Cohesity Placement Interview Preparation Guide (2025)

🚀 Introduction
🏢 About the Company: Cohesity

Cohesity is a US-based IT company that provides data management, protection, backup,

and cybersecurity solutionsfor enterprise customers. Their main goal is to help
businesses secure, manage, and extract value from their dataacross on-premise, cloud,
and hybrid environments.

They are well-known for:

 Simplifying data management

 Reducing data duplication
 Providing ransomware protection and recovery
 Incorporating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for automation

Industry: Information Technology and Data Security

Founded: 2013
Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA
Website: https://www.cohesity.com/

🎓 Job Role: Digital Business Services and Operations (DSO) - Internship +

PPO

As a DSO intern, you'll work on enterprise IT systems to support areas like:

 Customer Experience (CX)

 Operations Management (OM)
 Sales & Finance Applications
 Workday and other internal business systems

What You’ll Do:

 Work on automation tools and AI-based systems

 Provide technical support for internal applications
 Analyze system performance and user issues
 Collaborate with cross-functional teams (product, dev, business)

Stipend: ₹60,000/month
Full-time CTC after internship: ₹18–20 LPA
Job Location: Pune
Joining: January 2026
🔝 Soft Skills & Work Traits (With Examples)
1. Problem-Solving and Debugging

 Problem-solving means identifying an issue (e.g., website down), breaking it down,

and analyzing each part to find the root cause.
 Debugging involves locating and fixing code issues using tools like:
o print() statements
o Error logs
o IDE Debuggers (like breakpoints in VS Code or IntelliJ)

2. Proactive Learning & Adaptability

 Being proactive means seeking knowledge before being asked.

 Adaptability is the ability to quickly switch between different tools, technologies, or
project requirements.

3. Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

 Communicate updates in meetings, write clear documentation, and explain issues in

simple language.
 Stakeholders include managers, clients, team leads — anyone impacted by your work.

4. Team Spirit & Ownership

 Respect team feedback, help others debug, share ideas.

 Ownership means completing tasks even if challenges arise — delivering work on
time and with quality.

5. Synthesizing Technical Information

 For example, reading an API error (like 403 Forbidden), understanding it means
“access denied,” and suggesting permission changes or token updates.

💻 Programming Languages (With Details)

1. Core Java

 Platform-independent, used in Android and enterprise applications.

 Learn:
o OOP (Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction, Encapsulation)
o Exception Handling (try-catch, throws)
o Collections: List, Set, Map
o File Handling: FileReader, BufferedWriter

2. Python
  Simple syntax, used in AI, ML, automation, scripting.
 Learn:
o Data Types: list, dict, tuple
o Loops: for, while
o Libraries: pandas, requests, os, re
o Error handling: try-except-finally

3. JavaScript & Node.js

 JavaScript: Used in web browsers for client-side behavior

 Node.js: Allows JavaScript to run on servers for backend logic
 Understand:
o DOM manipulation
o fetch() and Promises
o Asynchronous programming with async/await

4. jQuery

 jQuery simplifies JavaScript syntax

 Example: $('#btn').click(function() { alert('Clicked'); });

🌐 Web & API Development (Fully Explained)

What is an API?

An API is a set of rules that allows software components to communicate.

Example: A mobile app sends a request to a server to fetch your profile.

1. REST API

 Lightweight, stateless APIs using HTTP

 Methods:
o GET: Get resource
o POST: Create resource
o PUT: Update resource
o DELETE: Remove resource
 Status Codes:
o 200 OK, 201 Created, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden,
404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error

2. SOAP API

 Protocol using XML

 Strict structure, more secure, slower

3. HTML/CSS/XML
  HTML: HyperText Markup Language (web page structure)
 CSS: Cascading Style Sheets (visual design)
 XML: Extensible Markup Language (structured data format)

4. Tools

 Postman: GUI for sending API requests and testing endpoints

 Swagger: Auto-generates API documentation
 cURL: CLI tool to test APIs (curl https://api.site.com/data)

🚀 Networking Basics (Expanded)

1. IP Address

 Logical address of a device (IPv4: 192.168.0.1, IPv6: ::1)

2. Common Protocols

Protocol Use
HTTP Web Pages (Unsecure)
HTTPS Secure Web Pages
FTP File Transfers
SFTP Secure File Transfers
SSH Remote Server Access
SMTP Send Emails
IMAP/POP3 Receive Emails
DNS Resolve Domain to IP

3. Common Port Numbers

Service Port
HTTP 80
HTTPS 443
FTP 21
SSH 22
Telnet 23
SMTP 25
DNS 53
DHCP 67/68
MySQL 3306
PostgreSQL 5432

4. Tools
  ping: Check connectivity
 tracert / traceroute: Trace path to server
 nslookup: Find IP from domain
 netstat: Check open ports
 ipconfig/ifconfig: View network configuration

🤖 Linux Basics (Detailed)

Key Linux Commands

Command Purpose
ls List files
cd Change directory
pwd Show current path
touch Create file
rm Delete file/folder
chmod Change file permissions
ps, top, kill Manage processes
ping, curl, wget Network tools
sudo Execute as root

Permissions:

 r= read, w = write, x = execute

 Example: chmod 755 script.sh (owner can rwx, others can rx)

💾 Operating System (OS) Concepts

Processes and Threads

 Process: Program in execution with its own memory

 Thread: Smallest unit of a process sharing memory

Scheduling

 FCFS: Tasks executed in order they arrive

 SJF: Shortest jobs first
 Round Robin: Each task gets equal time (like a rotating queue)

Deadlock

 A situation where two or more tasks are waiting for each other forever
 Solved by detection, prevention, or recovery
Virtual Memory

 Extends RAM using disk (Swap memory)

File Systems

 Windows: NTFS, FAT32

 Linux: ext3, ext4, XFS

Windows OS Basics
Useful Tools:

 Task Manager: Check CPU, RAM, processes (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)

 CMD:
o ipconfig: Network info
o netstat: Open ports
o tasklist: View processes
o systeminfo: Get system details
 Run Dialog: services.msc, msconfig, regedit

🤯 Aptitude & Logical Reasoning

Common Types:

 Percentages: What is 20% of ₹500?

 Ratios: A:B = 2:3
 Time, Work & Speed: Who finishes faster?
 Puzzles: Seating arrangements, conditions
 Direction Sense: Left-right problems
 Blood Relations: Who is the father/uncle/etc.?

Practice Sources:

 IndiaBix, PrepInsta, GeeksforGeeks Aptitude Section

⚙️Tools & Technologies Expected

Automation Tools (Detailed)
  Power Automate: A Microsoft tool to automate repetitive tasks like sending email
alerts, moving data between Excel and SharePoint, or triggering workflows based on
form submissions. It's part of the Microsoft Power Platform and works with Excel,
Outlook, Teams, and more.
 Selenium: An open-source tool used for automating web browser testing. It supports
multiple programming languages like Java, Python, and C#. It simulates user
interactions like clicking buttons, entering text, and validating results on web pages.
 Jira: A project management and bug-tracking tool used in Agile/Scrum development.
Teams use it to manage tasks, track issues, maintain documentation, and measure
productivity through sprint boards and burndown charts.
 ServiceNow: A cloud-based IT service management tool used for managing
incidents, service requests, assets, changes, and workflows. Often used by enterprise
IT support teams.

AI & Data Integration Tools

 Azure OpenAI: Microsoft’s integration of OpenAI’s powerful language models (like

GPT) into the Azure cloud ecosystem. It enables enterprise-level access to generative
AI for tasks like summarization, translation, chatbot creation, and more.
 LLMs (Large Language Models): These are AI models trained on vast text datasets
to understand and generate human-like language. Examples include GPT-3, GPT-4,
BERT, and Claude. Used for natural language processing, text classification,
generation, etc.
 Agentic AI: This refers to AI systems that can plan, decide, and act autonomously
based on goals. For example, a customer support chatbot that handles full workflows
including calling APIs, responding intelligently, and closing tickets.
 SQL (Structured Query Language):
o Use it to retrieve and manipulate data in relational databases.
o Key commands: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER
BY, WHERE.
 Oracle:
o A powerful commercial database management system.
o Used in banking, government, and large corporations for high-speed, secure,
and scalable data operations.
o Integrates with SQL and PL/SQL (Oracle’s procedural extension).

Enterprise IT Tools

 Salesforce APEX: A proprietary Java-like programming language used in the

Salesforce platform. APEX allows developers to add business logic to Salesforce
processes like workflows, data validation, and API integration.
 NetSuite: A cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution owned by
Oracle. It is used for managing accounting, finance, CRM (Customer Relationship
Management), inventory, and e-commerce operations in large businesses.
 Workday: A cloud-based platform for HR, payroll, finance, and employee data
management. It's widely used in enterprises for tasks like talent acquisition, payroll
processing, expense management, and workforce planning.
These tools and technologies are essential in enterprise environments and having a good
understanding of them—even at a beginner level—will significantly improve your confidence
and interview performance.

Automation Tools

 Power Automate: Microsoft tool to create workflows (Excel → Email)

 Selenium: Web testing tool using Java/Python
 Jira: Task management used in Agile (sprint planning, issue tracking)
 ServiceNow: IT support and asset management

AI & Data Tools

 Azure OpenAI: Integrate GPT into enterprise tools

 LLMs: Language models like GPT-3/4
 Agentic AI: Smart agents that can plan and act
 SQL/Oracle:
o SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, WHERE
o Use SQL for querying databases
o Oracle is a high-performance enterprise RDBMS

Enterprise Tools

 Salesforce APEX: Coding language for Salesforce CRM customization

 NetSuite: Used for accounting, ERP, inventory
 Workday: Cloud-based system for HR, payroll, planning

🌟 HR Interview Tips
Common Questions

 Introduce yourself
 Why do you want to join Cohesity?
 What is your biggest strength and weakness?
 Tell me about a time you worked in a team
 Describe a problem you solved on your own

Tips:

 Use STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

 Speak clearly and be honest
 Relate your answers to the job role

✅ Final Checklist Before Interview

  Revise OS, Linux, Networking Basics
 Practice Aptitude & Reasoning
 Review 1-2 personal or college projects
 Try a REST API call using Postman
 Watch 2 YouTube videos on system design / networking
 Prepare answers for common HR questions

You're Ready!
Stay calm. Think logically. Cohesity values people who learn fast, solve real-world problems,
and collaborate well. Good luck!