Bonnie May

I have written guides to explain how to use 150+ API endpoints as well as API webhooks. When I was hired there were zero guides to help our clients implement the APIs in their interfaces. Now there are dozens of guides to complement the endpoint reference. I have written ~80% of the guides on this site.

Maintained on-box and online help files for Security Analytics and Content Analysis, and user manuals for Unified Agent, Reporter, Malware Analysis, Threat Explorer, and Symantec WebPulse Automation Toolkit.

Clarified Security Analytics functionality for the developers by creating flowcharts and detailed implementation examples of how the software worked.

Helped prevent faulty software from being released by identifying more bugs one year than everyone but the head of QA.

Advocated for the user by developing a holistic, comprehensive understanding of the software from the point of view of the “naïve user.”

Improved the user experience by editing the PO files (UI text) for consistency, accuracy, grammar, and spelling.

Updated the look and feel of the online help for most enterprise products by leading the redesign committee.

Blue Coat Systems was a network security company that boasted top-of-the-line enterprise security solutions such as ProxySG, Content Analysis, SSL Visibility, Reporter, and PacketShaper. Upon acquisition by Blue Coat, Solera DeepSee was changed to Blue Coat Security Analytics. Blue Coat was acquired by Symantec Corporation in June 2016.

Maintained on-box and online help files for Security Analytics

Wrote multiple installation procedures to set up RAID arrays for head units plus multiple JBODs or disk arrays, using SAS-2, SAS-3, and Fibre Channel

Created poster-sized quick-start guides for insertion in appliance boxes

Maintained compatibility lists for hardware configurations

Maintained the PO files (UI text files) in several languages, editing for consistency and accuracy and adding translator notes

Solera Networks was a startup company that developed Solera DeepSee: a full-packet-capture and analysis forensic appliance. Analysts use DeepSee (now called Security Analytics) to capture PCAPs in real time from network taps and then run reports, extract files, and search for malware, breaches, data exfiltration, and other irregular network usage. Solera Networks was acquired by Blue Coat Systems in May 2013.

Converted Word/PDF documents into HTML using Adobe RoboHelp

Rewrote documents to make them more intelligible, accurate, and navigable

Facilitated localization of documents and UI into five languages

(Contracted through Strategic Resources Alliance, Irvine CA) When Wells Fargo acquired Wachovia bank, instead of merely rolling out Wells Fargo products, applications, and procedures to the Wachovia side, Wells Fargo reviewed everything on both the Wells Fargo and Wachovia sides to determine which methods, products, and systems were best, and where improvements and upgrades needed to be made. Dozens of project managers and business analysts were hired to facilitate the conversion process for the Wealth Management service teams at several call centers across the country. The technical writing task was to update or create the procedures for three lines of business–The Private Bank, Trust, and Operations–and to convert these procedures to a new content-management platform.

Updated or created procedures to correspond with dozens of different system launches and product conversions.

Designed new templates for procedures, both in Word and HTML.

Converted procedures from flowchart format to written-out format.

Maintained HTML versions of more than 650 documents.

Niche Associates is a technical writing firm that specializes in user documentation, certification courses, and other materials for the LAN technologies industry. With such high-end clients as Hewlett Packard, Intel, Novell, and Cisco, Niche Associates has developed a reputation for producing high-quality documentation for the top LAN technology companies.

Client: HP ProCurve

Primary developer for online help files for LAN security device—Authored in RoboHelp 7 for HTML, the help files contain more than 400 topic pages, including detailed examples, glossary, index, search function, and dozens of diagrams.

Design guide for wireless LAN solutions—Updated an older design guide to include new wireless LAN products, eliminate obsolete products, and demonstrate a new wireless LAN planning application. The guide provides a detailed design process, then a detailed example of how to follow the process.

Implementation guide for network access controller—As part of a team, wrote detailed instructions for deploying the new device in a larger network environment. Created a network setup in the lab that included servers (NetWare, Windows), switches, and routers, and then created the step-by-step instructions for setting up each device to integrate with the Network Access Controller (NAC) 800 (now obsolete).

Implementation guide for wireless LAN—One of several writers for the guide, assigned to create specific scenarios to set up in vertical environments, e.g., education, manufacturing, etc. Set up these scenarios to demonstrate the capabilities and options of the new wireless LAN products that HP acquired from Colubris. The scenarios involved Windows Server 2003 (IAS, DHCP, DNS, Active Directory), switch VLANs, and routers, as well as the various controllers and APs from the Colubris product line. Wrote detailed step-by-step instructions for each scenario and included all relevant screen shots and diagrams.

Client: Cisco Systems

Training course for IPv6—Created several modules for an internal IPv6 training course. The medium was PowerPoint slides, including explanatory text in the slide notes. Designed and created the graphics to explain first the IPv6 addressing scheme and then the routing protocols (internal and external) for IPv6.

Magazine article on IP Interoperability and Collaboration System—The ghost writer for an article (later converted to a case study) that explained a collaborative project between Cisco and several public safety departments in Virginia and North Carolina.

Client: GE Healthcare

Service manual and field upgrade instructions for C-arm x-ray machine—Updated the service manual for the new C-arm under development until an FDA audit halted all work on the new model. To comply with the FDA mandates, the company was required to develop instructions for the field technicians. Developing the instructions involved working closely with the software, electrical, and mechanical engineers to create a detailed, step-by-step procedure for making the repairs or upgrades. We were also required to follow a strict set of document-control procedures to ensure compliance with the FDA mandates.

Client: Trend Micro

Certification courses for security software—As part of a team, updated and expanded certification courses for users of Trend Micro’s line of security software.

Client: Intel

Wireless LAN certification course—Given four months to create a full-blown certification course in wireless LAN technology, including Intel’s new wireless LAN products. Supervised other writers, including the lab-exercise developer. Course consisted of general instruction in radio frequency science, modulation schemes, a frame-by-frame explication of the 802.11 media access control layer, and an overview of other wireless technologies such as cellular telephones and long-haul wireless. The work product consisted of a student manual, an instructor manual, PowerPoint slides for in-class instruction, and labs for the students to perform.

Online training courses—Developed the content for courses on subjects as diverse as cPCI, the Pentium 3 Xeon processor, and Wireless Application Protocol.

Client: Novell

Technical white papers—Wrote several technical white papers for Novell products, including a white paper for the new product ZENworks for Servers. That white paper became the “gold standard” for technical white papers at Novell for some time afterward.

Product catalog—Wrote several versions of each product description: extremely short, medium length, and detailed.

• Speak and listen • Write or translate simple technical documents • Proofread • Facilitate localization

ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING — OSI layers, networking protocols, wireless LANs, circuit-board and other electronic schematics, IPv6 addressing, VLANs SOLID FAMILIARITY—Routers, firewalls, VPNs, Ethernet, switches, NAT

• Learning new technologies and systems quickly • Breaking down difficult procedures into component steps • Writing in clear, easy-to-understand English that non-native speakers can understand • Formatting documents to be highly usable and aesthetically pleasing • Organizing large amounts of information into an easily-accessible format • Designing intelligible graphic representations of complex processes • Paying close attention to detail • Producing material quickly that is thorough and accurate • Edit my own work to professional standards

HIGH COMPETENCE — MadCap Flare, Microsoft Office, Visio, PowerPoint; Adobe PhotoShop, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign; Snagit, HTML, Jira, Confluence, VMware, Postman INTERMEDIATE COMPETENCE — Microsoft Access, Adobe Dreamweaver, Wireshark, git, PyCharm, AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

• User Manuals • Implementation Guides • Design Guides • Certification Courses • Help Files • White Papers • Online Training • Procedures • API Guide • Quick-Start Posters