SYSCOMで活躍する社員たち：バーナード・ブラボーさん

SYSCOMで活躍する社員たち

Bernard Bravo’s Drive To Understand Is The Engine Powering SYSCOM

Role:	Network Operations Manager
Division:	CSP (Network/Security)
Location:	New York Office
Expertise:	Network
Experience:	9 years at SYSCOM
Hobbies:	Basketball, Chess, DIYs

Role

Network Operations Manager

Division:

CSP (Network/Security)

Location:

New York Office

Expertise:

Network

Experience:

9 years at SYSCOM

Hobbies:

Basketball, Chess, DIYs

Have you ever looked up a magic trick to figure out how it was done? It’s a common compulsion. It’s one thing to be amazed by a flash of the hand, but quite another to understand how it was done. And sometimes, the only way to understand how a thing works is to figure out how to do it yourself.

Bernard Bravo is the kind of guy that needs to understand how a thing works, and the only way for him to truly get it is to do it for himself. He’s a Network Operations Manager at SYSCOM GLOBAL SOLUTIONS’ New York office known for his passion for learning and hands-on approach to problem solving, but his drive to understand long predates his time with us. It goes all the way back to his childhood, when his love of gaming pushed him to design, build, and maintain a gaming PC on his own—with no prior experience.

“When I see something out there, I like to see how it’s done and if I can do it myself at home,” says Bernard. “There’s a restaurant in Chinatown here where my brother ordered a Peking pork chop that was really good. I looked it up and made it at home.”

He’s always eager to dive into new areas and figure out how things work—or to find ways to make them work better. When he joined SYSCOM, Bernard was in a new environment and had to figure out how it worked. He quickly adapted to the challenge. “I had to learn different technologies and get hands-on to support SYSCOM’s environment. I jumped right in and worked with environments and technologies I wasn’t familiar with. It’s rewarding, learning these new things,” Bernard explains.

That drive for hands-on learning extends to customers as well. He hadn’t anticipated working so directly with customers at first, but as he did it, the easier he found his job. “I started to like it. I found myself doing my job so much easier with that type of interaction. It just came and developed within SYSCOM,” Bernard says. Building ongoing relationships with customers has established trust and improved the customer experience.

He goes on. “Customers tell us about past providers that would connect them to a different engineer every time they called. Dealing with the same team every time builds trust with us,” Bernard adds. “When I build these relationships with my customers, they become more than a customer. I’ve attended some customers’ weddings or kids’ birthdays. After working with them for years and years, you build a relationship with them.”

When I build these relationships with our customers, they become more than a customer.

Bernard Bravo

Network Operations Manager

Bernard’s ability to develop personal relationships with his customers, combined with his hands-on approach to learning, helps him adapt quickly to unexpected situations, like the pandemic. SYSCOM had to make adjustments to support their customers’ remote workforces. “We definitely had to make some adjustments,” Bernard explains. We handle all of our customers’ mid- to large-sized infrastructure, and had to implement stricter security measures. We implemented VPN and 2FA all over to ensure security while enabling visibility and control from every edge of every site,” Bernard explains.

Bernard’s desire to understand his customers and provide them with the best possible solution is what sets him apart. By understanding their needs and explaining his recommendations in a way they can actually understand, he makes sure they are comfortable with the solution being offered. “When they have that understanding, it makes them more comfortable to move forward,” Bernard explains.

This approach was exemplified when Bernard worked with a client who wanted their guest wifi network to connect directly to their LAN network. His team explained the potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities of bypassing a buffer DMZ, but the client still insisted. Bernard and his team went the extra mile to understand the root of the problem—office politics—and found a workaround that met the expectation while still ensuring a safe cybersecurity environment.

Bernard’s desire to learn extends beyond just his personal life, and he appreciates SYSCOM’s push to keep its workforce educated on the latest updates in the IT field. “SYSCOM is trying to further expand and penetrate other markets, which brings exposure to new and different technologies. Continued education for existing and new team members is imperative in order to evolve with the technology,” Bernard says. He spoke to our CTO about the need for continued education and was able to secure resources like Udemy and O’Reilly Media for his team.

Bernard’s approach to work isn’t only good for building relationships—it’s also good for business. “I’ve seen relationships between my colleagues and the customer build trust, which helps win new projects and even referrals for new lines of business.” As Bernard says, “It builds a good reputation.”

SYSCOM actively seeks out individuals like Bernard who have a passion for learning and growing. That drive to learn and understand is integral to the success of any organization, and with continued education and exposure to new and different technologies, Bernard and his colleagues are able to evolve with the changing landscape of the IT industry.

And by embracing his curiosity, fostering meaningful connections, and continuously pursuing knowledge, maybe he’ll even change SYSCOM itself.