One of the best parts of this job is chit-chatting with readers. Today, we bring you a little insight into the 
job of security/identity management engineer from a reader that performs this role for one of the nation's major "transportation" companies. We promised not to reveal the company, but can say it is in a highly regulated area of transportation due to the cargo it carries. The reader, Edgar Vargas, happens to be the June winner of Cisco Subnet's free training giveaway from Skyline ATS -- worth up to $3,495! (By the way, you too can be a winner if you enter ... or you just might want to enter any of the other giveaways from Cisco Subnet and Microsoft Subnet.)
Q: So, Edgar, tell us, what's your favorite thing about your job?
A: Every day I get to play "Cops and Robbers" with technology. Scanning our network devices and servers, making sure that malware, bots, viruses and all that is potentially dangerous to our environments stay out and not penetrate our network.
Q: In what ways do you work with Cisco technology?
A: I've got a rack at home with several routers and I'm working on labs for my CCNA exam. I configure and blow up the configs, try different things like password recovery, which came in handy when I forgot what I put in TWICE. I'd say it was a good exercise :-)
Q: If you were the Special Advisor to John Chambers and could make him do anything you wanted with the company, what would you have him do?
A: Wow...humm...Well Mr. Chambers has done some great things with Cisco and in getting the brand name out the "non-techie" folks. I'm not sure what I could advise him on -- he seems to be two steps ahead of the competition. Maybe I would ask him if could have my own lab with the latest of the latest Cisco technology to play with and maybe have him buy me lunch once a week!
Q: What is the most interesting new security technology you are watching?
A: There's so many things going on in the security world everyday, all very interesting, that it's really hard to say. With all companies now having to be PCI compliant, new security threats everyday, it's very hard really to say one thing is more interesting than another. I love what I do and I guess the challenges of every day seeing what's out there to get you is what I find interesting.
Q: What is the one technology that changed your work life forever?
A: The Laptop. I can go to my local coffee shop hang out and work without having to be at the office. Being able to be remote from the office is great.
Q: What is the one consumer technology that you can't live without?
A: Right now, it's my iPhone. It's on me 24/7, checking e-mail, surfing the Web, downloading apps or just listening to music. Oh yeah, occasionally I use it to make a phone call or two.
Q: If someone gave you an extra 25,000 to spend on new software/hardware at work, what would you buy?
A: I would probably get enough hardware to have a cool lab so that I can play with and work on my CCxx's. Wait, did I just win $25,000? Wooo hooooo!
Q: What's the best bit of advice you can offer to other folks who want to specialize in IT security as a career?
A: If you are remotely interested in IT security, read all you can about it, know what's out there and what you can do and learn. If you like to learn new things everyday, this is the place to be. It's challenging, you have be at least a few steps ahead and a little to the left of the "bad guys". If you have a networking background, this area is, I believe, your best next move. If you don't, it's OK, but it is very helpful to understand how "things" get into your internal network from the outside so you can try to keep them out. And it's not all always from the external either. You may have a visitor with a laptop that wants to connect to your internal network and could potentially take down your company from the inside. If you enjoy these types of challenges, this is the place to be. Now with the new CCNA Security Certification, you can have the best of both worlds, in my opinion.
Thanks, Edgar (and no, you didn't win $25,000). Have you got an interesting job that you'd like to gab about? We'd love to hear it! Drop me a line at ciscosubnet@nww.com, lleung@nww.com or even tweet me at www.twitter.com/ciscosubnet.
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Go to Cisco Subnet for more Cisco news, blogs, discussion forums, security alerts, book giveaways, and more.
The Cisco Subnet blog is written by Network World managing editor Jim Duffy and is the official blog of Network World's Cisco Subnet community. The Cisco Subnet site is managed by Online Community Editor Julie Bort. Cisco Subnet is the independent voice of Cisco customers and is your gateway to daily Cisco news, blogs, opinion, books, prize giveaways and more. Visit the Cisco Subnet home page daily and while you are there, subscribe to the Cisco Alert e-mail newsletter, which includes news and views generated by the Cisco Subnet community as well as Cisco-related stories on Network World and elsewhere on the Web.
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