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Blake Niebrugge

InfoSec Analyst

Midland States Bank

Effingham, IL • 217.663.2619 • blake@blakeniebrugge.comblakeniebrugge.com


About Me


Hi, I'm Blake, currently working as an Information Security Analyst for Midland States Bank. I am a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, where I played baseball and earned a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science. I have also had other experiences in cloud platforms and infrastructure, and am certified in Microsoft Azure.

Hi, I'm Blake, currently working as an Information Security Analyst for Midland States Bank. I am a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, where I played baseball and earned a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science. I have also had other experiences in cloud platforms and infrastructure, and am certified in Microsoft Azure.


My journey into the world of IT began with an internship on Midland State Bank's Information Security team, where I was introduced to the world of Information/Cyber Security. After that, I had a brief tenure with COUNTRY Financial® in Bloomington, Illinois after college, where I was introduced to the world of cloud computing and services with Azure. I then returned to the Midland team full-time as a Security Analyst.


The ever-evolving nature of the IT field excites me, and I find great fulfillment in staying on top of of the latest technologies and best practices. The intricacies of IT, from infrastructure to security, have captured my curiosity and fueled my enthusiasm for driving innovation and efficiency across various industries.


Beyond my professional endeavors, I have a strong interest in sports, particularly baseball and football. Recently, I've also taken up golfing, but we are a long way from being good enough to brag about it. Additionally, building this website from scratch has been a rewarding experience that showcases my creativity and passion for coding.


As I continue to grow in my career, I'm committed to expanding my technical expertise through certifications and hands-on experience. My aspiration is to eventually take on a managerial role, leading teams and contributing to projects that have a positive impact on the organization and the people it serves.


If you share a passion for technology, or simply want to chat about baseball or golf, feel free to reach out. Let's connect!


- Blake


Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL | 2019-2023

Bachelor's of Science, Computer Science

  • NCAA Baseball - 4 years
  • Theta Chi Fraternity - 4 years
  • President
  • House Manager
  • Chair of Alumni Relations
  • Interfraternity Council - 1 year
  • VP Finance & Communication

St. Anthony High School

Effingham, IL | 2015-2019

High School Diploma


Experience

InfoSec Analyst

Midland States Bank

December 2023 - Current

Hybrid - Effingham, IL

IT Cloud Analyst

COUNTRY Financial®

June 2023 - December 2023

Bloomington, IL

InfoSec Intern

Midland States Bank

June 2022 - December 2022

Effingham, IL

Summer Help

Jansen Cable Construction, Inc.

Summers, 2017-2021

Effingham, IL


Certifications

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification

AZ-900

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

ID: D84F176AAA932B0B

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Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

AZ-104

Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate

CompTIA Network Plus

Network+

CompTIA Network+

CompTIA Security Plus

Security+

CompTIA Security+


Skills

Technical Experiences

OOP Coding

Python

Java

C++

Web Coding

HTML

CSS

Javascript

Styling Frameworks

Bulma

Bootstrap

Administration

AD & Entra

Exchange

Intune

Microsoft Azure

Resource Management

CLI/Automation

Web Apps

SIEM

Defender Suite

Rapid7 Suite

Arctic Wolf Suite

Endpoint Hardening

CIS Baselines

Database Querying

SQL

KQL (Azure)

Version Control

Github

Gitlab

CI/CD Pipelines

OSs

Windows 10

Windows 11

Linux Ubuntu

Scrum Methodology

KnowBe4 Suite

Soft Skills

Time Management

Collaboration

Organization

Teamwork

Adaptibility

Problem-Solving

Critical Thinking

Attention to Detail


Portfolio/Projects

This Website

blakeniebrugge.com serves as a personal portfolio, showcasing my skills and experience in the field of IT and technology. It is built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with responsive design for various devices. It is also 100% hosted on Microsoft Azure using Static Web Apps and CI/CD runners from GitHub.

View Source Code Make a Suggestion!
Deep Learning MLB Team Classifier
CS 387: Deep Learning @ Illinois Wesleyan

Developed a PyTorch-based neural network to identify MLB players' teams based on profile pictures, achieving near 90% testing accuracy. Scraped nearly 1,200 images from team websites for training. Includes a user-friendly interface for uploading images and testing the model.

View Project
Home Lab/Server

Repurposed a Dell OptiPlex 3040 as a Home Lab/Experimental Server. It hosts an Apache Server (on Ubuntu) to give it a frontend when it is active/running. I use it for a number of labs and experiences.

Status: Offline

Visit Server
Home Lab: Setting Up & Joining Active Directory Domain, and Pushing CIS Benchmarks via Group Policy

Self-learning experience on my Home Lab environment that included setting up a Windows 2019 Server, configuring a new Active Directory domain, joining that domain with a Windows 10 machine, and then pushing CIS Benchmarks to it via Group Policy.

Read Write-up