Bradley E. Ulisse
Williamsburg,VA
Summary
Results-driven Senior SQL Database Administrator and Azure Cloud Engineer with over 10 years of experience in designing, operating, and securing mission-critical data platforms for Department of Defense and federal clients. Expertise includes advanced Microsoft SQL Server and Azure capabilities, along with a strong background in performance tuning, automation, and high-availability design. Recognized for ownership of complex initiatives, delivering reliable and compliant solutions that empower senior leadership decisions and serve extensive user populations. Holds an active U.S. Government Security Clearance – Secret.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Database Administrator
Janus Research Group, LLC
08.2024 - Current
- Brought in as Senior DBA to lead Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL Server strategy for mission-critical Army architecture systems, with a focus on security, resilience, and cross-domain data movement. Own end-to-end design decisions across cloud databases, partnering closely with developers, security teams, and senior leadership to align technical solutions with mission and compliance requirements.
- Lead design and operation of secure, scalable Azure SQL Managed Instance environments aligned with Microsoft and DoD best practices, including backup/recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery, defining and meeting strict RPO/RTO objectives and cutting database incidents by an estimated 20–30% within the first year.
- Maintain 100% Azure Policy compliance and implement SQL STIGs for Azure SQL and related services, passing RMF/NIST reviews with zero high-severity findings and securing on-time ATO renewals.
- Build and manage Azure Data Factory pipelines between on-prem, NIPR, and SIPR environments, moving key datasets from ad-hoc/manual updates to scheduled syncs multiple times per day.
- Administer Azure App Services, Storage, Key Vault, and Entra ID to deliver secure, role-based access for dozens of apps and thousands of users, reducing ad-hoc access paths and improving audit traceability.
- Integrated database changes into CI/CD and improved observability with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and SQL Server DMVs, reducing database-related incidents by automating releases, cutting user-driven deployment errors, and supporting more frequent, lower-risk pushes to production.
- Highlight Achievement
- Took ownership of a NIPR-to-SIPR cross-domain data synchronization effort that had failed to reach production for more than three years; partnered with the development team to redesign data flows and security controls and delivered a working capability in months, giving senior Army leadership reliable, near-real-time architecture data to guide future force planning for thousands of users and systems.
Senior Database Administrator
Choisys Technology, Inc.
02.2020 - 08.2024
- Primary DBA for the Life Long Learning Center Program, owning SQL Server environments across dev/test/prod and multiple instances supporting ~300,000 users annually.
- Administered and tuned SQL Server to maintain 99%+ availability and protect SLAs for the education platform during peak training periods.
- Designed and optimized stored procedures, views, and index strategies for high-volume workloads, significantly reducing query durations and CPU usage.
- Automated STIGs and data collection with custom SQL and PowerShell, streamlining quarterly IA reviews and reducing manual compliance effort while maintaining RMF/NIST compliance.
- Built a dedicated reporting database consolidating daily and monthly metrics, giving leadership fast self-service access to operational insights and reducing recurring manual reporting work.
- Led major Blackboard/database upgrades and a datacenter migration of the Life Long Learning Center to Azure with minimal downtime, improving scalability, reliability, and long-term performance under strict security controls.
Database Administrator
InnovaSystems Int’l, LLC
06.2015 - 02.2020
- Managed mission-critical SQL Server environments for Navy readiness systems across geographically distributed sites, owning performance, security, disaster recovery, and data integrity.
- Administered 80+ SQL Server instances across multiple sites to meet demanding availability and readiness reporting requirements.
- Standardized and maintained backup, consistency check, and log maintenance routines, improving recoverability, audit readiness, and confidence in disaster recovery exercises.
- Implemented and validated SQL Server STIGs across all databases, achieving and sustaining DISA compliance for mission-critical Navy systems.
- Designed and supported availability groups, clustering, and replication solutions to meet strict uptime and recovery objectives, reducing unplanned downtime for fleet-wide applications.
- Selected achievements
- Designed and implemented a centralized management database to track server and configuration data, enabling faster troubleshooting and more controlled change management.
- Automated extraction and loading of system configuration data into SQL for IBM Cognos reporting, giving stakeholders clear visibility into configuration drift between primary and secondary sites.
Systems Engineer
InnovaSystems Int’l, LLC
07.2014 - 06.2015
- Supported Navy readiness by designing and maintaining web and SQL environments across development, test, and production, with full lifecycle responsibility from server build through deployment.
- Built and maintained IIS and SQL Server environments across dev/test/prod for Navy readiness applications, including SSL, application pools, and advanced logging, improving stability and reducing incident resolution time.
- Administered Active Directory for 1,500+ users (OU design, GPOs, DNS, permissions), strengthening access control and reducing account-related support tickets.
- Used PowerShell and SQL to automate patching, diagnostics, and environment health checks, cutting repetitive maintenance effort and improving environment consistency before releases.
Service Desk Support
Apex Systems, Inc.
01.2014 - 07.2014
- Provided Tier I/II support for ~800,000 NMCI users at Norfolk Naval Base across classified and unclassified environments, resolving incidents and communicating with end users, building a strong foundation in enterprise Windows and network operations.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Computer Information Systems
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL05.2011
Skills
- Databases & Data Platforms
- SQL Server (2008–2022), Azure SQL Managed Instance, SQL Agent, Always On availability groups, replication, backup & recovery, performance tuning, query optimization, index strategy, reporting databases, data purging and archival
- Cloud & Infrastructure
- Microsoft Azure, Azure Data Factory, Azure App Service, Azure Storage, Azure Key Vault, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Windows Server, IIS, IBM Cognos, virtualization, data center to Azure migration
- Security & Compliance
- DoD STIGs (SQL, IIS/OS/NET), DISA compliance, NIST/RMF, ACAS, Azure Policy, identity and access management
- Automation & Tooling
- PowerShell (server automation, reporting), Azure CLI/Cloud Shell, T-SQL scripting, monitoring with SolarWinds, AppDynamics, and SQL Profiler
Certification
- CompTIA Security+ (renewed January 2025)
- Microsoft Certified Professional – Windows Server 2012
- Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
Timeline
Senior Database Administrator
Janus Research Group, LLC
08.2024 - Current
Senior Database Administrator
Choisys Technology, Inc.
02.2020 - 08.2024
Database Administrator
InnovaSystems Int’l, LLC
06.2015 - 02.2020
Systems Engineer
InnovaSystems Int’l, LLC
07.2014 - 06.2015
Service Desk Support
Apex Systems, Inc.
01.2014 - 07.2014
Bachelor of Science - Computer Information Systems
Saint Leo University