Routing & Security

Well, I felt like my good friend Vybhav needed to have an interview done after interviewing a bunch of people including myself the past few months. He is a great study partner and I converse with him on a regular basis – almost daily in fact. I am not sure where he gets the time to do everything he does (blog, lab, study, play flight simulators) but he must have a great girlfriend. Vybhav and I are taking our labs on the same day and I know he will ace it first attempt. As I am sure all of you know, he has a great blog site @ tacack.com where he has a wealth of information in regards to the CCIE Security exam. So without further adieu, please read on to find out things you may not have known about our good friend!

Ryan : Welcome Vybhav, great to have you here, how are you today

I’m doing great , my friend! I hope you’re doing well too!

Ryan : Can you please tell us where you are from?

I’m from Bangalore, India. It’s a gorgeous city, with a great weather and real simple and peaceful crowd!

Ryan : What do you do in your current career?

I code in ADA for a living . I know. It sucks. ADA is not in much use these days except in space/defence. The company I work for deals with marine applications.

Ryan : Well, I hope you company  doesn’t follow my blog! What first sparked your interest in networking, especially the security field?

It started in the 12th grade when I wondered “How does the internet work?!”. That was what sparked my interest in networking. I did a lot of self-study and slowly started figuring out stuff like what TCP/IP meant, how is a router different from a switch , etc. I was slowly gaining interest in this vast and AWESOME field of networks. Then something happened. I ran into www.packetlife.net! I was just fascinated by the world of cisco routers, switches and firewalls and I just wanted to know it all. Plus, I’ve always been in network security and someday I wanted to setup secure networks on my own. Hence the pursuit of the elusive CCIE-sec!

Ryan : Interesting! When and where did you first start dealing with Cisco equipment and technologies?

Where? At home , when I discovered GNS3! When? During my 1st year of B.E ( Equivalent to B.S ). I had attempted by CCNA once by then( and failed miserably ) and i started practicing on GNS3. I took another shot at CCNA soon and I failed again ( by a couple of points ). After a lot of practice, I cleared the CCNA on my third attempt . I’m happy I failed twice because, when i cleared it in my 3rd attempt, I knew I deserved it .

Ryan : Good for you for not giving up! Why are you pursueing the CCIE Security designation?

3 reasons. Firstly, Network security is just so fascinating and interesting! And CCIE Security is one of the best (if not the best) network security certifications in the market. Secondly, the Recognition. To be honest , I’ve never been really good at anything, so it was a challenge for me to master a topic and not be a hack of all trades ( get the geek pun? ) . Thirdly, the money. Lots of it!

Ryan : Haha, money is always nice. What study materials do you currently own?

I own the following material
INE
Vol 1 WB and solutions
Vol 2 WB and solutions
Bootcamp VoD
OEQ sim
IPX
Vol 1 WB and DSG
Vol 2 WB and DSG
Video walkthrough of Vol 1 and Vol 2 labs
OEQ sim
Yusuf’s labs
Cisco OEQ sim

Hopefully with all of this material, I’ll clear the CCIE someday . If not, I’m starting an Indian fast-food chain in Canada

Ryan : Wow, you have all the materials! What does you daily study schedule consist of?

During the weekdays I work from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. I’m lucky my office has flexible timings so I take advantage of that. After 4.. I go get something to eat and drink( espresso ) and I sit down to study in my office till about 9 or 10. Of course , I take innumerable breaks/surf the web/ watch my favourite bands on youtube /talk on the phone during this time. If I’m doing Vol 1 labs, I schedule an INE rack-rental which is from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM IST. If i have an IPX lab, I go home and the lab starts at 6:00 PM and goes into the wee hours of the morning. Also, I spend a lot of time flipping through the Doc-CD because I have a bad memory and it takes me many many many readings of the same topic to remember all the important stuff . Also every Thursday, I take a break . I don’t study at all. It’s my way of relaxing and trust me a mid-week break does wonders! You guys should try it once!

Ryan : Thanks for the advice! Does your study schedule change on the weekends.

Yeah. Contrary to others, I take it relatively easy on weekends. I work on one day , like labs , doc-cd , gns3 ,etc . the other day, I just relax . I don’t do anything

Ryan : What are your strong points on the CCIE Security Blueprint?

I would like to think VPNs are my favourite ( I don’t know if i’m strong at it ) topic and I try and work hard at it. I still miss a lot of stuff but I’m slowly…slowly getting better at it.

Ryan : What are your weak ones?

This is easy. It’s ID MGMT. I get nightmares about NAC and the ACS in general

Ryan : How do you find so much time to study, blog, create youtube videos, tweet, and keep up with your personal life?

I have a very understanding girlfriend Plus , I have almost no social life which gives me a lot of time for other stuff ! Although that would sound like a bad thing, i’m happy! Because for the first time in my life, I’m focussed and working towards a goal, which i might not get in the first try, but I’ll keep trying nonetheless.

Ryan : Do you have any role-models?

I have many and here’s what I like/would like to learn from these people

Jeremy Stretch -> Absolute confidence in his knowledge, which I totally respect and admire.
Paul Stewart -> Totally down to earth, helpful guy. One of the smartest dudes I’ve interacted with and a great CCIE.
You ( Ryan Schuett ) -> Humble and Knowledgeable. The ability to jump into your basement and lab for hours after a hard-days work, is something I admire and try and emulate all the time. Thanks buddy!
Tolulope -> Absolutely no attitude , whatsoever. This dude is a double CCIE at 21. Probably the youngest in the world! And yet he’s so humble and willing to learn something everyday. I’ve tons of respect for him.
Neetha ( the girlfriend ) -> An awesome girl , who’s taught me patience and listens to me , everytime Iwhine about why i’m too dumb to be a CCIE

Ryan : Well thank you Vybhav. Where do you plan to see yourself in 3 years?

Hopefully with a CCIE-security certification and pursuing the CCIE-wireless cert. I also am interested in vendor neutral wireless certs (CWNE) and I hope to be one someday

Ryan : I am sure you will have those in the next year! With that in mind, do you have 5 tips for a CCIE security candidate?

1) Lab everything

2) Find a study partner , keeps you motivated

3) If you don’t have an excellent memory, make up for it by revising the same topic many times

4) Plan ahead. Always think of what you’re going to achieve in the next week or atleast the day

5) When you’re tired and want to quit, think about attending cisco live someday

and keep studying

Ryan : How do you plan to celebrate once you have your number?

Hit the gym Meet friends! Go on vacations…. and most importantly , study more.