Inside Illumio: Cameron Gonsales

Inside Illumio is a monthly series that highlights the exceptional individuals behind Illumio’s world-class products. Each post will take a peek behind the scenes to spotlight a member of our team. Come get to know us a little better and learn more about what makes Illumio’s culture so unique.

This month, meet Cameron Gonsales, Illumio’s IT administrator, who’s based in California. Hear about what he does at Illumio and his favorite movies.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do at Illumio?

I’m an IT administrator on the client services team. My job is to help enable our employees and solve any IT challenges they face. This ranges from helping to match users to the person who is best able to solve their problem, to implementing larger company-wide projects. And perhaps most importantly, I manage all endpoints – employee laptops – so that folks can do their job safely from home.

How has your job changed since working from home?

It’s changed enough that I’ve noticed! Helping users face-to-face has a different dynamic, and, especially as a people-person, I miss the human interaction. It can also be challenging to do all the technical work via screen-sharing, without the hardware in front of me. That said, I’ve learned to build relationships over the phone and over Zoom, so I can’t really complain.

What made you interested in working at Illumio?

Steve Joe, our VP of information technology, had worked with my mom at another company. At the time I was looking for a new job, Steve was looking to build a new team, so my mom actually made the introduction. I had been in IT for about 6 years and I joined Illumio as the IT helpdesk engineer. Now, I’ve been at Illumio for about a year and a half and I’m really grateful to be part of such a cool team.

What does a day in the life of Cameron look like?

A typical day starts with a “get up and at ‘em meeting,” where we, the IT team, talk about what we’re working on. Later in the day we might have a team meeting with the larger infrastructure team. It’s a nice way for us all to stay connected.

In terms of work, I monitor the ticket queue on Samantage. It’s probably the most important part of my role, because that’s how we make sure we resolve issues our users are facing. I also go over hardware orders and work with our vendors on support and solutions. I’m also always looking at different demos for tools that we’re trying to source for the company.

How do you stay illuminated during the workday? How do you stay connected with your team while we’re working remotely?

I’m always motivated to work hard for my team – I just love these people so much! My team has made this job ten times easier: I’m always excited to get up and work with them, whether we’re collaborating on a project, or just hanging out over Zoom.

The product also keeps me energized: it’s cool to work on something that makes such a difference. The more I learn about what Illumio is doing, the more I want to be involved. And Illumio is great about engaging different teams in product development. I’m not just a number at Illumio, I’m an important part of the team.

What have you been watching lately?

I’m a major movie buff and have been re-watching some of the classics. I also love any Will Ferrell or Jim Carey movies – I’m a big comedy fan. I’m into old school gangster movies, like Good Fellas, Casino, A Bronx Tale, and The American Gangster. And I just finished re-watching The Lord of the Rings and of course, I’m really into Star Wars – all the nerdy stuff!

What is the most important thing you’ve learned at Illumio so far?

I’ve learned a ton about new ideas in the IT world because I’ve been able to be a fly on the wall in my boss’ meetings. And I’ve learned to work productively with vendors, since I’ve been able to observe my boss and then apply those concepts on my own. I’ve grown a lot from the independence my leaders have given me at Illumio.

What career advice do you have for your younger self?

Stay focused and stay locked in. It’s easy to get distracted, but you’ve got to keep your eye on the prize. Stay motivated, keep learning, and always do more than the bare minimum. Invest in the things you are passionate about: sometimes I work on the weekends, and while that sounds bad, it doesn’t feel like work when it’s something I care about.

What are you passionate outside of your career?

I am really into boxing. I started from scratch about two years ago, and I’m planning to have my first amateur fight this year. I’ve built a lot of good habits while training – I completed my first-ever 10-mile run – and have honed my boxer mentality. Now I bring that can-do attitude to everything I do!

Which Illumio core value resonates most with you and why?

Run to challenges resonates with me because I really try to embrace every challenge I come across. I also like onwards together because most problems we face can be solved with the help of our team.

What do you want people to know about working at Illumio?

I love working at Illumio because of the people. Every single person treats me with respect, even though I’m a young guy in IT. I feel blessed to work here. It’s a great company, with a great product and really great people.