1. What is a Security Engineer at DXC Technology?

As a Security Engineer at DXC Technology, you are the frontline defender of complex, global enterprise networks. DXC Technology manages the mission-critical IT infrastructure for some of the world's largest companies, which means the security solutions you design, deploy, and maintain directly impact the operational resilience of millions of users. You will not just be managing isolated systems; you will be safeguarding interconnected, multi-tenant environments against sophisticated threats.

This role is highly strategic and heavily operational. You will be responsible for defining perimeter defenses, ensuring secure remote access, and maintaining continuous uptime for critical business applications. Your work will frequently involve advanced firewall management, particularly with industry-leading platforms like Palo Alto Networks, and you will be expected to navigate the intricacies of secure site-to-site communications and high-availability architectures.

What makes this position uniquely interesting at DXC Technology is the sheer scale and diversity of the client environments. You will encounter unique legacy systems integrating with modern cloud infrastructures, requiring a deep, practical understanding of network security. Expect to be challenged daily with complex, scenario-based problems that require both sharp technical acumen and a steady, methodical approach to troubleshooting.

2. Common Interview Questions

The questions you will face at DXC Technology are highly practical. Interviewers use these questions to gauge how you would handle the exact types of tickets and escalations you will see on the job. Use the examples below to practice structuring your troubleshooting methodology.

Palo Alto & Firewall Fundamentals

These questions test your core competency with the primary security platform used in this role.

• Walk me through the packet flow inside a Palo Alto firewall. Where does NAT occur?
• How does App-ID differ from traditional port-based firewall rules?
• What is the difference between Security Policies and NAT Policies, and in what order are they evaluated?
• Explain how you would perform a packet capture directly on a Palo Alto firewall interface.
• How do you manage and push policies using Panorama?

IPSEC VPN Configurations

Expect deep-dive questions on establishing and fixing secure site-to-site tunnels.

• Explain the difference between IKEv1 and IKEv2.
• What are the main differences between Main Mode and Aggressive Mode in Phase 1?
• You are setting up a VPN with a third party, and Phase 1 is failing. What specific parameters do you check first?
• How does NAT-Traversal work, and why is it necessary for IPSEC VPNs?
• How do you troubleshoot a VPN tunnel that shows as "up" but is not passing any traffic?

High Availability (HA) & Architecture

These assess your ability to design and maintain resilient enterprise networks.

• What are the requirements for setting up an Active/Passive HA pair in Palo Alto?
• Explain the difference between HA1 and HA2 links. What traffic traverses each?
• What is a split-brain scenario in an HA cluster, and how do you prevent it?
• How do you force a failover manually, and what checks do you perform beforehand?
• Describe a scenario where you might choose Active/Active HA over Active/Passive.

Scenario-Based Troubleshooting

These test your logical approach to resolving complex, ambiguous network issues.

• A client reports that a critical application is intermittently dropping connections. How do you isolate whether the firewall is the cause?
• You see asymmetric routing occurring on the network. How does a stateful firewall handle this, and how do you fix it?
• A newly deployed firewall rule is not blocking the intended traffic. Walk me through your troubleshooting steps.

Behavioral & HR Questions

These ensure you have the communication skills and resilience required for a global enterprise environment.

• Tell me about a time you made a critical mistake on a production network. How did you handle it?
• Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex technical outage to a non-technical client.
• How do you prioritize your work when faced with multiple high-severity incidents at the same time?

3. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for the Security Engineer interviews requires a balance of deep technical review and practical, scenario-based thinking. Interviewers at DXC Technology are looking for candidates who can bridge the gap between textbook security concepts and real-world operational challenges.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

• Core Network Security Knowledge – This is the foundation of your evaluation. You must demonstrate a robust understanding of network perimeters, firewall architectures, and secure communication protocols. Interviewers will test your depth in specific vendor technologies, most notably Palo Alto, as well as your grasp of underlying network fundamentals.
• Scenario-Based Troubleshooting – DXC Technology highly values engineers who can systematically diagnose and resolve issues. You will be evaluated on how you approach broken architectures, such as dropped VPN tunnels or failover synchronization errors, and how logically you isolate the root cause.
• Operational Reliability – Enterprise clients demand high uptime. Your ability to design, configure, and troubleshoot High Availability (HA) setups and redundant systems will be a major focal point. You must show that you understand how to maintain security without sacrificing availability.
• Communication and Client-Centricity – Because you will be supporting critical enterprise infrastructure, your ability to articulate complex technical issues to both technical peers and non-technical stakeholders is vital. The HR and behavioral rounds will heavily weigh your professionalism, teamwork, and cultural fit.

4. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Security Engineer at DXC Technology is generally described by candidates as smooth, well-structured, and highly practical. You will not typically face abstract brainteasers; instead, the process is designed to evaluate how you would perform on the job on day one. The overall difficulty is considered medium, with a strong emphasis on your hands-on experience rather than rote memorization.

Typically, the process consists of three main stages: two technical rounds and one HR/behavioral round. The technical rounds are deeply conversational and scenario-driven. Interviewers will probe your resume to validate your experience, quickly moving into practical troubleshooting exercises. You will be asked to walk through how you would configure specific firewall features or resolve common network outages.

The final HR round focuses on your career trajectory, your ability to handle high-pressure operational environments, and your alignment with the core values of DXC Technology. This round ensures you possess the communication skills necessary to thrive in a highly collaborative, globally distributed team.

The visual timeline above outlines the typical progression from initial screening through the technical deep dives and final HR evaluation. Use this to pace your preparation: focus heavily on your core technical and troubleshooting skills for the first two stages, and reserve time to practice your behavioral responses and professional narrative for the final HR round.

5. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed in the technical rounds, you need to anticipate the specific domains your interviewers will focus on. The technical evaluations at DXC Technology heavily favor applied knowledge over theoretical concepts.

Firewall Architecture and Management (Palo Alto Focus)

Firewalls are the core of this role. You will be expected to have a strong command of next-generation firewall (NGFW) concepts, with a particular emphasis on Palo Alto Networks. Interviewers want to see that you understand how to manage policies, configure security profiles, and utilize advanced features to protect enterprise perimeters.

Be ready to go over:

• Packet Flow – A deep understanding of how a packet traverses a firewall, including NAT, policy evaluation, and inspection phases.
• App-ID and User-ID – How to implement and troubleshoot application-layer and user-based routing and security policies.
• Security Profiles – Configuring and tuning Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, Vulnerability Protection, and URL Filtering.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Panorama management, template stacking, and zero-trust architecture implementations.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through the exact packet flow when a user attempts to access an external website through a Palo Alto firewall."
• "How would you migrate a legacy port-based rule to an App-ID based rule without causing an outage?"

IPSEC VPNs and Cryptography

Secure communication between sites is a critical responsibility. You will be tested extensively on your knowledge of Virtual Private Networks, specifically IPSEC VPNs. You must understand the underlying cryptography, the negotiation phases, and how to build robust, secure tunnels.

Be ready to go over:

• IKE Phases – The differences between IKE Phase 1 and Phase 2, including Main Mode vs. Aggressive Mode.
• Cryptographic Protocols – Understanding ESP, AH, encryption algorithms (AES), and hashing algorithms (SHA).
• NAT-Traversal (NAT-T) – How and why NAT-T is used when establishing VPNs across intermediate firewalls or routers.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Explain the steps of IKE Phase 1 negotiation. What parameters must match for it to succeed?"
• "A site-to-site IPSEC VPN is down. Phase 1 is up, but Phase 2 is failing. What are the most likely causes and how do you troubleshoot them?"

High Availability (HA) and Redundancy

Because DXC Technology supports mission-critical environments, downtime is unacceptable. You will be evaluated on your ability to configure and troubleshoot High Availability (HA) pairs to ensure seamless failover during hardware or software failures.

Be ready to go over:

• Active/Passive vs. Active/Active – The use cases, benefits, and drawbacks of different HA deployments.
• HA Links and Synchronization – The roles of HA1 (Control Link) and HA2 (Data Link), and how state synchronization works.
• Split Brain Scenarios – How to identify, prevent, and recover from a split-brain situation in a firewall cluster.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "What happens to existing TCP sessions during an Active/Passive failover event on a Palo Alto firewall?"
• "You notice that your secondary firewall is marked as 'Suspended'. How do you investigate and resolve this HA state issue?"

Basic Network Troubleshooting

A Security Engineer must be a strong network engineer first. You will face scenarios that require you to diagnose routing, switching, and connectivity issues that intersect with security policies.

Be ready to go over:

• Routing Protocols – Basic understanding of OSPF, BGP, and static routing as they apply to firewall traffic forwarding.
• TCP/IP Fundamentals – The TCP 3-way handshake, subnetting, and analyzing packet captures (PCAPs).
• Diagnostic Tools – Effectively using ping, traceroute, telnet, and firewall-specific diagnostic commands.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "A user complains they cannot reach a specific server on a different subnet. Walk me through your troubleshooting steps from the client machine to the firewall."

6. Key Responsibilities

As a Security Engineer at DXC Technology, your day-to-day work will revolve around maintaining the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of client networks. You will be the primary technical owner for perimeter security devices, responsible for designing, deploying, and continuously optimizing firewall rule sets to align with strict compliance and security standards.

A significant portion of your time will be spent configuring and troubleshooting complex IPSEC VPN tunnels to ensure secure connectivity between global data centers, branch offices, and third-party vendors. When network outages or security incidents occur, you will act as a key escalation point, utilizing packet captures and system logs to perform rapid, scenario-based troubleshooting. You will also be responsible for maintaining High Availability (HA) architectures, performing regular health checks, and executing seamless firmware upgrades with zero downtime.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will work closely with network operations centers (NOCs), security operations centers (SOCs), and direct client stakeholders. This requires you to translate complex security alerts or network disruptions into clear, actionable updates for management and clients, ensuring transparency and trust in DXC Technology's managed services.

7. Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be a highly competitive candidate for the Security Engineer position at DXC Technology, you need a blend of deep vendor-specific knowledge and broad networking fundamentals.

• Must-have skills – Deep hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls is essential. You must be proficient in configuring and troubleshooting IPSEC VPNs, managing High Availability (HA) clusters, and writing secure, efficient firewall policies. A rock-solid understanding of TCP/IP, routing, and switching is non-negotiable.
• Experience level – Typically, successful candidates have 3 to 7 years of dedicated experience in network security or firewall administration. Experience working in a managed services provider (MSP) or large-scale enterprise environment is highly valued.
• Soft skills – You must possess strong analytical problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm under pressure during critical outages. Clear, concise communication skills are required for interacting with clients and cross-functional teams.
• Nice-to-have skills – Familiarity with other firewall vendors (Cisco ASA/Firepower, Fortinet, Check Point) is a strong plus. Experience with cloud security (AWS/Azure network security), automation scripting (Python, Ansible), and centralized management tools like Palo Alto Panorama will make you stand out. Industry certifications such as PCNSA, PCNSE, or CCNP Security are highly regarded.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult are the technical rounds? The difficulty is generally considered medium. The interviewers are not trying to trick you with obscure trivia; they want to see if you can confidently navigate everyday operational challenges, like VPN drops or HA sync issues. If you have solid hands-on experience, you will find the questions fair and practical.

Q: Do I need to know programming or scripting for this role? While deep software engineering skills are not required for a standard Security Engineer role, having basic knowledge of Python or Ansible for firewall automation is a strong "nice-to-have." The core focus, however, remains on network security, firewall configuration, and troubleshooting.

Q: What is the culture like at DXC Technology? DXC Technology is a massive, globally distributed organization. The culture is highly collaborative, process-driven, and client-focused. You will be expected to adhere strictly to ITIL processes (change management, incident management) while working seamlessly with teams across different time zones, such as the major delivery hubs in Pune and other global locations.

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? The process is generally smooth and efficient. From the initial HR screen to the final offer, the timeline usually spans two to three weeks, depending on interviewer availability and how quickly you can schedule the technical rounds.

9. Other General Tips

• Master the Packet Flow: At DXC Technology, understanding exactly how a packet moves through a firewall is your ultimate troubleshooting tool. If you can confidently articulate the order of operations (e.g., ingress, route lookup, NAT evaluation, security policy, egress), you can solve almost any scenario-based question they throw at you.

• Know Your Logs: Be prepared to discuss exactly which logs you would check for specific issues. Differentiate between when you would look at the System log, Traffic log, or Threat log on a Palo Alto device.

• Be Honest About Your Limits: If you are given a scenario and you do not know the exact command or feature, do not guess blindly. Explain how you would find the answer (e.g., consulting vendor documentation, checking specific knowledge base articles) and pivot to what you do know about the underlying protocol.

• Prepare for the HR Round: Do not underestimate the final HR round. DXC Technology values engineers who are professional, accountable, and team-oriented. Prepare specific anecdotes using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that highlight your ability to handle pressure, collaborate with global teams, and communicate effectively with clients.

10. Summary & Next Steps

Securing an offer as a Security Engineer at DXC Technology is an excellent opportunity to work on massive, enterprise-scale networks. You will play a critical role in defending infrastructure, ensuring high availability, and solving complex architectural challenges. The work is impactful, demanding, and highly rewarding for engineers who thrive in operational security environments.

To succeed in your interviews, focus your preparation heavily on practical, scenario-based troubleshooting. Ensure your knowledge of Palo Alto firewalls, IPSEC VPNs, and High Availability (HA) architectures is sharp and ready to be tested in real-world contexts. Remember to communicate your thought process clearly, showing the interviewers not just what you know, but how you apply that knowledge to keep critical systems online.

The compensation data above provides a baseline for what you can expect in this role, though exact figures will vary based on your location, seniority, and specific certifications. Use this information to benchmark your expectations and negotiate confidently once you reach the offer stage.

You have the technical foundation required to excel in this process. Review your core networking concepts, practice walking through troubleshooting scenarios out loud, and approach your interviews with confidence. For additional insights, peer experiences, and preparation tools, continue exploring resources on Dataford. Good luck—you are well-equipped to ace this interview!