Splunker Stories Nicholas Do

In the latest edition of our "Splunker Stories" series, we meet with one of Splunk’s Professional Services Consultants, Nicholas Do.

We sat down with Nicholas to learn more about the path which led him to Splunk, how he takes his learnings from the Army to his day to day work here at Splunk, and the diversity of environments he sees from our Splunk users. 

What did you do prior to joining Splunk and how did you end up at Splunk? 
Prior to working at Splunk, I was in the Army working as a cyber operations specialist. My job was to defend and secure America’s networks and systems against advanced persistent threats (APT's)

As I was transitioning out of the Army, I found out that Splunk was participating in the Department of Defence Skill Bridge program and I was able to join Splunk through this internship opportunity. From there I was able to get some great training and gained technical skills with guidance from other senior consultants before being offered a full time position with Splunk.

Tell us about your story. What experiences made you who you are today? 
The military helped shape a big part of who I am. I learned so many skills, such as time management, work ethic, and the value of teamwork. 

Being in the army also taught me how to be flexible in my thinking and the importance of completing the mission.

How have your unique experiences and insights made you successful in your career, and at Splunk? 
My time in the Army taught me how to get the mission done regardless of the circumstances. As a consultant you never know what kind of issue or problem you are going to run into on an engagement. I am able to use my experience from the Army to always be prepared for anything that may come my way and use all available resources to complete the task. 

These skills were directly tied to my time in the Army where failure is not an option.   

What do you enjoy about working at Splunk? 
The culture and the people!

I have yet to have an unpleasant interaction with someone within the company and I 100% believe this is because of the culture Splunk’s leadership has set, and the way Splunkers embrace our globally shared values. 

My health and wellbeing is a priority here at Splunk, and management puts action into the culture by creating things like our global days of rest (at least once a quarter), and sending all employees mugs to our homes when we've landed on the “Fortune's Best Places to Work" list. 

I also appreciate that all employees have a voice, and we are all encouraged to use our voice, both in day to day interactions as well as our company All Hands meetings where our questions are answered by the leadership team.

Which Splunk Value (Innovative, Fun, Disruptive, Open, Passionate) resonates most with you? 
The Splunk Value that resonates with me most is passionate. 

Everyday I see first hand how Splunkers are working towards bettering themselves, and I am constantly inspired to learn something new and different. Every engagement I go on as a consultant, I get to troubleshoot a new issue and am constantly learning something new. This role truly requires people who are passionate about what we do. Splunkers don’t slack off, because we know working together will bring us all success. 

It’s this passion we all share which gets me extremely excited about getting up for work everyday as I never know what the day will bring.

Splunk's vision is "A world where data provides clarity, elevates discussion and accelerates progress." How does your work contribute to this? 
As a Professional Service Consultant, I get to work directly with the users of Splunk. I help new customers architect and configure their environments as well help troubleshoot complicated problems in existing environments. 

Each customer site I go to runs their Splunk set up a little differently, and it’s spectacular seeing how flexible our software is. I am able to help companies customize their Splunk services, allowing them to best gain clarity from their own data, and build their business with this information. 

Splunk's mission is to "remove the barriers between data and action, so that everyone thrives in the Data Age." What does this mean to you? 
I see our mission as a way to help bring in a new world of security. 

With all transitions in a connected world, safety is something that is often overlooked as people tend to prefer accessibility over security. When Splunkers work to "Remove the barriers between data and action" we help keep our ever evolving world secure as we continue to lea with the advancement of our technology.  

What can we find you doing outside of work? Hobbies or interests? 
I grew up in Southern California so I love to be outside. Growing up I was always doing some sort of sport, I grew up swimming, surfing and playing water polo. I was also on my college tennis team (though I was more of a bench warmer!) I enjoy doing things like hiking, camping or anything generally outside. Recently I've picked up the sport of Pickleball and have found a way of staying active while having fun in a competitive setting. 

Anything else that you'd like to share that you haven't already? 
I am currently a member of the Veterans at Splunk Group where fellow Veterans from all branches and countries share resources and support. 

If you would like to learn more about life at Splunk, or about our open Splunk Sales career opportunities, please visit the Splunk Careers page.

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Thanks!
Shreya Iyer