Cisco’s advocacy neighborhood, Cisco Insider Advocates, brings our clients collectively and gives a approach for them to make highly effective connections, increase their skilled and private networks, and be taught from prime consultants of their discipline. One of our objectives 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 be taught extra about their tales and backgrounds.
Today, we’ve one of many friendliest faces locally 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 talk with you at this time! Let’s kick issues off by studying a bit bit about who you might be.
I’m a 45-year-old safety architect residing and dealing within the Netherlands. I’m married to Naomi, and we’ve two youngsters, ages 12 and 16.
Where did you start your profession in IT? And what skilled determination or alternative introduced you to your present place?
I began working part-time on an web assist desk when many individuals have 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 international locations earlier than accepting my present place at Avit Group, a community integrator and managed providers supplier.
The menace panorama retains shifting, with new unhealthy actors, exploits, and assaults on the horizon. As defenders, we have to preserve altering with it. Avit Group protects and screens our clients’ environments for threats and accommodates incidents earlier than they result in a disruption. In my position as a safety architect, I design our service choices to make sure we ship the newest and best services and products to maintain customers and knowledge safe throughout the globe.
I spend time with clients, colleagues, and Cisco specialists to find out about evolving challenges and confirmed options to assist enhance our choices. In addition, by way of the Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, I get common updates from Cisco Talos, Cisco’s menace intelligence analysis group, in addition to insights from my trade friends and different safety practitioners worldwide.
What an unbelievable journey you’ve been on, Wouter. How has partnering with Cisco helped you in your position?
Cisco has performed an essential position in my profession for the reason that 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 high quality of documentation and buyer help makes Cisco reliable—each paperwork and TAC help have saved my day (and night time) quite a few occasions!
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 conversant in it?
Cisco Insider Advocates is a world neighborhood for know-how fans to attach with each other. New info, fascinating articles about Cisco’s merchandise and applied sciences, and posts from different members are at all times out there. Participating in actions on this neighborhood additionally provides you factors to trade for cool rewards too.
The rewards are undoubtedly a fantastic incentive! You are one in every of our neighborhood’s “Rockstars” and are part of the “Security Heroes.” What made you need 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 Live Berlin in 2017 and was instantly impressed by the sheer scale and number of actions out there. At the occasion, I used to be in a position to profit from my go to by utilizing the Cisco Insider App, which supplied info on the accessible areas and pushed me to discover totally different elements of Cisco Live.
Then, after the Cisco Live occasion, I saved coming again to the neighborhood for the data, conversations, and beneficial alternatives. Being a member of this neighborhood has allowed me to assist others and rapidly join with different consultants in numerous ICT fields. As a Rockstar, I take pleasure in 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 Live 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 latest expertise at Cisco Live 2024 Amsterdam. We perceive that you simply attended along with your daughter this yr too. How was it sharing Cisco Live together with her? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), how would you charge your general expertise this yr in comparison with earlier conferences?
Living simply 20 minutes from the venue, Cisco Live Amsterdam felt like a house recreation. It was fantastic displaying my daughter round and introducing her to everybody I’ve met over time. I’d charge my expertise a 4.5 this yr 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.
Through 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 Live in Berlin, Madrid, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Amsterdam. It’s at all times a pleasure to reconnect with associates and meet new folks. While the Cisco Insider Advocate actions add pleasure to those occasions, the devoted lounge for Insiders additionally gives a soothing retreat in the course of the busy occasion, and assembly neighborhood members and managers in particular person is at all times a deal with!
Glad to listen to you loved Cisco Live this yr, 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 subjects did you talk about?
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 out to be a safety architect. I emphasised the significance about staying curious, embracing challenges, and studying from each expertise whereas actively taking part locally round you to facilitate development and studying.
I’m glad for you, Wouter. It sounds such as you had a memorable expertise at Cisco Live this yr. We’re virtually on the finish of our interview, and we’d love to complete with three issues you possibly can’t reside with out.
Besides the apparent reply: Wife and youngsters? It could be:
- New issues to resolve
- New issues to construct
- New folks to satisfy
It’s been a pleasure to talk with you, Wouter. Thank you once more for becoming a member of us!
Read extra advocate interviews.
You may take pleasure in this interview with Cisco Insider Tim Harmon.
Join us!
For our clients who’ve already joined our Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, say howdy to Tim when you haven’t met but. And when you’re a Cisco buyer however aren’t a neighborhood member, contemplate becoming a member of. You’ll be capable of:
- Connect with friends in a gamified, on-line neighborhood.
- Have a chance to satisfy with Cisco’s executives.
- Share your suggestions, questions, and greatest practices.
- Get entry to ‘insider’ content material and assets.
- Grow your skilled and private model.
- Amplify your organization’s success story with Cisco know-how.
Ready to get began?
Head over to the Cisco Insider Advocates Community and say howdy!
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