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LIVEcommunity Digital Events   Introducing Digital Events   Now more than ever, digital events have become one of the main ways that we all make connections with one another. Well what if we told you that the LIVEcommunity is going to start having digital events? You heard that right … we are super excited to introduce digital events coming to you in April!   Having digital events provides interaction while learning and—most importantly—they increase connection with one another, meeting experts and thought leaders across the Palo Alto Networks ecosystem.   Two Types of Digital Events Coming to LIVEcommunity   Ask Me Anything (AMA) Events: First event on April 8, 2021 — An AMA Event is a Q&A session focused on a specific topic where you can connect with experts and other community members to help you on your journey of finding answers.   Interactive Events: Streaming of live events around a variety of different topics. All the benefits of an in-person event and it's easy to navigate.    Our First AMA Event is Here!   Join us for our first event on April 8 at 10 AM PDT !   This Q&A session will focus on Professional Services — Experts You Can Count On When Protecting Your Business . This event will be focused on how professional services can help you in different stages of deployment of our full portfolio of products and adopt our technology to help protect your business. The Palo Alto Networks Professional Services team and Global Practice Lead Dave Delcourt are excited to answer your questions in this upcoming AMA.   Featured Expert   Dave Delcourt   Dave Delcourt  is the Global Practice Lead of the Strata Practice at Palo Alto Networks. With almost twenty years of experience in Professional Services and over fifteen years of leadership experience helping customers effectively leverage Professional Services to solve business problems, Dave brings a balanced scope of knowledge to the conversation.         You can find all the details about this event in this article .   Mark your calendars and start posting your questions on March 31 and through April 7, 2021 .   Note:  These two different types of digital events will be taking place on our Events page, so be sure to subscribe (Subscribe is located under Page Options) to that area to stay updated with the latest information.   ... View more

AMA: Professional Services — Experts You Can Count On When Protecting Your Business   This Ask Me Anything (AMA) provides an opportunity to ask and get answers to your questions related to Palo Alto Networks Professional Services!   Ask questions from Wednesday, March 31 to Wednesday, April 7, 2021   This event is an opportunity to discuss professional services. In this Ask Me Anything session, we will focus on the range of professional services we offer and how they can help customers in different stages of deployment of our full portfolio of products. See how our expert consultants and partners can help you adopt our technology to protect your business. Join us to ask questions, meet our experts and learn about the latest professional services offerings!  The Palo Alto Networks Professional Services team and Global Practice Lead Dave Delcourt are excited to answer your questions in the upcoming AMA, which will be first in an ongoing series of opportunities for you to engage with a wide variety of different experts.   Date/Time of AMA Event:  Thursday, April 8  10am-12pm PDT   Featured Expert: Dave Delcourt Dave Delcourt is the Global Practice Lead of the Strata Practice at Palo Alto Networks. With almost twenty years of experience in Professional Services and over fifteen years of leadership experience helping customers effectively leverage Professional Services to solve business problems, Dave brings a balanced scope of knowledge to the conversation.             To participate in this Ask Me Anything event, please join the discussion.   ... View more

  We created the Cyber Elite Program to recognize experts in our community from around the globe, who have demonstrated excellence in participation and contributions in LIVEcommunity. This innovative program is part of Palo Alto Networks commitment to empower outstanding members who enrich our online community.   About the Program Cyber Elite members are our LIVEcommunity experts! They are closely engaged with the community, share technical insights, knowledge, and assist fellow community members to elevate their security posture in an increasingly complicated world of cybersecurity. Their know-how and expertise helps others protect their companies and customers. Cyber Elite experts demonstrate characteristics we believe exhibit the values that make up a vibrant and interactive technical community.   Cyber Elite status will be awarded for a one-year period. Ongoing participation will be reviewed annually and membership will be extended based on positive, engaging and shared contributions during that one-year period.   Key Characteristics of a Cyber Elite Member   Advocacy: Act as a trustworthy and balanced representative for our community, fostering the spirit of collaboration and advancement of better security practices.   Expertise: Strong technical understanding of Palo Alto Networks products and provides valuable solutions and recommendations.   Tone: Displays a supportive, positive, and collaborative style in helping community members succeed.   Responsiveness: Actively engages with members in forums. Shares, supports, and provides value to the community.   Leadership: Key extension of our LIVEcommunity team advocating in the community for successful use and best practices of Palo Alto Networks products, technologies, and solutions.    Meet our Cyber Elite Members Brandon Pry @BPry Brandon is the Senior Network and Security Engineer for the Wisconsin Legislature. Through his years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, he is an expert with deep-dive troubleshooting and debugging on Palo Alto Networks devices, holding several certifications including a PCNSE and an Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE). Brandon is responsible for securing legislative resources and ensuring the legislature is capable of serving the people of Wisconsin at all times. When not engaged with day-to-day functions, Brandon can often be found sharing and gaining knowledge within the LIVEcommunity.  Watch the  Spotlight Video Interview  with Brandon!   Brandon Wertz  @Brandon_Wertz Brandon is a Senior Systems Engineer for Conagra Brands, who has spent the past 12 years working primarily in data center services, eventually transitioning into firewall architecture and implementation, working on core technologies such as datacenter switching, WAN/internet connectivity, and firewall services. As an L6 contributor on LIVEcommunity, his expertise involves well-rounded exposure to network designs and methodologies and is heavily involved in Palo Alto Networks technologies. Watch the Spotlight Video Interview with Brandon! Mahesh Parmar   @MP18 Mahesh is the System Administrator III at The City of Calgary (Canada). Mahesh holds PCNSE and Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE) certifications and has spent the past 16 years becoming proficient in network security. His experience has helped him develop a knack for working with Palo Alto Networks technology including GlobalProtect and Next-Generation Firewall. Read the Spotlight Interview with Mahesh! Otakar Klier @OtakarKlier As the Sr. Security Engineer at Perspecta, Inc. in the RDG Division, Otakar is focused on all things security and networking related. He is a seasoned security professional with over a decade of experience in cybersecurity, making his L7 status in LIVEcommunity well deserved. Otakar holds PCNSE and Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE) certifications from Palo Alto Networks and several others that help solidify his presence as a Cyber Elite expert. Watch the Spotlight Video Interview with Otakar! Remo Mittler @Vsys_remo Remo is a Senior Security Engineer at Avectris AG, a Switzerland based full-service provider. His 14 years of experience in network security have helped him become an expert in firewalls, vulnerability management, log management, archiving, and multi-factor authentication infrastructure to name a few. Remo possesses a PCNSE certification along with several others that help him stand out in ranks of Cyber Elite experts. Steven Cantwell @SteveCantwell With more than 23 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, Steven is a Senior Security Architect for Cloud Harmonics, a Palo Alto Networks preferred Authorized Training Partner (ATP). Steven holds Palo Alto Networks certifications as a PCNSA, PCNSE, and PCNSC and has spent the past eight years working for Elite ATPs as a certified instructor for all Palo Alto Networks EDU classes. Lastly, Steven is the business Lead for Cloud Harmonics’ Professional Services, focusing on implementations and migrations to Palo Alto Networks Strata, Prisma, and Cortex branded solutions. Read the spotlight interview with Steven!   Member Benefits From a unique LIVEcommunity badge to special Ignite benefits, members will be awarded, recognized, and assigned the Cyber Elite title within the LIVEcommunity.   Some of the member-only benefits include: A private forum to enable deeper discussions about advanced topics and answers (The “Cyber Elite Members Lounge”) A Cyber Elite badge that clearly differentiates a member as a top contributor and trusted advisor Promoted within the LIVEcommunity and Palo Alto Networks at company events Exclusive access to technical information, experiences, and resources that help Cyber Elite experts do more with Palo Alto Networks technology May include options to meet privately with Palo Alto Networks team and executives in a roundtable format And, we have a fantastic Cyber Elite appreciation package and giveaways that a member can proudly display at Ignite conferences, Fuel User Group events, or anywhere else. These are just a few of the benefits... with more to come!   Become a Cyber Elite Member To begin your Cyber Elite journey, register in LIVEcommunity, share your knowledge and expertise, engage in discussions, provide answers, and help your peers in the community. Cyber Elite members are hand-selected by Palo Alto Networks based on positive contributions in the community, demonstrating a laser focus on bringing value, being helpful, sharing your know-how, and providing your unique expert perspective. We want to reward and recognize community members that contribute high value and go above and beyond in assisting our vibrant community. Start your journey today! For more information, please reach out to the LIVEcommunity team at: community@paloaltonetworks.com   ... View more

“The LIVEcommunity keeps my skills sharp” — Get valuable insights from Cyber Elite expert Steven Cantwell!   This month we’ll get to know LIVEcommunity Cyber Elite expert, Steven Cantwell. Our Cyber Elite members are among the top contributors within the LIVEcommunity and we are excited to be featuring them via our community interviews.   Steven Cantwell, Cyber Elite With more than 23 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, Steven is a Senior Security Architect for Cloud Harmonics, a Palo Alto Networks preferred Authorized Training Partner (ATP). Steven holds Palo Alto Networks certifications as a PCNSA, PCNSE, and PCNSC and has spent the past eight years working for Elite ATPs as a certified instructor for all Palo Alto Networks EDU classes. Lastly, Steven is the Business Lead for Cloud Harmonics’ Professional Services, focusing on implementations and migrations to Palo Alto Networks Strata, Prisma, and Cortex branded solutions.   We recently had an opportunity to talk to Steven about Palo Alto Networks (PANW), his journey in cybersecurity, and of course, being a LIVEcommunity Cyber Elite. Read on to get his thoughts on these topics and more.       What does being a LIVEcommunity Cyber Elite mean to you? For me, it acknowledges that Palo Alto Networks and its community members value the level of knowledge, technical detail, and experience that a Cyber Elite offers to the community at large.   Personally, I love being able to assist with the easy questions, and then digging into tougher scenarios. The LIVEcommunity keeps my skills sharp.   What was your first experience with Palo Alto Networks products? My first experience was learning to be a Presales engineer within my company, with the job of being a network security instructor, teaching Palo Alto Networks authorized training courses. That was nine years ago, and wow, has the industry changed. From firewalls to virtualization, to public cloud, and now Prisma and Cortex.   What motivated you to start engaging in LIVEcommunity? My career experience has already been technical in nature. When I first started working as a consultant, with roles of presales, post-sales, and training, I realized that I was in a position to make a difference. That I either had, or was experiencing some of the same issues/concerns that new customers or engineers were facing. So being able to learn a new feature (before it was released) and then assist others, offers a great reward. As the saying goes, “Sharing is caring!”     What keeps you coming back to the community? Oh, the pace of business moves at IT speeds. There is so much to offer, but also, there is so much more to learn. No single person can retain all knowledge. We all have our specialties. I learn from the other Cyber Elites about their method of asking questions, their methods of assistance, etc.   It is great to get a notification that “You got a Like…” and even “Your Suggestion was accepted as a Solution.”     In addition, it is interesting to see people grow their skills. I have watched as new members introduce themselves in community and evolve into seasoned engineers who later add insight when replying to my comments, or even venture to share different perspectives to resolve issues.         “Personally, I love being able to assist with the easy questions, and then digging into tougher scenarios. The LIVEcommunity keeps my skills sharp.”   What is your message to newcomers in community? The LIVEcommunity should always be the first place to look for technical knowledge and assistance. There is quite a following within the Community, so that you get to know people, albeit for a brief moment. Don’t be shy, ask!  We are mentors!   Can you tell us about a typical day at work? What are some of your daily routines, including how you come to the community to support that?  A typical day is organized chaos, to say the least. I am responsible (in part) for supporting our virtual training labs, as Palo Alto Networks releases new courseware.  This includes installing/configuring whatever solution (firewall, computers, cloud based) is needed for the course. In addition, I am the Lead of our professional services, which has responsibilities for presales and post sales activities. Lastly, I am a fully certified security instructor, teaching all classes offered by Palo Alto Networks. Altogether, there are times where I need information and the LIVEcommunity is where I go for information. Naturally, I view open/unanswered questions and then off I go, to assist those who are in need.   What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What is that? I am married to a Brazilian who loves the beach, so naturally (living in Florida), beaches are accessible year-round. I recently joined a new campaign for a role based game, as well as having down time to play some console games.   Who is your cybersecurity inspiration? Great question. There was an AMAZING instructor/technical Lead who used to work for Palo Alto Networks in the Education department. His ability to translate highly technical jargon into everyday training language was amazing.   Next, I look inward to my company. I am honored to work with my co-worker and our director, two senior level engineers, who literally have dabbled in just about everything, within their 20+ years in IT. They are the reasons why I wanted to work for my current employer. “Excellence in all things. In all things, excellence.” (His catch phrase, just for the record.)    What is your LIVEcommunity superpower? Empathy, really. Everyone is looking for assistance. For someone who goes beyond just “read the manual” or “click this link,” but understanding and mentoring a person (even to the slightest degree) is rewarding. If customers/partners/end users succeed, then by extension, Palo Alto Networks has done its job. By enabling me to give back to the Community, we work together to allow success to grow.   “The LIVEcommunity should always be the first place to look for technical knowledge and assistance.”   We hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit more about Steven, our featured Cyber Elite expert this month. If you have any specific questions for Steven, please reach out to him in the community by tagging him in a post with his username @SteveCantwell or post a comment in the section below.    Be sure to visit the Cyber Elite Program page to learn more, and stay tuned as we’ll continue to interview and feature all of our Cyber Elite members!   Stay Engaged!   Cheryl Rasmussen Engagement Program Manager,  LIVEcommunity     ... View more