Our customers are the heart and soul of everything we do at Cisco and each one of them has an interesting story to tell! Our new Q&A series allows us to shine a spotlight on some of our most passionate customer advocates in The Global Gateway community as we learn more about their stories and backgrounds.

You may be wondering: What is The Global Gateway? It's a community for Cisco customers where they can build powerful connections, expand their professional and personal networks, and learn from top experts in their field. One of our goals with our advocacy community is to deepen our relationships with our customers and today, we have one of the friendliest faces in The Global Gateway joining us for a chat. I'm excited to welcome Adeola Ayorinde Ogunkola from Teqbridge Limited.

Welcome, Adeola! Let's kick things off by talking about what you wanted to be when you were 16 years old?

Hello, Rashik! Thank you for inviting me. Throughout elementary and secondary education, I attended military schools. My experiences and lifestyle there meant that by the time I was 16 I wanted to join the army. After graduating from high school, I sat the entry level exam to join the army academy. However, life is full of unexpected twists and I unfortunately wasn't shortlisted.

Where did you start your career? And, what professional decision or opportunity helped lead you to your current role?

I started my career as a real estate consultant, while also running other side hustles. At the start of 2018, I came across a job opening online with Teqbridge Limited for a Registry Analyst. After applying and getting through FIVE rounds of interviews, I got the job!

Congratulations! That sounds like a grueling interview process! So, you're currently working for Teqbridge Limited which is a small business company focusing in the service provider sector. How has partnering with Cisco helped your work both in your segment and industry?

So far so good! Partnering with Cisco has been very resourceful. Before moving into an IT role, I was aware of the Cisco Networking Academy and Cisco Learning Network, two resources which enabled me to become more familiar with networking. I took advantage of this learning to make our workflow more flexible and easier to run at Teqbridge Limited.

What's been your biggest challenge in your company this year, and how did you overcome it?

The pandemic lockdown was the biggest challenge we faced at my job this year. We couldn't work from home because we had to be onsite regularly. Although we physically had to go into the work site, we made sure to maintain social distancing guidelines and use sanitizers frequently, which allowed us to get the job done effectively.

Let's move on to The Global Gateway! How would you describe this customer advocacy community to those who haven't heard of it before?

The Gateway is an online community with IT experts from a variety of professional backgrounds. Some of the activities you can do in The Gateway include learning about new technology innovations and attending technical webinars. You can even participate in yoga training, all at your own leisure! You can also earn points whenever you participate in a "challenge" through The Gateway. These points can be used to redeem rewards. You also have the opportunity to share any technical problems you are experiencing in your work with others in the community. Peers who have prior experience with these issues can help you with possible solutions.

You're one of our most engaged advocates, and we really appreciate how active you are in the community! What made you want to join The Global Gateway, and how has being part of this community impacted you both professionally and personally?

At first, I was interested in learning more about networking and IT through my peers in The Gateway. Since joining, it's been great! The Gateway has had a positive impact on my professional network because I've had the opportunity to (virtually!) meet new people through the community, while at the same time getting to know more about the latest innovations in my industry!

We're almost at the end of the interview, Adeola, and we'd love to finish with three things you can't live without?

Firstly, I can't live without shelter and water. Secondly, I can't live without my mobile phone, computers, and surfing the internet. And finally, my family, work, and friends are the MOST important to me.

Thank you again for joining us, Adeola!

You are welcome!

Join us in The Global Gateway

For our customers who have already joined us in The Global Gateway, say hello to Adeola if you haven't met each other yet. And for those Cisco customers who haven't yet joined The Global Gateway, consider doing so! You'll be able to:

• Connect with peers in a gamified, online community
• Have an opportunity to meet with Cisco's executives
• Share your feedback, questions, and best practices
• Get access to "insider" content and resources
• Grow your professional and personal brand
• Amplify your company's success story with Cisco technology

Ready to get started? Head over to The Global Gateway and say hello!