In Conversation With the Author: Dana Yanch

Every Multi-Cloud has a silver lining.

I had the privilege of speaking with the co-author of the book: Cisco Software-Defined Wide Area Networks, Dana Yanch. Dana holds two CCIEs, a CCDE, and currently works as Senior Systems Engineer at the multi-cloud startup Aviatrix. Speaking to Dana left me feeling inspired, and I wanted to share his valuable insight with you. In this post Dana shares how he got into Networking and what his advice would be for anyone who has chosen a career in the field. He also spoke about what he believes Engineers could be focusing their energy on in the pursuit of becoming a top next-gen Network Engineer.

Eloïse: How did you get into Networking? Dana: After I graduated from high school in Canada I came to the US to pursue a college education. The college I attended had a Cisco Network Academy. I started taking as many networking classes as I could and before long I was hooked. I poured my efforts into learning as much as I could. I earned my CCIE at 20 and not long after that I earned my CCDE. Eloïse: From student into the workforce, how did the decisions you made early on in your career lead to your subsequent success? Dana: Earlier I mentioned that I got my CCIEs and CCDE at a young age. That focused study definitely helped me in that it gave me a foot in the door, but that alone was not what made me successful. I made sure to differentiate myself from other engineers. I did this by staying relevant and constantly studying what was currently hot in the networking space.

Eloïse: Do you have advice for those who perhaps are making a career change, or started in the Networking game later in life? Dana: I would say: Don't worry! You see people from all walks of life join the Network industry. I've helped mentor people from all kinds of backgrounds who wanted to make a change. You can do it! What you need to do is make sure you make yourself relevant. In my opinion, if I was starting out now, I would focus on getting basic Network understanding, whatever that looks like now. CCNA & perhaps CCNP. Then you'll realize you're not standing out in the crowd. You're not differentiating yourself. You do that by learning what's in demand and what there is a shortage of skills for. So I would say learn cloud, and that will likely lead you into automation as well. Once you know cloud, you're going to want to know how to perform automation for the cloud. If you do that, you'll position yourself ahead of the pack! And remember, in today’s world, business drives technology. So stay up to date with business needs. An example would be how businesses have had to adapt during COVID, and how that has affected Networks. Eloïse: How important has it been to you to play to your personal strengths in your career? How did this lead to a literal “dream come true” career? Dana: After I achieved my CCIE I went into a traditional Network Engineering role at a company called GoDaddy. In that role I realized that I was not meant to be lost behind computer screens. I am a customer-facing person; I want to work with people. I love training and mentoring. So I was not going to pigeonhole myself into a role where I'm a valuable resource, but not enjoying my work. It's important to understand what you're good at and foster it, and then opportunities naturally come to you. That led to many opportunities which eventually led me to Viptela. I was there for a month and then Cisco bought Viptela. This made me one of the few people who had in-depth knowledge of SD-WAN at Cisco. Due to my SD-WAN knowledge Cisco allowed me to grow, and they created the role of Global Technical Solutions Architect for me. I became a key mentor for SD-WAN within Cisco for SD-WAN technologies. Several people were able to get new roles and promotions through my mentorship which made me extremely happy.

Eloise: You speak about growth. How can Engineers ensure they don't stagnate in their current roles, and follow your advice to keep learning. Dana: You have to keep pushing yourself to outgrow your current role. Once you realize you are not growing in an organization it is important to find a challenge where you can grow your skills again. That's how I was able to get into the positions I have been fortunate to be in. That's how I've ended up at Aviatrix! Eloise: Let's talk about Aviatrix & Multi Cloud, your role at Aviatrix, and how Engineers or Businesses can learn more? Dana: I'm a Strategic Trusted Advisor for enterprise organizations at Aviatrix. Aviatrix in essence provides: One Architecture. One Network. Any Cloud. Aviatrix is a cloud native networking company. Unlike any other networking vendors, the Aviatrix software platform understands the cloud provider’s native constructs. This allows us to leverage and control the native constructs directly using the cloud provider’s APIs, extending their capabilities and integrating them into our software to provide organizations with turnkey solutions accelerating their cloud journey. The future is Multi Cloud and the solutions we are building for our customers speak for themselves. You can read case studies on the Aviatrix website. We have a few certification tracks. The entry level course is called the ACE (Aviatrix Certified Engineer). Course training is modeled after the Cisco Certification training. What's great is that it gives you a great all-round understanding of cloud technology and gives you some foundational understanding of the different cloud platforms in use today. This is the kind of certification I would encourage anyone to take! Eloïse: Thank you Dana! Its been so insightful and inspirational to chat to you! NOTE: The ACE training course and exam is currently running for FREE!! So head on over and sign up!. You can catch Dana talking about Multi Cloud solutions he is building for customers on YouTube. If you have any questions regarding this post, please feel free to reach out to me.