EMC Proven Professional Spotlight - Sharon March

Certifications Achieved:

• EMC VNX TA
• Cisco DC-CCNP
• Cisco CCDP
• VCP-DCV

Education: BS in Criminal Justice from University of Delaware

Area of Expertise: Cisco, vendor certification paths for partners

Employer: Avnet Technology Solutions

Function/Role: Education Lead for Converged Data Solutions/Lead for Cisco Field Technical Consultants

Location: Westminster, CO

Social Profiles:

• LinkedIn: Sharon March

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Give us a brief overview of your Knowledge Sharing paper.

My Knowledge Sharing paper walks a field-based, customer facing pre-sales design engineer through a structured framework to quantify a converged solution proposal.  The framework is based on the 7- layer OSI model, and provides a logical flow and structure to the discovery process to enable the engineer to address, pre-order, as many aspects of the converged solution as possible, and improve the likelihood of a successful implementation.

What was your chief motivation for writing on this topic? Is it related to your work, or a personal interest?

My chief motivation was based on my own experience in designing converged solutions.  In my career, I have had several counterparts who have complimented my technical knowledge on other portions of the converged solution.  I came to the deal with expert knowledge on the compute and networking portion of the solution, and others came to the deal with expert knowledge on the storage solution.  As we worked together, we learned from one another, but nowhere was this tribal knowledge documented.  One would have been lost without the other and as the business grew, I realized we were not operating with a scalable model.  It made sense to create and document a framework, not to have all the answers, but to arm each other with the right questions, so we could provide that level of customer service and keep the deal moving forward, regardless of who was on the call.

Did you write this paper with the idea of providing material for others to implement your ideas? How do you see other people using the knowledge that you’ve shared?

I absolutely had in mind that others could use and even modify the framework to suit their needs. I would call it a “reference architecture”, providing a mnemonic device for pre-sales engineers to keep in the back of their minds or formalize into a written questionnaire for their particular business and value. Most engineers focus on their area of expertise and gloss over an area of weakness or uncertainty. By utilizing an easy-to-remember structure (most of us are very familiar with the OSI model), I hoped to enable a pre-sales engineer to truly position him or herself as an expert trusted advisor. Even if you don’t know the answers, but have the wherewithal to ask the right question or line of questions, you can really increase your professional stature with the customer and engage in the entire deal, not just one piece.

Describe the process of writing the paper. What was most challenging? What did you enjoy the most?

This paper developed from the principle of “necessity is the mother of invention”. I was asked to speak at a conference as a technical expert on any topic of my choosing around converged solutions.  Knowing that my audience was to be pre-sales engineers, I realized that they may have felt the same pain I have felt on design calls and thought it would be nice to share some “trade secrets.” In delivering my presentation, I saw an awful lot of head-nodding, and many people came up to me afterward to express appreciation and request the slides. When I heard of the Knowledge Sharing Competition, I thought it was a great opportunity to share this best practice idea with a much wider audience. I really enjoyed putting my experiences down on paper and as colleagues proofread my work, we found ourselves sharing war stories on a given line of questioning. It was very rewarding to see that my experiences in architecting solutions were not unique and that the 7-layer approach could not only be used but embraced and customized. The most challenging part of the paper was selecting examples of questions that were broad enough to get my point across, but narrow enough to get the reader to bring past experiences to mind. In other words, putting the right suggestion of questions out there to spur the “a-ha” moment in the reader.

Is this the first time you’ve participated in the Knowledge Sharing Competition?

This is my first experience and I plan on competing again in 2016.

Can you briefly describe your background, for example, how did you first become interested in IT? What training did you undertake to start your career?

My entry into IT is a bit unconventional. I was working as a secretary in a welding shop when a headhunter found me in the early 90’s and offered me an interview at a computer reseller. At the time they were looking for someone to become the expert in IBM ThinkPads, which was a brand-new line. I remember spelling “SCSI” as “scuzzy” at my first training seminar. Luckily, I happened to sit next to someone who was just as excited about the topic as the IBM presenter, and I was hooked.

Describe your current position/role. What most interests you about your work?

My current role is helping partners decide what is the best certification path to match their business needs and model, and map it to vendor requirements to achieve the appropriate partner level. As you can see, I have had great success in passing certification exams on my own, so my boss decided to put that power to good use and help others be successful. What I enjoy about the work is that it is like a newly mixed-up Rubik’s cube each time. Each vendor has different requirements, each partner has different needs, and each person has different certifications. Putting all of those components together to enable a partner to grow their business as efficiently as possible, leveraging current expertise, and minimizing disruption by removing people from the business to take a class or exam can be really fun.

What big project are you working on now?

Right now, my biggest rock is the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. I’ve read through the PMBOK, taken a project management class, and reviewed flash cards and scenarios. I’m working through Rita Mulcahey’s book now and hope to have the certification by the time this interview and my article are published.

What major project have you recently completed?

Recently, Avnet hosted our first AvnetLIVE conference, inviting technical decision makers from our partners to participate. It was a 2-day conference that focused on future technologies and direction and how to implement that into their business strategy. I was invited to speak on certifications and how selecting the right track supports business growth much more efficiently than selecting the easiest track.

What projects/technology are you planning on for the future? Are you planning on more training, or learning a new skill?

I am looking at new cloud certifications from Cisco, EMC, and other converged partners for our Field Technical Consultants so we can continue to provide expert guidance for our partners. I am also working on my management and leadership skills through Project Management and Harvard Mentor Manager, and hope to use them in a practical sense more and more in the future.

Name a major achievement in your career or any awards that you have won. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I have been very blessed with recognition from Avnet, Cisco, and EMC.  Regarding Knowledge Sharing in particular, selection not only to be published but as a Spotlight Interview subject is a huge feather in my cap that I truly appreciate. I have won Cisco’s annual incentive trip twice, and was awarded their Da Vinci award in my first year with the Cisco business unit. Avnet has awarded me not only with internal appreciation awards (we call it iRecognize), but also with an MVP spot to our ultimate incentive trip, Excalibur.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Where do you ultimately want to be in your professional career?

In 5 years, I see myself leading a team of technical professionals towards success. I really enjoy looking at what seems to be a “problem” and solving it, whether it is filling a knowledge gap or helping someone along a chosen career path. When someone has an “a-ha” moment because of something I have done or offered them, that is very rewarding.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself? Name some hobbies or interests you have.

I am considered somewhat of an athlete on the team. I enjoy running and swimming and try to do one or the other every day.  I also train in the mixed martial art discipline of American Kenpo Combatives. By the time this is published, I will be at a high green belt, working on my brown.

Briefly, how has the EMC Proven Professional Program benefitted you personally or professionally?

By becoming a Certified EMC Proven Professional, I am now able to speak to an entire solution, not just a portion of it. This proves to be valuable to partners, since very few partners invest in just one vendor. I like being able to carry a conversation from one topic to another, discussing a solution holistically, as partners are expected to do with their customers. The EMC Proven Professional Program has enabled me to do that with our partners.

What advice would you give to someone entering the EMC Proven Professional Program?

See it through to the end. Make a certification goal and then book the exam appointment. If you have a date on the calendar, you are more motivated to meet that goal. Nobody ever regrets getting a professional certification; it only moves your career in a positive direction.

Read other EMC Proven Professional Spotlight interviews in the Proven Professional Spotlight Archive