NetApp
1395 Crossman Avenue
Sunnyvale CA 94089
United States
408-822-6000
NetApp is an internet cloud service provider.1 They have jobs ranging from tech support to Engineering.2 Their services include data storage and security as well as proprietary storage software.3 NetApp has a revenue of $5.52 Billion. I know a number of people who work there or have worked there in the past and have applied for jobs there before. One interesting thing about NetApp from the tour I did there are their workout and recreational facilities. They have dedicated game rooms for use by staff to relax during breaks as well as a full cafeteria.
My interest in this company is one of proximity and field. They are a major employer near where I live on Wichita and they have jobs in my area of study.
I am not really sure what I would ask in an interview for NetApp since I have a good idea who they are and what working there is like. I might just ask about the specific team I was applying to work on.
- Who will I be working with?
- Does the team have a specific way of solving problems?
- Does the team do anything outside of work?
- What expectations are there for new members?
1.www.Netapp.com
2.https://www.netapp.com/company/careers/
3.www.Forbes.com
Aruba
3333 Scott Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95054
United States
408-227-4500
www.arubanetworks.com
Aruba Networks is a part of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise corporation. They have a revenue of $3 Billion. They provide AI solutions to large scale networks allowing for better management. Aruba also is a network device producer that sells everything from access points to network switches.1 Aruba is a software development and network infrastructure company with data security products.2
This company is interesting to me as the low cost alternative to Cisco. I have worked with a number of their products and I am familiar with the configurations of both switches and access points that they provide. Familiarity with the product and the reasons that people use them instead of Cisco would give me a good perspective if I were to work there.
The interview question I would ask is about the AI solutions that Aruba is using since I have no experience with them. The site did say that they helped to manage networks but that is a very vague statement. Since it is proprietary they likely work disclose a lot but a few things could be helpful in understanding the portfolio that they offer.
- What is the advantage of managing a network with AI?
- How does AI integration improve the security of the network?
- Does use of AI save money on personnel?
- Can your AI work with a network that has devices from other providers?
1.https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/eo/CorpOverview.pdf
2.https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/ARUN:US
Palo Alto Networks
3000 Tannery Way
Santa Clara, CA 95054
408-753-4000
www.paloaltonetworks.com
Palo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity company. They have a revenue of $3.4 Billion. They offer a number of security appliances that can be added to networks to improve security, as well as cloud based solutions. Their SOC solutions focus on AI threat detection. Palo Alto provides security solutions for 85 of the Fortune 100.1
Palo Alto is a huge name in cybersecurity and since they are a major provider it would be a logical and career advancing step to work for them. Landing a job with them would provide significant area for advancement as well as allow for moves to basically anywhere else you would want to go. Palo Alto did score the highest in firewall effectiveness according to NSS Labs in 2019 but is a very expensive service.2 I think that is why they are heavily used by fortune 100 since it is the best but you also pay for it.
I would ask in an interview about what kind of options for remote work exist and whether I would be required to move or if I could work remotely.
- What makes your service the best?
- How have you stayed ahead of the competition?
- What kind of remote work options do you have?
1.https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us
2.www.esecurityplanet.com
CISA
245 Murray Lane
Washington, DC 20528-0380
888-282-0870
www.cisa.com
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is an agency under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. They do threat detection and analysis for the US Government and send out alerts. They also provide cybersecurity training for vital businesses and government institutions.1
CISA as the government’s agency in charge of cybersecurity is the place to be if you want to get deep into the cybersecurity world. Not only do they have to deal with the issues of regular hacking attacks but are also the front line when defending against hostile state actors. I went to a briefing two years ago that had a rep from CISA talking about the threats that existed and ones that were emerging. I think it would be interesting to be able to help companies and government entities deal with threats and make the internet more secure.
The interview questions I would ask are: Who is the biggest threat today? Who is the fastest emerging threat? What would need to happen to mitigate these?
- Who is the biggest threat in the world today?
- Who is the fastest emerging threat on the world stage?
- What kind of coordination is occurring between threat actors?
- What would need to happen to mitigate these threats?
Hello Jared,
Your connections within NetApp can certainly lead to excellent opportunities and I do hope you are able to network with them in the near future. Additionally, I think that your questions for them are relevant. If you know what the work environment is like, it may be beneficial to delve deeper into whom you are working with and their workflow. Your company insights were enlightening. Things such as a company’s annual revenue and what companies they provide services to illustrate the scope of a company. Regarding the composition of the post, I think you may benefit from making it more, ‘scannable’ I have lost points in the early portions of our course because my post did not ‘look like a blog post’. I admit some confusion to this and do not think any standards exist but you may benefit from utilizing the headings in the dropdown menu to format the post and separate the subjects.
Hi Jared,
It’s great that you know people who work or have worked at NetApp. Not only will they be helpful if you ever interview there, they can also give you an inside look at the company and what it’s like to work there. One thing about NetApp that I found interesting is that they 1-to-1 match employee donations to charities. I’m always drawn to how companies give back to their communities. According to their website, over $855,000 was donated to charities in 2019 because of employee contributions and NetApp’s matching program. They also raised over $693,000 for COVID relief in 2020. It also looks like a lot of NetApp employees share information through blogs. This class seems like a great way to gain some blogging experience before going in for that interview. Here’s the link if you’re interested:
https://blog.netapp.com/tag/employee-perspectives/