| Generation: | X (supposedly we’re still cool) |  |
| Occupation: | Principal Engineer | |
| Employer: | Equinix | |
| Living In: | Wilderness – Idaho, USA | |
| E-mail: | phil (at) steinbachs (dot) org | |
| Connect: | Matrix | LinkedIn |
Operations and Engineering Leader | Systems Engineer and Infrastructure Specialist
I’m a systems engineer turned operations and infrastructure leader that’s currently doing a bit of both, with a strong track record in designing and managing scalable, resilient IT environments. My work bridges the technical and strategic—Unix systems, open-source software, automation, data security, and compute/storage architecture—while also building and leading teams that align execution with real-world business needs.
I work best in the overlap between deep technical work and the need for clear operational strategy. Whether I’m building out infrastructure, troubleshooting performance issues, or mentoring engineers, I focus on making systems reliable, maintainable, and grounded in reality.
Off the clock, I like to tinker: building a DIY HVAC system from scratch, running experiments in a home-built data center, and wiring Raspberry Pis into various things to control them and collect metrics. Some projects are wins. Some are chaos. All of them teach me something—and reinforce my belief that systems thinking doesn’t stop at the office.
I care about things that work well and hold up over time. Whether I’m leading a team, helping the C-Suite with the next expansion, or troubleshooting a failed node or service, my approach is the same: understand the system, respect the details, and solve the problem. If you’re looking to collaborate, hire, or swap stories about infrastructure or lessons learned from homegrown engineering, feel free to reach out. I’m always up for a real conversation—especially if it leads to building something better.
