New York Institute of Technology-Old Westbury (BSEE)

United States Navy Aviation: Jet Turbine Engines Power Plant School

Martin Van Buren High School -- Queens Village, NY

Helping humanity defend and safeguard against Cyber threat and Ransomware attack.  Kyndryl Business Resiliency Services

Michael R. Kaplan, a decorated United States Navy veteran, brings over three decades of expertise in the IT landscape, specializing in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive enterprise modernization and resilience. Currently at Rocket Software, he serves as the Senior Account Executive for Federal Government Infrastructure Modernization, where his acumen in mainframe modernization shines. He empowers federal agencies with cloud computing solutions and AI integration to enhance business operations.  Kaplan's career narrative is marked by a series of progressive leadership roles where he has consistently delivered value-added solutions and spearheaded large-scale digital transformation projects. His tenure at OpenText as a Senior Account Executive saw him drive sales pipelines and foster long-term client relationships while promoting mainframe modernization through cloud service providers like AWS, GCP, and Microsoft. His strategic approach resulted in exceeding sales quotas and establishing a robust market presence in specialized IT sectors.  Before OpenText, Kaplan made significant contributions to Kyndryl as a Sales Director and Resiliency & Security Practice Leader. His expertise was pivotal in advising C-suite executives on disaster recovery, cyber resilience, and cloud transformation strategies. At IBM, he managed top-tier accounts and orchestrated sales strategies that led to extended contracts and substantial revenue growth.  A technical sales virtuoso, Kaplan's earlier roles at Brocade Communications involved providing high-level systems engineering support for Ethernet IP platforms, demonstrating his proficiency across various networking technologies. His commitment to excellence is further exemplified by his tenure at Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a Pre-Sales Systems Engineer, where he influenced customer business planning with innovative HP partner solutions.

Kaplan's educational foundation in Electrical Engineering from N.Y.I.T., New York.

Rocket Software

Senior Account Executive, Federal Government -- Infrastructure, Application, Mainframe Modernization

OPENTEXT - THE INFORMATION COMPANY
As the Information Company, our mission at OpenText is to create software solutions and deliver services that redefine the future of digital.

** Senior Sales Consultant and specialist of Mainframe products, services, software and solutions in pursuit to the efforts of the Federal Government. Selling consulting services to enterprise customers. Working in partnership with Account Managers and sales specialists selling Mainframe Solutions and products to/through the Cloud Service providers of AWS, GCP, and Microsoft, plus the Alliance partners to the CSP's (and working closely with Consulting to ensure proper implementation). Working with cutting-edge technologies to transform clients legacy mainframe systems into modern, cloud-based platforms.

: Establishment of named accounts and relationships and high-potential accounts.
: Development of long-term sales pipeline increasing the company's market share in specialized areas.
: Using expertise and network to seek out new opportunities for value by expanding and enhancing existing opportunities.
: Working with new and existing customers to set the direction for business development and solution replication.
: Developing and owning relationships with client base.
: Exceeding a typical quota of $2.2M and greater.

: Mainframe Modernization software solutions and services.
: Consultative solutions selling and business development skills to align the client's business needs with solutions.
: Initiative and leadership to drive services sales in accounts - prospecting, negotiating, and closing deals.
: Effective partnering with Professional Services account team to build an effective account plan and strategy to drive incremental revenue in to client accounts.
: Knowledge of mainframe applications, DevOps, and environments.

OpenText

Senior Account Executive, Mainframe Modernization (SaaS), Federal Government

Kyndryl

Sales Director, Business Resiliency & Cyber Recovery Consulting Services

• Managed IBM’s top NYC integrated accounts generated revenue upwards of $15M per year by aligning IBM value propositions and business partners expertise to deliver innovated solutions to solve client problems.
• Negotiated longer term contracts by delivering compelling proposals that included technical, financial and business benefits resulting in 24 months longer contracts and 66% increase in revenue. 
• Led virtual and in person sales presentations to progress opportunities to proposal stage. 
• Provided coaching to business partners in collaborating with the IBM account team to close $16M in new business.
• Articulated strategy and benefits of solution to both sales and technical business partner teams which resulted in 10 new opportunities being registered. 
• Delivered tailored presentation on cloud cyber security and cloud resiliency services to leverage business partners’ customer base which resulted in 15 new opportunities being registered. 
• Led IBM services channel team in developing business partner roadshow to energize and motivate by offering access to subject matter experts, resulting in 5 new opportunities.
• Collaborated with business partners to develop individual sales plans that focus on new business and existing clients resulting in creating $6M pipeline, which is 3 times greater than $2M quota.
• Strategized with business partners and IBM account teams to execute sales plays resulting in $16M in renewals. Co-delivered client webinar on cloud cyber security resulting in 17 new opportunities in a new territory.
• Attended conferences to recruit new business partners by evangelizing IBM’s value proposition which resulted in signing 3 super agents.
• Promoted ecosystem benefits to increase business partners value which contributed to signings of 3 super agents and 10 business partners.  
• Negotiated complex agreements with key business partner stakeholders that resulted in over $2M in revenue in first 12 months.

IBM Services Client Representative – Cloud Services, Cyber Security & Resiliency Services

Direct C-Suite relationships and consulting of named and major enterprise accounts. 

Team lead: Carrying out studies in the areas of resilience, high availability, business continuity and disaster recovery and cyber security and hyper-scale cloud transformation solutions.

Manage of consulting team: Carrying out technological transformation missions that actively participate in internal functioning such as pre-sales, knowledge sharing, and workshops.
Leader and innovator in managed infrastructure services and cyber security and hyper-scale cloud transformation solutions.

Carry out missions in the supervision of leading the sales process with associate partners that consist of multidisciplinary teams, made up of consultants, architects, directors/project managers, as well as experts:
• Evaluation of the availability of information systems.
• Assessment of information system risks and vulnerabilities.
• Business impact analyzation.
• Definition of high availability and data backup solutions and procedures.
• Definition of disaster and cyber security recovery plans.

• Translate business challenges into the need for information system resiliency and cyber security.
• Advise and define the most appropriate resilience and cyber security and hyper scale cloud transformation solutions.
• Ensure the consistency of the information system.
• Prevent risks and possible technical impacts depending on the solutions chosen.
• Assist in the realization of the project by ensuring compliance with the standards adopted.
• Inform the IT team on issues relating to resiliency needs.
• Take part in pre-sales actions (presentations, proposal writing, defenses).
• Participate in knowledge management and the evolution of methodologies and repositories.
• Contribute to technological watch, to exploit the offers and dynamics carried by the corporate Kyndryl to adapt them to the local market.

Resiliency & Security Practice Leader, GTS -- Managed Security, Cyber Resiliency, Disaster Recovery

Prospected, qualified, progressed, and closed average of $11M/year of IBM Resiliency Services.
Developed and executed sales plans to maintain 3X sales pipeline. 
• Collaborated with business partners, and client account team engagements at C-suite level.
• Developed subject matter expertise for resiliency services and cyber security to be more self-sufficient resulting in being viewed as trusted advisor and consultant. 
• Achieved IBM 100% sales club by exceeding quota by $11M.

IBM Resiliency Service Line Sales Executive

•  BlockChain Positioning.
•  Architects customer designs and deploys IBM solutions to drive additional customer business value for them while expanding IBM’s business.

•  Develop and maintain proven, trusted client relationships at all levels within the client's organization and act as IBM's enterprise architect.

•  Creates roadmaps and technical plans that contributes to the strategic goals of clients while collaborating with client leadership, IBM sales leadership and IBM ecosystem partners.

•  Leads the technical sales effort in pursuit of innovative solution designs, addressing customer requirements, creating business solutions, and recommending implementation techniques to customers.

Client Technical Sales Leader  --  Retail | Distribution | Transportation -- Cloud, IoT, DevOps --

Influences customer business planning and drives the tactical and strategic technical dimension of an opportunity to achieve the best HP partner solution that meets customer requirements while effectively differentiating HP recommendations from the competition, and while achieving financial and quota metrics.  

As an Enterprise Solution Architect, acts as a trusted advisor in working closely with key clients and partner planning to build mind-share and investment preference for HP, to influence strategy based on analysis of the current vs. desired state of customer’s IT infrastructure, and to ensure the alignment of solution designs (centered on such things as IT governance and functionality) with customer business goals.  

Key Responsibilities:
 
•         Drives cross-portfolio solution selling through expert consultative support on HP's full suite of 
          enterprise products and services
•         Accurately translates and aligns customer business needs with HP solutions for targeted BUs
•         Provides technical direction to delivery on key transition initiatives
•         Promotes innovation and thought leadership in key accounts.
•         Conceives and creates new technology programs to support ongoing business and future
           business growth
•         Contingent on the scope and complexity of opportunities, coordinates the input of domain
           experts as required
•         Works pragmatically with partners and customer IT to accommodate customers’ vendor
           preferences while, in parallel, building HP’s share of wallet within an account
•         Creates the functional and technical designs essential for guiding solution development
•         Understands client's internal management alliances and shapes client thinking on technology
             direction.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Pre-Sales Systems Engineer for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Aruba Networks -- SDN Evangelist/Mobility

Recently achieved certifications and major accomplishments:
- Cisco Certified: Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design Specialist
- Oracle Corporation: SPARC M5-32 Servers PreSales Specialist
- HITACHI DATA SYSTEMS Storage Foundations Professional

• Providing Converged Pre and Post Sales Engineering and design support.
• System engineering support working with a multiplicity of OEM and partner Converged solutions such as SAN, NAS, CAS, High Performance Computing and backup, restore, and virtualization technologies.

Alliance Technology Group is a leading Systems Integrator and IT solutions company with a team of highly skilled practitioners, specializing in IT Infrastructure, Cloud Computing and Professional Services. To our customers in the private and public sectors, we have become the trusted partner to cost-effectively and reliably harness the full potential of the Cloud. Alliance’s Converged Infrastructure solutions transform IT technology silos into interoperable shared pools of resources—servers, storage and network connectivity.

Our core competencies include: 

•Cloud Computing
•Data Center Operations
•Managed Services
•Data Center Migrations
•IT Support Services
•Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
•Data Life Cycle Management
•Big Data Storage Solutions
•System Integration
•Enterprise Level Backup Solutions
•Staff Augmentation
•Network Solutions

Alliance Technology Group

Senior Pre-Sales Systems Engineer

Project Team Lead (Classified: TS): Network Engineer. NATO Project: VMware VMotion migration project, at Kandahar Air Force Field --  Kandahar, Afghanistan.

EMW, Inc.

System Engineer -- ** CLEARANCE**: US Top Secret / NATO Secret

•  Provided Technical Sales support for Brocade Communications LAN market Ethernet IP platforms.
•  Preformed a very high-level specialized systems engineering role for Brocade as an individual contributor specializing in pre-sales activities of the Brocade Networking product line.
•  Performed in-depth and technical presentations for customers, partners, and events.  Designs complex network architectures with top customers.
•  Provided mentorship/guidance on Technology trends to clients, partners, employees. Manage key End User technical relationships.
•  Communication driver between Field and Corporate on technical issues.
•  Complex pre-sales technical support.
•  Complex Bid Support.
•  Account Management/Development.

Brocade

Senior LAN Systems Engineer, Certified --> BCNE, BCNP

• Provides the customer with engineering solutions and advisement of layers 2 through 7 data center infrastructure engineering services.
• Lead Enterprise Pre and Post-Sales Systems Engineer.
• Provides Pre-Sales Systems Engineering support to the sales team and customer project lead.
• Provides technical account management for partners and customers.
• Provides on site and remote technical support to Brocade customer support, partners and customers on current and future Brocade products.
• Manages, and executes problem resolution plans and communicates closure/resolution to Brocade customer support, SAM, partners, and customers.
• Adheres to Brocade’s documented escalation guidelines.
• Effectively manages many different tasks simultaneously.
• Coach and assists in training Engineering professionals and other Brocade’s customer support team members on Brocade current and future products.
• Acquires extensive knowledge on all Brocade products.
• Conducts special project assignment management.
• Customer Focus: Developes relationships with internal and external customers that contribute to enhanced business performance.
• Business & Financial Acumen: Understands and applies sound business principles and know-ledge to positively impact business performance.
• Drive for Results: Taking responsibility and accountability for delivering results that meet or exceed personal and company goals.
• Planning & Organizing: Proactively coordinates work activities for self and others, as appropriate, to get things done.
• Straight Talk/Communication: Clearly communicates in a straight-forward, honest, and timely manner to keep others informed about things that affect them.
• Teamwork: Works cooperatively with others as a teammate to achieve results, build morale, and celebrate the successes of others.
• People Development: Engages self and others in development opportunities to enhance contributions to personal and company growth.

Senior LAN Regional Engineer: Brocade Certified Network Professional (BCNP)

•  Achievements: NetApp Accelerated NCDA Boot Camp Data ONTAP 7.3.
NetApp V-PWR Storage Efficiency Training,
NetApp Accredited Storage Architect Professional.
•  Senior Pre-Sales Systems Engineer covering Government Accounts throughout the Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC area.
•  Solutions Architect working on High Performance Computing. Providing the engineering for highly secure virtualized solutions.
•  Provided technical expertise and support to our Enterprise sales team. 
•  Developed technical proposals and responses to RFPs. 
•  Prepared technical presentations, documentation, and provided technical configuration validation on all customer quotes and proposals.
•  Delivered and implemented on contracts. 
•  Implemented development and integration at customer sites. 
•  Derived and delivered the technical side of the sale process.
•  Gathered market information on competitor’s products, capabilities, and plans. 
•  Created mindshare around the company’s technologies.
•  Created and Maintain a strong team relations with the Pre sales process.
•  Provided the customer technical and financial information on a multitude of vender competitor server, storage, and cross domain products.
•  Trusted Technical Advisor.  Providing the customer with architectural solutions from multiple vendors and vendor related Server/Storage product offerings.
•  Vendor Partner Product Relationships included but not limited to; Sun Microsystems, NetApp, IBM, HP, Microsoft, VMware, and ORACLE.

Commercial Data Systems, Inc. (NetApp & Sun Microsystems Premium Reseller/Partner)

Senior Pre-Sales Systems Engineer <Government Sector / Civilian Agencies>

Provided HPC (High Performance Computering) Pre-Sales Systems Engineering support to the United States Internal Revenue Service and the United States Treasury Department. 
Worked closely with the sales account management team to develop, drive and support the customer relationship. 
Planned the technical architecture aspects for the account.
Ensured assigned customers have the best Sun technical solution to meet the customers’ needs.
Evangelized Sun's strategies to Sun's customers and partners, and promotes Sun offerings from all Sun practices.
Engaged multiple layers of the customer's business infrastructure.
Collaborated with Sun's sales account teams on cross practice opportunities.
Engaged and lead as the specialized technical resource to determine the customers’ requirements.
Identified new Sun business opportunities within the assigned accounts and territories.

Sun Microsystems

PRE-SALES SYSTEMS ENGINEER / Solutions Architect <Government Accounts> (High Performance Computing).

• Successfully managed relations with Customers utilizing well-developed negotiation and influencing skills to acquire the internal and external resources necessary for optimal results. Highly involved in sales activities. Trains customer personnel when authorized by Customer Service management.
• Provided post-sales network support on a majority of EMC network and software products, at the customer site, including pre-site inspection, initial installation, implementation, programming/diagnostics, debugging and performance maintenance. Worked closely with EMC Sales, Professional Services, other Field Customer Service personnel, Technical Support and the customer to ensure a smooth transition from start-up to production mode. Engaged the capabilities of Technical Support and more experienced co-workers when necessary to optimize the result for the customer.
• Work closely with sales Reps, SE's and Professional Services to ensure proper communications, preparation, paperwork, and any sharing of information takes place prior to scheduled activities. Also, where needed, monitor vendor/contractor activities as it relates to complex integrations and project management.
• Worked in conjunction with EMC 'hardware and software' peers to assure superior service levels.
• Stay current on technical specifications and network requirements of EMC Clariion equipment and EMC products. Submits, documents and implements approved suggestions to improve operating procedures, software/network reliability or maintainability, and cost control.
• Maintains awareness of existing or potential customer network situations. Proactively alerts customer and manager of potential problems based upon working knowledge of network, software and hardware compatibility in the customer's environment.
• Performed complex and/or extended-stay network installations.

EMC Corporation

Regional Network Specialist II

Responsibilities included: Provided pre/ post sales, installation, training design, implementation and testing and technical support for external customers requiring Electronic Document Management (EDM), Image Capture and Retrieval solutions utilizing Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM), Network Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN), and Computer Output to Laser Disk (COLD) technologies. Perform product positioning, enhancement, presentation, demonstration, training, and marketing collateral development. 
Remote management utilizing Citrix MetaFrame and MS Terminal Services to administer a large number of servers/client environments.
Installation and configuration of Citrix MetaFrame and MS Terminal Services defining rule base entries for levels of security and encryption and authentication options.

Advanced Processing & Imaging, Inc.,

Pre-Sales Systems Engineer

Responsibilities included: Provided Technical project leadership and pre/post sales customer engineering support to new and existing clients working directly in conjunction with the sales and marketing team.
DWDM Long Haul Fiber Optic Transport Hardware Engineering.
OC-192
Reviewed and developed customer engineering and installation packages.
Designed specifications for backbone network gateway and network element components.
Designed and implemented network element circuit packages to transmit and receive VoIP, IP, TCP/IP traffic over multiple bands and associated channels.
Remotely manage and administrated client servers utilizing VNC, Citrix MetaFrame, MS Terminal Services, Control IT, and pcAnywhere.
Provided technical support for hardware and configuration issues.
Developed scope of work estimates.
Developed network route maps.

Michael Kaplan, U. S. Navy Veteran / Marquis Who's Who