Cisco’s advocacy neighborhood, Cisco Insider Advocates, brings our clients collectively and offers a method for them to make highly effective connections, broaden their skilled and private networks, and study from high specialists of their subject. One in all our targets with our advocacy neighborhood is to deepen {our relationships} with our clients. Our Q&A collection permits us to shine a highlight on a few of our most passionate advocates as we study extra about their tales and backgrounds.
Immediately, we have now one of many friendliest faces in the neighborhood becoming a member of us for a chat. I’m excited to welcome Wouter Hindriks from Avit Group BV.
Welcome, Wouter! It’s so nice to speak with you in the present day! Let’s kick issues off by studying just a little bit about who you’re.
I’m a 45-year-old safety architect dwelling and dealing within the Netherlands. I’m married to Naomi, and we have now two kids, ages 12 and 16.
The place did you start your profession in IT? And what skilled choice or alternative introduced you to your present place?
I began working part-time on an web assist desk when many individuals had been getting on-line for the primary time with dial-up web entry. I had a number of jobs and roles after that and labored in numerous nations earlier than accepting my present place at Avit Group, a community integrator and managed companies supplier.
The risk panorama retains shifting, with new dangerous actors, exploits, and assaults on the horizon. As defenders, we have to hold altering with it. Avit Group protects and screens our clients’ environments for threats and incorporates incidents earlier than they result in a disruption. In my function as a safety architect, I design our service choices to make sure we ship the most recent and best services to maintain customers and knowledge safe throughout the globe.
I spend time with clients, colleagues, and Cisco specialists to study evolving challenges and confirmed options to assist enhance our choices. As well as, by the Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, I get common updates from Cisco Talos, Cisco’s risk intelligence analysis group, in addition to insights from my trade friends and different safety practitioners worldwide.
What an unimaginable journey you’ve been on, Wouter. How has partnering with Cisco helped you in your function?
Cisco has performed an essential function in my profession because the starting; I obtained a Cisco CCNA certification, which actually helped my profession early on. Working at a telco, you’ll encounter Cisco within the edge and core networks, after which, you’ll be happy to see Cisco options in your knowledge middle, website networks, or safety setup. The standard of documentation and buyer help makes Cisco reliable—each paperwork and TAC help have saved my day (and evening) quite a few instances!
It’s nice to listen to how Cisco’s options have been instrumental all through your profession! Let’s transfer on to our buyer advocacy neighborhood. How would you describe Cisco Insider Advocates to those that aren’t acquainted with it?
Cisco Insider Advocates is a world neighborhood for expertise lovers to attach with each other. New data, fascinating articles about Cisco’s merchandise and applied sciences, and posts from different members are all the time out there. Taking part in actions on this neighborhood additionally provides you factors to change for cool rewards too.
The rewards are undoubtedly an important incentive! You’re one in every of our neighborhood’s “Rockstars” and are part of the “Safety Heroes.” What made you wish to be a part of, and the way has being part of this neighborhood impacted you each professionally and personally?
I joined the neighborhood at Cisco Dwell Berlin in 2017 and was instantly impressed by the sheer scale and number of actions out there. On the occasion, I used to be in a position to profit from my go to by utilizing the Cisco Insider App, which provided data on the accessible places and pushed me to discover completely different elements of Cisco Dwell.
Then, after the Cisco Dwell occasion, I stored coming again to the neighborhood for the data, conversations, and helpful alternatives. Being a member of this neighborhood has allowed me to assist others and rapidly join with different specialists in varied ICT fields. As a Rockstar, I get pleasure from unique challenges, rewards, and occasions. By collaborating with neighborhood managers and taking part in actions, I’ve contributed to weblog posts, movies, and even spoken at Cisco Dwell and safety podcasts. This enhanced my writing and talking skills and strengthened my private model, which helped me stand out to colleagues, clients, and potential employers.
We’d love to listen to about your current expertise at Cisco Dwell 2024 Amsterdam. We perceive that you just attended together with your daughter this 12 months too. How was it sharing Cisco Dwell along with her? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), how would you charge your general expertise this 12 months in comparison with earlier conferences?
Dwelling simply 20 minutes from the venue, Cisco Dwell Amsterdam felt like a house recreation. It was great displaying my daughter round and introducing her to everybody I’ve met through the years. I’d charge my expertise a 4.5 this 12 months as I had an Explorer move, which restricted entry to technical breakout periods. Nonetheless, the occasion was well-organized with good meals, many cubicles, and educated people prepared to help. Interacting with Cisco’s senior management this time was actually insightful; I used to be in a position to have transient conversations with Oliver Tuszik and Jeetu Patel, which enhanced my understanding of Cisco’s imaginative and prescient and allowed me to share my very own concepts and challenges.
By way of Cisco Insider Advocates, I used to be additionally in a position to meet with the Cisco U staff to share my ideas on a person’s coaching and academic wants general and supply suggestions on Cisco’s present certifications.
Since 2017, I’ve attended Cisco Dwell in Berlin, Madrid, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Amsterdam. It’s all the time a pleasure to reconnect with buddies and meet new folks. Whereas the Cisco Insider Advocate actions add pleasure to those occasions, the devoted lounge for Insiders additionally offers a calming retreat through the busy occasion, and assembly neighborhood members and managers in particular person is all the time a deal with!
Glad to listen to you loved Cisco Dwell this 12 months, Wouter! As you talked about, we had tons of thrilling actions deliberate within the Cisco Insider sales space and one in every of them was the chance to have a dialog with David Bombal, a British YouTuber and tech influencer. How was your interplay with him, and what matters did you focus on?
It was a delight to have an interview with David Bombal. We spoke about what it takes to get forward in IT and what has helped me turn into a safety architect. I emphasised the significance about staying curious, embracing challenges, and studying from each expertise whereas actively taking part in the neighborhood round you to facilitate progress and studying.
I’m completely happy for you, Wouter. It sounds such as you had a memorable expertise at Cisco Dwell this 12 months. We’re virtually on the finish of our interview, and we’d love to complete with three issues you’ll be able to’t stay with out.
Moreover the apparent reply: Spouse and youngsters? It will be:
- New issues to resolve
- New issues to construct
- New folks to fulfill
It’s been a pleasure to speak with you, Wouter. Thanks once more for becoming a member of us!
Learn extra advocate interviews.
You may get pleasure from this interview with Cisco Insider Tim Harmon.
Be part of us!
For our clients who’ve already joined our Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, say howdy to Tim should you haven’t met but. And should you’re a Cisco buyer however aren’t a neighborhood member, take into account becoming a member of. You’ll be capable of:
- Join with friends in a gamified, on-line neighborhood.
- Have a chance to fulfill with Cisco’s executives.
- Share your suggestions, questions, and greatest practices.
- Get entry to ‘insider’ content material and assets.
- Develop your skilled and private model.
- Amplify your organization’s success story with Cisco expertise.
Able to get began?
Head over to the Cisco Insider Advocates Neighborhood and say howdy!
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