Comprehensive Timeline of Professional Journey (2012–2019)
This timeline chronicles the years of the “Cloud-Native Transformation,” spanning tenures at Cisco, Red Hat, and F5 Networks. It documents the shift from proprietary networking and early cloud experiments to the dominance of Kubernetes and the open hybrid cloud.
2012
Overview
Transition from IBM to Cisco. The beginning of the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) journey.
2013
Overview
Deepening expertise in Cisco UCS, Partner Support Service (PSS) automation, and early OpenStack integrations. A year of foundational re-skilling, moving from traditional IT management to cloud concepts.
Key Milestones
- January: CloudU Certificate (Rackspace) and Microsoft Technology Associate.
- February: Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist (Cisco Internal).
- April: Admitted as Associate of the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
- November: EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation certification.
2014
Overview
The “Converged Infrastructure” peak and the transition to Red Hat. Mastering the Vblock stack (Cisco/EMC/VMware) before pivoting to pure open source.
Key Milestones
- January: VMware Certified Associate - Cloud and Brocade Accredited Internetworking Specialist.
- April: CompTIA Cloud Essentials and Cisco Business Transformation Certifications.
- May: VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Associate (VCE-CIA). This marked the culmination of the “hardware convergence” phase.
- July/August: Big Data and Solutions Configurator certificates from CloudU.
- August: Expanded VMware expertise with VCA-Data Center Virtualization and VCA-Workforce Mobility.
2015
Overview
The final full year at Cisco. Deepening expertise in Linux and preparing for the open source pivot.
Key Milestones
- June: EMC Data Lakes for Big Data and Intel Retail Certified Professional.
- December: Achieved Digital Master status in Cisco’s Social Ambassador program and Blue Belt in the Security Ninja program.
2016
Overview
The transition year. Leaving Cisco (June) and joining Red Hat. The shift from “Converged Infrastructure” to “Cloud-Native Platforms.”
Key Milestones
- February: Red Hat Sales Engineering Specializations (IaaS, Cloud Management, Storage) and CCSP accreditation.
- March: A month of intensive certification across security and virtualization:
- CompTIA Cloud+
- VMware VCA6-Network Virtualization (NSX)
- Palo Alto Networks ACE (Accredited Configuration Engineer)
- Certified AlgoSec Security User
- April: Broadening the ecosystem knowledge with Nimble Storage and Polycom certifications.
- May: Social Media for Sales certification.
- June: Transition to Red Hat.
- November: Top Gun Award Winner (Sales Boot Camp).
2017
Overview
Automation becomes the default. The “Infrastructure as Code” year.
Key Milestones
- March: Achieved Senior Member (MACS Snr) status with the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
- June: Google Mobile Sites Certification.
- July: AWS Innovate 2017 and RH066x: Fundamentals of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- November: Scrum Fundamentals Certified and Red Hat Delivery Specialist - Foundational Project Management.
2018
Overview
The culmination of the Red Hat journey.
Key Milestones
- February: AWS Innovate 2018 - Machine Learning Edition.
- April: Red Hat Sales Specialist certifications in API Management and Cloud Automation.
- June: Juniper Networks Sales Specialist - Advanced Network Infrastructure.
- IBM Acquisition Announcement: IBM announces the intent to acquire Red Hat (October 2018), signaling the total victory of the open source model.
2019
Overview
Conclusion of the Red Hat chapter and a strategic engagement with F5 Networks. This period focused on guiding a major Telco’s transition from hardware to software, leveraging the NGINX acquisition to drive virtualization and open standards.
Key Milestones
- January: Departure from Red Hat and Joined F5 Networks.
- February: Google Digital Sales Certification.
- March: F5 Acquires NGINX. A pivotal moment in the industry, merging enterprise ADC with open-source web serving.
- July: Departure from F5 Networks. Taking a decisive leap towards a pure software-oriented and cloud-native experience.
- August: Certified Practicing Member (CPM) with ITPA (Information Technology Professionals Association).
Summary Statistics
Professional Development Overview (2012-2019)
Certifications and Accreditations
- Total: 30+ certifications and accreditations
- Period: 2013 - 2019
- Key Vendors: Cisco, Red Hat, VMware, AWS, Google, CompTIA
- Focus Areas: Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Security, Sales Engineering
Companies and Tenure
- Cisco: 2012 – 2016 (4 years)
- Red Hat: 2016 – 2019 (3 years)
- F5 Networks: 2019 (6 months)
Timeline by Activity Type
Certifications Peak Period: 2016 (Transition year, 9+ certifications)
Cloud Transition: 2013-2014 (Shift from hardware to cloud concepts)
Open Source Pivot: 2016-2017 (Red Hat, Linux, OpenStack)
Yearly Breakdown
| Year | Key Achievements | Company | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Transition to Cisco, SDN foundations | Cisco | SDN Start |
| 2013 | CloudU, MTA, EXIN Cloud | Cisco | Cloud Foundations |
| 2014 | VCE-CIA, VCA-Cloud, CompTIA Cloud+ | Cisco | Converged Infrastructure |
| 2015 | Digital Master, Security Blue Belt | Cisco | Social & Security |
| 2016 | Red Hat Transition, Cloud+, VCA-NV, Top Gun | Cisco → Red Hat | Open Source Pivot |
| 2017 | ACS Snr, AWS Innovate, RH Delivery | Red Hat | Infrastructure as Code |
| 2018 | AWS ML, RH Sales Specialist, Juniper | Red Hat | Hybrid Cloud |
| 2019 | F5 Transition, NGINX, Google Digital Sales | Red Hat → F5 | Multi-Cloud |
Key Milestones
June 2016
Transition to Red Hat
- Pivot from proprietary hardware (Cisco) to open source software
- Embracing the “Upstream First” philosophy
November 2016
Top Gun Award Winner
- Recognition at Red Hat Sales Boot Camp
- Validation of the rapid transition to open source sales engineering
May 2014
VCE Certified Converged Infrastructure Associate
- Culmination of the “Converged Infrastructure” era
- Mastery of the full stack: Compute (Cisco), Storage (EMC), Virtualization (VMware)
March 2017
Senior Member (MACS Snr)
- Recognition by the Australian Computer Society
- Acknowledgment of professional maturity and experience
This timeline documents professional development activities and company transitions during the Cloud-Native Transformation era (2012–2019).