This blog could also have been called: “Introducing Marco Kroes.” We are proud that he recently started at IPknowledge as a Senior Network Service Engineer. Especially because he also knows the customer side of SASE SD-WAN; for an international manufacturing company he was responsible for its implementation. Now he helps our customers with that.
SASE SD-WAN
according to our
Senior Network Service Engineer
We had an interview with him and some interesting quotes followed:
“The business success of IT is all about simplification”
IT used to be about complexity and everything was tied together. As a result, there was also an (too) great dependence on all kinds of vendors. Many invoice relationships and the management of associated contracts and SLAs were the result. In such traditional IT infrastructures, the operational management burden is therefore often very high, and the on-premise hardware is added to that. “SASE SD-WAN solves all these problems, even the hassle that has always existed around firewalls and VPN connections. Secure access for users is all handled in the CATO cloud. Even in China, always and everywhere”, says Marco.
“Focus is necessary due to competitive pressure and short product lifecycles”
Everywhere where products are made you see that the product lifecycle is shortened. New products are followed up at lightning speed and competitive pressure is also increasing. According to Marco, this means that manufacturing companies focus on their core activity: making products, because that is how the money is earned. “Everything that falls outside the core business is increasingly disposed of and purchased as a service. This does not only apply to the manufacturing industry, but also to other branches or market segments. The design, purchase, construction and management of secure international networks is no longer seen as core business by many companies. While that is precisely where my passion lies. That is why I am now working at IPknowledge and I am happy to offer our customers Network-as-a-Service. I use the knowledge and experience I have gained in the international manufacturing industry during daily customer contacts.”
“Virtual connections are different from physical connections”
Traditionally, there were physical cables between international offices. Those cables still exist. However, Marco sees SASE SD-WAN as a kind of virtual cable. “Within the Cato cloud, the most effective route is being examined within a protected and safe environment. In addition, everything has been implemented in multiple redundant ways, so the network has a very high recovery capacity and that is fully automatic. As a result, packet loss can be virtually ruled out. This is very valuable for the data traffic of critical applications. For example, the ERP application is continuously available worldwide. With SASE SD-WAN, a very high uptime can be guaranteed for every branch, employee and 3rd party. As an IT manager you no longer have to worry about your network. Together with the high degree of network security, it suddenly becomes possible for him (the same IT manager) to respond quickly and flexibly to the requests of the business. Think of growth through acquisitions, cost savings and the digital transformation of business processes. The C-level management, for example, is really happy when the IT manager manages to centralize the ERP system, for example by delivering it worldwide from the cloud. ”
“I jump on a train that is already running”
The reason Marco wanted to work at IPknowledge has to do with ambition. “In a smaller organization you can show more of yourself by stepping into something that has already been set in motion. With a strong team, I help make the migrations to SASE SD-WAN as smooth as possible. In addition, it is great to make adjustments for customers in the Cato cloud, such as allowing network traffic from a site in Mexico to the Azure Cloud in Europe,” Marco concludes.
Do you have questions for Marco?
Leave your message with him on LinkedIn, send him an email at marco.kroes@ipknowledge.net or call our office at +31880882600.
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