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I am a Systems Security Engineer. It basically means that I provide Information Technology (IT) support, where I am a member of an infrastructure operations center team.

I support customers in resolving issues related to E-commerce applications and server hardware, among other things. I also monitor all the applications and hardware proactively, thereby ensuring that there is least customer impact. The job also involves deploying new applications and thoroughly testing them before they go into production. These applications include things like ATM machines. So, essentially, I support bank branches remotely from my office. For example, if a particular branch of a bank has a problem and the customer is not able to withdraw cash, I will be involved in resolving this issue. Because ATM machines are essentially connected to one server, I can login remotely and resolve the issue. Anything above $100 million in financial impact is considered a high-severity issue. So, my team and I try to resolve something of this priority within a period of thirty minutes to one hour. Sometimes, it involves a teleconference call between several different continents. We might have, for example, a person from the United Kingdom, India and America, all talking at the same time. Each of us would bring a different set of expertise and skill level to the table.

Since my skills are in the highly experienced level, the problems I generally face are in the decision-making arena. For example, if there is an ambiguity in the problem, and it is not supported through any documentation, I will be involved. In such cases, I also try to reach a senior person in the management, and get the answer from him. I would say that the prime skill required to handle situations like these is leadership.

We had a situation where someone from Asia tried to intrude into the company's computer network by continuously sending data packets and targeting a specific server on the network. This is akin to spamming, but on a physical level. This made the server very busy and essentially inoperable. So, the server was not able to serve requests from legitimate customers because it was too busy handling the flow of illegitimate ones. To handle this, we had a high-level teleconference with various technology officers. We worked with a webmaster, an IT risk department, network and firewall supporters and a system administrator. I provided support by monitoring the firewall. A firewall is basically a type of software that inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits its passage based on a set of rules. I also provided information because there were almost a thousand connection attempts within 10 seconds. Since the firewall rules were very specific, I noticed that those connections were denied at the firewall. So, the members in the teleconference in conjunction with the management team decided to block this particular IP address. An IP address stands for Internet Protocol standard, and is a unique computer address. We also sent an email to the IP address owner, and the issue was resolved. Apparently, the owner was not even aware that his computer was sending these signals. You have to realize that sometimes machines generate fake connections because of the vulnerability of their operating systems. This can be caused by anything from viruses to Trojans. This is why you have to apply service patches regularly every time your computer sends automatic update notices to you.

I became a Systems Security Engineer because of my interest and motivation to be a part of the most recent and challenging technology. As for people who have influenced me, I would have to say it was really my mother, and her hard work and support. My older brother was also a major influence, because he has always wanted to see me as a winner, especially in my studies. My peers also played a part in influencing my career.

My career started with the telecommunications industry. The telecommunications industry is not about phones, however. What I worked with was their products, which include telephone exchanges (EPABX) technology. Then I got involved in data communications, such as data modems and fax machines. I kind of trailed the IT industry and then got into computer networking with Local Area Networking (LAN) and Wide-Area Networking (WAN). Finally, I settled into technology infrastructure and data centers. A data center is a specific room in which all servers are localized.

I have learned some very valuable technical skills from the jobs I have had. I have learned to support server hardware, namely on systems of Compaq, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell, Cisco and so on. Also, I have become apt at system administration on Windows and Unix operating systems. I am now well-versed with a lot of internet security vocabulary including networking technologies, and IT security, such as Virtual Private Network (VPN), Intrusion Detection Sensor (IDS), firewall and IT security policies.

For entry-level jobs, you need to obtain a computer hardware license, such as CompTIA's A+ certification at the most basic level. You can get that without any degree. Then you need a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification to learn networking concept and technologies. This will usually be followed by Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Unix System Administration certifications, which are both incredibly valuable and necessary. There are different certifications for various Unix flavors, such as IBM's AIX, Sun Microsystem's Solaris and Hewlett-Packard's HP-Unix and so on. Besides this, there are also professional, as well as expert level certifications in each of these areas. So, basically, it is life-longing learning and test-taking. You are not simply done after obtaining a graduate degree in computer science.

I punch into work at 9:00 a.m. and work until 8:00 p.m. four days a week. That accounts for 40 hours, as in most professions.

I start work by logging into my personal computer and the telephone system. Then, I open the monitoring tool, which gives me the status of the infrastructure devices. Through this, I can see critical alerts. The monitoring tool is a web-based tool. If there is an issue in the infrastructure, for example if a server is down, then we receive an alert on the monitoring tool in red color. It will usually state that the specific server is down. So, we open a problem ticket and the issue is resolved by involving the respective server owners and other groups as necessary. After my shift is over, I hand over the work to the next shift with a summary of what happened in the previous shift. I will clearly mark all follow-up items for the next shift to take over.

My break schedule is from noon to 1:00 p.m. But problems can come up even during this time, and you are expected to respond. As for longer breaks, we get a four-week vacation in any year. We also get a 50-hour sick day allocation in a whole year, and ten days of holidays, including the national ones, on top of the vacation. I think we also get two personal days. One of the best parts about the job is that you can also swap your shift in a day, or even a whole week, with someone else. Of course, you have to give prior notice, and there must be mutual party agreement.

Well, it feels like the same job on the surface to the outsider. But believe me, there is a lot of variety, because every day there is always a new problem and newer solutions. You are always working from the same desk, of course.

The typical salary range for my job is somewhere between $75,000 and $90,000. You get other forms of compensation in the form of professional seminar travel and other cost reimbursements. Through these you get to give training to other units in different states. There are also annual bonuses based on performance evaluations by your manager.

Yes, there is definitely a reward system. For example, when people see that you have done well in a team, the company awards you gold stars. Sometimes tokens of appreciation, such as $25 gift cards or other things, are provided by the company. These don't just come from your manager, but also from your peers based on recommendation.

I find about 40 hours enough to get my job done. But I also provide 24/7 support to financial companies, which is why there is a different shift and rotation system in terms of work hours. I am not always on a day shift or a night shift. Also, we are linked to all sorts of international companies. For example, when it is night here, it is daylight in Asia. So, there are three sets of teams working in different shifts day, evening and night shifts. For the front end and back end, teams are also different. The Sunday through Wednesday teams are different than the Thursday through Saturday teams. Sometimes, we can also work from home or from outside the office, because certain things are accessible remotely from those places. This is especially useful in bad weather.

My career has mostly affected my social and family life has been in a positive way. I have always had a very strong background in computers, which was the reason I was sponsored to come to the United States. This has allowed me to work in a company where there really are no negative aspects. I have been able to work in an atmosphere with a lot of positive-minded people. I have also been able to form a good network. Now, I can give back to the community in unique ways. Let me give you an example. I took my wife to her doctor a few weeks ago, and because the computer was down, people were getting frustrated. No one was able to make appointments. Because of my background in computers, I stepped up and asked them if I could take a quick look at it. I was successfully able to troubleshoot the problem. In no time, the computers were fixed and appointments were made without going to the trouble of calling for outside help and then waiting for it to arrive. So, my job has become very much a part of my personal life.

Because everything is teamwork and we work four days a week, sometimes I can get a call at midnight, even on the days that I am not working. This requires a lot of adjustment on my family's end. But this only occurs occasionally, and is not as significant when compared to the overall positive benefits this job. If someone calls in sick, we are asked to cover the person's shift on a voluntary basis. But on the sole basis of professional ethics, and because it is sort of a community at work, where we help each other out, almost everyone volunteers when asked.

I will retire at 60, as an approximation. I will obviously get 401(k) as a benefit, and also a retirement package.

The most satisfying aspect of my work is that I face a new problem every day. There is always some sort of a technological advancement, and there is always some new technology to learn about. As a consequence, newer problems arise that need to be dealt with. So, we are constantly kept on our toes.

For example, consider the constant upgrading of products. There are always newer computer systems that pop up in the market. In this field, in order to serve the growing size and demand of customers, products are made more powerful. So, more powerful servers are made. Companies are always coming up with new hardware to stay ahead of the competition. A server with a terabyte in memory and hard drive is nothing short of new for companies, even though most households are still getting used to gigabytes in size.

One technology that fascinates me and provides satisfaction on some level is called redundancy. This basically means that when one system fails, another takes over. This is called a fully redundant environment. This way, connections are not lost and transactions are not dropped. On the other hand, what is frustrating in my line of work is that sometimes there is a necessary, yet inconvenient need for help from third parties. Because resolving problems almost always involves at least more than two people, it takes time to coordinate. Unfortunately, this becomes cumbersome when there is a failure in communicating and involving multiple parties. This takes long and causes some friction and delay in resolving the issue. But it is part of the job, and finding a unanimous resolution is not so frustrating in the end.

The profession has definitely become more competitive over the last few years, and even since I started in this field. In my workplace, there is an obvious amount of automation. What this means is that recurring events do not really need manpower, so a software program handles all such business. These automation tools maintain servers, which when they fail will automatically send a message to the system administrator's pager with the alarm saying that the server is down. So, the administrator can login remotely and start up the server again. You are pretty much playing doctor when you get a code from a machine that gets "sick."

The field is definitely growing. This is the information technology field, and all our operations are dependent on the information flow. In order to make this information flow more quickly and accurately, new technologies are continuously developed. Even research is continually ongoing to bring state-of-the-art products to the market. The better question is, "How much is it growing, and is there really an end to its growth?"

Technology is changing my role because as new technologies come in, there is always a need to upgrade my skills and add more to what I already know. For example, I constantly have to increasing my security skills by reading up the literature. Day-to-day operations depend on the Internet, so there are more threats coming in from the Internet as the number of users is growing. This calls for better skill level from the individual that works in this field.

Economy affects this industry because when the economy is down, there is little business. As a consequence, the market goes down. So, there are fewer sales and fewer jobs. If, on the other hand, the economy is booming, more sales take place and more products are seen on the market. To handle this, jobs like ours increase.

Yes, globalization has definitely affected this industry. Jobs are constantly being outsourced, and now there are fewer jobs available locally. There is a school of thought that maintains that companies are going into outsourcing to find inexpensive labor. But what they must realize is that there is a middleman involved in this for legal accommodations. And, as seen with the recent trend, there is a greater turnover in countries like India. This means that eventually, the jobs that have been outsourced to these workers will no longer be offered at the same salary. Soon, these people will end up getting the same salary as their counterparts in the United States. So, in the long run, outsourcing and the trend of globalization is not positive.

I think the professional and industrial certifications that I have acquired over years of working in this industry would have been very helpful. But, this is pretty typical because people don't start a job with all these certifications on top of a Bachelor's and Master's degree. If that were the case, you would not start working until you were 40, and even then, you would be behind, because these certifications are constantly evolving. You have to balance experience with education, and you gain both over the years. So, when I first started out, I had a lot of book knowledge, and now I have a lot of practical and specific knowledge as well.

Employers will first and foremost look for basic PC knowledge, as well as hardware and software programming experience. Internships help college students, but work experience is even more important.

College reputation and grade point average are both extremely important. These indicate a person's depth of knowledge in the subject area. Computer science and information technology majors are preferable to others. It is not like medical school, where you can major in anything, because a job in this industry requires specific vocational and technical knowledge. I would say that a GPA above 2.75 is considered especially strong.

A person with a Bachelor's degree in information technology, with some or even all of the professional and industry certifications I already mentioned, is preferable. The person should also have good reasoning and analytical skills. He or she should be able to explain technical jargon to the customer and have strong presentation skills to offer to the client and the management.

They are all pretty important. But experience is probably the highest priority for employers, followed closely by education. I would say that special skills, followed by persona