Cisco’s advocacy group, Cisco Insider Advocates, brings our prospects collectively and supplies a manner for them to make highly effective connections, increase their skilled and private networks, and study from high specialists of their discipline. One among our objectives with our advocacy group is to deepen {our relationships} with our prospects. 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.
As we speak, we now have 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 a bit bit about who you might be.
I’m a 45-year-old safety architect dwelling and dealing within the Netherlands. I’m married to Naomi, and we now have 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 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 several international locations 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 prospects’ 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 and products to maintain customers and knowledge safe throughout the globe.
I spend time with prospects, colleagues, and Cisco specialists to find out about evolving challenges and confirmed options to assist enhance our choices. As well as, by means of the Cisco Insider Advocates group, I get common updates from Cisco Talos, Cisco’s risk intelligence analysis group, in addition to insights from my business 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 vital 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 heart, web site networks, or safety setup. The standard of documentation and buyer help makes Cisco reliable—each paperwork and TAC help have saved my day (and night time) 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 group. How would you describe Cisco Insider Advocates to those that aren’t aware of it?
Cisco Insider Advocates is a worldwide group for expertise fans 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 group additionally offers you factors to alternate for cool rewards too.
The rewards are undoubtedly an ideal incentive! You might be one in all our group’s “Rockstars” and are part of the “Safety Heroes.” What made you need to be part of, and the way has being part of this group impacted you each professionally and personally?
I joined the group at Cisco Stay Berlin in 2017 and was instantly impressed by the sheer scale and number of actions out there. On the occasion, I used to be capable of 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 Stay.
Then, after the Cisco Stay occasion, I stored coming again to the group for the data, conversations, and precious alternatives. Being a member of this group has allowed me to assist others and shortly join with different specialists in varied ICT fields. As a Rockstar, I take pleasure in unique challenges, rewards, and occasions. By collaborating with group managers and collaborating in actions, I’ve contributed to weblog posts, movies, and even spoken at Cisco Stay and safety podcasts. This enhanced my writing and talking skills and strengthened my private model, which helped me stand out to colleagues, prospects, and potential employers.
We’d love to listen to about your latest expertise at Cisco Stay 2024 Amsterdam. We perceive that you just attended together with your daughter this 12 months too. How was it sharing Cisco Stay together with her? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), how would you fee your general expertise this 12 months in comparison with earlier conferences?
Residing simply 20 minutes from the venue, Cisco Stay Amsterdam felt like a house sport. It was fantastic exhibiting my daughter round and introducing her to everybody I’ve met through the years. I’d fee my expertise a 4.5 this 12 months as I had an Explorer cross, which restricted entry to technical breakout classes. 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 capable of have temporary 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.
Via Cisco Insider Advocates, I used to be additionally capable of meet with the Cisco U crew 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 Stay in Berlin, Madrid, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Amsterdam. It’s all the time a pleasure to reconnect with associates and meet new folks. Whereas the Cisco Insider Advocate actions add pleasure to those occasions, the devoted lounge for Insiders additionally supplies a calming retreat throughout the busy occasion, and assembly group members and managers in individual is all the time a deal with!
Glad to listen to you loved Cisco Stay this 12 months, Wouter! As you talked about, we had tons of thrilling actions deliberate within the Cisco Insider sales space and one in all 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 develop into a safety architect. I emphasised the significance about staying curious, embracing challenges, and studying from each expertise whereas actively collaborating in the neighborhood round you to facilitate development and studying.
I’m completely happy for you, Wouter. It sounds such as you had a memorable expertise at Cisco Stay this 12 months. We’re nearly on the finish of our interview, and we’d love to complete with three issues you may’t dwell with out.
In addition to the apparent reply: Spouse and kids? It will be:
- New issues to resolve
- New issues to construct
- New folks to satisfy
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 take pleasure in this interview with Cisco Insider Tim Harmon.
Be a part of us!
For our prospects who’ve already joined our Cisco Insider Advocates group, say good day to Tim if you happen to haven’t met but. And if you happen to’re a Cisco buyer however aren’t a group member, think about becoming a member of. You’ll have the ability to:
- Join with friends in a gamified, on-line group.
- Have a possibility to satisfy with Cisco’s executives.
- Share your suggestions, questions, and greatest practices.
- Get entry to ‘insider’ content material and sources.
- 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 Group and say good day!
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