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PACKET INSPECTION
Network & Security Engineer · Richardson, TX · Cisco Systems

SAIKUMAR BOINPALLY.

Network & Security Engineer — Enterprise Infrastructure · Firewall Architecture · Cloud Security

Building networks that don't go down and firewalls that don't let the wrong people through.
Tier 3 escalation engineer at Cisco Systems. M.S. Cybersecurity — Summa Cum Laude. CCNP Firepower certified. The person your team calls when the normal troubleshooting runbook has given up.

📋 View Experience ⇄ Initiate Handshake 💼 LinkedIn
0Years @ Cisco
0Years in Security
0Certifications
0Tier Support (TAC)
0SLA Adherence
saikumar@tac ~ $ whois
$ whois saikumar-boinpally
# Querying network registry...

name: Saikumar Boinpally
role: Network & Security Engineer
org: Cisco Systems (TAC)
location: Richardson, TX, USA

specialty: NGFW · ASA · FTD · FMC · ISE
protocols: TCP/IP · BGP · OSPF · VPN
tools: Wireshark · Splunk · Nessus
cloud: AWS · Azure

education: M.S. Cybersecurity — Summa Cum Laude
University of Alabama at Birmingham
B.S. Computer Science — VJIT (JNTUH)

top_cert: CCNP Firepower [300-710 SNCF]
status: INTERESTING_PACKETS_WELCOME
linkedin: in/boinpally07

$

Who I Am

Networks Don't
Lie — Packets Do.

I'm a Network & Security Engineer currently operating at Cisco's Tier 3 Technical Assistance Center — the level where cases arrive after everyone else has already tried and the customer is starting to question their life choices.

My toolkit spans enterprise firewall architecture, TCP/IP deep-dives, VPN troubleshooting, cloud security (AWS & Azure), and packet analysis. I've worked across NGFW, ASA, ISE, WSA, and Security Cloud Control platforms — and I speak fluent "why is this route not propagating" in four routing protocols.

I hold an M.S. in Cybersecurity (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a B.S. in Computer Science. Certified in CCNP Firepower, CompTIA Security+, and three Microsoft Azure tracks. Before Cisco, I spent time in Azure cloud security and offensive security tooling — Nessus, Metasploit, OWASP web testing, the works.

Not actively hunting for something new — but if the opportunity has interesting routing, my BGP table is always open.

Expertise

Technical Arsenal

🔥
Firewall Architecture
Cisco NGFW, ASA, FTD, FMC, Firepower NGIPS. Policy design, HA deployments, NAT, ACLs, manager access migration, and deep-dive troubleshooting. The firewall whisperer.
NGFWASAFTDFMCNGIPSNATACL
96% — Primary Speciality
🌐
Routing & Switching
TCP/IP, OSI model, BGP, OSPF, VLANs, 802.1Q trunking, STP. IP addressing, subnetting, and scalable LAN/WAN architecture design for enterprise environments.
BGPOSPFTCP/IPVLANSTP802.1Q
90%
🔐
VPN & Secure Connectivity
Site-to-Site VPN, Remote Access VPN, IKEv2, IPsec. Diagnosing tunnels that are "up" but not really up — a very specific kind of fun.
S2S VPNRA-VPNIKEv2IPsec
89%
🔎
Packet Analysis & Monitoring
Wireshark, TCPdump, SNMP, NetFlow, Splunk. Deep traffic inspection, anomaly detection, performance diagnostics. If it's on the wire, I can find it.
WiresharkTCPdumpNetFlowSNMPSplunk
92%
☁️
Cloud Networking & Security
AWS (VPC, EC2, S3, Cognito), Azure (VNet, NSG, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, VNet Peering). Hybrid cloud connectivity and secure cloud architecture design.
AWS VPCAzure VNetNSGExpressRouteHybrid
84%
🛡️
Identity & Access Security
Cisco ISE, WSA, Security Cloud Control (SCC). Network access control, policy enforcement, identity-aware network segmentation.
ISEWSASCCZero TrustNAC
87%
🔓
Vulnerability Assessment
Nessus, Nmap, Metasploit, Acunetix, Ettercap. OWASP Top 10 testing, risk analysis, and remediation. Penetration testing for networks and web applications.
NessusNmapMetasploitOWASPAcunetix
80%
⚙️
Network Automation & APIs
Python, Java, REST APIs for network automation and integration. Operational efficiency improvements through scripting and process enhancement.
PythonREST APIJavaAutomation
75%
📝
Technical Documentation & Training
Authored public-facing Cisco TAC documentation and knowledge base articles used globally. Delivered technical training sessions that actually improve how people troubleshoot.
TAC DocsKB ArticlesTrainingCisco.com
93%

Credentials

Licenses & Certifications

🔷
Cisco Certified Specialist
Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls — CCNP Firepower [300-710 SNCF]
Active · Cisco Certified
🔐
CompTIA
Security+ CE
Verified · Active
🛡️
Microsoft Certified
Security, Compliance & Identity Fundamentals [SC-900]
Verified · Active
🤖
Microsoft Certified
Azure AI Fundamentals [AI-900]
Verified · Active
☁️
Microsoft Certified
Azure Fundamentals [AZ-900]
Verified · Active
🎓
University of Alabama at Birmingham
M.S. Cybersecurity — Summa Cum Laude
Graduated · Jan 2020 – May 2021

Journey

Work Experience

🔐
Jan 2023 – Present · Richardson, TX
Security Technical Consulting Engineer (Tier 3)
Cisco Systems · Full-time
Tier 3 advanced escalation support across Cisco security platforms. The cases that arrive here have already survived Tier 1 and Tier 2 — so the job is part detective, part architect, and part therapist for the customer's network.
  • Resolved complex enterprise incidents across NGFW, ASA, ISE, WSA, and Security Cloud Control (SCC)
  • Led critical network outage resolution and high-severity escalations, maintaining strict SLA adherence
  • Performed deep packet analysis using Wireshark, TCPdump, SNMP, NetFlow, and Splunk
  • Authored and published TAC technical documentation and KB articles used globally
  • Delivered technical training sessions for engineers and internal teams
  • Acted as Lab Advocate — maintained firewall lab environments for testing and validation
  • Contributed to Cisco beta programs, identifying critical defects before general release
  • Stepped into Escalation Engineer role during high-demand periods, leading complex cases
  • Mentored engineers on troubleshooting and escalation best practices
NGFWASAFTDFMC ISEWSASCC WiresharkSplunkVPN TAC AuthorEscalation Eng
☁️
Jun 2021 – Oct 2022
Cyber Security Engineer
SASINFO INC · Full-time
Azure cloud security engineering — implementing and managing the full security stack for hybrid cloud environments. If it had an NSG, a VPN, or a compliance audit attached to it, it was in scope.
  • Implemented Azure security controls: access control, policy enforcement, security monitoring
  • Configured ExpressRoute, Site-to-Site VPN, VNet peering for hybrid connectivity
  • Deployed and managed Azure VPN Gateway for secure cloud-to-on-prem channels
  • Enforced NSG policies controlling inbound/outbound traffic across VMs, subnets, interfaces
  • Conducted vulnerability assessments, risk analyses, and compliance audits
  • Supported incident response: evidence collection, root cause analysis, documentation
  • Managed firewalls, IDS/IPS, and endpoint protection tooling
AzureNSGExpressRoute VPN GatewayIDS/IPSIRCompliance
🎓
Aug 2020 – May 2021 · Birmingham, AL
Student Assistant — IT Lab
University of Alabama at Birmingham · Part-time
Managed lab infrastructure and technical support for research students — the classic "everything is on fire and I have an exam in 2 hours" environment that builds real troubleshooting instincts.
Lab InfrastructureHelpdeskNetwork Support
🔓
Jun 2019 – Dec 2019 · India
Cybersecurity Analyst
Apps Guru Consulting · Full-time
Security operations, vulnerability management, and offensive security tooling. Where I learned that the best way to defend a network is to know how to attack it first.
  • Vulnerability assessment and remediation using Nessus across single and multi-asset targets
  • Web application security testing with Acunetix, aligned to OWASP Top 10
  • Penetration testing using Metasploit and Ettercap for network/application vulnerabilities
  • Packet capture and anomaly detection with TCPdump and Wireshark
  • IDS/IPS monitoring, incident investigation, and security documentation
  • Applied NIST and ISO 27001 frameworks for compliance and risk management
NessusMetasploitOWASP IDS/IPSNISTISO 27001

Build Log

Side Projects

🔒
AWSPythonFlaskEncryption
Cloud Encryption Service
Offloads encryption processing to the cloud — client sends data, cloud handles the heavy crypto, customer gets billed per cycle. Cleaner than running AES-256 on a potato laptop.
Flask · Nginx · AWS Cognito · EC2 · Stripe · Python Crypto Modules
🎥
AWSServerlessSDK
Video Conferencing Platform
Built a cloud-native video conferencing platform to get hands-on with AWS Lambda, Chime SDK, and serverless architecture. Pre-Zoom-fatigue era — we were ahead of the curve.
AWS Lambda · Cloud9 · Chime SDK · S3 · EC2
📄
FTDFMCCisco TAC
Published: Configure Manager Access on FTD
Migrating FTD manager access from Management to Data Interface — SSH, static routing, sftunnel verification, and the troubleshooting scenarios no one documents. Live on Cisco.com.
→ Read on Cisco.com
🗝️
FMCLicensingSLR
Published: Specific License Reservation in FMC
End-to-end guide for Specific License Reservation on Cisco FMC — the doc that saves engineers from the Cisco licensing labyrinth at 11pm. Authorization codes, assignment, update, return.
→ Read on Cisco.com
// STATUS: PORT 443 OPEN · ALL OTHER PORTS: DENY

Initiate Handshake.

Got a complex network challenge, a firewall policy that's become a philosophical crisis,
or just want to talk shop? Send a SYN — I'll SYN-ACK promptly.
Not actively looking for something new, but interesting packets always get through.

YOU
── SYN ──▶
◀── SYN-ACK ──
── ACK ──▶ ✓ ESTABLISHED
SAIKUMAR
⇄   Initiate Handshake
💼 LinkedIn — boinpally07 📄 TAC Doc: FTD Manager Access 📄 TAC Doc: FMC SLR Licensing 📧 boinpally@protonmail.com