I’ll start by apologizing to James Risler and Steven Chimes for sucking them into writing a book with me. Seriously, though, thanks, guys for putting up with me during the writing process. It’s a lot of work but worth the impact we have in the security community.
I also want to thank the technical reviewers, Viktor Bobrov and Joseph Mlodzianowksi, who had to sort through our gibberish rough drafts and help us polish them into what ends up at the bookstore. Thank you, James Manly, Eleanor Bru, and the rest of the Pearson army that takes care of me every time we work on a project such as this one. You always are professional and also make me feel like I’m part of the Pearson family. Thanks for that.
Finally, the most important thank you goes to my friends and family. Anjelica Ruda, thank you for supporting me while I worked on this project during all of those late nights. Thank you, Gary McNiel, for mentoring me as well as giving me the ability to balance work, family, and writing. Finally, thank you everybody who has supported me throughout my career. I truly feel lucky to have met the people in my life who have helped lead me to this moment…publishing this book.
—Joseph Muniz
First, to Joey Muniz and James Risler, thank you for unknowingly agreeing to write a book with me in the middle of a global pandemic; you both are nothing short of amazing. To Joey, a special thank you, first for inviting me to write this book with you, but more importantly for helping guide it through to completion.
To Viktor Bobrov, thank you for always entertaining my challenging AnyConnect questions. I would spend a lot more time stumped in the lab if it were not for you. To both Viktor and Joseph Mlodzianowski, thank you for painstakingly wading through all the pages to find all of our mistakes; the final book would not be nearly as polished if it were not for your attention to detail. To James Manly, Eleanor Bru, and the rest of the Pearson team, thank you for everything you’ve done to make this book a success.
To my fellow Cisco colleagues, both past and present, thank you for all you have taught me throughout the years; there is not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something new, and I can’t imagine a better work family.
Last, but certainly not least, to my friends and family, thank you for all the love and support. To my Mom and Dad especially, thank you for nurturing the spark you saw so many years ago. And to my wife, Asra, words cannot express what your love and encouragement mean to me. I am a better person because of you.
—Steven Chimes
Thank you, Joey, for putting up with me as someone new to this process. You were a godsend. Also, Steven, thank you for all your help on VIRL, I really appreciated the time you took to help me get it up and running. You are both security professionals who set the standard for others to follow.
A special thank you to my family for the support over the years. I am especially thankful to my security team at Cisco. Each of you has been instrumental in helping me over the years: Pat, Paul, Jagdeep, and Bill, know that I really appreciate it. I also want to thank Steven Sowell for his guidance and sticking with me through both the tough times and the good times.
Of course, last but not least, thank you to my friends and family, who have continued to provide love and support. Thank you, Ellie. I think you know I could not have done this without you.
—James Risler