Milestones

I've worked as a Pre-sales Systems Engineer for the better part of a decade. It's not easy explaining to random strangers (or my mother, for that matter) what this job actually entails. At a very high level, I consult with both high end enterprise customers (typically Banks) as well as the sales reps that I work with, on how to solve complex business problems with large IT systems. I have performed this role with innovative companies such as Sun Microsystems, and for the last three years under the employ of Network Appliance.

As the role is pre-sales, it is technical consulting up until the point of sale, so to be clear, it has nothing to do with installation, or ongoing implementation/operation. That said, I often like to stay involved throughout the life cycle of a given project; despite this being beyond the job description, it's quite essential for ongoing credibility. What separates the wheat from the chaff in my field is consistent execution. What becomes more obvious over time is that communication skills are just as important (if not more so) as the pre-requisite technical skills and attention to detail.

Previously, my finest year had been in FY2003, where against all odds and a tricky outsourcing contract, I had established Sun's capabilities as the defacto standard for midrange platforms in a major Australian bank, later culminating in the implementation of some impressive mission critical systems.

However, last Wednesday marked the culmination of the finest effort in my career so far, doing the equivalent for NetApp offerings within a similar customer under even trickier and more competitive circumstances. This year will be even more challenging, ensuring that the delivery fulfills the promise, but these are the challenges I live for - to see the various parts of the system interacting as they were designed, delivering results.

While I'm enjoying a re-adjustment in terms of work/life balance after a long and difficult slog, I can't wait to get started!