Today, we’ll be interviewing Mr. Mohamed Radwan, the award-winning network architect, and a top-notch consultant and trainer.

Radwan is both a CCDE | CCIE certified individual with a curriculum too large to write in one go, Radwan is also one of the founders of Agile Integrated Solutions, an Australian-based IT service firm specialized in consultancy and training.

 

Hello Mr. Radwan, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional career?

Hello! My name is Mohamed Radwan, I’m a Senior Network Architect. I’ve been in the industry for almost two decades, working with companies from all sizes and industries, from Telco, Global Service Providers to DC/Cloud Service Providers and Vendors. I’ve also won the best design award for a Global Service Provider.

Very nice, on what scale did you work with some of these companies?

I’ve worked as a Technical/Domain lead for several mega-corporations with huge projects… We’re speaking with over $10 million+ USD scale, I also tasked with validating the technical and operational capabilities of Local telco/service providers in over 40 countries.

Impressive, can you tell us in detail about your Network design background?

For design work, I’ve designed and delivered solution for many of the Fortune 500 companies such as Total, ExxonMobil, Siemens, PMI… and more, and not only network, service providers, and telco, but also Smart Cities, DC, cloud (Both private and automated), this includes emerging technologies like SDN, NFV, in addition to some security designs and projects.

 

As a high-level network architect. This question is for younger aspiring designers and engineers, what do you think is the real personal value of network design in general and Cisco’s own CCDE in particular?

For the value of network Architecture, network architects are highly valued in any business from both a technical and business perspective, as they provide immense value solving problems and coming up with new ideas while analyzing systems and design. It is really a fun job as well.

As for CCDE, it is considered by many as the industry standard for network design and sought after by numerous organizations. It helps to advance your careers and boosts your design skills. It also bridges the gap between business and technical mentalities, for example, sales/C-level, and designer/implementation teams.

It also a higher career path for jobs like Network designers, Architects, Engineers, and Pre-sales. Let me give you an example; When I moved to Australia I had obtained both CCDE and CCIE, these two certifications were highly sought after and recognized, it helped me get to the position I am now.

Lastly, CCDE will Increase your value in the market and a solid Proof of your knowledge as a designer/architect.

 

So, Mr. Radwan, who are the main candidates that should start preparing for the CCDE exam?

  • Network designer / Architect
  • Presales & Network Consultant
  • Network Engineers that are looking to enhance their skill set and advance their career

What are companies usually looking for in a network designer? And what do they expect from them based on your experience?

Gigantic Companies and Global Firms seek the most experienced of network designers that are equipped with a wide range of knowledge and technologies and Business wits, to assure business growth, be cost-effective, and increase their market share.

IT and – network specifically – is the backbone of almost all companies nowadays. Top management and C-Level must ensure business health and stability or risk compromising all the data that is on the network, and when it is properly designed, you’ll see significant benefits that provide your network with critical capabilities.

You need scalability for your network. With the proper design, you’re able to support the growth of your business without having to redesign the network. A scalable network can change without requiring you to overhaul the infrastructure.

Starting off on the right foot from the get-go is cost-effective to operate and presents consistent running costs. Your business needs to be up and running at all hours of the day to avoid disruptions and distractions that affect your bottom line, and it all starts with the design of your infrastructure.

 Solid understanding of Business Plans, sales process, project management, P&L, ROI, TCO, and RFP process is key skills. This should be combined with a solid knowledge of network technologies and related technologies is a plus (such as system, security, and Layer1 & Facilities).

Also, the following certificates are valuable for any network architect: TOGAF, ITIL, eTOM, CISSP, and so on.

That brings us to another topic, there are hundreds of engineers worldwide working hard for their CCDE exam preparation, any advice for them & anyone planning to enter the vast world of network design?

Read a lot and gain experience, try to learn something new every day, and always help others as the saying goes “If you want to master it, teach it!”.

You can always find a mentor as well and gain some real-life practical experience from someone who’s been there, I find this one in particular very effective.

Here are five tips that you should always keep in mind: Focus, defend, be consistent, analyze requirements, and weight and evaluate your options.

 

What are your recommended resources to ease out the steep learning process for the CCDE and network design in general?

For starters, I have around 18+ years of experience – the majority in Multinational Service Providers and almost 10 years design experience, and from my point of view, nothing beats real hands-on experience, especially for service providers.

Face your customers so you can adapt faster.

Gain knowledge, and read lots of books, they usually have insights beyond technicalities ( few to mention: optimal Routing Design, definitive MPLS designs, end to end QoS, and bGP Design & Implementations)

Here are some other good references that will immensely help you:

  • The Art of Network Architecture
  • MPLS Enabled Application
  • Top-down network design — 3rd Edition first four chapters
  • Selecting MPLS VPN
  • Comparing, Designing, and Deploying VPNs
  • Network Security Architecture
  • Cisco Live: design, and deployment sessions for each technology

 

How do you think the CCDE exam will affect designers regarding the emerging new technologies?

The exam you will give designers a very solid foundation and knowledge on network design and will be very useful in their day to day job.

This solid understanding of Network foundations (MPLS, BGP, IGP) will defiantly help you acquire the knowledge for emerging technologies, as I’ve learned in the past 2 decades usually new technologies is an adaption & modification of some brilliant ideas of the past (consider ATM, FRTS, and so on)

In my CCDE training I included 4 dedicated sessions for emerging technologies, one for each of the below:

  • Cloud
  • SDN
  • NFV
  • IoT

Another good reference for emerging technologies is Nicholas Russo’s Evolving Technologies study guide

 

That concludes the first part of the interview, Next week, we will continue with Mr.Radwan where he shares more knowledge and insights regarding Network design and Architecture, CCDE, And his Bootcamp for preparing designers and engineers for the exam. Stay tuned.