Vinay B. Chandhok 14 Ellen Drive, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 (631) 833 0361 (mobile)

July 15, 2015

A Recommendation for Dr. Raziq Yaqub

I strongly recommend Dr. Raziq. Over the 3 years, I got to know him, Dr. Raziq’s work ethic, his concern for his students and

the details in creating his deliverables, I have developed an affinity and trust for the person he represents. He will be an

asset for your institution.

I met Dr. Raziq for the first time when I interviewed him for the position of Director/Department Head. He came highly

recommended. His experience in the private sector and university environment made him an ideal candidate for NIKSUN

University, the planned hub for training internal employees and customers, VARs (Value Added Resellers) and partners

around the globe. I did explain to him that the task at hand was mission critical for this small and growing company and

would require long hours, limited resources and personal ingenuity to get the task done. This seemed to excite him (in

contrast to other candidates at this stage of the interview) exploring more details and suggesting alternatives he could

explore to develop the needed results, which raised my confidence in Dr. Raziq.

The need was two pronged – Develop a multi-tiered training program for both Sales and System Engineering as we

reorganized and expanded this customer facing group and improve their productivity (immediate importance). Develop both

industry and university programs where professional and ‘wanna-be’ hackers could try their skills at breaking and tracing

secure sites offered by NIKSUN – a commercial promotion of NIKSUN analytics and abilities (mid-term).

Dr. Raziq came on board building relationships, pushing to hire the necessary resources, build the effective local and virtual

class-rooms and collaborating with the technical teams to get the materials needed to build his curriculum – He was a self-

starter, acknowledging the people who helped and working around obstacles. In under 8 months we had an effective level

one and two certification program inclusive of VARs and partner training program, a feat noticed by the CEO who got more

involved with additional demands on Dr. Raziq’s training team.

He developed new courses on “Cybersecurity” and “Network Performance Monitoring” and improved existing course content

based on feedback received from industry and internal teams. In addition, he insisted on delivering the initial Basic,

Intermediate, and Advanced levels to diverse audience such as, Security Analysts, System Engineers, Sales Force, Product

Managers and Customers. As he explained to me, he needed to get the first-hand feedback so that he could enhance the

offerings for each segment. He also created Certification Tests for the offered courses for the assessment of the

trainees/students.

He delivers quality lectures and breaks down the complex concepts in simple language, giving analogies and real life

examples. He makes his lectures Interactive, encouraging students to ask questions and at times, provoking a discussion to

gauge their level of understanding. He blends theory with hands on multi-step practical exercises, ensures the

students/trainees grasp the concept, understand the NIKSUN product offering value and have a feeling of accomplishment

and confidence by the end of each day. This level of care resulted in impressive feedback for his classes and at times, actual

student sign-up distortions resulted when others were assigned to conduct the classes.

It is not ‘all-work and no-play’ with Dr. Raziq. He was asked to MC a couple of NIKSUN social events at the company and Dr.

Raziq had the audience rolling in the isles with laughter.

In summary, I would describe Dr. Raziq as a focused and self-motivated individual deeply concerned about his program’s

effectiveness for his audience. If you are looking for someone who prepares diligently for each class, has the experience of

developing and delivering courses on Cybersecurity, and Network Performance Monitoring (areas of his capabilities I am

familiar with, though he may be proficient in others too), can adapt his lectures to meet the needs of a diverse audience, and

has a broad background of industry. If the above are the qualities of a person you need on your team, then I am convinced

that Dr. Raziq Yaqub would be excellent addition to your Organization.

In case you need any clarifications, do not hesitate to contact me on the number provided above.

Yours Sincerely

Vinay B. Chandhok