Indy Fernando

Fractional IT Leader · New York, NY

Indy
Fernando

The IT leader you need
before you need one full-time.

Early-stage companies don't need a full IT department. They need someone who has built IT from scratch, automated the chaos, and kept things compliant — and can do it again for them, on their terms.

15+ years. Three high-growth companies. One repeatable playbook.

Let's Talk See the work
15+
Years building and scaling IT operations
High-growth startups · Healthcare · Enterprise
3×
SOC 2 & ISO 27001 audit cycles led end-to-end
Evidence collection · Gap remediation · Auditor coordination
0→1
IT functions built from scratch
Cyera: 125 → 350+ employees in under a year
6k+
Users supported at scale (Datadog)
North America lead · Global collaboration

What I do

Three ways I can help

Every engagement starts with an honest conversation about where you are and what you actually need.

01 — Build
Zero to IT
For companies with no IT function yet

You're growing fast and your IT setup is still whoever-has-the-longest-tenure figuring it out. I'll build the foundation — the tools, the processes, the access controls, the documentation — so you stop losing hours to things that should just work.

  • SaaS stack setup and governance
  • Okta / identity and access management
  • Onboarding & offboarding workflows
  • Device management (Jamf / Intune)
  • IT policy and SOC 2 readiness
02 — Automate
Clean Up the Mess
For companies with IT that's outgrown itself

You have tools, but they don't talk to each other. Onboarding is still manual. Nobody knows who has access to what. I'll audit your stack, cut what you don't need, and automate the workflows that are eating your team's time.

  • SaaS audit and rationalization
  • Workflow automation (Zapier, Workato, Okta)
  • Access governance and lifecycle reviews
  • ITSM implementation (Jira Service Management)
  • Documentation and runbook creation
03 — Lead
Part-Time IT Brain
For companies that need a seat at the table

You don't need a $200K IT director yet. You need someone experienced enough to own the strategy, handle vendor relationships, show up for security reviews, and make sure IT doesn't become a liability as you scale.

  • Fractional IT leadership (ongoing)
  • Vendor management and procurement
  • Compliance and audit support
  • IT roadmap and budget planning
  • Cross-functional IT partnership
Modern IT Practice
AI-native tools,
pragmatically applied.

I'm actively integrating AI-native tools into IT operations — from automated helpdesk triage to documentation generation and lifecycle workflow automation. I evaluate these tools the same way I evaluate any infrastructure decision: does it reduce manual work, improve reliability, and scale without adding headcount? That's the bar. If it clears it, it's in the stack.

Moveworks Okta Workflows Slack AI AI-assisted documentation Automated triage Lifecycle automation

Experience

Where I've done the work

Every claim here is something I can talk through in detail. No fluff.

Ro
Aug 2025 — Present
Employee Lifecycle Lead
Healthcare · HIPAA-aligned · New York
  • Own end-to-end employee lifecycle — onboarding through offboarding — in a HIPAA-aligned healthcare environment.
  • Administer Okta, Jamf (macOS), and Intune (Windows/VDI) for identity, endpoint compliance, and access at scale.
  • Automate onboarding and offboarding workflows integrating UKG (HRIS), Okta, Jamf, and Intune, eliminating manual handoffs.
  • Introduce access-risk reviews for provisioning flows, strengthening identity governance and audit readiness.
  • Use AI tooling to improve documentation and scale IT support capacity without adding headcount.
Cyera
Sep 2023 — Oct 2024
IT Manager
Cybersecurity startup · 125 → 350+ employees · Remote-first
  • First IT hire. Built the entire IT function from scratch as the company scaled from 125 to 350+ employees in under a year.
  • Led SOC 2 and ISO 27001 audit readiness end-to-end: control design, evidence collection, gap remediation, and auditor coordination.
  • Designed and deployed a Jira-based ITSM framework from scratch, standardizing support workflows and enabling request tracking.
  • Automated onboarding, offboarding, and access control workflows using Zapier, Workato, and Okta, meaningfully reducing manual provisioning time.
  • Led strategic planning for a global migration from JumpCloud to Jamf, improving device management and compliance posture.
  • Oversaw IT hardware and software spend, managing vendor relationships, procurement, and budget forecasting.
Datadog
Aug 2021 — Jul 2023
Enterprise IT Support Manager
6,000+ employee org · North America lead · Global collaboration
  • Led IT support for a global company scaling past 6,000 employees, with primary responsibility for North America and close collaboration with teams in Sydney, Dublin, Paris, and Amsterdam.
  • Directly managed a team of 8 IT professionals; part of a broader support organization that grew from 7 to 21.
  • Led a global Mac refresh of 1,500+ devices, managing a $5M deployment budget and reducing device-related incidents.
  • Implemented Moveworks (AI-driven automation) to streamline first-line support and reduce ticket volume.
  • Built SLA, CSAT, and resolution-time dashboards to drive continuous service improvement across regions.
  • Administered Google Workspace and Jamf for global device deployment and access lifecycle management.
PVH Corp.
Jul 2018 — Aug 2021
IT Support Lead → IT Service Desk Manager
Global fashion enterprise · 200+ retail locations
  • Unified multiple global service desks into a single operating model, improving consistency across corporate and retail environments.
  • Deployed self-service portals and knowledge bases, reducing service ticket volume substantially.
  • Implemented SACM in ServiceNow, improving asset tracking accuracy and enforcing ITIL-aligned workflows.
  • Participated in infrastructure budget oversight across 200+ retail locations; negotiated vendor contracts delivering meaningful cost savings.
  • Started as IT Support Lead, providing white-glove support for C-suite executives and serving as IT liaison for the ServiceNow implementation, before being promoted to Service Desk Manager.

Tools & Stack

What I actually know

Hands-on experience with all of these — not just checkboxes on a job description.

Identity & Access
Okta Okta Workflows Okta Governance Azure AD / Entra SCIM SSO / RBAC JumpCloud
Endpoint Management
Jamf Pro Intune Apple Business Manager Windows Autopilot Kandji
ITSM & Productivity
Jira Service Management ServiceNow Google Workspace Confluence Slack Zoom Moveworks
Automation & HRIS
Zapier Workato Slack Workflows Google Apps Script UKG HiBob Workday BambooHR
ITIL Foundations v4 Certified · GR671767979IF
BA Mount Holyoke College
SOC 2 / ISO 27001 Audit readiness · 3 cycles

Work Together

Ready when you are

Whether you need IT built from scratch, cleaned up, or led part-time — let's have an honest conversation about what actually makes sense for your stage.

indy@indyfernando.com LinkedIn