Robertson Knight
IT / Cybersecurity Professional
About Me
Hey, I’m Robertson! I’m an IT professional with a solid background in systems administration and a growing passion for cybersecurity. I really enjoy digging into how things work behind the scenes, whether that’s managing file transfer systems, improving infrastructure, or learning how to better secure complex environments.
Outside of my day job, I like to take on side projects (a few of which are listed below) to explore new tools, technologies, and ideas. These projects are how I stay sharp, keep learning, and have a bit of fun with tech on my own terms. I'm also conintuosly trying to improve my knowledge and skills in the field and am currently studying to take the Comptia Security+ certifaction test.
When i’m not in front of a screen, you’ll probably find me out riding my motorcycle, playing a few rounds of pickleball, or reading some fiction novels (Im currently on a Brandon Sanderson Kick).
This site is a space for me to share what I’m working on, what I’m learning, and the kinds of challenges I enjoy tackling. Thanks for stopping by!
Experience
Systems Programmer - Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina
Columbia, SC | May 2023 – Present
- Serve as the technology owner for multiple enterprise file transmission software products, ensuring their stability, redundancy, and alignment with organizational requirements.
- Led several infrastructure projects focused on increasing system redundancy and keeping platforms currentwith the latest updates and configurations.
- Maintain enterprise systems supporting over 5 million annual file transfers for 500+ customers, ensuring uptime, data integrity, and reliable performance.
- Monitor system health and performance using tools like Splunk to identify and address anomalies and performance issues or potential security weak points.
- Apply regular OS and application patches to maintain system stability and ensure up to date software environments across multiple Windows, and Linux based environments.
- Participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation, responding to critical incidents and resolving urgent operational issues.
- Address findings from system scans and audits, implementing necessary fixes and improvements.
- Troubleshoot and resolve system issues, by following system documentation and working directly with vendors to ensure proper configuration and user access.
- Support incident investigations and documentation, contributing to service improvement efforts and operational resilience
IT Support - University of South Carolina College of Nursing
Columbia, SC | August 2022 – May 2023
- Provided technical support to faculty, staff, and students, troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues across various devices and platforms.
- Assisted with classroom technology setup and maintenance, ensuring smooth operation of audiovisual and computer systems for lectures and presentations
- Responded to help desk requests in a timely and efficient manner, resolving issues related to login credentials, printing, connectivity, and learning platforms.
- Delivered clear, user-friendly guidance and training to non-technical users to improve their confidence and efficiency with digital tools.
- Maintained and updated technical documentation and support logs to track recurring issues and streamline future troubleshooting.
Intern - Outdoor Marketing International
Mellrichstadt, Germany | May 2022 – June 2022
- Developed a comprehensive business case focused on market expansion and presented strategic recommendations to senior management at the conclusion of the internship.
- Traveled across Europe to represent the company at major trade shows, including preparing presentations and engaging directly with potential clients and industry professionals.
- Conducted product demonstrations and provided detailed information to customers, contributing to brand visibility and lead generation efforts.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather insights, support marketing initiatives, and align the business case with company objectives.
- Gained hands-on experience in international marketing, customer engagement, and B2B communication within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Skills / Certifications
Projects
These projects are a key part of how I keep my IT and cybersecurity skills sharp while having fun experimenting with technologies that interest me. Whether it’s building home lab setups, automating tasks, or exploring security tools, each project gives me hands on experience and a chance to learn something new. I believe that practical, self driven work is one of the best ways to grow in this fast-moving field and sharing these projects here lets me track my progress and connect with others who share similar passions.
Personal Website
Building this website from scratch using HTML and CSS was a great hands on experience that helped reinforce some foundational web development concepts. By starting without a framework or template, I gained a much better understanding of how websites are structured, how styling works at a granular level, and how small changes in code can impact layout and usability.
Version controlling the project with Git and hosting it through GitHub Pages gave me practical experience with managing a codebase in a clean, trackable way, something that’s just as important for personal projects as it is in team environments. It also helped me get more comfortable with pushing updates, resolving merge issues, and keeping my work organized over time.
Most importantly, this project showed me how valuable it is to learn by doing. Creating and maintaining a site end to end from writing the code to deploying it, gave me a full picture of the development process and a better appreciation for the details that go into making something both functional and presentable.
Pi-Hole DNS Routing
One of my favorite home lab projects involved setting up Pi-hole, a network wide DNS sinkhole that blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level. By routing all DNS requests on my personal network through a Raspberry Pi running Pi-hole, I was able to effectively block most advertisements, tracking domains, and unwanted content across all devices, without needing to install browser extensions or modify individual settings.
This project taught me how DNS resolution works under the hood and gave me hands on experience with configuring custom DNS routing, managing blacklists and whitelists, and monitoring network traffic in real time. I also set up DHCP fallback and configured static IPs to ensure reliable operation.
Beyond the technical learning, the result was a noticeable improvement in browsing speed, reduced data usage, and a much cleaner experience across all devices on my network including phones, smart TVs, and IoT devices.
Homelab Setup
My homelab is built on an old refurbished PC that I repurposed to run Proxmox, giving me a flexible and powerful virtualization environment without breaking the bank. It currently hosts several key services, including:
- Plex for media streaming across my devices
- Home Assistant for smart home automation and monitoring
- Bitwarden for password management
OMARCHY - Main Operating System
This is less of a project, but more of an experiment to see how usable linux can be as a main desktop operating system in todays age as a way to step away from some of the unwanted features, and privacy concerns that come with other modern operating systems.
I use Omarchy, a desktop environment based on Arch Linux, as my primary operating system to gain deeper, hands on experience with Linux and its core components. Omarchy provides several key benefits, including full access to the Arch User Repository (AUR), giving me a vast collection of software packages at my fingertips. It’s free from telemetry tracking software, ensuring greater privacy and control over my system.
What I love most about Omarchy is how infinitely customizable it is, allowing me to tailor every aspect of my environment to fit my workflow and preferences. Best of all, it’s completely open source, supporting a community driven approach to software development. Using Omarchy challenges me to learn, troubleshoot, and experiment with Linux in a meaningful way, helping me build practical skills that go well beyond the surface.