DDDEREK DILLMANContact
Online · IT Manager at Harvard Integrations

> hey, I'm

IT leader for manufacturers.Strategist/Engineer/Builder

I've known I wanted to work with computers since fourth grade in 1992. Today I run IT for manufacturers: I set the strategy, engineer the systems, and build the apps, AI tools and websites that make the business faster.

See what I do Career path
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Portrait of Derek Dillman
ID // D.DILLMAN● VERIFIED

Who I am

A polymath who thinks in systems.

I touched my first computer in fourth grade, in 1992, and decided right then that this was what I would do with my life. The fascination with what's possible never wore off. It just found bigger problems.

In a given week I might build an IT roadmap and budget with leadership, design a plant network, ship an Azure App Service through a DevOps pipeline, train a team on AI and design a website. Most IT leaders own one or two of those. I work across all of them, so I can look at a problem from every direction and find the answer that holds up everywhere.

  • The balance sheetWhat it costs, what it saves, and what it risks.
  • The shop floorHow production actually runs, and what can't go down.
  • The server roomArchitecture, security, and what fails at 2 a.m.
  • The user's chairWhether people will actually use it, and like it.
derek.js
const derek = {
  since: 1992,
  roles: ['CIO', 'IT Manager', 'Systems Engineer',
          'AI Developer', 'Web Designer', 'Automation'],
  industry: 'manufacturing',
  criticalThinker: true,
  solve(problem) {
    return lenses.map(l => l.analyze(problem)).reduce(best);
  }
}; // → the answer that works everywhere
sys.profilelive
1992first computer
19+years in professional IT
5manufacturers served
8+disciplines, one person
career.log1992 → now
  • 1992First computer, 4th grade. Decided on a career.
  • 1999Building on the early web
  • 2007First IT role, LodgeNet
  • 2015First IT Manager seat, Design Tanks
  • 2022Shipping AI apps before most knew the term
  • 2026IT Manager, Harvard Integrations
43.54°N 96.73°WSIOUX FALLS · SD

Disciplines

8+ disciplines. One person.

The jobs a growing manufacturer usually spreads across a CIO, an infrastructure team, developers and an agency. I cover all of them, from the strategy down to the code.

01

CIO & IT Strategy

Roadmaps, budgets, vendor contracts and risk, tied to how the company actually makes money.

02

IT Management

Service-first teams and help desks people respect, with policies and processes that hold up.

03

Systems Engineering

Microsoft 365, identity, servers, backup and disaster recovery designed to stay up.

04

Networks & Security

Segmented plant and office networks, firewalls, monitoring and security hardening.

05

Cloud & DevOps

Azure App Services and Azure SQL shipped through CI/CD pipelines that make releases routine.

06

AI Development

Custom AI tools, agents and RAG apps, plus training that gets whole teams using AI well.

07

Web Design & Dev

Fast, modern websites and web apps, designed and built end to end. This one included.

08

Automation & Data

Python, PowerShell, n8n, SQL and Power BI turning manual work into reliable systems.

Experience

Two decades in IT, most of it in manufacturing.

Hospitality tech, diversified manufacturing, composites, wind energy, polymer films, industrial automation and power. Every stop added another layer.

19y 6mcareer uptime since Apr 2007
  1. Power & enclosure manufacturing

    IT ManagerNOW

    @ Harvard Integrations

    Engineered-to-order manufacturer of power distribution centers, generator enclosures, skids and sub-base fuel tanks, based in Tea, SD.

    Leading IT end to end: strategy and planning, infrastructure, Azure app development, and putting AI to work across engineering and operations.

    Jan 2026 – Present
  2. Managed IT & industrial automation

    Managed IT Services

    @ Workplace IT Management (Direct Companies)

    Sioux Falls managed service provider owned by Direct Companies, an automation and controls integrator for industrial, power and utility plants.

    Supported many client environments at once, from networks and security to Microsoft 365 and end users, across a wide mix of industries.

    Apr 2025 – Jan 2026
  3. Polymer film manufacturing

    IT Infrastructure Systems Engineer / IT Technical Services Supervisor

    @ Viaflex (formerly Raven Engineered Films)

    Maker of engineered films and geomembranes for agriculture, construction and energy. Carved out of Raven Industries by private equity in 2022, with about 450 employees.

    Engineered infrastructure and supervised technical services as the business became a stand-alone company.

    May 2022 – Feb 2025
  4. Wind energy services

    IT Manager / Sr. Systems Administrator

    @ RENEW Energy Maintenance

    Wind turbine service company: drivetrain remanufacturing, up-tower repairs and 24/7 remote fleet monitoring.

    Ran IT for field crews, a remanufacturing shop and SCADA-connected monitoring operations.

    Sep 2018 – Nov 2021
  5. Composites manufacturing

    IT Manager

    @ Design Tanks

    Private-equity-backed Sioux Falls manufacturer of fiberglass-reinforced tanks for agriculture, water, chemical and energy markets.

    First IT Manager seat: owned the entire IT function for a plant-based manufacturer.

    Jun 2015 – Sep 2018
  6. Diversified technology manufacturing

    IT Security Engineer / Systems Administrator / Support Services Tech

    @ Raven Industries

    Publicly traded Sioux Falls manufacturer spanning precision agriculture, engineered films and Aerostar.

    Grew from support services into systems administration and security engineering.

    Aug 2010 – Jun 2015
  7. Hospitality technology

    Desktop Support Technician / Internet Support Technician

    @ SONIFI (formerly LodgeNet)

    Interactive TV and internet provider for more than a million hotel rooms across North America.

    Where the professional career started: desktop and internet support at scale.

    Apr 2007 – Aug 2010

Stack

From the switch port to the language model.

66 tools and practices, grouped by where they sit in the stack.

IT Leadership & Strategy

08 items
  • IT Strategy & Roadmaps
  • Budgeting & Forecasting
  • Vendor Management
  • Team Leadership
  • Project Management
  • Change Management
  • Business Continuity
  • Policy & Governance

AI Development & Enablement

08 items
  • Azure AI Foundry
  • Azure OpenAI
  • OpenAI API
  • Claude
  • LLM Agents
  • RAG & Vector Search
  • Prompt Engineering
  • AI Training & Adoption

Cloud, Apps & DevOps

08 items
  • Azure App Service
  • Azure SQL
  • Azure DevOps
  • GitHub Actions
  • CI/CD
  • Docker
  • REST APIs
  • Supabase

Systems & Infrastructure

08 items
  • Microsoft 365
  • Azure
  • Active Directory
  • Entra ID
  • Windows Server
  • Veeam
  • Cohesity
  • Backup & DR

Networks

06 items
  • Cisco
  • Switching
  • VLANs & Segmentation
  • Firewalls
  • SonicWall
  • DNS / DHCP

Security & Monitoring

06 items
  • Security Engineering
  • Splunk
  • PRTG
  • SolarWinds
  • ManageEngine
  • Monitoring & Alerting

Code, Data & Automation

08 items
  • Python
  • PowerShell
  • SQL
  • JavaScript
  • Node.js
  • Power BI
  • n8n
  • Zapier

Web Design & Development

08 items
  • Next.js
  • React
  • Three.js
  • Tailwind CSS
  • UI / UX Design
  • Responsive Design
  • SEO & Performance
  • Vercel

Manufacturing & OT

06 items
  • Plant-Floor Networks
  • OT / IT Convergence
  • SCADA
  • Industrial Automation
  • Remote Fleet Monitoring
  • Renewable Energy

Work

What I build and lead.

The through-line: step back, understand how the business actually runs, then build the systems, software and team to support it.

CAPABILITY01 / 06

Manufacturing IT Transformation

// CIO / IT Manager

Step back, learn how the plant actually runs, then rebuild IT around it: roadmap, budget, team, infrastructure and security, sized for where the company is going instead of where it has been.

  • IT Strategy
  • Budgeting
  • Infrastructure
  • Security
  • Team Leadership
  • Change Management
CAPABILITY02 / 06

Azure Apps & DevOps

// Developer / DevOps Engineer

Line-of-business apps on Azure App Service backed by SQL, shipped through CI/CD pipelines so every change is tested, repeatable and safe to release.

  • Azure App Service
  • Azure SQL
  • Azure DevOps
  • GitHub Actions
  • APIs
CAPABILITY03 / 06

AI Development & Training

// AI Developer / Strategist

Custom AI assistants, agents and automations on OpenAI and Azure AI Foundry, plus hands-on training that gets whole teams using AI with good judgment.

  • Azure AI Foundry
  • OpenAI
  • Agents
  • RAG
  • n8n
  • AI Training
CAPABILITY04 / 06

Web Design & Development

// Designer / Developer

Modern, fast websites and web apps designed and built end to end. This site is one: Next.js with a real-time three.js scene that runs on phones and desktops.

  • Next.js
  • React
  • Three.js
  • UI / UX
  • Vercel
CAPABILITY05 / 06

Automation Everywhere

// Automation Engineer

Python, PowerShell and n8n workflows that take repeated manual work off people's plates and turn fragile processes into reliable systems with data behind them.

  • Python
  • PowerShell
  • n8n
  • SQL
  • Power BI
  • Zapier
CAPABILITY06 / 06

Lifelong Early Adopter

// Learner / Teacher

First computer in 1992, the early web in 1999, early crypto in 2011, generative AI before ChatGPT. I learn new technology early, then teach it to the people around me.

  • Early Web
  • Early Crypto
  • Pre-ChatGPT AI
  • Technical Teaching

Contact

Have a web or AI project in mind?

I take on a few website and AI builds alongside my day job. I'm also happy to talk shop about IT leadership, manufacturing systems or automation.

Emailderek@derekdillman.com
Phone(605) 610-8835
LocationSioux Falls, South Dakota