Tag: network engineer

Technological Synergy

“Best-of-Breed”. I’ve always found that term interesting. It means selecting the best product there is in the market for your specific need. When you think about it, it is a great idea. Why not reach out and acquire the best widget for every single project? Different companies make different widgets and solutions for different purposes. Some are good, some are better, and some are the best. As you shop around the world of technology and acquire different solutions, you start to notice something…making these widgets and solutions work together requires a lot more time and attention than you realized. If you ever read the Choose Your Own Adventure book series, each choice could lead to success or headaches and disasters. Choosing solutions for the org should not be like that. Continue reading “Technological Synergy” →

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My First Cisco Live

If you live in the world of technology, Cisco Live is one of the biggest events of the year. It’s an event where thousands come to learn and spend time with other like-minded individuals. There are exciting announcements, great speakers, and cool parties. It is the place to be. For years, I’ve always tried to attend, but it never worked out. The first year I received an actual approval to go to the conference was 2020, so the trip did not happen. Eventually I came over to Cisco. Even here though, it was not a guarantee I could attend the conference. Finally, this year I was selected with a few other colleagues to represent the team and attend with our customers. It was an outstanding experience and I want to tell you all about it! Continue reading “My First Cisco Live” →

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From Ops to Sales

It’s been about nine months since I made the jump from an operational role to a sales role. I have been in operational roles my entire career, so it was a different direction moving into a Systems Architect role at Cisco. These months have flown by and its been great to see the other side. If you are thinking about making the move from ops to a sales role but are unsure of what to expect, keep on reading. I’ll be diving in to some of the myths I’ve heard. Continue reading “From Ops to Sales” →

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MFA All Things: Infrastructure

By now you should know that username and Password123 are not enough to protect access to your data. Even creating a complex password or a pass-phrase (which you should do) might not help you when your info gets dumped out on the internet from the latest data breach. Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) can help add another layer of verification to make sure you really are the person who is going to access a resource and not just someone who knows a username and password. In this entry, we will use Duo as our MFA solution with Cisco ISE configured for Device Management to verify who I am when I try to login to a network switch. Continue reading “MFA All Things: Infrastructure” →

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The Career Change

We make choices everyday. Some of the choices are simple. Do I wear pajama pants or jeans today? Am I having breakfast? Do I want coffee? Whether it is a yes or no, those choices are not life changing. However, once in a while there are more complex choices to make. Do I want to move to a different company? Is it time for a career change? Those questions are not easily answered. They require thought. Big changes impact your life. They can impact your family’s lives. Wanting to grow and wanting more led me to ask those questions. The answers led me to a change from a life in operations into a sales role. Continue reading “The Career Change” →

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Simple Cisco FMC Upgrades

I’ve only recently started diving a bit deeper into Cisco Firepower. I’ve heard some mixed reviews regarding using and upgrading Firepower Management Center and the FTDs. Some have had decent luck while others seem to run into issues. As I have an FMC that is non-production (for now), I’ve decided to upgrade it to the latest version and find out for myself how difficult these upgrades are. I’ll also need to head into version 6.7 for some SAML capabilities on the FTDs. One factor you should look for when deciding to use certain products is how easy it is to maintain them. Continue reading “Simple Cisco FMC Upgrades” →

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Firepower, ISE, and Duo: VPN Config

When it comes to a user’s Remote Access, Cisco’s AnyConnect has been a leader. It just works. That has been my experience as a user. That experience is also consistent for a user if their remote connection has a headend of an ASA or Firepower. However, one thing to note is that the backend administration and setup of Remote Access is different between the two. The ASA’s Remote Access setup has many bells and whistles that Firepower does not, but Firepower’s setup is pretty simple. We’re going to be setting up Remote Access using Firepower, but we are also going to leverage the Cisco Identity Services Engine for authorization policies as well as Cisco Duo for that extra layer of Multi-Factor Authentication protection. Continue reading “Firepower, ISE, and Duo: VPN Config” →

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