itContracting Quick-fire Q&A: Senior Network Architect

Have you wondered what it takes to become a Senior Network Architect? This week, we have a quick-fire Q&A round with Aidan Forristal, explaining his career path and outlining key technology requirements.

Name: Aidan Forristal

Position: Senior Network Architect

Tell me about your technical experience and how it brought you to your position at Evros and/on our client sites?
Network and security design/implementation for both Datacentre and Campus.
Over the past 13 years at Evros, solutions have gradually grown from small to large.
There’s so much to be learned from the small deployments.

What are the key technology skill requirements for your position at Evros or on our client sites?
Cisco & Palo Alto are the main two
VMware NSX, HPE, Aruba, Arista, Juniper, F5, Citrix NetScaler
Having a strong understanding of IT infrastructure and systems proves a major benefit to design the correct network solution.

How did you acquire those skills?
Combination of hands on experience and studying

What was the hardest part of the journey to your position at Evros?
Putting in the extra time and work to ensure the solution is always rock solid (and secure!!)

What advice would you give to someone looking to do what you do?
Design a datacentre network that is “DR Ready”. DR can be achieved with minimal or no network re-configuration. I don’t want any surprise phone calls at 4am.
Clear easy to follow network diagrams.

What certification or qualifications are useful for your position at Evros or on our client sites?
Cisco CCNP/CCIE Certification, and Palo Alto Certification.

 

itContracting is part of Evros Technology Group, Ireland’s leading Digital Transformation provider and has one of the most extensive partnership networks in Ireland including globally recognised brands and providers of industry-leading niche technologies. Some of the Evros partners include Microsoft, VMware, HPE, Dell, Citrix, Cisco, and Veeam.

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