My Name is
Tony DeGonia
I am a Cybersecurity Sales Engineer

Highly accomplished Senior Sales Engineer with a distinguished background in cybersecurity. Adept at driving revenue growth, surpassing sales targets, and delivering innovative solutions to clients. Proven track record in strategic marketing initiatives, product demonstrations, and cultivating strong customer relationships. Skilled in developing tailored cybersecurity solutions and leading cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional results. Recognized for superior communication, technical proficiency, and a commitment to client success. Passionate about leveraging technology to address complex challenges and deliver tangible value.

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.

Mature man business team leader presenting the progress of the project at the meeting. Middle aged businessman in a suit talking and explaining progress of their business plan so far. Office life.
Female programmer working on laptop late at night. Room illuminated by neon light
Malware concept with male person using smartphone, low key red and blue lit image and digital glitch effect

Accomplishments

XO Communications

  • Deployed XO Communications’ inaugural Dedicated Internet Access circuit.
  • Pioneered DSL installation within the organization.
  • Granted open access to the XO Lab in Plano, Texas, as a field technician.
  • Played a key role in launching XO Communications’ San Antonio market as part of the management team.
  • Built and led the field services and dispatch team in San Antonio.

Exceptional Technology Solutions, LLC

  • Served as a Founding Member, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Solutions Architect.
  • Established and led a team comprising 15 operations, seven sales and marketing, and five finance and management professionals, pioneering the industry in Texas.
  • Steered the organization towards the Public Sector, growing the business to serve 225 customers and generate over $5 million in Annual Recurring Revenue.

AT&T Cybersecurity

  • Closed AT&T Cybersecurity’s largest deal to date, securing a $5.3M contract over three years with a Public Sector Hospital Group in Texas, covering 19,000 endpoints.
  • Redesigned a failed deployment of disparate solutions, resulting in a $55K/month increase in MRR. Expanded customer sites from 18 to 54 during POC, reaching $95K/month or $1.14M ARR over three years.
  • Rescued a major university system from canceling their MTDR deployment after 18 months. Redesigned deployment, resulting in a contract upgrade from $238K TCV to $1.2M TCV over three years.

In my 20+ years of experience, these achievements are just highlights of my journey. I’m eager to continue making a difference for global customers in my next role.

SUMMARY

Experienced cybersecurity sales engineer with a track record of driving revenue growth and exceeding targets. Proficient in crafting tailored cybersecurity solutions, leading demos, and providing strategic recommendations. Skilled in building client relationships, collaborating with teams, and consistently achieving sales goals. Dedicated to addressing cybersecurity challenges and delivering impactful results.

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.

Professional Experience

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.
  • Played a key role in devising a strategic plan for a video series highlighting the capabilities of IBM Security QRadar Suite. This initiative resulted in a significant % uptick in video content consumption of 35%, leading to a 15% increase in product demonstrations.
  • Successfully showcased the IBM Security QRadar Suite to a large audience of 500+ visitors at Cisco Live 2023. This high-pressure demonstration led to a 3X increase in lead production, surpassing the expectations of marketing leadership.

Apr 2023 – Oct 2023

Principal Technical Product Marketing Manager (Global Business) – Remote

  • Provided global technical marketing support to sales channels, focusing on MDR offerings through public speaking, competitive analysis, and technical reviews.
  • Produced detailed 12-page guides comparing Alert Logic with competitors, resulting in an immediate $250K increase in MRR within 30 days of release, effectively supporting sales teams.
  • Authored and reviewed numerous technical articles in the FORTRA Blog and various industry publications, enhancing Alert Logic’s credibility as an MDR market leader.
  • Delivered impactful presentations on Cybersecurity Compliance at AWS Re:Inforce 2022, contributing to a 50% increase in leads from the conference compared to the previous year.
  • Acted as the senior technical marketing lead, offering sales enablement support to global sales teams.

Feb 2022 – Dec 2022

Senior Sales Engineer 4 – Public Sector SLED – Remote

  • Collaborated cross-functionally with Marketing, Legal, Management, and Senior Leadership to develop comprehensive marketing materials tailored for Public Sector SLED sales teams, including impactful videos, dynamic presentations, and compelling marketing collateral.
  • Implemented these materials to enhance the effectiveness of the sales process, resulting in a notable 25% increase in the average deal close rate across the portfolio.
  • Spearheaded the development of Sales Enablement presentations and facilitated training sessions throughout the fourth quarter of 2021. This initiative empowered the Education Team to launch successfully, surpassing quota expectations across the team in the first quarter of 2022.

Aug 2021 – Feb 2022

Senior Sales Engineer 3 – Public Sector SLED

  • Appointed to lead Sales Engineer for the Public Sector SLED team by the incoming Senior Vice President.
  • Led 45 POCs for MTD0R across 24 states, resulting in ~$24.1 M or 154%/quota in new public sector sales.
  • Designed comprehensive architectural drawings for AT&T Cybersecurity product portfolio, reducing sales cycle by 25% and increasing upsell by 40% across all public sector sales teams.

Aug 2020 – Aug 2021

Senior Sales Engineer 3 – Global Healthcare & Public Sector

  • Transitioned seamlessly from AlienVault to AT&T during the merger phase, immediately integrating into the Global Business Team (Enterprise) and collaborating with Application Executives on the newly introduced MTDR Service.
  • Spearheaded training of all sales engineers and application executives within the Global Business (Enterprise) division, accelerating their understanding of the USM Anywhere platform.
  • Facilitated a rapid knowledge transfer through comprehensive and interactive education sessions, enabling the Global Sales team to achieve 75% of their annual quota within the first quarter after the merger.

Apr 2019 – Aug 2020

Senior Security Sales Engineer (AlienVault) – Midmarket Velocity Sales

  • Attained full certification as a Security Sales Engineer within 30 days of joining AlienVault, demonstrating rapid assimilation of complex technical concepts and solutions.
  • Provided comprehensive support to 10 direct and partner sellers at AlienVault, conducting discovery calls, presentations, demonstrations, and proofs of concept. Each supported salesperson achieved or exceeded 100% of the assigned quota.
  • Closed $4.4M in new velocity sales, surpassing quota by an impressive 30%.

Oct 2018 –  Apr 2019

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

Hosted VOIP Design (Architect) Manager

  • Managed end-to-end customer orders, ensuring timely delivery and surpassing expectations.
  • Coordinated resources across multiple teams for service delivery, including engineering, operations, training, and vendors.
  • Acquired expert knowledge of HPBX programming and deployment to provide comprehensive client support.

Sep 2013 – Jan 2016

Founder | Principal Sales Engineer

  • Founded and led ETS, growing it from inception to a team of 25 employees by 2013, specializing in Law Enforcement, Municipalities, and Healthcare sectors. Achieved critical certifications with Texas DPS and the FBI.
  • Engineered a high-capacity cloud solution tailored for Law Enforcement while designing and implementing IT solutions for Government/Education and SMB markets, driving revenue growth.
  • Presented technical solutions to senior IT, C-Suite, and Municipal leaders, ensuring alignment with quarterly and yearly revenue goals.

Nov 2008 – Jun 2013

Founder | Principal Sales Engineer

  • Founded and led ETS, growing it from inception to a team of 25 employees by 2013, specializing in Law Enforcement, Municipalities, and Healthcare sectors. Achieved critical certifications with Texas DPS and the FBI.
  • Engineered a high-capacity cloud solution tailored for Law Enforcement while designing and implementing IT solutions for Government/Education and SMB markets, driving revenue growth.
  • Presented technical solutions to senior IT, C-Suite, and Municipal leaders, ensuring alignment with quarterly and yearly revenue goals.

Apr 2006 – Oct 2008

Senior Network Analyst 2

  • Proactively monitored and maintained global internetworking connections for Fortune 500 corporations like Ingram Micro, Ingersoll Rand, and Zales Corp.
  • Monitored telemetry for WAN connections, including VPN, Frame Relay, MPLS, and Point-to-Point circuits, ensuring up/down status and resolving Layer 1-4 issues.

Jun 2005 – Mar 2007

Senior Technical Consultant III Dallas, TX

  • Offered expert technical consultation, analyzing client needs and proposing tailored telecommunication solutions.

Jan 2005 – Jun 2005

Field Services Technician IV – Sr. Lead  Austin, TX 

  • Offered advanced technical support, adeptly resolving intricate network issues, and mentored junior technicians.

 May 2003 – Jan 2005

Field Services Supervisor San Antonio, TX

  • Spearheaded the launch of a new market in San Antonio, leading operations on-site.
  • Recruited, trained, and onboarded a team of five (5) field services technicians and a dispatcher, establishing a fully operational unit that set the service standard across Central and South Texas markets.
  • Developed ticket handling and dispatching procedures adopted as the standard operating procedure (SOP) company-wide at XO Communications.
  • Authored a comprehensive SOP for Field Service Support, implemented as the standard protocol across all XO Communications branches nationwide.
  • Managed a team of five field technicians, supervising telecommunications infrastructure installations, repairs, and upgrades.

Apr 2001 – May 2003

Field Services Technician III – Dispatcher  Dallas, TX

  • Coordinated field service operations, scheduling, and dispatching technicians for efficient service delivery.

Nov 2000 – Apr 2001

Field Services Technician III  Dallas, TX

  • Offered advanced technical support, adeptly resolving intricate network issues, and mentored junior technicians.
  • Successfully implemented the nation’s inaugural Dedicated and Partial Dedicated Internet Access Line.
  • Received specialized training on Alcatel DSLAM systems and spearheaded the rollout of the initial DSL circuits nationwide.

 Jun 2000 – Nov 2000

Field Services Technician II  Dallas, TX

  • Installed, maintained, and troubleshot telecommunications equipment at customer sites and central offices.
  • Earned the moniker “PBX Whisperer” for experience in proficiently configuring and optimizing diverse PBX/Key Systems, enhancing the delivery of voice services through T-1 and ISDN connections.

Feb 2000 – Jun 2000

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, HPE,

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)