Tony DeGonia - U.S. Army Veteran | Senior Sales Engineer | Solutions Architect | Changer of Landscapes.

Hey Everyone!
My Name is Tony DeGonia
I can be your next Senior Sales Engineer.

The top 30 interview questions answered.

Check out the videos below to get the top 30 interview questions that Sales Engineers must face in a technical interview answered now. Questions like: Where do you see your career heading in the next 3 to 5 years?, What would ex-colleagues say about you?, How have your previous roles helped learn a new skill?, How have you emerged as a leader in your experiences?, and How do you handle conflict in work setting? to name a few. Check out the videos below to see how I answer an array of interview questions today.

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SUMMARY

A dynamic and experienced Senior Sales Engineer with a proven track record in delivering exceptional results. Possessing extensive knowledge in IT infrastructure, public cloud, cybersecurity, and networking, I have become a trusted advisor to many customers. Collaboration is key to success, and I excel at collaborating with vendors and cross-functional teams to design and deliver professional services that adhere to best practices. My technical expertise enables me to streamline processes and reduce implementation time, resulting in an average of 25% reduction in deployment time. At the same time, my network and security design knowledge allows me to easily design and implement complex networks, significantly improving efficiency and employee productivity. As an articulate and persuasive communicator, I have a talent for simplifying complex technical concepts and presenting them to diverse audiences. This, combined with my exceptional interpersonal skills and confidence, allows me to inspire and influence customers, leading to increased customer loyalty and sales. Organized and detail-oriented, I have mastered problem-solving and always focused on delivering customer value. I have been named a subject matter expert in various domains, and my ability to deliver results has earned me a reputation as a go-to person for solving complex problems.

Subject Matter Expert

SIEM

Security information and event management (SIEM) technology supports threat detection, compliance and security incident management through the collection and analysis (both near real time and historical) of security events, as well as a wide variety of other event and contextual data sources. The core capabilities are a broad scope of log event collection and management, the ability to analyze log events and other data across disparate sources, and operational capabilities (such as incident management, dashboards and reporting).

SOAR

Security information and event management (SIEM) technology supports threat detection, compliance, and security incident management through the collection and analysis (both near real-time and historical) of security events, as well as a wide variety of other event and contextual data sources. The core capabilities are a broad scope of log event collection and management, the ability to analyze log events and other data across disparate sources, and operational capabilities (such as incident management, dashboards, and reporting).

MDR

Managed detection and response (MDR) services are a collection of network-, host- and endpoint-based cybersecurity technologies that a third-party provider manages for a client organization. The provider typically installs technology on-premises at the client organization and provides additional external and automated threat hunting services. MDRs improve cybersecurity by searching for threats and responding to them once detected. They also let users connect with the provider’s security experts, who can bolster the security skills of the client company’s IT department. This makes them ideal for businesses that don’t have a designated in-house threat detection team.

XDR

Extended detection and response (XDR) is a cybersecurity strategy that uses data and tools to provide visibility, analysis, and response across networks, endpoints, workloads, and users. XDR uses automation and analytics to detect, analyze, hunt, and remediate threats. XDR collects and correlates data across email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks, providing a 360-degree view of the security environment. This enables visibility and context into advanced threats, which can then be analyzed, prioritized, hunted, and remediated to prevent data loss and security breaches.

NGFW

A next-generation firewall (NGFW) is part of the third generation of firewall technology that can be implemented in hardware or software. It can detect and block sophisticated attacks by enforcing security policies at the application, port, and protocol levels.

Threat Management

Threat management is a process used by cybersecurity professionals to prevent cyberattacks, detect cyber threats, and respond to security incidents. Why is threat management critical? Most security teams face information fragmentation, leading to blind spots in security operations.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over multiple locations, each of which is a data center.

SASE

SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge, which is a cloud-based architecture that combines security and networking services to protect applications, data, and users. Gartner coined the term in 2019. SASE's main goal is to provide fast and secure connectivity between users and applications, regardless of device or location. SASE is designed to address modern enterprise challenges like the rise of remote work, growing cloud adoption, and the increasingly complex cyber risk landscape.

Senior Technical Product Marketing Manager – QRadar Suite (Global Business) – Remote

  • Crafted a Level 300 technical how-to video package for QRadar SOAR, including a 1-hour demo video, a long-form technical presentation, and multiple 2-page semi-technical presentations. This package effectively conveyed the power and effectiveness of IBM Security QRadar Suite, leading to an increase in product demonstrations.
  • Collaborated on a strategic plan with details for a video series on the power of IBM Security QRadar Suite, resulting in a significant % uptick in video content consumption of 35%, resulting in a 15% increase in product demonstrations.
  • Successfully demonstrated the IBM Security QRadar Suite to 500+ visitors at Cisco Live 2023, generating 3X the lead production expected by marketing leadership.

Apr 2023 – Oct 2023

Principal Technical Product Marketing Manager (Global Business) – Remote

  • Mobilized global sales channels with technical product marketing support, including public speaking, competitive review, and technical review, specializing in MDR offerings to shorten the sales lifecycle by better educating customers.
  • Developed a 12-pg guide evaluating Alert Logic and competitors, highlighting strength and weakness differentiators in MDR services, resulting in two large-scale opportunities closing within 30 days of publication, adding ~$100K MRR.
  • Successfully presented to over 150 visitors on cybersecurity compliance at AWS regarding Inforce 2022, resulting in 1.5X lead generation from the previous year’s efforts.

Feb 2022 – Dec 2022

Senior Sales Engineer 3 & 4 – Global Business (Global Healthcare & Public Sector) – Remote

  • Led POCs for MTDR across 24 states, resulting in ~$14.1 M or 154%/quota in sales and earning Diamond Club honors.
  • Created complex cybersecurity solutions while collaborating with PM, sales, ops, legal, marketing, and leadership, adding $75M in revenue from 2018 to 2022.
  • Designed complete architectural drawing for the AT&T Cybersecurity product portfolio, enabling sales teams to explain the product portfolio while reducing the sales cycle by 25% and increasing upsell by 40% across all sales teams.
  • Working with web developers and the sales engineering teams to develop new processes using Salesforce to track customer sizing with easy-to-use web apps, enabling the sales teams to improve MTDR sizing by 50%.

Oct 2018 – Feb 2022

Senior Sales Engineer 3 (Southeastern Region) – Remote

  • Uplifted sales revenue by 300% YoY with enterprise companies in a newly created Southeastern US regional market.
  • Trained and certified 50+ Technical Partners/Systems Integrators across the U.S. in networking, deployment, and sales disciplines, resulting in 3X growth in strategic partners across the Southeast.
  • Worked closely with strategic partners to attain the proper certifications, reducing the number of non-camera system-related support calls by 30%.
  • Collaborated with global sales and technical support teams to track customer sizing, solutions design, and technical architecture drawings for creating bills of material and proposals.

Aug 2017 – Feb 2018

Senior Sales Engineer (TOLA Region)

  • Exceeded revenue goals of $6.3mm in revenue, achieving 104% of quota, helping the TOLA team reach #2 in the US.
  • Constant development of advanced UTM Firewall and secure wireless solutions for 5 to 10,000 users with SMB and Enterprise segments, addressing numerous customer security challenges while simplifying the ease of use of the customer’s security solutions.
  • Evangelized WatchGuard’s UTM Firewall capabilities to potential partners and customers at 50+ security events and spoke at several events on the Main Stage to 100+ existing and potential customers.

Jan 2016 – Jan 2017

Professional Experience

Technical Skills

Adobe Creative Suite, Automation, AWS, Azure, Hybrid Cloud, Cloud Services, Cybersecurity Compliance, Compliance, Defense, Defense in Depth, Cyber Defense, Engineering, MS Visio, Operations, Problem-Solving, Technical Presentations, Time Management, Trends, Market Trends, MITRE Framework, Industry Trends, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, SOCaaS, Vendor Management, Vendor Enablement, Windows, Mac OS, OmniGraffle, VMWare Fusion, Salesforce, Statement of Work, SOW, Bills of Materials, BOM

Sales Skills

Account Management, Business Requirements, Business Value, Demos, Empathy, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Word, Pre-Sales, RFPs, RFP, RFIs, RFI, RFQs, RFQ, Sales, Sales Cycle, Sales Techniques, Sales Processes, Sales Strategy, Salesforce, Quota Attainment, Quota Management

Technology Experience

Switching, Routing, Firewalling, SIEM, SOAR, MDR, XDR, TDR, Endpoint, Threat Management, Networking, Project Management, XaaS, Security Architecture, Software Define Networking, SDN, Software Defined Wide Area Networking, SD-WAN, Virtualization, Cloud Services, Active Directory LDAP, CPSM, Vulnerability Management

Manufacturer Experience

AT&T/AlienVault, IBM, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Fortinet, CheckPoint Software, Cisco, VMWare, Microsoft Azure, AWS

Download My Resume Package

Download my complete resume  package which includes:

  • ATS Compliance Resume
  • 3 References Letters from 2 of my managers and one co-worker
  • My LinkedIn References which includes:
    • References from several co-workers,
    • Several managers
    • Customers
    • and Partners I have worked with.

Download it today.

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My Resume

This is my 2-page ATS compliant resume with information that goes back 10 years.

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Letter of Reference

This is a fantastic letter of reference from my former manager and good friend, Patrick Robinson. Pat and I worked together at AT&T and absolutely crushed it working Public Sector SLED as co-workers and when he became my first-line manager.

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Letter of Reference

This is a letter of reference from my ex-coworker Douglas Smith. Doug and I go all the way back to the AlienVault days. We sold several deals together and have remained friends along the way. 

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Letter of Reference

This is a letter of reference from a manager who was one of the best mentors I have ever had. Gary Tryon and I worked together at IndigoVision, where he was the Director of Sales for the Southeast region of the US. Gary has a work ethic that is second to none. 

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My Certifications

PALO ALTO NETWORKS Accredited Systems Engineer (PSE): Associate Foundation Accreditation

PALO ALTO NETWORKS Accredited Systems Engineer (PSE): Foundation Accreditation

ALIENVAULT Certified Security Engineer – AVSE

INDIGOVISION Certified System Engineer

INDIGOVISION Certified System Trainer

WATCHGUARD Firewall Essentials Engineer Certification

WATCHGUARD Policy Management Engineer Certification

AWS Certified Solution Architect – Associate (Coursework Complete)

TRAPEZE Wireless Certified Wireless Engineer

TRAPEZE Wireless Certified Wireless Planner

DELL Certified Managed Services Provider

DELL Certified Managed Services Planner

COMPTIA Security+ (Coursework + 30 Hrs. CPE Complete)