Rodgers Koech
Solutions Architect
Nairobi,Kenya
Summary
Driven and motivated Sales Engineer with exceptional consultative sales skills to help customers solve technical problems. Works in tandem with sales team to exceed customer expectations for functionality, cost-effectiveness, and successful system rollout. Offering strong work ethic and track record of building loyal customer relationships. Entrepreneurial Sales Engineer with excellent business acumen and proven history of driving technical sales and revenue growth. Friendly and outgoing with natural ability to build key relationships through communication, customer service, and negotiation skills. Successfully leads and motivates teams to execute business opportunities and close sales in fast-paced environments with tight deadlines.
Overview
5
5
years of post-secondary education
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Engineer
TrendMicro DMCC, WECA
Nairobi, Nairobi
05.2018 - Current
- Prepared cost estimates and bid documents by studying customer RFPs and consulting with project managers.
- Managed technical integration, systems engineering program management, customer support and program management.
- Recommended changes, improvements or enhancements in products to product development team based on customer feedback.
- Provided technical troubleshooting and problem solving for clients with installed equipment or system issues.
- Delivered technical sales presentations to prospects and presented benefits and value of products.
- Provided sales forecasts for all product sales opportunities within assigned accounts.
- Developed and implemented pursuit plans for all opportunities within assigned key accounts.
- Attended trade shows and seminars to promote products and network with industry contacts.
- Designed and delivered product training for clients.
- Captured opportunities for additional sales during project implementation and rollout with existing accounts.
- Used effective data analysis and sales strategies to increase win prospect buy-in and demonstrate system benefits.
- Liaised with assigned accounts to foster relationship development.
- Gained customer acceptance by demonstrating cost reductions and operations improvements.
- Identified and supported resale opportunities to achieve sales plans.
- Identified sales opportunities by assessing environment and devising and implementing winning strategy.
- Increased sales for East Africa by over 60% in 9 months and progressively increased by 20% YoY growth
Senior Enterprise Engineer
Copy Cat Group
Nairobi, Nairobi
10.2017 - 04.2018
- Work with presales and customers to develop enterprise network and security solutions.
- Provide highly skilled technical assistance in completing complex network planning, engineering and architecture.
- Perform complex design, research and development of LAN/WAN solutions for enterprise/production networks.
- Recommend network modifications for configurations.
- Provide high-level support and rapid resolution to network problems.
- Provide senior technical leadership role within assigned client organizations to review new installations and changes to service.
- Infrastructure, ensuring that holistic network perspective is taken into consideration with respect to standards, practices, technology, vendors and solutions.
- Provide senior engineering leadership on all design and standards issues; including analysis, development and implementation.
- Mentor support engineers on technology, training and best practices.
- Provide support documentation to enterprise solutions.
- Closely liaise with external customers during design, implementation and support of projects.
- Closely worked with project management office and customer representatives in projects to ensure better controls on project constraints like time, costs and resources.
- Resolved system test and validation problems to provide normal program functioning.
- Participated in design and planning exercises for future software rollouts.
- Worked closely with other team members in such tasks as troubleshooting and debugging.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to layout, design, and unfold new technology features.
- Managed over 15 enterprise customers and increased customer satisfaction to over 80%
Solution Architect – Enterprise & Security
Interdist Alliances
09.2016 - 09.2017
- Duties and Responsibilities:.
- Designed, Evaluated, recommended enterprise & security solutions.
- Liaised with clients and business representatives to understand needs of business.
- Liaised with other professionals to design solution architecture for businesses and clients.
- Ensured compliance to solution architectural design in implementation of projects.
- Explained technical issues and IT solution strategies to stakeholders and other IT professionals.
- Ensured that solution architecture (software and programs) designed are in sync with business needs and hardware.
- Reviewed proposal for vendors and suppliers to ensure that quality inputs are delivered at least possible cost.
- Identified and mitigated existing business risk or risks associated with solution architecture.
- Proposed and designed IT solutions that would yield return on investment for business.
- Improved sales through consistent hard work and dedication to key engagements with partner community through regular visits, enablement and events by over 30%
Consultant - Network & Security
Independent
Nairobi, Nairobi
11.2015 - 08.2016
- Duties and Responsibilities:.
- Provided exceptional customer service to existing accounts, ensuring client satisfaction and order renewal.
- Designed, evaluated and recommended specific security solutions.
- Performed engineering, designed and technical support for internal and external networks.
- Enforce compliance to standard internal control and process through network design.
- Client business requirements and gap analysis.
- Enterprise and telecom network design.
- Designed borderless networks with security in mind.
- Planned, designed, developed, deployed and optimized networks.
- Rolled out VPN solutions.
- Security policy management design and deployment.
- Worked with diverse functional leads to build enterprise solutions.
- Ensured compliance in network through up-to-date software/patches and enforce compliance.
- Automation of backup and proactive monitoring of active network equipment.
- Assessed and optimized WAN for Crown Paints.
- Assessed and implemented Hierarchical Architecture and firewalls at Crown paints.
- Implemented Cisco Unified Communication System at Barclays Bank Kenya.
- Involved in design and rollout of 2-factor authentication for Commercial Bank of Africa.
- Identified opportunities for account growth based on knowledge of market trends and competition.
- Partnered with service team members to identify risks, resource allocation requirements and needs for project success.
Network Infrastructure & Security Specialist
IBM, Airtel Africa
07.2012 - 10.2015
- Mentored network engineers in East and West Africa countries.
- Deployed BGP/MPLS for Bharti Airtel Africa in 17 OPCOs.
- Implemented Switch and Firewall hardening by implementing best practice on all infrastructure switches and applied firewall policies.
- Designed VPN solution to scale 8 countries and over 3000 personnel with 2-factor Authentication based on Juniper SRX.
- Provided active support on LAN(OSPF, EIGRP, L2 Security, Device Hardening, Firewalls), WAN(BGP) and SAN.
- Implemented Cisco ACS TACACS solution to authenticate devices in East Africa and India DC.
- Recommended unique network designs to address certain issues including situation analysis, testing strategies, and fault reproduction ensuring 5 9’s availability.
- Provided expert technology platform support for change control process including impact analysis, methods of procedure review, implementation and verification.
- Ensured seamless introduction of new technology platforms and services into network operations.
- Performed capacity analysis and IP planning.
- Upgraded network by conferring with vendors; developing, testing, evaluating, and installing enhancements.
- Was involved in rollout of Mediation and Provisioning for 4 Africa OPCOs.
- Was actively involved in rollout of PRETUPS application and other supporting technologies.
- Deployed and supported WAN optimization appliances for 6 countries - Riverbed Appliances.
- Deployed backup system, central authentication (Cisco ACS) and PRTG to monitor over 1000 devices.
- Architecture design review for Load-balancing using Cisco ACE, F5/BIG IP.
- Application architecture reviews & Integration of Enterprise applications like Billing and Core applications like HLR, IMS etc.
- Network Design & IP Planning.
Network Consultant
LANTech Africa Ltd
03.2012 - 06.2012
- 4 Duties and Responsibilities:.
- Provided pre-sales technical support for unified communications.
- Designed, deployed and ensured maintenance of call billing and accounting system.
- Deployed Cisco Unified Communications systems for HQ and branches for IEBC.
- Deployed Cisco Access Control Solution for Central Bank of Kenya.
- Performed diagnosis of network problems, analyzed & provided solutions.
- Kept knowledge base documentation for future reference.
Senior Network Support Engineer
C.I.S Kenya
03.2011 - 02.2012
- Provided pre-sales technical support.
- Implemented Security Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems.
- Implemented LAN & WAN device monitoring using PRTG.
- Provided hardware & services maintenance and ensured review and sign up of SLAs.
- Created Proofs of Concept (POC) to showcase better products to improve service delivery and customer experience.
Network & Security Engineer
Express Automation Ltd
08.2008 - 02.2011
- Duties and Responsibilities:.
- Pioneered Cisco product division and improved skills to exceed market standards.
- Was responsible for site surveys, solution proposals and deployment.
- Was responsible for Surveillance surveys and solution proposals for CCTV.
- Was responsible for access control solution proposition and deployment.
- Network (LAN) Design, Deployment, Administration and Security WAN connectivity design, implementation and optimization Site-to-Site VPN design and implementation for IP Telephony solutions Unified Communications(Voice).
- Implemented Cisco Wireless mesh network using Cisco based WLAN controller and Cisco Outdoor Access Points.
- Deployed VoIP over internet for branch offices in East Africa.
- Deployed Cisco Communications Manager Express and fully fledged Cisco Unified Communications.
- Grew the product division from ground up and increased revenue by over 45%
Senior Security Specialist
AUA Industria
08.2007 - 07.2008
Education
Bachelor of Science - Mathematics & Physics
Egerton University
Nakuru 08.2002 - 08.2007
Skills
Technical consulting
Timeline
Sales Engineer
TrendMicro DMCC, WECA
05.2018 - Current
Senior Enterprise Engineer
Copy Cat Group
10.2017 - 04.2018
Solution Architect – Enterprise & Security
Interdist Alliances
09.2016 - 09.2017
Consultant - Network & Security
Independent
11.2015 - 08.2016
Network Infrastructure & Security Specialist
IBM, Airtel Africa
07.2012 - 10.2015
Network Consultant
LANTech Africa Ltd
03.2012 - 06.2012
Senior Network Support Engineer
C.I.S Kenya
03.2011 - 02.2012
Network & Security Engineer
Express Automation Ltd
08.2008 - 02.2011
Senior Security Specialist
AUA Industria
08.2007 - 07.2008
Bachelor of Science - Mathematics & Physics
Egerton University
08.2002 - 08.2007
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