SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT & CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST
Earth-based. Beyond ordinary.
I’m Edward “E.T.” Thornton. Solutions Architect, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, and author of five technology books. I build cloud systems and bring ambitious projects to life. My specialties include customer experience (CX) technology.
Watch E.T. make contactA TRANSMISSION FROM E.T. / THE CX STORY
Different worlds. A shared need to be understood. A cinematic take on the cloud and customer experience work I build here on Earth.
OPEN THE SHORT FILM ↗
01 / RECEIVE THE SIGNAL
Earth is calling. The first step is a clear path from the caller’s voice to the right destination.
Explore Amazon Connect ↗02 / UNDERSTAND THE REQUEST
Listen for intent. Understand the need. Ask the question that moves the conversation forward.
Explore Dialogflow CX ↗03 / MAKE THE CONNECTION
That’s what I build toward: cloud systems that help people reach a useful next step.
See the work behind the story ↓Scene 1: Receive the signal
THE SPECIALTY
I specialize in CX technology across AWS, Google Cloud, Twilio, NICE CXone, and Genesys. My focus connects conversation design, cloud architecture, and integrations to help people reach a useful next step.
THE PLATFORMS I WORK WITH
Voice, self-service, intents, routing, and customer journeys.
Contact centers, APIs, webhooks, and backend services.
Infrastructure, automation, observability, and delivery.
01 / MISSION CONTROL
Cloud architecture, data platforms, applications, and customer experience. A closer look at what I build and how the pieces connect.
FOUR MISSIONS. ONE CONNECTED STORY.
An Amazon Connect contact center with voice routing, call logging, and serverless integrations that guide callers through a clear path to the right destination.
View project ↗
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A genealogy research assistant for exploring African American ancestry, connecting historical records with cloud search to uncover family connections and stories across generations.
Explore AncestorIQ ↗A Dialogflow CX virtual agent with Gemini project discovery and secure webhooks, turning consultation requests into focused questions, structured needs, and a useful next step.
Explore the build ↗
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A .NET application for utility workloads, combining containers, deployment pipelines, and monitoring to explore cloud operations across Red Hat OpenShift and Amazon EKS.
View project ↗TERRAFORM / KUBERNETES / CLOUD ENGINEERING
Terraform belongs at the center of my toolkit. I use infrastructure as code to define cloud resources, connect networks and clusters, and make environments repeatable.
My work brings Terraform together with Kubernetes, Amazon EC2 and EKS, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and the delivery and monitoring tools that keep systems moving.
Explore my Terraform work ↗module "eks" {
source = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
cluster_name = var.cluster_name
vpc_id = module.vpc.vpc_id
subnet_ids = module.vpc.private_subnets
enable_irsa = true
}THE TOOLS BEHIND THE WORK
Provision the environment. Run the workloads. Deliver changes. Know what’s happening.
Versioned environments, compute, networking, and access.
Containerized applications across managed and enterprise Kubernetes.
Build pipelines, configuration, and repeatable application delivery.
Metrics, logs, and dashboards that make system behavior visible.
Python · FastAPI · .NET · AWS Lambda · Cloud Run · BigQuery · DynamoDB
THE HUMAN BEHIND E.T.
I’m a Solutions Architect and creative technologist working across AWS and Google Cloud. My work brings together cloud architecture, data platforms, automation, and software development.
I like understanding how things connect, then building something useful with that knowledge. That curiosity has taken me from cloud infrastructure and mobile apps to technology books, community initiatives, and documentary filmmaking.
Terraform, reusable infrastructure, networking, and repeatable environments.
Kubernetes, Amazon EC2 and EKS, Google GKE, Docker, and OpenShift.
02 / FLIGHT CREDENTIALS
Professional cloud knowledge backed by hands-on work across Google Cloud, AWS, infrastructure, and automation.
GOOGLE CLOUD · PROFESSIONAL CLOUD ARCHITECTGOOGLE CLOUD CERTIFIED
Cloud architecture and solution design, applied in my Dialogflow CX virtual agent and AncestorIQ projects.
AMAZON WEB SERVICES · CERTIFIEDAWS CREDENTIALS
Explore my AWS certifications and badges alongside projects in containers, serverless systems, and Amazon Connect.
Badge earned October 22, 2026. Explore my Google Skills profile.
See individual credentials, issuers, and badge details on my public profile.
Open Credly ↗03 / AUTHOR OF FIVE TECHNOLOGY BOOKS
I wrote these five books to make programming and application development more approachable. They reflect another part of my work: explaining technical ideas clearly enough for someone else to use them.
FIVE BOOKS. ONE PRACTICAL LIBRARY.
04 / PRODUCTS & CREATIVE WORK
I developed these apps myself, from the first idea to launch. Some have reached 100,000+ downloads and users. Alongside them is my independent documentary work: another idea I took all the way to release.
Concept. Development. Cloud integration. Launch.
I brought these applications to life myself.
I built Rhyming Words to turn a simple voice request into a creative spark. Kids, students, and songwriters can discover rhymes with Alexa, powered by Python and APL.
An independently produced documentary, recognized at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase and distributed on Apple TV.
I developed Loop Social to help people stay connected and informed through real-time alerts, messaging, and community safety tools, bringing Flutter and cloud services together.
05 / LEADERSHIP BEYOND THE CODE
I founded Black Tech STL to help increase Black representation in technology through education, mentorship, scholarships, and career opportunities in St. Louis.
It’s the same work from a different angle: connecting people with the knowledge, resources, and opportunities they need to move forward.
Read the story in DELUX Magazine ↗06 / SIGNALS FROM EARTH
Conference talks, magazine features, and on-camera interviews about the applications, stories, and ideas I bring into the world.
CONFERENCE TALK
At Strange Loop, I presented how Flutter enables developers to build applications across platforms from a single codebase, and how that capability can help address public safety challenges in urban communities.
Watch on YouTube ↗Building technology for community safety
Edward Thornton launched the Loop app to empower communities to report and monitor events in real time, helping fight crime, address police brutality, and improve public safety awareness.
Watch on YouTube ↗THE DAILY MIX
Edward Thornton joins The Daily Mix to discuss what inspired the award-winning documentary “Bring Dat Mono Back,” its powerful storytelling and cultural impact, and the resilience and community spirit behind the film.
Watch on YouTube ↗Cloud architecture. Customer experience. Your next ambitious build.
Send a transmission ↗et@cloudsystemsdirect.com
