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Sunny Dua

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Sunny Dua

Virtualization and Cloud Consultant

VMware

Couple of years from now

With the growth of Virtualization in India and SAARC countries along with the adoption of Cloud Computing in the IAAS (Infrastructure as a Service, I see a huge market traction of building Public Clouds which would offer Infrastructure services around all the layers of a datacenter. Working on the VMware technology places me right in the thick of this computing transformation. Being involved with a lot of Enterprise customers today, I see that I will be providing architectural consulting for Fortune companies in India to build their Private Cloud Infrastructures which enables self-service and automation to IT and Business. At the same time, adoption of public cloud services which would enable such organizations to scale out their IT on a pay as you go model. Lastly, the most important role I see myself playing is bridging the gap between these Private and Public clouds by enabling Hybrid Cloud Services to bridge the gaps.

Important decision

I started my career with an education background focused towards business management. I took up my first job as a break from studies to prepare myself for getting into a Masters course for Business Administration in Australia. During this time, my job exposed me to IT.

I was not a newbie with computers as I attended a few courses and was a self declared geek. However, when I started working in the IT industry, I quickly realized that there is a huge potential as well and requirement for IT professionals at that time(2004), you do not need a technical degree, but a technical bend of mind and problem solving skills to make an impression and I was all set to drop my plans of getting that dream MBA and start the joyride of technology.

Started my career as a core hardware guy working on HP technologies and then took another leap towards getting into the world of Virtualization & Cloud which itself is a completely software driven platform.

My strongest skill

There are a number of personal and professional attributes which have helped me achieve what I have so far and motivate me to go above and beyond. Here are a few which I believe I always had but I give credit to my work which helped me use, hone and develop these skills over a period of time. Not to mention that its still a long way to go.

- Problem Solving Skills.
- Handling work pressure.
- Think out of the box.
- Be patient as this helps you to learn and teach (both important for my work).
- Open to constructive feedback and learning.
- Being street smart (sounds cunning but is very important)

Influenced by

There are a number of people I follow and observe in personal and professional life. I believe outright in the concept of learning from mistakes, whether its my own or others.

Rather than being influenced, I try to pick up the right traits of successful people and avoid the wrong traits of the one who have been unsuccessful. Ultimately my decisions are my own and not influenced, but as I mentioned, I love taking risks, but do not re-invent the wheel rather focus my energies into constructive development.

Ensuring success

With technology evolving at the speed of light, I have no choice but to be at my game all the time. I see that this can be achieved in 2 simple ways, one of which is quite traditional and the other is a gift of modern day technology.

I am referring to regular studies as the traditional method which helps me continue to learn and grow. On the other hand Internet and Social Media helps me widen my horizon and get my daily dose of knowledge of what is happening around the world within my areas of interest.

Alongside, I also contribute back by sharing my experiences in the field of technology through my personal blog. In Sanskrit (Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language) there's a saying "Gyanam Vitren Vardhanti" which precisely means "Knowledge increases by sharing". I follow this and it helps me Grow and Develop.

Thoughts on Education system of our country

My point of view on the Indian education system might sound critical, however I am trying to constructive and real as I am at an age where neither I am too old for this system nor too young. Its been just 10 years I passed from college.

India's education system has two extremes to itself. The commercial value to the education system has taken a huge toll on the quality of the education system. Right from the school days to college, the amount of money one needs to invest for quality education is mind boggling.

Education which is a right in the constitution is slowly moving towards becoming a privilege which itself is a dangerous sign for a developing nation like ours.

Not to mention, that we need to make a 360 degree change in our course materials to ensure that our students catch up with the latest industry trends and start developing interests & skills for the field they want to chose in future.

Initiative to develop a country

I think the term developed is directly proportional to the literacy rate of a country. If one is educated, chances are they would take the correct decisions and would feel aware and responsible towards their nation.

A responsible citizen would always think about welfare and development of his own country and himself which would help a country develop a faster pace.

I believe the one who are privileged should give back to the society and the one who are learned should educate the uneducated which would help us mutually develop the nation.

Qualities needed to become a successful leader

A successful leader according to my experience needs to make his place within his team. One needs to learn the trait of earning respect to start with rather than commanding respect.

I remember learning about leadership qualities through a workshop which I participated in many years ago. I was introduced to the concept of "Emotional Bank Account", which essentially is like you bank account where you deposit and then withdraw. Based on your credibility some people get to overdraw as well.

Well, as a leader you need to have an emotional bank account with each team member, the more you deposit the more you can withdraw and even overdraw if you have made that credibility.

A successful leader would always have potential people constantly moving up the ladder in their individual roles while ensuring that they watch each others back and perform for and with the team.

Important lesson learned

I think the most important lesson is to respect people and learn the art of listening. This has helped me immensely.

My role model

My role model has been Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Yes, the famous cricketer. This is not because I wanted to play cricket for the country or because I am a die-hard cricket fan. Infact this has nothing to do with cricket. The only thing which makes him a role model is the discipline, passion and hunger he has for the game which is also a profession for him.

What I have learned is that if you follow your dream, work hard and discipline yourself, you would never feel burdened, instead you would enjoy what you do.

My family background

A middle class family based out of the industrial city of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur, is where I was born and bought up. Although I moved out of Kanpur in search of better education and later for job opportunities in the year 2001, my father still runs a small business back in Kanpur while my mother manages the house.

Around 2 years back I got married to Roomi Banerjee Dua whom I met around 7 years back. She works a job and also takes care of our house with some help from me.

Degree that I recommend

I always believe that technology certifications help you to keep up with the pace of product releases and I aspire to be a VMware Design Expert (VCDX) in the near future. Currently I hold the following certifications from leading technology vendors:-

VMware Certified Advanced Professional 5 - Datacenter Design
VMware Certified Advanced Professional on vSphere 4 - Datacenter Administration
VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 5
VMware Certified Professional 4
VMware Certified Professional 3
ITIL v3 Foundation Certified
CompTIA A+ Certified

Still have plans for my dream MBA though.

My achievements

Very recently, I have been honored with the coveted title of VMware vExpert 2013 by VMware for my contribution to the VMware community.

Brief description about me

Sunny Dua works as a Technology Consultant at VMware Inc. (Professional Services Organization) which is focused on delivering value solutions to VMware customers & it's partners in India & SAARC countries. With an overall experience of close to 10 years, Sunny has worked with IT giants such as Hewlett Packard, Capgemini & VMware in various roles.

Throughout his career he has worked on enterprise technologies which have been changing the state of the traditional data-centers. His core competencies are around Architecture Planning, Design and Implementation of VMware Products & suites. He believes that technology certifications help you to keep up with the pace of product releases and he aspires to be a VMware Design Expert (VCDX) in the near future.