Chris Jackson, CCIE No. 6256 (R&S and SEC), is a senior technology leader at Cisco, where he is responsible for SalesConnect, the company’s global sales enablement platform. Chris is focused on digital transformation and on building the platforms that help Cisco sellers and partners find the right content and deliver value to customers. He is the author of Network Security Auditing (Cisco Press, 2010), CCNA Cloud CLDADM 210-455 Official Cert Guide (Cisco Press, 2016), Cisco Certified DevNet Associate DEVASC 200-901 Official Cert Guide (Cisco Press, 2020), and various online video courses for Cisco Press. He holds dual CCIEs in security and routing and switching, CISA, CISSP, ITIL v3, seven SANS certifications, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Residing in Franklin, Tennessee, Chris enjoys tinkering with electronics, robotics, and anything else that can be programmed to do his bidding. In addition, he is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, rabid Star Wars fan, and has a ridiculous collection of Lego. His wife Piper and three children Caleb, Sydney, and Savannah are the true joy of his life and proof that not everything has to plug into a wall outlet to be fun.Adrian Iliesiu, CCIE No. 43909 (EI), is a network engineer with over 20 years of professional experience in the field. He currently works as a Principal Engineer within the Cisco DevNet organization. Throughout his career, Adrian has held a wide range of roles, including team leader and network, systems, and QA engineer, across multiple industries and international organizations. In his current role at Cisco, Adrian focuses on advancing network programmability and automation, with particular emphasis on enterprise infrastructure. He is an established author, a distinguished speaker at Cisco Live!, and a recipient of the prestigious Cisco Pioneer Award. Adrian has also appeared on Cisco TechWise, Cisco Champion podcasts, and DevNet webinars. He is the host of the Simplifying Network Automation with NetGru series of live streams. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Networks from Politehnica University of Bucharest.Ashutosh Malegaonkar serves as Senior Director of Networking at NVIDIA, where he leads Developer Technology (DevTech) and Technical Marketing for NVIDIA Networking. A respected industry visionary, Ashutosh brings more than twenty-five years of pioneering experience—spanning networking platforms, AI data center networking, voice, video, search, video analytics, cloud, software, and APIs.Before joining NVIDIA, Ashutosh dedicated twenty-three years to Cisco, earning the distinction of Distinguished Engineer—one of Cisco’s most prestigious technical leadership positions. He spearheaded the DevNet Co-Creations team, partnering with key customers, partners, and developers to transform innovative ideas into impactful solutions. His diverse career also includes founding roles in two start-up ventures.Widely regarded for his ability to inspire innovation, Ashutosh is passionate about harnessing software and APIs to address real-world customer challenges. His comprehensive expertise in networking technologies enables him to pinpoint innovative applications that deliver meaningful and measurable outcomes for customers.Ashutosh’s achievements have been recognized with numerous professional honors, including Cisco Pioneer Awards. He is a sought-after keynote and technical presenter at industry conferences such as Cisco Connect, Cisco Live, and Tech Field Day. Ashutosh holds more than 25 approved patents and is the author of two publications.Barry Yuan, CCIE No. 11860 (R&S and SEC) is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Cisco, an inventor with many patents, as well as a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker. He brings 25 years of experience in cybersecurity and network architecture, design, and implementation. His career spans technology vendors, the public sector, and service providers, giving him a broad perspective on how technology, regulation, and operational realities intersect. He has maintained two CCIE certifications for 23 years and holds additional industry credentials spanning cybersecurity, project management, and software development, including recognition in the DevNet 500.
