In our staff spotlights, we get up close and personal with our amazing Sophos team members.
Up next is Edino De Souza Carvalho, Technical Support Engineer.
Let's Talk Career
1. Can you tell us about your role at Sophos?
As an L1 Technical Support Engineer for NSG, I deliver top-notch support to both VIP and regular Sophos customers and partners. My role involves in-depth analysis of cases from a cybersecurity perspective, enabling me to offer valuable recommendations and support for optimizing the utilization of Sophos NSG Products.
These products include a range of solutions such as Sophos XG/XGS Firewall, Sophos UTM Firewall, Sophos Central Email Security, Sophos ZTNA, Sophos Phish Threat, Sophos Cloud Optix, Sophos Central Wireless, and Sophos Access Points, among others.
2. How did you get to the role you're in now?
I discovered my current role when a Sophos recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn. I got intrigued by the opportunity, as I was also looking for something new. After a successful hiring process, I joined as an L1 Technical Support Engineer for NSG.
3. What inspired you to get into IT and security?
My inspiration for entering the IT and security industry stemmed from my Uncle Jayme, who’s a seasoned Computer Systems Engineer. He was working with Petrobras, where he navigated the tech landscape since the punch card era. He’s become an integral part of the Systems & Security department, where IT and security seamlessly converged.
Uncle Jayme's willingness to share his extensive knowledge with me fostered my early love for IT. It also dates back to my first encounter with Commodore 64.
When I was younger, we pieced together parts from three units, overcoming challenges to make at least one unit operational, and this allowed us to enjoy games. This experience ignited the passion that continues to drive my career in IT and security.
4. What do you enjoy most about your role?
There’s a sense of fulfillment from assisting people, and additionally, another benefit is the continuous learning that comes with it.
5. What's something you've done during your time in the organization that you're proud of?
I take pride in consistently receiving positive feedback from customers and partners, affirming that I'm not only providing assistance but truly making a difference. This was manifested when I became part of the highly esteemed Sophos Support Team 10 in 2023.
My motivation increased when I received a positive CSAT comment from my first call as an L1 TSE for NSG, which management shared with me. The comment said:
"EXCELLENT interaction with this tech. He is articulate, knowledgeable, polite, and has a sense of humor. Actually waited less than 15 minutes to get to speak with a tech. This guy is good!
Things are improving – keep up the good work!"
This early recognition fueled my determination to consistently deliver exceptional service in every case, and I continue to challenge myself to maintain this standard of excellence.
6. Describe a typical day in your Sophos life.
I start my day by logging in 20 minutes before my shift officially begins. This allows me to get ahead by checking emails, reviewing the backlog, and planning for the day. This is one of the advantages of having the flexibility to work remotely.
Typically, my day looks like this:
- Checking in with my team
- Engaging in customer and partner support calls for NSG assistance
- Managing emails, notifications, and case updates simultaneously
- Transitioning to phone duties, occasionally being delayed by ongoing calls
- Focusing on casework, including scheduled callbacks, in-depth case investigations, and follow-ups
- Addressing unforeseen tasks for the day, such as creating or updating knowledge base articles and documentation and responding to queries from teammates, management, or other colleagues
- Wrapping up my day and turning over some tasks when needed.
7. What's the best advice you can give to someone who has just started their career?
Embrace the fact that not having all the answers is okay—there's no need to be hard on yourself. Knowledge is a continuous journey, ever-evolving. Throughout my 18-year career, I've consistently asked questions and sought answers. The only undeniable truth I carry is the acceptance that I won't have all the answers, and that's perfectly fine.
Keep asking, keep learning, and enjoy the evolving process of gaining wisdom along your journey.
8. What would you do (for a career) if you weren't doing this?
If I weren't pursuing my current career, I'd likely follow in my mom's footsteps and become a Math and Sciences Professor. Being an educator is a path that resonates with my interests and holds the potential for a fulfilling and impactful journey.
Role in the Sophos Community
9. What's a fun fact about you that you could share with the Community?
I am fond of helping people and fixing problems. The earliest memory I have is when I tried to fix our old and broken CRT 20 TV (wooden boxed) when I was just six years old.
We had to hit the monitor sometimes as a temporary solution. So, I decided to peek inside, used some TV parts my mother brought home, and tried to put everything back together without my mother’s knowledge. Naturally, she got angry at me, but I was happy I made the TV work flawlessly again.
It was only late in life that I learned that these monitors are extremely hazardous and pose the risks of electrocution and explosion. Maybe this is the reason why my mother got mad – kids shouldn’t be playing with it at all.
I’ve found this resource that explains it: https://www.nedt.org/the-dangers-of-cathode-ray-tube-crt-monitors-and-televisions/
10. Have you posted any Recommended Read guides on the Community?
Not yet. Sometimes, I contribute to Technical Support content by suggesting updates and minor changes to existing Recommended Read articles and internal and external knowledge base articles. Sometimes, I also contribute to creating articles and documentation from scratch.
Who is Edino outside of Work?
11. What are your hobbies outside of work?
Here are some of my hobbies outside of work:
- Spending quality time with my wife and thinking about things to do together.Cooking and eating.
- Watching random content, often related to tech, gaming, comic books, food/cooking, sciences, or history.
- Playing with my cat, Duda.
- Playing some PS5 games.
Of course, I also spend some time tinkering with all sorts of tech stuff on my home lab gear.
12. What’s something you’re planning on doing in the next year that you’ve never done
Travel to a country I have never been to before, like Spain or Italy. I will, for sure, enjoy the good food they have.
13. What's one thing you're really good at?
I am a people person who loves to help.
14. If you could learn how to do anything, what would it be?
Not sure, to be honest. I believe that what I don’t know now means that later in life, I’ll discover and figure out when I’d need that knowledge.
15. Tell us about where you live (and your journey getting there - if applicable).
I live in Toronto, Canada. I like to live in a big city because you can see several different things just by walking on the streets.
In 2017, I moved to Canada from Brazil, lived in Toronto for the first year (2017-2018), then moved to Sydney, Nova Scotia, to take NSSC College of IT Systems Management and Security (2018-2020). After graduating, I moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the same year.
I moved back to Toronto in 2021.
16. What's your favorite thing about where you live?
I like the fact that I am near many dining places, so I can think less when going out.
17. Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I have been working since I was nine years old. I worked at our family's farm, starting around 5 AM to milk cows. I am the oldest son out of 3 children, and I had the responsibility to take care of the family farm stuff.
18. Any favorite line from a movie?
"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." - Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
19. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
To time travel so I could see and observe the different eras of a person.