Meet Brandon McEvoy, RedNight’s Cloud Systems Engineer! When he’s not building AWS infrastructure, Brandon is known for turning tough situations into positive experiences.
Background & Role
Brandon’s path to IT wasn’t exactly planned. He originally set his sights on aerospace engineering, but when that didn’t work out, a family member pointed him toward technology. “I’ve always been a computer guy,” Brandon explains. After taking a cybersecurity class and applying for his first IT role, the rest became history.
As a Cloud Systems Engineer at RedNight, Brandon’s typical day involves creative problem-solving and building new client infrastructure on AWS. But what sets him apart isn’t just his technical skills; it’s his approach to client interactions.
Personality Over Programming
While Brandon acknowledges that technical skills can be developed with enough time, he believes his real specialty lies elsewhere.
“My specialty is personality and bringing some bartender flair to the IT industry,” he says. “Making rough situations fun, enjoyable, and keeping the client laughing while I fix their problem is something that this industry is not known for.”
Recently, Brandon tackled a particularly challenging project that showcased both his technical abilities and his unique approach. He helped migrate a client’s software that hadn’t been upgraded in over 20 years from on-premises to AWS. “Getting them on current software on a current server was quite the adventure!” he recalls.
Advice & Vision
When it comes to staying current with technology trends, Brandon follows a simple philosophy: “The need drives the learning.” At RedNight, our team constantly adapts to new features that our tools introduce. We quickly learn, understand, and test these features in controlled environments before safely deploying them to clients.
This approach has served Brandon well, especially as he takes on bigger challenges. He’s currently looking forward to completing two full client onboarding processes that he’s handling almost entirely on his own. “I will be building the entire infrastructure and migrating them from scratch. Equally terrifying and thrilling,” he admits.
Team & Culture
What Brandon values most about RedNight is the culture. Having worked in high-stress environments before, he appreciates the freedom RedNight provides.
“A culture that allows freedom so long as you handle what is on your plate fosters a very enjoyable workplace. It also drives me to want to do more, instead of being overburdened by micromanagement and burnout.”
When challenges arise, Brandon credits the team’s collaborative approach. “I owe a chunk of my success to my Sr. Engineer,” he explains. “When there are tasks that are above my skillset, we can rely on him to hop in and help out.” The team excels at trading work and picking up where others left off, whatever the occasion requires.
Life Beyond the Server Room
Life Outside of Work
Outside of work, Brandon admits he plays “far too much League of Legends” and has recently developed an interest in studying real estate. When it comes to avoiding burnout, his formula is simple: “An ice-cold beer and some sort of whackadoodle podcast about some out there conspiracy, alien race, what the pyramids are, or anything else that is entertaining and is a break from the day-to-day reality.”
Brandon also jokes, “I am not sure if there is anything that they don’t know. Good or bad, I am known as the hyper extrovert who doesn’t stop talking. Poor folks know more than they ever wanted to, I’m sure.”
Looking Ahead
Brandon’s current projects are giving him a new perspective on the complexity of cloud migration. Working on his first solo client onboarding has been eye-opening. “It is rather fun to watch it all come together. It also puts things into perspective with how much really goes into migrating someone to the cloud. It is an extremely detailed and involved process, including everything you thought about and planned for, and even more that you didn’t!”
This combination of technical expertise and genuine personality makes Brandon a perfect fit for RedNight’s approach to IT consulting. He is proving that sometimes the best solutions come with a smile and a good story.