| Practice | Saint-Evens Consulting |
|---|---|
| Principal | Ian T. Saint-Evens |
| Where | Chico, California |
| Since | January 2004. The same client work began in 2001. |
Owner · Chico · since 2004
Ian T. Saint-Evens
First- and second-line support, remote and on site. The desktops, the servers behind them, the virtual machines, and the moves onto Microsoft 365, Google Cloud, and AWS.
since
2004
Desktops, servers, and the software on them.
Imaging, configuration, and repair of the machines people actually sit at. Windows, macOS, and Linux. Mail and directory moves into Microsoft 365, servers on Google Cloud and AWS, and virtual machines on VMware, XenServer, and Hyper-V. Compiling, scripting, and small programs in Python, C, and the shell when the packaged tool is not the fix. The ticket stays open until the user is working.
01 — Scope of work
| Desktops | Imaging, configuration, deployment, and repair. Windows 10 and 11. macOS Sequoia on Intel and Apple Silicon. Ubuntu LTS servers and workstations. Printers. Cisco and Nortel VoIP phones. |
|---|---|
| Identity | Active Directory and Group Policy. Macs joined to Active Directory and LDAP. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. |
| Moves | Exchange since 5.5, upgraded in place and side by side, including the move to Microsoft 365. Active Directory swing migrations, and Active Directory into Microsoft 365. Production Linux on Google Cloud. Virtual machines and S3 on AWS. A lighter share of the same work on Azure. |
| Hosts | Virtual machines on VMware vSphere, XenServer and XCP-ng, and Microsoft Hyper-V. The same servers that used to sit in the rack, run as guests, including the Linux hosts on Google Cloud and the virtual machines on AWS. |
| Remote | On site and remote. SSH. RDP across a WAN through Microsoft RD Gateway. |
| Network | Cisco, pfSense, SonicWall, PIX, and ASA. Barracuda for spam and backup. |
| Close | The record says what failed, what was tried, and the result. A ticket is not closed until the user is working. When the problem is outside the experience, it is handed on. |
02 — Software
The software work sits next to the administration. Compiling, scripts in the shell and in Python, and small programs for the machines already in the shop.
| Build | Linux server and workstation administration includes compiling software from source when a package is missing, old, or wrong for the machine. |
|---|---|
| Scripts | Shell scripts for the machines under administration. The script says what it does, and it can be run again. The same standard as the ticket notes. |
| Python | Python, as another way to write those scripts and small programs. Logs, inventories, and the short tools that sit beside the shell, when Python is the clearer of the two. |
| C | C, Unix C, and C++. Small programs beside the system work. On Windows, that work has been done in Visual Studio. |
| Web | HTML, JavaScript, and Node.js for pages and small tools. Some of this is stronger than the rest. IIS when a Windows server is the host. |
03 — Agents
The small programs are written by hand and with the coding agents. The agent does not close the ticket. The diff is read, the script is run again, and the note says what changed.
| Editor | Cursor. The files stay in the editor. What is kept is the diff, not the chat. |
|---|---|
| Terminal | Claude Code and Grokcode, for an edit that is longer than one completion. |
| Standing | Grokbot and Claudebot, when the job is an agent left running rather than one session at the keyboard. |
04 — For the record
Ian Saint-Evens is a lifelong resident of Chico. He has spent more than 30 years imaging, configuring, deploying, and repairing desktops and the peripherals on them. That work is what Saint-Evens Consulting does now: first- and second-line support, remote and on site.
The desktops run Windows 10 and 11, macOS, and Linux, with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Behind them is Windows Server, Group Policy, Active Directory, and Exchange. The moves are Exchange into Microsoft 365, Active Directory swing migrations, and servers onto Google Cloud and AWS, with a lighter amount of Azure. On the premises the hosts are VMware vSphere, XenServer and XCP-ng, and Hyper-V. Linux work includes server and workstation administration, compiling software, and scripting in the shell and in Python, plus some C. Macs are joined to Windows Active Directory and LDAP.
Previously held, not current: CCNA. MCSE for Windows NT 4.0. IT coursework at Mesa College, San Diego. Some college, not a graduate.
05 — Years
Saint-Evens Consulting — Owner
Chico, California · January 2004 – present
First- and second-line support, remote and on site. Imaging, configuring, deploying, and repairing Windows, macOS Sequoia, and Ubuntu. Compiling software and writing scripts on the Linux servers and workstations. Printers. Cisco and Nortel VoIP phones. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Exchange upgrades in place and side by side, including moves to Microsoft 365. Active Directory swing migrations, and Active Directory into Microsoft 365. Production Linux on Google Cloud. AWS virtual machines and S3. Lighter Azure. RD Gateway, VMware, XenServer, XCP-ng, and Hyper-V. Firewalls: pfSense, SonicWall, Cisco PIX and ASA.
Innovative Business Technology Group — Co-founder
Chico, California · January 2001 – December 2003
Same client work, continued at Saint-Evens Consulting with no gap. Desktop rollouts for Glenn County Office of Education and Orland Unified School District. Built their ISP and first wide-area network: CENIC into the main Cisco, in-house fiber, and point-to-point links to the schools. Gandalf for dial-up and ISDN.
Matson & Isom, and Grey Matter / City of Chico
1993 – 2000
For the City of Chico, through Grey Matter: Novell servers, desktop support, and network planning before a Windows cutover. Then Matson & Isom: Active Directory and Exchange on Windows NT and 2000, and Unix, Linux, and SCO. The older machines, SCO among them, are written up at Code Salvage. The Matson listings are a company spin-off, with no gap.
06 — Clients
| Schools | Glenn County Office of Education and Orland Unified School District. Desktop rollouts, the ISP, and the first hub-and-spoke wide-area network. |
|---|---|
| City | City of Chico. Desktop support and network planning, then the later Windows, directory, and mail work. |
| Now | Saint-Evens Consulting, Chico. The desktops, the servers behind them, and the firewalls in front of them. |
References are given when a hiring manager asks. They are not listed with phone numbers on this page.
07 — Contact
Write or call. Say what the machines are, and what stops if one of them fails on a Tuesday.
| ian@saintevens.com | |
| Phone | (530) 321-8081 |
| Post | 1066 East Seventh Street, Chico, California 95928 |