to enable efficient backup validation for business critical MSSQL databases.
# Drive monitoring and alerting enhancements for the SQL Server DBA team, improving system oversight and proactive issue identification.
# Support Teradata system & promptly assist customers with requests (1 year).
# MySQL Training (6 months).
People’s Postcode Lottery
Database & System Administrator
Oct 2017 – oct 2021
# Monitor & maintain the Data Platform & Legacy Data systems. Help ensure they remain secure, compliant, stable, performant, and data are kept accurate.
# Take ownership of incidents, troubleshoot & resolve issues on data systems.
# Assist with the design & development of new AWS Data Platform features, including active involvement in peer reviews.
# Perform software, OS upgrades & data configuration changes (cleaning/deduplication tools).
# Support the Insight & Campaigns teams, guiding on technical issues and automation of SQL tasks.
# Work with Data Governance & other teams to help ensure GDPR & Security measures are adhered to across the data.
# Produce data system security audit reports and work with department managers to ensure agreed permissions are in place.
# Attend and contribute to wider business security audits & meetings.
# Create, schedule & maintain ETL workloads.
# (project) Deliver phase 1 of a new AWS Data Platform.
# (project) Lift and shift the BI stack to AWS.
# (project) On-board & configure Tableau.
# (project) Build out data selection history, retention, and anonymization components in advance of GDPR 2018.
# (short-term) Support with BAU IT Operations tasks & other small projects.
Zonal Retail Data Systems
Database Administrator
Oct 2016 – oct 2017
# Administration, monitoring and tuning of live datacentre and customer on-premise database services.
# Promptly respond to database alerts ensuring high uptime and performance targets are archived.
# Configure SQL Server features to enable reporting or to improve performance.
# Proactively upgrade SQL Server instances, Operating Systems and VM Build versions.
# Ensure backups are sound and RPO/RTO targets are achieved.
# Spawn and provision new Windows GUI or CLI VMs for production SQL Server use, ensuring best practices have been adhered to.
# Configure permissions and arrange networking line of sight required for external data uplifts.
# Attend CAB meetings with external stakeholders and perform database changes in accordance with plans.
# Work with R&D and support teams to resolve issues at hand, including assisting with deployments of new software changes.
# Produce database performance reports for clients.
# Maintain database inventory and other shared documentation.
Exova
IT Operations Engineer
Apr 2015 – oct 2016
# Provide internal on-site & remote IT Support to office & lab sites within Europe, working with other divisions on a global scale to support shared systems. Travel to other locations within the UK to provide VIP support and for other projects.
# Administration & configuration of IT Operations tools & hardware.
# Support internal SQL-based applications and servers.
# Manage new start & leaver requests and re-patching of site server equipment.
# Communicate with 3rd party vendors to query information, report faults, and for purchase.
# (project) Tech-lead on the roll-out of Web Security (Forcepoint) across the UK.
# (project) Assist in domain migrations for several sites.