Author Archives: vikramkalekar

My Playbook: Tools for Smarter Learning

Tools and Techniques for Better Learning: My Personal Playbook If you’re navigating exams, technical certifications, or just a long list of things you want to learn—welcome. Over the years, I’ve explored and refined a few learning strategies that have helped me retain complex material, stay motivated, and actually enjoy the process. Here’s a behind-the-scenes lookContinue reading “My Playbook: Tools for Smarter Learning”

My Cybersecurity journey pitstop – ITIL

A Journey Through ITIL 4: Streamlining Knowledge, One Service at a Time Some certifications sharpen your thinking. Others reframe how you see the organization. And then there are those rare ones—like ITIL 4 Foundation—that do both while bringing clarity to the chaos of service management. After immersing myself in deep technical domains like networking andContinue reading “My Cybersecurity journey pitstop – ITIL”

My Cybersecurity journey pitstop – CISSP

CISSP : A JOURNEY There are very few certifications out there which genuinely makes you feel exalted about your skillset and makes yourself believe more in yourself. CISSP Certification is not exactly something that you just achieve. You need to be really worthy of its code of ethics and embody those principals in the realContinue reading “My Cybersecurity journey pitstop – CISSP”

“starter kits” for folks breaking into cybersecurity

Every journey into cybersecurity begins differently. Mine started with tangled cables, subnet calculators, and Cisco routers. If you’re just stepping into this world or wondering which path leads where—welcome. This is the post I wish I had when I started. Phase One: Grounded in Networking I began as a Network Engineer, navigating the OSI modelContinue reading ““starter kits” for folks breaking into cybersecurity”

The bells of peace

It’s been a hietus from reading for almost 3 years. It’s only when my wife Shruti opened an account with Wilmington public library, I was pulled back  in the world that I used to love so much. I was looking for a book that wasn’t much on page count and something that would inherently attractContinue reading “The bells of peace”

The Secure Gradient Mission Statement

I blend a lifelong curiosity with professional precision to explore the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, identity, and access management. This blog is my digital lab—where I unpack what I learn, challenge what I know, and share practical insights for fellow professionals, curious learners, and forward-thinking technologists. Driven by the spirit of innovation and the beliefContinue reading “The Secure Gradient Mission Statement”