Interview with CCIE #17748 Alexander Au
by Eman
Alex you have been in my network for a couple of years now and in that time I have seen you add another CCIE certification. I have been interested in what motivates IT professionals to certify and recertify, and then keep collecting certifications. In your case you have accumulated several good ones. The list reads:
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)
Cisco Certified Internet Expert (CCIE) - Routing and Switching
Cisco Certified Internet Expert (CCIE) – Security
Cisco VPN Specialist
Cisco Firewall Specialist
Cisco IPS Specialist
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
Security+
Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP)
Certified Information Security Auditor (CISA)
Q: I can understand the CCNA and then the CCNP, but what motivated you to pursue the CCSP?
A: Security has always been an essential part of IT. People in the IT team talk about it and deal with it daily. However, a lot of technical resources (including myself) do not really understand what is involved in the world of security and to what extend we need to enhance the security side to ensure all the critical business and personal information within an organization is protected. With that question in mind, I started to explore on the CCSP materials to try to learn some basic technology and design on security.
Q: Was the preparation for your first CCIE difficult? What resources did you use to prepare?
A: The preparation for my first CCIE was not too bad. I would say I was a little lucky on that one. I did it all via self study using Cisco’s CCIE practice guy in my home and company lab. When I got to the exam room, I then realized how extensive the exam was, but luckily I passed.
Q: I know you are a security specialist and that you live and have worked out of Toronto for much of your professional life. Has this impacted your decisions in certification and your professional direction?
A: Certification to me, is just a learning process. It is nice to have as it gives your client a certain degree of confidence in your knowledge. A lot of the certifications out there are worldwide recognized, but as a security professional, I am always trying to get certified in a generic base instead of vendor specific. However, I have to say Cisco’s certifications do provide a strong foundation for learning the theory too.
Q: CCIE number two must have been a lot of work for you. Tell me a little about how you approached the second CCIE and if you did anything different in your preparations for this lab.
A: For the second CCIE exam, I was better prepared as I had a better understanding of what the expectations were. I used the same method, practicing in my home and company lab, reading Cisco books and I read over every single command on the common reference guide for all the gears in the lab exam.
Q: Looking back, do you think you needed so many certifications? Would you leave any out?
A: Certifications are just the tools I use to motivate myself to learn. I would do the same thing if I had to choose again.
Q: What advice would you give others who are thinking about a career in networking?
A: There are many different paths that one can take within the networking field, so pick something that you find interesting to start off with and always maintain an open mind for learning new things and accepting new concepts. Keep yourself motivated and you should find that a career in networking can be just as interesting, challenging and rewarding as other careers.
Q: Do you read the CCIE Flyer? What do you like about it?
A: Yes, the thing that I like the most about the current CCIE flyer is the job opportunity postings in different regions. As the CCIE flyer community grows and more people contribute to it, I am sure a lot more interesting contents will soon available for everyone to view.
Bio: Alexander Au is a security professional and dual CCIE with 5 years of experience. He lives in Ontario, Canada and spends most of his time in western Canada. His current focus is on enterprise security architecture and unified communication integration. Alex is joining our long list of contributors to the CCIE Flyer and I am happy to number him among my friends and professional network!