About
Hey, I'm Ashton.
Systems engineer and IT consultant based on the Central Coast. I help people get useful work done when the systems around them are messy, brittle, or quietly making everything harder.
I grew up on the Central Coast, mostly around computers. That became real work at Google Sydney through Astreya, then Apple, before telco, healthcare IT, and independent systems work.
The common thread is not a particular tool. It is the kind of work where something important should be simple, but is not: Microsoft 365 behaving strangely, DNS and email doing weird things, clinical systems needing calm support, migrations with too many loose ends, or small teams stuck with systems nobody fully owns.
I like practical fixes, direct advice, and tools that earn their place. That includes automation and AI when they remove manual work, not when they add another layer of theatre. Away from work, I train Muay Thai and listen to too much music.
How I work
Fix the real problem
I try to find the part of the system that is actually hurting the work: bad handover, brittle configuration, unclear ownership, or a fix that only worked once.
Keep it understandable
Good systems are easier to explain, support, and change later. I care about the boring parts: DNS, email, access, documentation, backups, monitoring, and clean handover.
Use modern tools carefully
I build and use automation, APIs, and AI tooling when they make a workflow clearer or reduce repeated manual work. If a simpler fix is better, I would rather do that.
Start here
If you want the formal version, the resume has the timeline. If you want to know what I can help with, the services page is the practical place to start.
Contact
If you are trying to work out whether something is in scope, send a short note about what is broken or what you are trying to build. General enquiries go to hello@ashton.com.au, and security-related contact goes to security@ashton.com.au.