Tego’s Dylan Nickels Earns Elite Rubrik Black Belt Certification
Dylan Nickels of Tego has earned the Rubrik Black Belt, the highest-level technical certification for partners in the Rubrik Partner Tech Champions Program. The designation confirms advanced, real-world mastery of cyber resilience and recovery. In addition, Dylan earned the Rubrik Resilience Architect certifications across all four core domains: Identity, Enterprise Data, Cloud Data, and SaaS Data.
What Is the Rubrik Black Belt Certification?
The Rubrik Black Belt is the pinnacle technical certification in the Rubrik partner ecosystem. It signals that a practitioner has moved well beyond theoretical knowledge and demonstrates advanced, real-world mastery of cyber resilience and recovery. As a result, a Black Belt can architect and operate Rubrik solutions at the highest level of proficiency.
What It Takes to Earn a Rubrik Black Belt
The Rubrik Black Belt is not a multiple-choice exam. Rather, it is earned through a rigorous, panel-based evaluation that tests expertise under real-world pressure. Four qualities set the designation apart:
- Rigorous validation. Candidates must design and defend complex cyber-resilience architectures before a panel of Rubrik experts while navigating realistic, high-pressure scenarios.
- Demonstrated expertise. The Black Belt demonstrates that the holder can independently manage complex Rubrik projects, architect advanced solutions, and serve as a trusted advisor to customers.
- A focus on recovery. Reaching this level is about mastering recovery, not just backups. It demonstrates the ability to design architectures that enable organizations to recover confidently during incidents.
- Technical depth. Black Belts possess specialized knowledge across critical resilience domains, including Cloud Data, SaaS Data, Enterprise Data, and Identity and Posture. In turn, this depth aligns with Rubrik’s internal systems engineers.
Throughout the journey, Dylan worked closely with his Rubrik Sensei. Notably, that partnership is a strong example of how field and partner engineering should collaborate.
What Dylan’s Certification Means for Tego
This achievement is a clear signal of Tego’s commitment to deepening its Rubrik expertise. As a result, Tego can architect, deploy, and operate Rubrik solutions with the highest level of proficiency. Moreover, that proficiency matches the depth of Rubrik’s engineering teams.
“Dylan’s Rubrik Black Belt is a reflection of exactly who we are as a company: engineers who deepen their expertise, do the hard work, and hold themselves to the highest standard,” said Nolan Smith, CEO of Tego. “This is one of the most rigorous technical validations in the industry, and earning it says everything about Dylan’s talent, drive, and commitment to our customers. For Tego, it means we can sit down with any organization and confidently promise not just protection, but true recovery and resilience when it matters most. I couldn’t be prouder of Dylan, and this is exactly the kind of excellence we’re building our future on.”
The milestone also reinforces Tego’s engineering-led approach. Specifically, the company invests in certifications, hands-on rigor, and vendor partnerships that translate directly into improved customer outcomes.
Dylan Nickels, Senior Systems Engineer at Tego, described the process: “The Rubrik Tech Champion Black Belt is achieved through a combination of exams and a final, real-time oral evaluation intended to assess the engineer’s product knowledge as well as the ability to map that to real customer needs. This hands-on approach reflects Rubrik’s commitment to demonstrating that their Black Belts possess knowledge that withstands human scrutiny in ways traditional multiple-choice-only exams cannot. I’m proud to have my 8-plus years of in-depth experience with Rubrik recognized by Rubrik’s most advanced certification.”
What It Means for Tego Customers
For Tego customers, Dylan’s Black Belt delivers tangible confidence:
- Resilience by design. Architectures built so you can recover quickly and confidently when an incident occurs, not just to back up your data.
- A trusted advisor. Deep, validated expertise to guide complex projects spanning identity, enterprise data, cloud, and SaaS.
- End-to-end coverage. Certified mastery across the domains that matter most for protecting and recovering critical data.
- Reduced risk. Solutions designed and operated to the same standard as Rubrik’s internal engineers, so you can face today’s threat landscape with greater confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Rubrik Black Belt certification?
The Rubrik Black Belt is the highest-level technical certification for partners in the Rubrik Partner Tech Champions Program. It specifically validates advanced, real-world mastery of cyber resilience and recovery through a panel-based evaluation.
Who at Tego earned the Rubrik Black Belt?
Dylan Nickels of Tego earned the Rubrik Black Belt. He also earned Rubrik Resilience Architect certifications across all four core domains: Identity, Enterprise Data, Cloud Data, and SaaS Data.
How is the Rubrik Black Belt earned?
The Black Belt is earned through a rigorous, panel-based evaluation rather than a multiple-choice exam. Candidates must design and defend complex cyber-resilience architectures before a panel of Rubrik experts.
What does it mean for Tego customers?
Customers gain resilience through design, a trusted advisor, end-to-end coverage, and reduced risk. As a result, they can recover confidently when incidents occur, not just back up their data.
About Tego
Tego is an engineering-led IT and cybersecurity firm headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company delivers security, audit, and compliance services alongside infrastructure, cloud, and managed services. Tego also invests in elite certifications and vendor partnerships that strengthen its customers’ cyber resilience. To learn more, visit tegodata.com.