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Garrett Holthaus
Network Engineer
Professional Background
Garrett Holthaus is a highly skilled Network Engineer with extensive experience in the higher education industry. His career is marked by a strong commitment to enhancing network infrastructure and ensuring optimal performance across various systems. Currently serving as a Network Engineer at A.T. Still University, Garrett plays a pivotal role in managing and optimizing the university's complex network systems to support its educational goals. Before this, he built a solid foundation as a Network Analyst at the same institution, where he honed his expertise in network monitoring, analysis, and performance optimization. His diverse skill set includes proficiency in data center management, campus networking, wireless solutions, and high availability strategies. In addition to his technical roles, Garrett has also contributed to the educational field as a Social Studies and Special Education teacher, showcasing his versatile background.
Education and Achievements
Garrett's educational journey is noteworthy, having earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education and Teaching from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, where he achieved an impressive 4.00 GPA. This academic accomplishment not only reflects his dedication to education but also equips him with a unique perspective on the integration of technology in learning environments. Prior to this, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Biblical Studies at Hannibal-LaGrange College, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.72. This combination of education in both tech and humanities empowers Garrett with a well-rounded approach to problem-solving and communication in the workplace.
Technical Expertise
Garrett's technical competencies span various critical areas in network systems:
- Data Center Management: Proficient in using Cisco Nexus NX-OS (N9K) and managing Infoblox for DNS and DHCP services, demonstrating his capacity to handle complex data center operations efficiently.
- Routing and Switching: Extensive hands-on experience with ASR & ISR routers and Nexus 9k switches. He is well-versed in EIGRP and BGP protocols, as well as advanced routing techniques like Anycast Routing and Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF).
- Wireless Networking: Expertise in managing Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers across both AireOS and converged platforms, along with comprehensive knowledge of Cisco Wireless Access Points and monitoring tools like Prime Infrastructure and DNAC.
- Network Security: Skilled in implementing security measures through Meraki MX Firewalls, Cisco ISE for RADIUS and TACACS applications, and secure networking protocols like DMVPN.
- Monitoring & Configuration Backup: Proficient in network monitoring using tools such as Infoblox (for IPAM), Solarwinds Orion, and configuration management using Oxidized and Unimus, ensuring that network integrity and performance are maintained at high standards.
Achievements
Garrett’s career reflects a series of noteworthy achievements. His ability to analyze and optimize network performance is evident in his successful management of high availability projects that enhance service reliability at A.T. Still University. He has contributed significantly to improving the university’s wireless network capabilities, providing students and faculty with seamless connectivity necessary for modern educational experiences. Outside of his engineering accomplishments, his teaching tenure in Social Studies and Special Education underscores Garrett's commitment to fostering a supportive educational environment, effectively blending technology with pedagogy to enhance learning outcomes for diverse student populations.
Garrett's unique mixture of technical prowess and educational background positions him as a valuable asset in any educational institution looking to improve their network infrastructure and connectivity. His dedication to continuous learning and technology integration exemplifies his passion for both education and engineering.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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