Nikolai Pitaev

Nikolai in numbers

  • 2 Universities: St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Darmstadt Technical University
  • 6 years Service Provider Experience at Deutsche Telekom Headquarters
  • 9 years Presales Systems Engineer at Cisco Germany
  • 3 years Senior Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco Headquarters
  • 1 year Leader TME Team with 8 Technical Marketing Engineers
  • #12721 Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
  • 1 German Citizenship
  • 1 US Green Card
  • 1 US Patent (11924046)

 

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/npitaev/

 

Professional Experience

Cisco Systems

Since 07 / 2022 -  Leader Technical Marketing Engineering Team, Cisco Headquarters
Leading a team of 8 Technical Marketing Engineers responsible for Cisco SD-WAN solution

01 / 2016 - 07 / 2022 Senior Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco Headquarters
Cisco SD-WAN is a solution, which is used to create state-of-the-art scalable and secure Enterprise networks, reduce costs by using intelligent path control, virtualization, cloud technologies and automation. Cisco works also with Service Providers in order to help them to offer SD-WAN to their customers.
This senior technical marketing engineering job role includes deep understanding of customer requirements worldwide, ability to define critical and common technical features, create business case, drive development and market new implementations.
Cisco SD-WAN technology is specific to Cisco and recent Viptela acquisition. This position requires 10+ years of experience in multiple roles: as Cisco Customer, Cisco Pre-Sales Systems Engineer and Technical Marketing Engineer. These 3 different areas are critical in order to have the full view on the SDWAN solution from different angles: customer view, sales view and business unit view. Virtualization and Cloud technologies are key technical foundation areas, that’s why this position requires research work and publications on IEEE level. Job description also includes strong presentation skills for speaking at international conferences (Cisco-hosted and 3rd party) and preferable multiple foreign languages in order to communicate with customers worldwide. Cisco top level certification “Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert” in Routing and Switching is required in order to prove the ability to understand, implement and develop needed solutions.

01 / 2006 - 12/2015 Presales Systems Engineer, Cisco Germany
Presales SE in Deutsche Telekom Account Team. Key Responsibilities: leading SE for all BRAS and BNG Access Aggregation Projects in DT Account Team. VIRL/CML Virtualization Pioneer with DT. Lead Engineer in strategic Core and Edge Innovative Projects like Segment Routing, GSR Migration. Cross-functional management of overlay SE, BU, AS and CSE for other European SP customers with strategic projects.

 

Heinz Ulm CCIE Training

01 / 2005 - 12 / 2005 Trainer for CCIE Bootcamps
Instructor for CCIE R&S and Security Bootcamps. 3 Bootcamps in 2005 in addition to Planning Position at Deutsche Telekom. Ended after move from DT to Cisco.

 

Deutsche Telekom, Headquarters

03 / 2000 - 12 / 2005 IP Design and Structure Planning Engineer
IP Access and Backbone Planing on the biggest IP network in Europe. Job role: Network Structure Design and Capacity Planning for DSL Access. Started with Responsibility for DSL investment planning and guidelines for brunch offices. After 2 years – took over responsibility for the whole Edge, involved in all strategic Backbone Projects. Introduced OPNET Modeling software and Real Time Traffic Probes for DT's backbone network and used both for strategic planning.

 

Key Research Areas

Since 2000, Nikolai has been working in the area of Internetworking and network virtualization. His contribution to electrical engineering and communication systems, especially investigations and applied science of virtual system performance led to creation of modern cloud-based scalable networks and communication systems.
He has almost fanatical conception of virtualized network elements, writing: “Scalable and reliable virtual network functions are like a good referee in a game - you will not pay attention to him unless he will fail. Same is true for virtual network functions: you do not see them, they are virtual somewhere in the cloud, but if they fail, you cannot communicate, work or even live”.

 

University Education

1991 - 1993 St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Solid State Physic

1995 - 2000 Technical University of Darmstadt Dipl.-Ing. , Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. Specialization: Networking and Communication Systems.

 

Hobbies

Family, Home Automation Technology and Networking, Brainstorming Trivia Games, Roman and Greek ancient history, Ice hockey, Volleyball and Jogging.