Kenny Paul is widely acknowledged as one of the "go-to guys" for large, complex, and troubled infrastructure programs where technical savvy, cross-functional collaboration and creativity are required to make things happen. Growing up in Palm Springs, CA with a multitude of interests, a wild imagination, a sharp wit and little direction, there were any number of directions he could have taken a career. One day a TV ad for Control Data Institute posed the question, "Can one phone call change your life?" Deciding that anything was better than laying on the couch with a hangover watching the 3-Stooges again, Mr. Paul made that phone call. He received his computer programming certification from CDI in Anaheim, CA. in 1984, and hasn't touched RPG, COBOL or FORTRAN since.

His first job in the computer industry was running after hours batch jobs for a medical billing firm on an IBM System 36, while still working as the Front Desk Manager for a Holiday Inn during the day. In early 1986, a friend gave him a job as an entry level computer operator at FileNet Corporation, a start-up in Costa Mesa, CA.  Here he cut his UNIX teeth on a VAX 11/750 running 4.2 BSD. He also learned the fine art of replacing blown out capacitors in ADM-12 terminals, and swapping out coffee soaked keyboards, both of which occurred with annoying regularity. To pass the time while he watched tapes spin, Mr. Paul contributed volumes of truly pointless drivel to the USENET group talk.bizarre.  

Mr. Paul left FileNet in 1989 to become the Systems Administrator for Thomas Brothers Maps in Irvine,CA. Here he maintained a network of SUN 3 servers and desktops for the new computer cartography department. A regular attendee at USENIX conferences, he was becoming well known in the UNIX systems administration community as someone with a lot of ideas. Outside of his involvement in the computer industry, he was a contributing editor for both Truckin' and Mini-Truckin' magazines, and the founder of a (now defunct) national association for custom truck enthusiasts.

In 1991, Mr. Paul relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, as the lead Sys-Admin at Network Equipment Technologies in Redwood City. It was here that he helped transform a group of independent Sys-Admins from different organizations into a strong and effective team unified under the flag of a common T-shirt.  He was very active with both USENIX/SAGE and BayLISA organizations, and gained certification as a SUN service technician.

Leaving NET as the big fish in a little pond, Mr. Paul joined the Engineering Computer Services Organization at Cisco in 1993, quickly discovering he was in way over his head. He carved out a niche for himself by volunteering for the problematic, long term projects that no one else expressed an interest in. For the next fifteen years, he moved up through the corporate ranks tackling a growing list of difficult cross-functional programs including, backup automation, CMS hardware deployment, hierarchical storage management, data integrity management, data-center logistics, acquisition integration, multi-site lab support, defect tracking systems, TL9000 traceability and finally to Product Lifecycle Management.  

Mr. Paul is a avid on-line Sim-racer, a staff reporter for the MARC Times Racing News & Michigan Racing Scene, a huge fan of LEGO, and still possesses a multitude of interests, a wild imagination and a sharp wit.