| 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 who’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. I also build and lead 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. I’ve built a DIY HVAC system from scratch, run experiments in a home-built data center, and turned Raspberry Pis into tools that control services and gather metrics. Some projects fall short. Others solve real problems and save thousands of dollars. But every one of them teaches me something new, and reminds me that systems thinking isn’t just part of my job. It’s how I approach everything, by looking at how things connect, where they break down, and what it takes to make them work better.
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.
