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Featured Guest:
Anuk Fernando Technologist, Cloudflare Published Date: March 8, 2025 Join Wisdom for Wannabes as we explore Anuk Fernando's journey from engineer to cybersecurity industry leader, discussing the future of technology, AI, and how government and businesses can stay ahead of cyber threats. This interview provides insights for new and experienced tech professionals looking to break into or grow in the tech field, business leaders on how to protect their digital assets from cyber attacks, and parents navigating new technologies alike. Listen to/watch the full podcast recording, or read the transcript below: |
Full Interview with Anuk Fernando:*
*This 26th Wisdom for Wannabes interview represents the halfway point in the podcast's original goal of a 52-interview journey!
"Adopt the AI+ mindset. Use AI to empower your jobs, empower what you're doing. This way, AI is not going to replace you. It's about understanding how AI can help you. Don't just use AI to get every answer, but learn how to use AI properly by learning how to prompt. Then use AI to expand your knowledge base."
- Anuk Fernando (Wisdom for Wannabes episode 45, 20:30)
Great quotes from the interview:
(More great quotes throughout the transcript in blue below.)
- "Adopt an AI Plus mindset to stay ahead."
- "Fail fast, innovate faster."
- "Apply AI to make the internet a better place."
(More great quotes throughout the transcript in blue below.)
Anuk Fernando
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Key Topics:
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The Fernando Family
Interview Transcript:
Jackie Morreale (00:00)
Hello and welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast that seeks to discover wise words in business, beauty, and betterment. My name is Jackie Morreale and I am the host. Today, we are joined by someone whom I've had the pleasure of knowing for the past decade.
Anuk Fernando is a passionate innovator and data architect turned sales leader with experience in hybrid cloud computing, enterprise automation, IT security, networking, and enterprise storage systems, who can provide technology transformation and modernization guidance to CIOs, CISOs, and IT directors looking to implement real change. Helping build the New York City 311 Call Center to modernize many state, local government, higher education, and healthcare data centers in the Northeast, Anuk brings technical excellence and creative problem-solving to every project.
He's a graduate of SUNY Buffalo and currently works for a leading cybersecurity company in New York as a trusted advisor for his clients to meet security and technology needs, such as security compliance, zero trust security, mitigation, performance and reliability, and AI implementation security.
So, I want to be more like you!
Welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes, Anuk Fernando! Thank you so much for being here.
Anuk Fernando (01:19)
Thank you for having me. Hey, hey!
Jackie Morreale (01:22)
Hey! Let’s jump right into the questions. Tell us your name and where you're from.
Anuk Fernando (01:31)
Sure. I'm Anuk Fernando. I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a little island in Asia, right next to India. At the age of 13, my family moved to the Middle East, to the country of Oman, where I completed high school under the British system. Then I moved to Cyprus, another little island in Europe. Then I moved to the US when I was 18 for my higher education. Now, I live in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Jackie Morreale (01:49)
You have been all over the world. I’m very happy to know you from New Jersey.
Tell us more about what you do, and what is your passion?
Anuk Fernando (01:58)
I'm a technologist… a technologist at heart.
Currently, I'm an account executive for a major cybersecurity company in the US. We're a global organization. I've been in this industry for 23 years now, from being an engineer to an architect to leading sales roles in the industry.
My passion has always been technology since I was in high school. It's about the use of technology to find, process, and present answers, facts, and knowledge, really, to people, to help them learn, explore, and solve problems.
That's the main goal of technology.
I've always tried to use technology to help those around me. There's a lot of good and bad that can come up with technology. The goal is to use all the good, and then teach folks around me how to use technology for good as well.
Jackie Morreale (02:46)
You really are such a force of nature. You've been in this role professionally for 20+ years. You've also given back to the community by sharing some of this knowledge. What is your favorite part of your role?
Anuk Fernando (02:59)
It's the ability to help people move to the next iteration of technology, without getting to a state of complacency. Everybody loves to be complacent because it's the easy way out. My role in the industry I'm in doesn't give us a chance to be complacent. We can help organizations modernize and provide a better service to their customers. In my case, in the government sector, it's to the public. That's really enriching.
The favorite part is that I'm always helping the government as a private citizen - I'm not an employee of the government - to move the needle, keep the services up to date, so that the public has the best, like how the private sector provides the best and the latest services to their customers who are usually paying customers. In the public sector, it's the citizens and the constituents.
Jackie Morreale (03:47)
You really have your finger on the pulse on everything technology and are applying it to public projects that affect all of us. Thank you for doing that because I think I, like most people, don't usually associate government projects with being fully modern and on the cutting edge of technology. This is a very unique role that you're in.
Anuk Fernando (04:08)
That's correct. Historically, the government has always been known to lag behind, right? They usually lag behind because of funding or red tape that goes with it. It's not because they want to be slow to modernize.
Our goal as technologists is to help the folks in government understand where they should and what they should handle first, given the plethora of technologies they can adapt and adopt, and help them really understand what makes sense for the public today. Most people think that the government is about five years behind the private sector. That might be true in certain areas.
I'm lucky to be working in New York, where we try to bridge that gap faster.
Jackie Morreale (04:48)
Yes. I'm sure with you working on it, that gap is small, if there even is one at this point. I look forward to learning about your projects. Your New York City 311 Call Center project, in particular, is so exciting to me.
But before the technology, let's go through some quick-fire questions and find out about your favorites, Anuk Fernando. Ready for this?
Anuk Fernando (05:08)
I hope so.
Jackie Morreale (05:08)
Okay! Anuk, what is your favorite food?
Anuk Fernando (05:11)
Japanese food.
Jackie Morreale (05:12)
What is your favorite programming language?
Anuk Fernando (05:14)
One of the first ones started when I was in high school, Java.
Jackie Morreale (05:18)
What is your favorite subject in school?
Anuk Fernando (05:20)
Accounting.
Jackie Morreale (05:22)
Interesting. What is your favorite activity or hobby?
Anuk Fernando (05:25)
I like to track my car, on a racetrack.
Jackie Morreale (05:27)
What? Amazing.
You've been all over. What is your favorite place?
Anuk Fernando (05:32)
That would be Puerto Rico. A couple of reasons: clean beaches, rainforests, rivers, and the availability of all kinds of food. It’s the best place for clean air right now.
Jackie Morreale (05:42)
I agree. Puerto Rico is beautiful.
Favorite sport?
Anuk Fernando (05:44)
Pickleball. I am so addicted to it. I play at least four times a week now.
Jackie Morreale (05:48)
Amazing. Favorite university?
Anuk Fernando (05:51)
It has to be where I went, SUNY Buffalo.
Jackie Morreale (05:53)
Having gone to school in upstate New York, it is cold up there.
Anuk Fernando (05:58)
I had to figure out where the coldest place was after living in the Middle East, which was the hottest place.
Jackie Morreale (06:02)
It's funny, you lived in the hottest place, and then you lived somewhere where there are literally tunnels underground because there's so much snow.
Proudest moment? Or the top two or three.
Anuk Fernando (06:12)
The day my wife and I had our kids. So it is two moments.
Jackie Morreale (06:16)
Two moments! They're so beautiful.
Best app or technology for teens right now?
Anuk Fernando (06:22)
For teens, I would consider this app called Notebook LM. Notebook LM is created by Google. It has become a student favorite in high schools these days because they can upload their class notes and textbook data, and it creates source-grounded AI you can use to interview yourself to help study.
Jackie Morreale (06:43)
So ChatGPT, but just for students and localized to their textbooks and class notes?
Anuk Fernando (06:50)
This would be a competing product to ChatGPT. ChatGPT is what everybody knows, but Google is, I would say, the leader in free AI platforms today. Notebook LM is part of Google.
Jackie Morreale (07:04)
Amazing. Inspirational quote for life? If you have one.
Anuk Fernando (07:08)
Since I'm a technologist, it always revolves around somebody from tech. Larry Page, founder of Google, said, 'Technology should do the hard work so people can do the things that make them the happiest in life.' Work smart. That's the key.
Jackie Morreale (07:25)
Favorite book? (Perhaps also the tech realm?)
Anuk Fernando (07:28)
Not really, but it has helped me in tech and in sales. It's a book by Chris Voss. The name of the book is Never Split the Difference. Chris Voss was an FBI negotiator. It's his definitive guide to high-stakes negotiations. We can use it in sales and in the security discussions we have day to day.
Jackie Morreale (07:48)
I can't wait to read it. Never Split the Difference. Sounds like a powerful sales negotiation tool.
Anuk Fernando (07:49)
Never Split the Difference. He doesn't let you lose. He was an FBI negotiator.
Jackie Morreale (08:03)
Yes, they usually know how to negotiate pretty well.
(Continued below)
Hello and welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast that seeks to discover wise words in business, beauty, and betterment. My name is Jackie Morreale and I am the host. Today, we are joined by someone whom I've had the pleasure of knowing for the past decade.
Anuk Fernando is a passionate innovator and data architect turned sales leader with experience in hybrid cloud computing, enterprise automation, IT security, networking, and enterprise storage systems, who can provide technology transformation and modernization guidance to CIOs, CISOs, and IT directors looking to implement real change. Helping build the New York City 311 Call Center to modernize many state, local government, higher education, and healthcare data centers in the Northeast, Anuk brings technical excellence and creative problem-solving to every project.
He's a graduate of SUNY Buffalo and currently works for a leading cybersecurity company in New York as a trusted advisor for his clients to meet security and technology needs, such as security compliance, zero trust security, mitigation, performance and reliability, and AI implementation security.
So, I want to be more like you!
Welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes, Anuk Fernando! Thank you so much for being here.
Anuk Fernando (01:19)
Thank you for having me. Hey, hey!
Jackie Morreale (01:22)
Hey! Let’s jump right into the questions. Tell us your name and where you're from.
Anuk Fernando (01:31)
Sure. I'm Anuk Fernando. I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a little island in Asia, right next to India. At the age of 13, my family moved to the Middle East, to the country of Oman, where I completed high school under the British system. Then I moved to Cyprus, another little island in Europe. Then I moved to the US when I was 18 for my higher education. Now, I live in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Jackie Morreale (01:49)
You have been all over the world. I’m very happy to know you from New Jersey.
Tell us more about what you do, and what is your passion?
Anuk Fernando (01:58)
I'm a technologist… a technologist at heart.
Currently, I'm an account executive for a major cybersecurity company in the US. We're a global organization. I've been in this industry for 23 years now, from being an engineer to an architect to leading sales roles in the industry.
My passion has always been technology since I was in high school. It's about the use of technology to find, process, and present answers, facts, and knowledge, really, to people, to help them learn, explore, and solve problems.
That's the main goal of technology.
I've always tried to use technology to help those around me. There's a lot of good and bad that can come up with technology. The goal is to use all the good, and then teach folks around me how to use technology for good as well.
Jackie Morreale (02:46)
You really are such a force of nature. You've been in this role professionally for 20+ years. You've also given back to the community by sharing some of this knowledge. What is your favorite part of your role?
Anuk Fernando (02:59)
It's the ability to help people move to the next iteration of technology, without getting to a state of complacency. Everybody loves to be complacent because it's the easy way out. My role in the industry I'm in doesn't give us a chance to be complacent. We can help organizations modernize and provide a better service to their customers. In my case, in the government sector, it's to the public. That's really enriching.
The favorite part is that I'm always helping the government as a private citizen - I'm not an employee of the government - to move the needle, keep the services up to date, so that the public has the best, like how the private sector provides the best and the latest services to their customers who are usually paying customers. In the public sector, it's the citizens and the constituents.
Jackie Morreale (03:47)
You really have your finger on the pulse on everything technology and are applying it to public projects that affect all of us. Thank you for doing that because I think I, like most people, don't usually associate government projects with being fully modern and on the cutting edge of technology. This is a very unique role that you're in.
Anuk Fernando (04:08)
That's correct. Historically, the government has always been known to lag behind, right? They usually lag behind because of funding or red tape that goes with it. It's not because they want to be slow to modernize.
Our goal as technologists is to help the folks in government understand where they should and what they should handle first, given the plethora of technologies they can adapt and adopt, and help them really understand what makes sense for the public today. Most people think that the government is about five years behind the private sector. That might be true in certain areas.
I'm lucky to be working in New York, where we try to bridge that gap faster.
Jackie Morreale (04:48)
Yes. I'm sure with you working on it, that gap is small, if there even is one at this point. I look forward to learning about your projects. Your New York City 311 Call Center project, in particular, is so exciting to me.
But before the technology, let's go through some quick-fire questions and find out about your favorites, Anuk Fernando. Ready for this?
Anuk Fernando (05:08)
I hope so.
Jackie Morreale (05:08)
Okay! Anuk, what is your favorite food?
Anuk Fernando (05:11)
Japanese food.
Jackie Morreale (05:12)
What is your favorite programming language?
Anuk Fernando (05:14)
One of the first ones started when I was in high school, Java.
Jackie Morreale (05:18)
What is your favorite subject in school?
Anuk Fernando (05:20)
Accounting.
Jackie Morreale (05:22)
Interesting. What is your favorite activity or hobby?
Anuk Fernando (05:25)
I like to track my car, on a racetrack.
Jackie Morreale (05:27)
What? Amazing.
You've been all over. What is your favorite place?
Anuk Fernando (05:32)
That would be Puerto Rico. A couple of reasons: clean beaches, rainforests, rivers, and the availability of all kinds of food. It’s the best place for clean air right now.
Jackie Morreale (05:42)
I agree. Puerto Rico is beautiful.
Favorite sport?
Anuk Fernando (05:44)
Pickleball. I am so addicted to it. I play at least four times a week now.
Jackie Morreale (05:48)
Amazing. Favorite university?
Anuk Fernando (05:51)
It has to be where I went, SUNY Buffalo.
Jackie Morreale (05:53)
Having gone to school in upstate New York, it is cold up there.
Anuk Fernando (05:58)
I had to figure out where the coldest place was after living in the Middle East, which was the hottest place.
Jackie Morreale (06:02)
It's funny, you lived in the hottest place, and then you lived somewhere where there are literally tunnels underground because there's so much snow.
Proudest moment? Or the top two or three.
Anuk Fernando (06:12)
The day my wife and I had our kids. So it is two moments.
Jackie Morreale (06:16)
Two moments! They're so beautiful.
Best app or technology for teens right now?
Anuk Fernando (06:22)
For teens, I would consider this app called Notebook LM. Notebook LM is created by Google. It has become a student favorite in high schools these days because they can upload their class notes and textbook data, and it creates source-grounded AI you can use to interview yourself to help study.
Jackie Morreale (06:43)
So ChatGPT, but just for students and localized to their textbooks and class notes?
Anuk Fernando (06:50)
This would be a competing product to ChatGPT. ChatGPT is what everybody knows, but Google is, I would say, the leader in free AI platforms today. Notebook LM is part of Google.
Jackie Morreale (07:04)
Amazing. Inspirational quote for life? If you have one.
Anuk Fernando (07:08)
Since I'm a technologist, it always revolves around somebody from tech. Larry Page, founder of Google, said, 'Technology should do the hard work so people can do the things that make them the happiest in life.' Work smart. That's the key.
Jackie Morreale (07:25)
Favorite book? (Perhaps also the tech realm?)
Anuk Fernando (07:28)
Not really, but it has helped me in tech and in sales. It's a book by Chris Voss. The name of the book is Never Split the Difference. Chris Voss was an FBI negotiator. It's his definitive guide to high-stakes negotiations. We can use it in sales and in the security discussions we have day to day.
Jackie Morreale (07:48)
I can't wait to read it. Never Split the Difference. Sounds like a powerful sales negotiation tool.
Anuk Fernando (07:49)
Never Split the Difference. He doesn't let you lose. He was an FBI negotiator.
Jackie Morreale (08:03)
Yes, they usually know how to negotiate pretty well.
(Continued below)
(Continued)
Jackie Morreale (08:08)
Let's take it back into your tech journey. How did you get started? How did you break into the technology world?
Anuk Fernando (08:11)
From high school onward, I have always taken computer science classes. I studied under the British curriculum, and they had computer science, just like we do here in high school. Started coding. In college, Management Information Systems required programming and the business aspects of computer science.
My sophomore year, I started managing the computer lab systems at SUNY Buffalo. I also started building websites. That got me into understanding how the internet works and how technology comes together to meet specific use cases and needs. That's how I got started.
I kept on with that. My first job was to help build the 311 call center in New York City from an infrastructure standpoint. I helped build the data center, essentially, then we went live.
It was an amazing feat because that was the first 311 call center in the US and have 311 take all non-emergency calls so that the police and fire department didn't get inundated calls that didn't make any sense for them.
Jackie Morreale (09:13)
You not only bridge this interesting gap in what you do now between modernization technology and government projects, but you also have that skill set that walks that fine line between technical and sales.
Anuk Fernando (09:26)
Yeah, I always try to help people move forward, in terms of their business plans, from a use case perspective for the government or even the private sector, for that matter. How do they generate revenue? How do they meet what a constituent wants from a public safety or public service standpoint? Having learned Management Information Systems, which kind of made me learn the business aspects of technology, I think it really helped.
Jackie Morreale (09:52)
Sounds like SUNY Buffalo set you up for an amazing, successful career.
What is the difference between the British and the American system?
Anuk Fernando (10:00)
The British education system was a little bit different. We choose a program of study in ninth grade, unlike in the US, which allows you to study science and business together. In the British system, we had to choose either science or business. I chose the business route, which is why I've been doing accounting since ninth grade.
That made me move up the ladder in terms of business economics. I always led on computer science. That's different in the British system. I believe it's still the same.
Having lived in the US majority of my life now, I prefer the American system, seeing what my kids do, because it allows them to have a wider range of knowledge. It doesn't limit them to choosing subjects when they're 13 or 14 years old. Looking back, I sometimes wish that I had the opportunity to take certain classes, which I couldn't even if I wanted to.
Jackie Morreale (10:50)
On the New York City 311 call center project: What an amazing project to work on, especially towards the beginning of your career. How did you get involved with it?
Anuk Fernando (11:00)
To start the project, they had to identify what kind of call volume we were getting for 911 and inundating the PD and the fire department. People were calling for things like, ‘The cat is stuck in a tree’. Or noise complaints, which were the biggest thing. My neighbor is noisy. My neighbor is playing music. They would expect the police to rush.
Once we identified the volume, New York City built this data center with a single number. However, we housed agents from multiple agencies within that same call center. Granted, we had three call centers for redundancy purposes across New York City, but every call center had agents from different agencies, from DSS, housing, and sanitation. If you have a question about garbage, about anything and everything, we had a group of agents from multiple agencies, instead of them sitting at their own agencies, all put in one place.
Having the same computer systems and phone systems, ingesting those calls, and then routing the calls to the appropriate agency at a faster pace. This allowed the police and fire departments to do what they're supposed to do best. We were also able to get an answer for the citizens for any specific question they had faster, because we started building a database of the most common questions. When you build a call center, the goal is to try to figure out what the common requests people have are. Back in the day, an agent would search on the system for keywords, and then they would get an answer back.
That answer would be given to the caller over the phone. We've moved over the years to being able to text. Very recently, you could even text 311. You could go to the website and report something. All those iterations came over the years. But it was a big feat.
Many different software and hardware companies were involved in this project. Many different city agencies and government officials are backing it. I think it was a very successful project.
Jackie Morreale (13:04)
Yeah, everybody uses 311, the entire city. If you want to know what days you have for alternate sides, or like you said, garbage pickup, noise complaints, or whatever, 311 is your answer. I had no idea you could just shoot the city a text via 311 and access this information to solve whatever issue you're having.
Anuk Fernando (13:22)
Now they're even moving 911 to text. That's going to be a very interesting way to inform 911 of certain emergencies. You will be able to send pictures and videos, which include the geotag. So 911 knows exactly where you are when you send it.
Jackie Morreale (13:38)
Wow, that really reflects how we communicate in this modern world, too. It's easy and quick to get your point across as opposed to calling, and you don't know who's answer how quickly or how to explain where you are. If you're able to send a quick picture via text. It's geotagged to the degree that they can find you instantly. That's an incredible time saver. For somebody who's experienced an emergency, that is an incredible technology to help them quicker, better, faster.
I know you said you love Java, not the coffee, the programming language. What was it like when you started coding?
Anuk Fernando (14:11)
I didn't enjoy it, frankly. That's why I'm not a programmer. Computer science and IT are unique in that some folks really love coding, while others don't. I fall under the second category. However, to learn the technology and graduate, we had to learn programming languages. I've done things like Pascal, which is a very old language, you had to learn in Cyprus. That's how far I wanted to go with coding.
I used to build websites, which were HTML-based. You could drag, drop, and build a website in five minutes. Today, you could just tell a website, just talk to it, and it'll build it for you. Even these languages have been deprecated to some extent. You had to always keep up with programming languages. Something we did 20 years ago is hardly used unless you're using it to build an operating system or a very low-level coding requirement.
Jackie Morreale (15:13)
It's so interesting to me how you've taken it to build it as a solution for a business.
I'm curious, your journey. Sri Lanka, Oman, Cyprus, New York. What was that journey like?
Anuk Fernando (15:26)
Yeah, moved out of Sri Lanka when I was 13, which allowed me to see a different aspect of life. I moved to Oman. We were expatriates there; we had to adapt to the different cultures of the Middle East.
However, Oman wasn't that different from even the US when I moved here. There are many modern Middle Eastern countries. Oman, UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar are modern countries in the Middle East that literally have all the same restaurants we have here. The bars, the hotels, everything you want, you see here, you get it there.
Jackie Morreale (15:59)
And brand new and sparkling.
Anuk Fernando (16:02)
Yeah, it's like Vegas because it was all recently built. When we moved in '93, it was literally being built from the ground up. It's fascinating to see. It all comes down to everything that the expatriates and the locals did to help build those countries up.
That gave me an idea of what it's like to deal with different people in Oman. We had a lot of different folks who traveled to those countries to help build up. I had a lot of American friends, British friends, Europeans, and other Asians. Then, moving to Cyprus, I was able to see more of what Western culture was like. Cyprus is a Greek island in Europe. That was my first year of college.
I went to an American university there, which allowed me to move my credits over to the US easily. Then I moved to Buffalo. I had some friends coming over with me as well, who went to middle school and high school with me in the Middle East.
Jackie Morreale (16:54)
Small world.
Anuk Fernando (16:55)
Then I moved to New York City for work. I realized that if I wanted to be in the world's capital of technology, I had to be in either New York or San Francisco. New York kind of made sense for me. I was lucky enough to have my first job with a company that provided consulting services for various government projects.
Jackie Morreale (17:15)
Amazing. One thing leads to another. I’m so glad that you've been able to bring all these things together in such a big way in the technology world.
Now, what is the best part about working for technology companies?
Anuk Fernando (17:28)
In the last 10 years since I've been in architect / sales roles covering the Northeast, I had the flexibility to work remotely, and being hybrid. We represent customers. Our job is to go and meet our customers as and when needed. If not, we can work from home.
In the tech field in the US, one of the great things I like is that I have had the capability to have rapid growth and learning opportunities due to the constant innovation in the US. It allows me to have creative problem-solving capabilities so that I can work on impactful projects.
I've looked at working in other countries in the tech field. In my experience and research, I've realized that being in the US gives you an edge in terms of innovation. We take a lot more risks as Americans, which allows us to be more innovative. I think it is a cultural thing.
Jackie Morreale (18:22)
Is there a difference between East Coast and West Coast US technology?
Anuk Fernando (18:26)
We are all equal risk takers, I would say, when it comes to innovation in the US. That is because if you fail, people look down on you. We have the opportunity to fail and fail fast, which allows us to build faster. In most cultures, if you fail, it's not a good thing. You get looked down upon.
In the US, we allow you to fail, and that is OK. It also allows us to have rapid innovation.
Jackie Morreale (18:51)
Isn't that what innovation is? I love that you've pulled that together into one thought: rapid growth, innovation, a willingness to fail, and a culture that's an amazing fostering ground for technology.
Anuk Fernando (19:04)
Another great thing in the tech field, for folks who want to get into the tech field, is the work-life balance, at least in the sales roles. It allows us a lot of freedom. As long as you're a good worker and work on making your goals, and you have a plan ahead of you for the next year. Most tech companies are very accommodating of their employees.
Jackie Morreale (19:23)
Have you learned anything about yourself based on your experience in the tech industry roles in your career?
Anuk Fernando (19:32)
Yeah, having worked in different roles, I've learned what my capabilities are over the years. I always thought I would be an engineer for life. I will be an architect for life. Almost every five years, I've been changing roles, and that mentality of doing something for life just goes away. I appreciate being given the chance to explore different areas within firms.
Jackie Morreale (19:52)
How amazing is that to work in technology, evolving and growing, and there's always more capacity for innovation?
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to someone who's looking to start a career in technology, say in New York City, or in the US?
Anuk Fernando (20:10)
The world is changing quite fast in the tech world. You're probably seeing a lot of posts online. Everybody's saying AI is going to take over. Everybody's going to lose their jobs. I think it's the contrary, depending on how you look at it.
AI is not going anywhere. AI is something that we've always had. People just didn't know about it.
We used to call it machine learning 10 - 15 years ago. ChatGPT just made it more prevalent. People were like, 'We could use ChatGPT instead of using a search engine'.
Anyone going into a tech career needs to understand AI, or in fact any career, should adopt the AI+ mindset.
Use AI to empower your jobs, empower what you're doing.
This way, AI is not going to replace you. It's about understanding how AI can help you. Don't just use AI monotonously to get every answer, but learn how to use AI properly by learning how to prompt.
Then use AI to expand your knowledge base.
I mentioned how teens are using Notebook LM. That's a great use case to start. Learn how to provide some data back to AI so that you can now learn back from AI when it questions you. I would say that's one of the biggest things.
Don't block it. It's not going away.
Adopt an AI+ mindset, learn how to use it in a more efficient manner. Every job will be affected to some extent. Learn how to use it, don't fight it.
(Continued below)
Jackie Morreale (08:08)
Let's take it back into your tech journey. How did you get started? How did you break into the technology world?
Anuk Fernando (08:11)
From high school onward, I have always taken computer science classes. I studied under the British curriculum, and they had computer science, just like we do here in high school. Started coding. In college, Management Information Systems required programming and the business aspects of computer science.
My sophomore year, I started managing the computer lab systems at SUNY Buffalo. I also started building websites. That got me into understanding how the internet works and how technology comes together to meet specific use cases and needs. That's how I got started.
I kept on with that. My first job was to help build the 311 call center in New York City from an infrastructure standpoint. I helped build the data center, essentially, then we went live.
It was an amazing feat because that was the first 311 call center in the US and have 311 take all non-emergency calls so that the police and fire department didn't get inundated calls that didn't make any sense for them.
Jackie Morreale (09:13)
You not only bridge this interesting gap in what you do now between modernization technology and government projects, but you also have that skill set that walks that fine line between technical and sales.
Anuk Fernando (09:26)
Yeah, I always try to help people move forward, in terms of their business plans, from a use case perspective for the government or even the private sector, for that matter. How do they generate revenue? How do they meet what a constituent wants from a public safety or public service standpoint? Having learned Management Information Systems, which kind of made me learn the business aspects of technology, I think it really helped.
Jackie Morreale (09:52)
Sounds like SUNY Buffalo set you up for an amazing, successful career.
What is the difference between the British and the American system?
Anuk Fernando (10:00)
The British education system was a little bit different. We choose a program of study in ninth grade, unlike in the US, which allows you to study science and business together. In the British system, we had to choose either science or business. I chose the business route, which is why I've been doing accounting since ninth grade.
That made me move up the ladder in terms of business economics. I always led on computer science. That's different in the British system. I believe it's still the same.
Having lived in the US majority of my life now, I prefer the American system, seeing what my kids do, because it allows them to have a wider range of knowledge. It doesn't limit them to choosing subjects when they're 13 or 14 years old. Looking back, I sometimes wish that I had the opportunity to take certain classes, which I couldn't even if I wanted to.
Jackie Morreale (10:50)
On the New York City 311 call center project: What an amazing project to work on, especially towards the beginning of your career. How did you get involved with it?
Anuk Fernando (11:00)
To start the project, they had to identify what kind of call volume we were getting for 911 and inundating the PD and the fire department. People were calling for things like, ‘The cat is stuck in a tree’. Or noise complaints, which were the biggest thing. My neighbor is noisy. My neighbor is playing music. They would expect the police to rush.
Once we identified the volume, New York City built this data center with a single number. However, we housed agents from multiple agencies within that same call center. Granted, we had three call centers for redundancy purposes across New York City, but every call center had agents from different agencies, from DSS, housing, and sanitation. If you have a question about garbage, about anything and everything, we had a group of agents from multiple agencies, instead of them sitting at their own agencies, all put in one place.
Having the same computer systems and phone systems, ingesting those calls, and then routing the calls to the appropriate agency at a faster pace. This allowed the police and fire departments to do what they're supposed to do best. We were also able to get an answer for the citizens for any specific question they had faster, because we started building a database of the most common questions. When you build a call center, the goal is to try to figure out what the common requests people have are. Back in the day, an agent would search on the system for keywords, and then they would get an answer back.
That answer would be given to the caller over the phone. We've moved over the years to being able to text. Very recently, you could even text 311. You could go to the website and report something. All those iterations came over the years. But it was a big feat.
Many different software and hardware companies were involved in this project. Many different city agencies and government officials are backing it. I think it was a very successful project.
Jackie Morreale (13:04)
Yeah, everybody uses 311, the entire city. If you want to know what days you have for alternate sides, or like you said, garbage pickup, noise complaints, or whatever, 311 is your answer. I had no idea you could just shoot the city a text via 311 and access this information to solve whatever issue you're having.
Anuk Fernando (13:22)
Now they're even moving 911 to text. That's going to be a very interesting way to inform 911 of certain emergencies. You will be able to send pictures and videos, which include the geotag. So 911 knows exactly where you are when you send it.
Jackie Morreale (13:38)
Wow, that really reflects how we communicate in this modern world, too. It's easy and quick to get your point across as opposed to calling, and you don't know who's answer how quickly or how to explain where you are. If you're able to send a quick picture via text. It's geotagged to the degree that they can find you instantly. That's an incredible time saver. For somebody who's experienced an emergency, that is an incredible technology to help them quicker, better, faster.
I know you said you love Java, not the coffee, the programming language. What was it like when you started coding?
Anuk Fernando (14:11)
I didn't enjoy it, frankly. That's why I'm not a programmer. Computer science and IT are unique in that some folks really love coding, while others don't. I fall under the second category. However, to learn the technology and graduate, we had to learn programming languages. I've done things like Pascal, which is a very old language, you had to learn in Cyprus. That's how far I wanted to go with coding.
I used to build websites, which were HTML-based. You could drag, drop, and build a website in five minutes. Today, you could just tell a website, just talk to it, and it'll build it for you. Even these languages have been deprecated to some extent. You had to always keep up with programming languages. Something we did 20 years ago is hardly used unless you're using it to build an operating system or a very low-level coding requirement.
Jackie Morreale (15:13)
It's so interesting to me how you've taken it to build it as a solution for a business.
I'm curious, your journey. Sri Lanka, Oman, Cyprus, New York. What was that journey like?
Anuk Fernando (15:26)
Yeah, moved out of Sri Lanka when I was 13, which allowed me to see a different aspect of life. I moved to Oman. We were expatriates there; we had to adapt to the different cultures of the Middle East.
However, Oman wasn't that different from even the US when I moved here. There are many modern Middle Eastern countries. Oman, UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar are modern countries in the Middle East that literally have all the same restaurants we have here. The bars, the hotels, everything you want, you see here, you get it there.
Jackie Morreale (15:59)
And brand new and sparkling.
Anuk Fernando (16:02)
Yeah, it's like Vegas because it was all recently built. When we moved in '93, it was literally being built from the ground up. It's fascinating to see. It all comes down to everything that the expatriates and the locals did to help build those countries up.
That gave me an idea of what it's like to deal with different people in Oman. We had a lot of different folks who traveled to those countries to help build up. I had a lot of American friends, British friends, Europeans, and other Asians. Then, moving to Cyprus, I was able to see more of what Western culture was like. Cyprus is a Greek island in Europe. That was my first year of college.
I went to an American university there, which allowed me to move my credits over to the US easily. Then I moved to Buffalo. I had some friends coming over with me as well, who went to middle school and high school with me in the Middle East.
Jackie Morreale (16:54)
Small world.
Anuk Fernando (16:55)
Then I moved to New York City for work. I realized that if I wanted to be in the world's capital of technology, I had to be in either New York or San Francisco. New York kind of made sense for me. I was lucky enough to have my first job with a company that provided consulting services for various government projects.
Jackie Morreale (17:15)
Amazing. One thing leads to another. I’m so glad that you've been able to bring all these things together in such a big way in the technology world.
Now, what is the best part about working for technology companies?
Anuk Fernando (17:28)
In the last 10 years since I've been in architect / sales roles covering the Northeast, I had the flexibility to work remotely, and being hybrid. We represent customers. Our job is to go and meet our customers as and when needed. If not, we can work from home.
In the tech field in the US, one of the great things I like is that I have had the capability to have rapid growth and learning opportunities due to the constant innovation in the US. It allows me to have creative problem-solving capabilities so that I can work on impactful projects.
I've looked at working in other countries in the tech field. In my experience and research, I've realized that being in the US gives you an edge in terms of innovation. We take a lot more risks as Americans, which allows us to be more innovative. I think it is a cultural thing.
Jackie Morreale (18:22)
Is there a difference between East Coast and West Coast US technology?
Anuk Fernando (18:26)
We are all equal risk takers, I would say, when it comes to innovation in the US. That is because if you fail, people look down on you. We have the opportunity to fail and fail fast, which allows us to build faster. In most cultures, if you fail, it's not a good thing. You get looked down upon.
In the US, we allow you to fail, and that is OK. It also allows us to have rapid innovation.
Jackie Morreale (18:51)
Isn't that what innovation is? I love that you've pulled that together into one thought: rapid growth, innovation, a willingness to fail, and a culture that's an amazing fostering ground for technology.
Anuk Fernando (19:04)
Another great thing in the tech field, for folks who want to get into the tech field, is the work-life balance, at least in the sales roles. It allows us a lot of freedom. As long as you're a good worker and work on making your goals, and you have a plan ahead of you for the next year. Most tech companies are very accommodating of their employees.
Jackie Morreale (19:23)
Have you learned anything about yourself based on your experience in the tech industry roles in your career?
Anuk Fernando (19:32)
Yeah, having worked in different roles, I've learned what my capabilities are over the years. I always thought I would be an engineer for life. I will be an architect for life. Almost every five years, I've been changing roles, and that mentality of doing something for life just goes away. I appreciate being given the chance to explore different areas within firms.
Jackie Morreale (19:52)
How amazing is that to work in technology, evolving and growing, and there's always more capacity for innovation?
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to someone who's looking to start a career in technology, say in New York City, or in the US?
Anuk Fernando (20:10)
The world is changing quite fast in the tech world. You're probably seeing a lot of posts online. Everybody's saying AI is going to take over. Everybody's going to lose their jobs. I think it's the contrary, depending on how you look at it.
AI is not going anywhere. AI is something that we've always had. People just didn't know about it.
We used to call it machine learning 10 - 15 years ago. ChatGPT just made it more prevalent. People were like, 'We could use ChatGPT instead of using a search engine'.
Anyone going into a tech career needs to understand AI, or in fact any career, should adopt the AI+ mindset.
Use AI to empower your jobs, empower what you're doing.
This way, AI is not going to replace you. It's about understanding how AI can help you. Don't just use AI monotonously to get every answer, but learn how to use AI properly by learning how to prompt.
Then use AI to expand your knowledge base.
I mentioned how teens are using Notebook LM. That's a great use case to start. Learn how to provide some data back to AI so that you can now learn back from AI when it questions you. I would say that's one of the biggest things.
Don't block it. It's not going away.
Adopt an AI+ mindset, learn how to use it in a more efficient manner. Every job will be affected to some extent. Learn how to use it, don't fight it.
(Continued below)
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(Continued)
Jackie Morreale (21:37)
I agree. I think that's part of your background in modernization and understanding that this is a tool that we can all use to grow. And how we're using it is changing.
So how could this not help what we're already doing across all different roles, not just technology or sales?
Anuk Fernando (21:51)
One of the things is understanding bias. Security and bias. That's another thing that folks need to understand when getting into tech.
Instead of just using AI, learn how AI is providing an answer, and then figure out how you can validate that.
In the tech world, we call it hallucinations when AI provides a bad result. But you would only know if it's a bad result if you know the right answers.
The key is to understand and learn about where the content is coming from. Because even AI can crawl the web and get content from websites that are not accurate.
Jackie Morreale (22:29)
Exactly right.
Anuk Fernando (22:30)
In terms of folks going into the industry, a lot of computer science or MIS students would say, 'I want to be a software engineer,' right off the bat, and aim for software engineer roles immediately. Consider high-demand entry points in the tech field.
Everybody wants to be a software engineer. There's only X number of software engineering jobs out there.
There are many jobs that revolve around IT support, automation analysts, product support specialists, and folks who support specific product engineering groups. These are entry-level jobs that you can get.
There's a ton of those out there that will give you an idea of what this company does. How can I now move myself in different layers?
Wanting to be a software engineer right off the bat is great, but there are not a lot of jobs out there because everybody wants to be one.
Jackie Morreale (23:20)
Everybody wants to be a software engineer. Everybody wants to build that new app that solves problems.
Everybody who wants to have the career that you have, Anuk Fernando! It must be an amazing feeling.
Anuk Fernando (23:31)
I had to climb the ladder. I couldn't just get to where I was without doing the grunt work. When folks say, 'I want to be a software engineer', I think that the expectation is that you're going to get a high-paying role at a leading software company, a hardware company, or a startup. You're going to be building some amazing front-end or amazing app.
Unless you're an innovator, unless you're the one who's coming up with the idea, all other software engineers are literally tasked with coding a component of an application.
It's easier to jump into a role that gives you an idea of what a company does before you get to that role, which is what we had to do back in the day.
We couldn't just become software engineers or program managers. I think having that open-mindedness would help students today.
Jackie Morreale (24:20)
Do you think students looking to get into entry-level technology jobs need a skill set that involves working with teams? If you're just building a component, that means it's layered with many other components.
Any other stuff might that might help with breaking into the industry?
Anuk Fernando (24:37)
Today, when we recruit, we always look at what projects people have done in real life.
You could have done part-time work, like I used to do in college, building websites for folks.
These days, people do things like VLOGs. You can record a two-minute video explaining why you built something. YouTube, you could contribute to what we call open source libraries. Open source software has a lot of online libraries where you can contribute towards certain projects.
When your recruiter or hiring manager sees that, they would know that you were just not some software developer that you say you are, but you actually provided some kind of feedback or provided content to an open source library. That validates what you've done.
You could also do certifications. We used to do a lot of different technology certifications. Today, you could certify yourself on AWS, Google, Microsoft, different security vendors, hardware vendors, you name it. Those certifications validate that you've learned something and have some standard when it comes to technology.
Jackie Morreale (25:36)
So interesting. Business leaders. I know you've worked with enterprise.
It is becoming more and more common for businesses to experience cyber attacks. This is one of your specialties.
How can businesses protect their websites, communication systems, networks, and themselves in general from cyber attacks? Are there any specific systems or software or expertise that you might be able to recommend applying to business procedures in 2026 and beyond?
Anuk Fernando (26:06)
In 2026, cybersecurity really has shifted from what we call a defensive wall to a mindset of building a resilient system. That's because attackers now use AI to find and exploit vulnerabilities in hours, rather than weeks. This is the bad of AI, right?
Business owners need to ensure they can protect their systems equally because threat actors are using automation and AI to really get intelligence about what they do.
In 2026, you've got to have a mindset of what we call in my company, zero trust.
Zero trust is essentially going against what we used to do back in the day, which is trusting anyone inside the office network. If you were in an office, you usually trusted people because they were employees. That is long gone, because even employees sometimes cannot be trusted. We call that Zero Trust Architecture.
It's an industry standard now. It's really good for companies to understand that there could be threat actors because our workforce has changed. We are no longer working from a single office or even multiple offices. It's remote workers. It's people you might not have even seen before because they might be working in another country remotely accessing your network.
That's one of the biggest things, to make a strategy where you build a Zero Trust model for security so that you understand who your customers are, who your employees are, and who your partners are, because they're all pretty much in the same bucket going forward.
Second, you've got to guard your communication systems. Email security, phishing, and anti-phishing are huge components in security these days. There are a lot of phishing emails being sent to C-level folks. The threat actors are using AI to build those emails.
In fact, in New York state, threat actors are using public information that's published about businesses in certain websites. They're using that content and sending compliance emails to those organizations, saying that they are not meeting compliance, as if it's a government organization, and fining them $500.
Jackie Morreale (28:13)
My gosh, but you know about this because you put a stop to it?
Anuk Fernando (28:17)
We are actively working on it.
You can find online details about many businesses today because it's public data. These AI-based phishing attackers are now using that public data to go back and say, 'Hey, you are not protecting your data and the government is fining $500,' and they're acting like they're the government.
Jackie Morreale (28:34)
Oh my gosh, and the government is not involved; this is just people using AI for their own purposes to collect $500 fraudulently. It's scary.
So AI for good, AI for bad.
Beyond Zero Trust and defending your systems, is there any more futureproofing that business leaders can do to keep themselves from vulnerabilities, like AI-based attacks?
Anuk Fernando (29:00)
I think that's where my company comes into play. We're in the forefront of AI security, probably one of the only companies out there for certain features that are available right now.
Due to our global presence, we run about 20% of the internet worldwide.
Because of that insight, we can see threats globally at any given time. Our network essentially communicates in less than 50 milliseconds around the world.
We can protect websites, protect applications, protect companies by safeguarding them as we have inherent data capabilities around the world.
If you see a threat actor somewhere in Asia or South America, because of our presence in those locations, we block the threat right there instead of having it traverse the globe or reach the US or your organization.
When it comes to AI security, because of how people are using AI to manipulate websites, we have this technology called Web Application Firewalls (WAF) where we can control how AI tools are looking at your website and sometimes ingesting data or even trying to manipulate your website.
Typically, when a person visits your website, it's a human.
Today, you have AI bots accessing websites.
For a large organization, or a small organization that isn't expecting a massive volume of folks trying to access your website, and you have no idea you're going to have a million hits, and your website isn't configured properly, the website could go down. That's called DDoS Mitigation. It's a denial-of-service attack: sending a lot of traffic to you. We act as a man in the middle by taking that attack and only passing the good requests to your website and taking the attack ourselves.
We do that with AI bots as well, so if AI bots are attacking you or any organization we protect, we handle the threat. We take the hit and don't let it go to your websites.
There are a lot of security features that people can implement. I'm sure there will be a lot of other companies that come up with these technologies as years go by, that folks will adopt and adapt as the AI landscape changes. You just have to keep up with it.
(Continued below)
Jackie Morreale (21:37)
I agree. I think that's part of your background in modernization and understanding that this is a tool that we can all use to grow. And how we're using it is changing.
So how could this not help what we're already doing across all different roles, not just technology or sales?
Anuk Fernando (21:51)
One of the things is understanding bias. Security and bias. That's another thing that folks need to understand when getting into tech.
Instead of just using AI, learn how AI is providing an answer, and then figure out how you can validate that.
In the tech world, we call it hallucinations when AI provides a bad result. But you would only know if it's a bad result if you know the right answers.
The key is to understand and learn about where the content is coming from. Because even AI can crawl the web and get content from websites that are not accurate.
Jackie Morreale (22:29)
Exactly right.
Anuk Fernando (22:30)
In terms of folks going into the industry, a lot of computer science or MIS students would say, 'I want to be a software engineer,' right off the bat, and aim for software engineer roles immediately. Consider high-demand entry points in the tech field.
Everybody wants to be a software engineer. There's only X number of software engineering jobs out there.
There are many jobs that revolve around IT support, automation analysts, product support specialists, and folks who support specific product engineering groups. These are entry-level jobs that you can get.
There's a ton of those out there that will give you an idea of what this company does. How can I now move myself in different layers?
Wanting to be a software engineer right off the bat is great, but there are not a lot of jobs out there because everybody wants to be one.
Jackie Morreale (23:20)
Everybody wants to be a software engineer. Everybody wants to build that new app that solves problems.
Everybody who wants to have the career that you have, Anuk Fernando! It must be an amazing feeling.
Anuk Fernando (23:31)
I had to climb the ladder. I couldn't just get to where I was without doing the grunt work. When folks say, 'I want to be a software engineer', I think that the expectation is that you're going to get a high-paying role at a leading software company, a hardware company, or a startup. You're going to be building some amazing front-end or amazing app.
Unless you're an innovator, unless you're the one who's coming up with the idea, all other software engineers are literally tasked with coding a component of an application.
It's easier to jump into a role that gives you an idea of what a company does before you get to that role, which is what we had to do back in the day.
We couldn't just become software engineers or program managers. I think having that open-mindedness would help students today.
Jackie Morreale (24:20)
Do you think students looking to get into entry-level technology jobs need a skill set that involves working with teams? If you're just building a component, that means it's layered with many other components.
Any other stuff might that might help with breaking into the industry?
Anuk Fernando (24:37)
Today, when we recruit, we always look at what projects people have done in real life.
You could have done part-time work, like I used to do in college, building websites for folks.
These days, people do things like VLOGs. You can record a two-minute video explaining why you built something. YouTube, you could contribute to what we call open source libraries. Open source software has a lot of online libraries where you can contribute towards certain projects.
When your recruiter or hiring manager sees that, they would know that you were just not some software developer that you say you are, but you actually provided some kind of feedback or provided content to an open source library. That validates what you've done.
You could also do certifications. We used to do a lot of different technology certifications. Today, you could certify yourself on AWS, Google, Microsoft, different security vendors, hardware vendors, you name it. Those certifications validate that you've learned something and have some standard when it comes to technology.
Jackie Morreale (25:36)
So interesting. Business leaders. I know you've worked with enterprise.
It is becoming more and more common for businesses to experience cyber attacks. This is one of your specialties.
How can businesses protect their websites, communication systems, networks, and themselves in general from cyber attacks? Are there any specific systems or software or expertise that you might be able to recommend applying to business procedures in 2026 and beyond?
Anuk Fernando (26:06)
In 2026, cybersecurity really has shifted from what we call a defensive wall to a mindset of building a resilient system. That's because attackers now use AI to find and exploit vulnerabilities in hours, rather than weeks. This is the bad of AI, right?
Business owners need to ensure they can protect their systems equally because threat actors are using automation and AI to really get intelligence about what they do.
In 2026, you've got to have a mindset of what we call in my company, zero trust.
Zero trust is essentially going against what we used to do back in the day, which is trusting anyone inside the office network. If you were in an office, you usually trusted people because they were employees. That is long gone, because even employees sometimes cannot be trusted. We call that Zero Trust Architecture.
It's an industry standard now. It's really good for companies to understand that there could be threat actors because our workforce has changed. We are no longer working from a single office or even multiple offices. It's remote workers. It's people you might not have even seen before because they might be working in another country remotely accessing your network.
That's one of the biggest things, to make a strategy where you build a Zero Trust model for security so that you understand who your customers are, who your employees are, and who your partners are, because they're all pretty much in the same bucket going forward.
Second, you've got to guard your communication systems. Email security, phishing, and anti-phishing are huge components in security these days. There are a lot of phishing emails being sent to C-level folks. The threat actors are using AI to build those emails.
In fact, in New York state, threat actors are using public information that's published about businesses in certain websites. They're using that content and sending compliance emails to those organizations, saying that they are not meeting compliance, as if it's a government organization, and fining them $500.
Jackie Morreale (28:13)
My gosh, but you know about this because you put a stop to it?
Anuk Fernando (28:17)
We are actively working on it.
You can find online details about many businesses today because it's public data. These AI-based phishing attackers are now using that public data to go back and say, 'Hey, you are not protecting your data and the government is fining $500,' and they're acting like they're the government.
Jackie Morreale (28:34)
Oh my gosh, and the government is not involved; this is just people using AI for their own purposes to collect $500 fraudulently. It's scary.
So AI for good, AI for bad.
Beyond Zero Trust and defending your systems, is there any more futureproofing that business leaders can do to keep themselves from vulnerabilities, like AI-based attacks?
Anuk Fernando (29:00)
I think that's where my company comes into play. We're in the forefront of AI security, probably one of the only companies out there for certain features that are available right now.
Due to our global presence, we run about 20% of the internet worldwide.
Because of that insight, we can see threats globally at any given time. Our network essentially communicates in less than 50 milliseconds around the world.
We can protect websites, protect applications, protect companies by safeguarding them as we have inherent data capabilities around the world.
If you see a threat actor somewhere in Asia or South America, because of our presence in those locations, we block the threat right there instead of having it traverse the globe or reach the US or your organization.
When it comes to AI security, because of how people are using AI to manipulate websites, we have this technology called Web Application Firewalls (WAF) where we can control how AI tools are looking at your website and sometimes ingesting data or even trying to manipulate your website.
Typically, when a person visits your website, it's a human.
Today, you have AI bots accessing websites.
For a large organization, or a small organization that isn't expecting a massive volume of folks trying to access your website, and you have no idea you're going to have a million hits, and your website isn't configured properly, the website could go down. That's called DDoS Mitigation. It's a denial-of-service attack: sending a lot of traffic to you. We act as a man in the middle by taking that attack and only passing the good requests to your website and taking the attack ourselves.
We do that with AI bots as well, so if AI bots are attacking you or any organization we protect, we handle the threat. We take the hit and don't let it go to your websites.
There are a lot of security features that people can implement. I'm sure there will be a lot of other companies that come up with these technologies as years go by, that folks will adopt and adapt as the AI landscape changes. You just have to keep up with it.
(Continued below)
(Continued)
Jackie Morreale (31:09)
I had no idea that your company protects 20% of business websites out there. That's incredible.
Thank you for explaining DDoS. During my career, that happened while working for different companies. You never think that it's going to happen to your company.
If you are in a place as a business leader where you are developing a new website and looking at different companies to help protect your assets and the site and the network that you've been spending so much time, money, and energy into building, I think it makes sense to protect it and try to future-proof it. That's my two cents.
So first we had the tech pros, we have the business leaders, and now we have parents.
Anuk Fernando (31:47)
Sure.
Jackie Morreale (31:48)
Any advice to parents, like us, who have pre-teens, teenagers, in terms of what technology is ‘helpful’ versus ‘harmful’ for our kids to have access to?
Anuk Fernando (31:59)
Got it. This is something that has changed or will change in 2026, or should change.
The conversation for parents has shifted from how much screen time to what the quality of that time is. There's only so much control you can put since everybody has a device. You can control what they do on the device.
Because AI is integrated into almost every app, the risks and benefits have become more sophisticated.
Even the apps that your kids use have some sort of AI built into them.
Number one, you've got to understand 'helpful' tech. What's active, and what are the creative tools? Notebook LM that would fall under an AI tutoring or companion for your kid. These are based on different age groups.
Another thing that kids like these days is gamified skill building, like music production using an app like BandLab.
There's a coding platform called Swift Playground. These are all gamified solutions that are pretty cool to use and it's not bad for your kids.
Jackie Morreale (32:58)
Teaching an actual skill of music production, something that they like that they could actually get better at and maybe use as a career or a hobby one day. Not just ‘doom scrolling’.
Anuk Fernando (33:08)
Exactly.
Then there are well-being apps that you could use. I give one of my kids a well-being app from my company that we offer. There are apps like Opal and Freedom that let kids focus on something and block out the noise. They're called well-being apps.
Then we've got number two, which we have to really worry about.
So number one was the good stuff.
Number two is the passive or what we call 'harmful' tech, which you referred to as 'doom scrolling'. Infinite scrolling, stuff like TikTok.
Jackie Morreale (33:37)
It affects me as well. I'm a person, and these are our little people. They're still trying to figure out how much time and energy they have to put into things. I know how much I waste on it. I love that there are well-being apps like the one you mentioned from your company, that can cut out that noise and help you focus on what you're trying to get done.
Anuk Fernando (33:49)
Yup. Even with my teenagers who are in high school, I have time limits. some of these social media apps are used by teenagers because they're actually being used even in school for their clubs, et cetera. You can't totally block it, but you can put time limits around it. So I would say platforms like TikTok, anything to do with reels, and YouTube shorts.
You've got to watch out for it. There could be a red flag here and there. AI-generated deepfakes. That is not a problem just for kids, but also for adults.
Jackie Morreale (34:28)
That one you're going to have to dig a little deeper into, because I don't know what that is. I probably do, but I never heard the term.
Anuk Fernando (34:34)
They are targeted AI generated scams or even videos that people watch. You don't realize it's a video. They are often presented as if they were a news article or a reel, shared by a famous blogger, or even by religious groups. You might think it's truly a religious post.
It's very often that you believe it's got to be true. The Deepfake videos and Deepfake sites are something to watch out for.
Some recommendations for apps? If it's an Apple or Microsoft device, they have really good family control and screen time controls. Parents should definitely look at that. Bark is a very famous app that a lot of people use in a lot of schools.
In terms of watching movies, reading, my wife and I use Common Sense Media, which is the gold standard for checking if a game, a movie, whatever you're watching, is age-appropriate before you get it.
Jackie Morreale (35:26)
It takes a village! A quantified way of knowing what you're allowing your kids to experience is of an age-appropriate level. I think that's great advice.
Is there an ideal age or maturity level, in your opinion, at which you can start allowing your kids to become more involved in these mobile apps or communication apps?
Anuk Fernando (35:46)
The ideal age is, I would say, less specific about the birthday and more about a transition from supervision to mentorship.
Every kid is different in terms of their growth. Age 13 is the legal minimum for a lot of different applications that are out there.
The trend is to wait until eighth grade to allow a lot of different social media apps. I know across the world, in Australia specifically, they passed a law to allow social media only after 16. There are certain states in the US looking at it as well. I'm not sure if that'll work here in the US, but I know in Australia that was
Jackie Morreale (36:27)
In Florida, the kids are not allowed to use phones in middle school, all school day long. It is an ‘off-and-away’ policy.
I do understand that kids will be exposed to technology. We just have to do it in a way that is safe for them.
Anuk Fernando (36:44)
Right. Some of the things my wife and I have done are having some control and rules.
Physical responsibility. Are you physically responsible for the devices and equipment your parents gave you?
Two, impulse control. Do they use the devices during dinner? Are there rules around no screen time during dinner?
Then, social cues. Does your child understand empathy so that they can be given access to certain social media apps? Lack of empathy is what usually causes bullying. There's a time in everybody's life when they understand that, and it might not be based on a birthday.
Jackie Morreale (37:18)
It's uncharted waters, because growing up, parents didn't have to think about any of these things. I knew growing up during dinner, if the phone rang, we were not picking it up, but it was a home phone. wasn't, it was on a wall.
Anuk Fernando (37:29)
We have four.
Jackie Morreale (37:31)
I think that it’s amazing to think about your kids and where they are on their journey of their empathy and whether they're able to cope.
I think the dinner rule is timeless.
Anuk Fernando, shout-outs to anyone that you'd like to thank for helping you get to where you've gotten in your career today?
Anuk Fernando (37:49)
I would first shout out to my parents for trusting me enough to send me across the globe for my studies. I traveled alone from Cyprus to here and then figured things out.
Then of course, the managers I've had over my lifetime who've given me chances and opportunities to take the risks, try different things in the technology world, and really, who trusted my intelligence to give me the start in technology.
Jackie Morreale (38:12)
By the way, if your kids told you that they want to move across the globe for their schooling and career, would you be as cool with it as your parents were when you told them?
Anuk Fernando (38:22)
I don’t think I would be. I don't think I had a choice living in the Middle East. We didn't have foreign universities to attend. We had to go somewhere. We had to choose between US, UK, or Australia. That's what made me move.
For my kids who are already in the US, the sky's the limit here. I don't see a reason to go anywhere else.
Jackie Morreale (38:40)
Agree. Any new projects that you're looking to promote? What is next for you, Anuk Fernando?
Anuk Fernando (38:48)
In terms of a project, we have initiated this year to hire 1,111 interns.
A specific number, 1111, because that's how we started, which is what we call DNS, which is how main name servers work. That's our address, 1.1.1.1 .
While many tech companies are downsizing or relying solely on AI, Cloudflare is promoting this as a bet on human talent this year.
So, we are tasking these 1,111 interns, to find creative ways to apply AI to the internet's foundational infrastructure.
We're going to help students apply AI to make the internet a better place.
Jackie Morreale (39:35)
Wow. Can there be a better project to promote than that?
Anuk Fernando (39:38)
I hope students hear this and apply!
Jackie Morreale (39:42)
Is there an application deadline?
Anuk Fernando (39:43)
Our website's already up. The jobs are already posted. The majority of the folks, I believe, will work in the summer.
Jackie Morreale (39:49)
That's an incredible project, an incredible talent pool. I can't wait to see what becomes of it. I'm pretty sure that your bet on humanity is going to be for the win!
Anuk Fernando (39:58)
That's the goal.
Jackie Morreale (39:59)
Thank you so much, Anuk, for being here. I've learned so much from you. Have a wonderful day.
Anuk Fernando (40:04)
Thank you very much for having me and hosting. I appreciate it.
To learn more about Cloudflare's Internship Program, visit: cloudflare.com/careers/jobs
Jackie Morreale (31:09)
I had no idea that your company protects 20% of business websites out there. That's incredible.
Thank you for explaining DDoS. During my career, that happened while working for different companies. You never think that it's going to happen to your company.
If you are in a place as a business leader where you are developing a new website and looking at different companies to help protect your assets and the site and the network that you've been spending so much time, money, and energy into building, I think it makes sense to protect it and try to future-proof it. That's my two cents.
So first we had the tech pros, we have the business leaders, and now we have parents.
Anuk Fernando (31:47)
Sure.
Jackie Morreale (31:48)
Any advice to parents, like us, who have pre-teens, teenagers, in terms of what technology is ‘helpful’ versus ‘harmful’ for our kids to have access to?
Anuk Fernando (31:59)
Got it. This is something that has changed or will change in 2026, or should change.
The conversation for parents has shifted from how much screen time to what the quality of that time is. There's only so much control you can put since everybody has a device. You can control what they do on the device.
Because AI is integrated into almost every app, the risks and benefits have become more sophisticated.
Even the apps that your kids use have some sort of AI built into them.
Number one, you've got to understand 'helpful' tech. What's active, and what are the creative tools? Notebook LM that would fall under an AI tutoring or companion for your kid. These are based on different age groups.
Another thing that kids like these days is gamified skill building, like music production using an app like BandLab.
There's a coding platform called Swift Playground. These are all gamified solutions that are pretty cool to use and it's not bad for your kids.
Jackie Morreale (32:58)
Teaching an actual skill of music production, something that they like that they could actually get better at and maybe use as a career or a hobby one day. Not just ‘doom scrolling’.
Anuk Fernando (33:08)
Exactly.
Then there are well-being apps that you could use. I give one of my kids a well-being app from my company that we offer. There are apps like Opal and Freedom that let kids focus on something and block out the noise. They're called well-being apps.
Then we've got number two, which we have to really worry about.
So number one was the good stuff.
Number two is the passive or what we call 'harmful' tech, which you referred to as 'doom scrolling'. Infinite scrolling, stuff like TikTok.
Jackie Morreale (33:37)
It affects me as well. I'm a person, and these are our little people. They're still trying to figure out how much time and energy they have to put into things. I know how much I waste on it. I love that there are well-being apps like the one you mentioned from your company, that can cut out that noise and help you focus on what you're trying to get done.
Anuk Fernando (33:49)
Yup. Even with my teenagers who are in high school, I have time limits. some of these social media apps are used by teenagers because they're actually being used even in school for their clubs, et cetera. You can't totally block it, but you can put time limits around it. So I would say platforms like TikTok, anything to do with reels, and YouTube shorts.
You've got to watch out for it. There could be a red flag here and there. AI-generated deepfakes. That is not a problem just for kids, but also for adults.
Jackie Morreale (34:28)
That one you're going to have to dig a little deeper into, because I don't know what that is. I probably do, but I never heard the term.
Anuk Fernando (34:34)
They are targeted AI generated scams or even videos that people watch. You don't realize it's a video. They are often presented as if they were a news article or a reel, shared by a famous blogger, or even by religious groups. You might think it's truly a religious post.
It's very often that you believe it's got to be true. The Deepfake videos and Deepfake sites are something to watch out for.
Some recommendations for apps? If it's an Apple or Microsoft device, they have really good family control and screen time controls. Parents should definitely look at that. Bark is a very famous app that a lot of people use in a lot of schools.
In terms of watching movies, reading, my wife and I use Common Sense Media, which is the gold standard for checking if a game, a movie, whatever you're watching, is age-appropriate before you get it.
Jackie Morreale (35:26)
It takes a village! A quantified way of knowing what you're allowing your kids to experience is of an age-appropriate level. I think that's great advice.
Is there an ideal age or maturity level, in your opinion, at which you can start allowing your kids to become more involved in these mobile apps or communication apps?
Anuk Fernando (35:46)
The ideal age is, I would say, less specific about the birthday and more about a transition from supervision to mentorship.
Every kid is different in terms of their growth. Age 13 is the legal minimum for a lot of different applications that are out there.
The trend is to wait until eighth grade to allow a lot of different social media apps. I know across the world, in Australia specifically, they passed a law to allow social media only after 16. There are certain states in the US looking at it as well. I'm not sure if that'll work here in the US, but I know in Australia that was
Jackie Morreale (36:27)
In Florida, the kids are not allowed to use phones in middle school, all school day long. It is an ‘off-and-away’ policy.
I do understand that kids will be exposed to technology. We just have to do it in a way that is safe for them.
Anuk Fernando (36:44)
Right. Some of the things my wife and I have done are having some control and rules.
Physical responsibility. Are you physically responsible for the devices and equipment your parents gave you?
Two, impulse control. Do they use the devices during dinner? Are there rules around no screen time during dinner?
Then, social cues. Does your child understand empathy so that they can be given access to certain social media apps? Lack of empathy is what usually causes bullying. There's a time in everybody's life when they understand that, and it might not be based on a birthday.
Jackie Morreale (37:18)
It's uncharted waters, because growing up, parents didn't have to think about any of these things. I knew growing up during dinner, if the phone rang, we were not picking it up, but it was a home phone. wasn't, it was on a wall.
Anuk Fernando (37:29)
We have four.
Jackie Morreale (37:31)
I think that it’s amazing to think about your kids and where they are on their journey of their empathy and whether they're able to cope.
I think the dinner rule is timeless.
Anuk Fernando, shout-outs to anyone that you'd like to thank for helping you get to where you've gotten in your career today?
Anuk Fernando (37:49)
I would first shout out to my parents for trusting me enough to send me across the globe for my studies. I traveled alone from Cyprus to here and then figured things out.
Then of course, the managers I've had over my lifetime who've given me chances and opportunities to take the risks, try different things in the technology world, and really, who trusted my intelligence to give me the start in technology.
Jackie Morreale (38:12)
By the way, if your kids told you that they want to move across the globe for their schooling and career, would you be as cool with it as your parents were when you told them?
Anuk Fernando (38:22)
I don’t think I would be. I don't think I had a choice living in the Middle East. We didn't have foreign universities to attend. We had to go somewhere. We had to choose between US, UK, or Australia. That's what made me move.
For my kids who are already in the US, the sky's the limit here. I don't see a reason to go anywhere else.
Jackie Morreale (38:40)
Agree. Any new projects that you're looking to promote? What is next for you, Anuk Fernando?
Anuk Fernando (38:48)
In terms of a project, we have initiated this year to hire 1,111 interns.
A specific number, 1111, because that's how we started, which is what we call DNS, which is how main name servers work. That's our address, 1.1.1.1 .
While many tech companies are downsizing or relying solely on AI, Cloudflare is promoting this as a bet on human talent this year.
So, we are tasking these 1,111 interns, to find creative ways to apply AI to the internet's foundational infrastructure.
We're going to help students apply AI to make the internet a better place.
Jackie Morreale (39:35)
Wow. Can there be a better project to promote than that?
Anuk Fernando (39:38)
I hope students hear this and apply!
Jackie Morreale (39:42)
Is there an application deadline?
Anuk Fernando (39:43)
Our website's already up. The jobs are already posted. The majority of the folks, I believe, will work in the summer.
Jackie Morreale (39:49)
That's an incredible project, an incredible talent pool. I can't wait to see what becomes of it. I'm pretty sure that your bet on humanity is going to be for the win!
Anuk Fernando (39:58)
That's the goal.
Jackie Morreale (39:59)
Thank you so much, Anuk, for being here. I've learned so much from you. Have a wonderful day.
Anuk Fernando (40:04)
Thank you very much for having me and hosting. I appreciate it.
To learn more about Cloudflare's Internship Program, visit: cloudflare.com/careers/jobs
Apply Now: Cloudflare's 1,111 Internship Program
Continued reading, recommended by Anuk Fernando:
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It―Unlock Your Persuasion Potential in Professional and Personal Life. Published May 17, 2016. By Chris Voss (Author), Tahl Raz (Author).
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