Ash Clements
Sr. Professional Services Consultant — SASE & AI Security
I got my first job at 15 — waiting tables, helping the family, buying computer parts with what was left. Never stopped working. By my early twenties I was so burned out on tech I got my real estate license and made a six-figure income deliberately staying away from computers. Lasted three years before the industry hunted me down anyway: brokerages kept asking me to fix their networks, and I was too good at it to say no.
1997 — Unisys fly-and-fix team. We rolled out the Y2K remediation across the entire Social Security Administration. Nearly every state, Thursday to Monday, for two years straight. That's where carrier-grade infrastructure stopped being theory and became instinct.
2001: tech bubble burst, laid off from iDirect post-9/11, back in Richmond with nothing. That year hit hard on multiple fronts. Building something wasn't just about the money — it was about having something to show up for every day. Downloaded pirated Dreamweaver and Flash, taught myself HTML, CSS, Flash, and Java from scratch, built ProFilesPC from zero — web, security, and network consulting — six figures working from home. First paycheck went to a legal Adobe license. That's still how I operate: figure it out, put it back together better, pay it forward when you can.
Senior security consultant specializing in enterprise SASE deployments and AI security architecture. At Palo Alto Networks, I lead complex Prisma Access implementations for Fortune 500 organizations across critical infrastructure — gas & oil, telecommunications, and global financial services. PCNSE certified with deep expertise in Zero Trust architecture and the emerging field of AI runtime security.
Experience
SASE & AI Security · Enterprise Architecture · Professional Services
- ›Lead complex Prisma Access (SASE) implementations for Fortune 500 organizations across oil & gas, telecom, and global financial services
- ›Architect Zero Trust network security for high-stakes enterprise environments — critical infrastructure, carrier-grade, global finance
- ›PCNSE certified with deep expertise in PAN-OS, GlobalProtect, SD-WAN, and Prisma Access
- ›Building AI runtime security tooling in parallel — LLMGuardT2, Ghost99OC, and the AIRS framework — to validate the threat models behind the platform
Enterprise firewall policy · Network segmentation · PCI-DSS
- ›Enterprise firewall policy, network segmentation, and security infrastructure for one of the world's largest payment networks
- ›Operated in a highly regulated PCI-DSS environment with direct exposure to financial-grade security standards
- ›Secured global financial transaction infrastructure at enterprise scale
Telecom infrastructure · Channel partner relationships · Business development
- ›Channel partner relationships and business development for a regional telecom provider
- ›Leveraged deep network engineering background to bridge technical and commercial conversations
MSP · Enterprise network architecture · Security hardening · VPN architecture
- ›Senior network security engineering at a dedicated MSP serving enterprise clients nationwide
- ›Enterprise network architecture, security hardening, firewall design, and VPN architecture
- ›Deepened the enterprise consulting skillset that feeds directly into current PAN work
Federal network security · Government infrastructure · Data center operations
- ›Federal contractor given a dedicated office — rare for a contractor at the agency
- ›Spent the majority of time in the data center; deep hands-on federal infrastructure work
- ›Led unplanned DC recovery after a visitor hit the emergency power shutoff — had the data center back online in under 30 minutes
ISP / CLEC operations · Carrier networking · Network engineering
- ›Carrier-grade networking at a regional CLEC — where enterprise networking fundamentals got built
- ›Earned CCNA certification during this role
Web development · Security consulting · Network infrastructure
- ›Founded after the 2001 tech bubble collapse — built from nothing, no capital, no investors
- ›Web, security, and network consulting — clients included VCU Art School and regional ecommerce
- ›Grew to six-figure revenue; sold stake in 2008
- ›Ran network buildouts alongside web work — switches, firewalls, VPNs — the beginning of what became a career in enterprise infrastructure
Satellite communications · NOC support · Global installs
- ›Satellite communications NOC support — global satellite installs, direct continuation of Spacenet carrier work
- ›Flagged a suspicious support call where reported coordinates didn't match stated location — escalated to director; FBI and DOD on site by morning
- ›Laid off post-9/11 along with most of the industry
Satellite communications · Carrier infrastructure · Technical leadership
- ›Averaged 100+ support calls/week against a team average of 35 — every PM requested him by name
- ›Promoted to manager in 3 months — declined to stay technical; company created a senior title and gave the raise anyway
- ›Satellite communications engineering at one of the early satellite broadband pioneers
Y2K remediation · Federal government · Social Security Administration
- ›Part of the fly-and-fix team that executed Y2K remediation across the entire Social Security Administration
- ›Visited nearly every US state over two years — Thursday-to-Monday travel cadence at peak
- ›One of the largest coordinated government IT deployments in US history
Residential sales · Client relations · Business development
- ›Six-figure income in residential sales before the industry pulled him back into tech
- ›Three years of negotiation, client management, and closing — skills that quietly inform every enterprise engagement since
- ›The escape didn't last: local real estate firms discovered he knew networks, and pulled him back into tech
Core Competencies
Security Tooling
Production tools built at the intersection of AI security, cloud, and enterprise network security.
Multi-agent LLM security framework demonstrating cross-service attack detection and runtime monitoring — the architectural pattern behind Palo Alto Networks' AIRS offering.
Automated scanner testing AI endpoints against the full OWASP LLM Top 10. Semantic detection catches paraphrased attacks that bypass pattern matching — 35+ payloads, production-ready.
Multi-cloud misconfiguration scanner mapping findings to CIS Benchmarks with executive PDF reporting. Covers AWS, Azure, and GCP in a single read-only scan.
What I Care About
The work funds the mission. The mission is bigger than the work.
I grew up going to St. George's Camp because people at my church donated so kids like me could go. Now that I do well, I pay it forward — funding spots for underprivileged kids to have the same experience I did.
Shrine Mont / St. George's Camp ↗One of the largest food banks in the United States. I give time and money here because food insecurity is a solvable problem and no one in Phoenix should go hungry.
St. Mary's Food Bank ↗I spend a lot of time in dark corners of the internet. If you see something — child exploitation, animal cruelty — say something. All of these resources accept anonymous reports. You don't have to give your name. You just have to make the call.
Report online child sexual exploitation — anonymous submissions accepted
Report child exploitation and abuse to federal law enforcement
24/7 anonymous crisis intervention and reporting — call or text
International anonymous reporting — CSAM, 50+ countries
How and where to report animal abuse — anonymous tips accepted
Report animal cruelty anonymously — national resources and local referrals
Report animal cruelty in Arizona — anonymous tips accepted
Report animal cruelty anonymously — no name required, potential reward
Contact
Available for consulting engagements, speaking opportunities, and technical advisory roles in enterprise security and AI security architecture.