This part of my story begins around 1984 which was when I purchased my first portable computer. I had used Commodore’s, but nothing else. This first portable computer was a TRS-80 Model 100. 8-bit processor, 32kB ROM and 32 kB RAM. This is roughly about 10% of what a wristwatch can do today. I used to play a game called Colossal Cave Adventure and spent a lot of time “in a maze of twisty little passages”. Also spent a great amount of time on the old bulletin boards using the handle “Silver-Surfer”. After a couple years, I stopped spending time on the computer and did not get interested again until about 1996. At that time I discovered two things: computers broke very easy and I was very good at fixing them. More importantly, I enjoyed the heck out of fixing. OK to be honest, I enjoyed breaking them as well.

From that point I have worked my way up from home computer support, to server support, to network support, to IT Consultant, to IT Security Consultant, to IT Security Investigator, to IT Security Analyst. With more than 40 IT certifications I have a wide area of expertise to offer. I love the challenge of always learning, which is major requirement for the career path that I have chosen for myself.

It has been an awesome ride and I am very grateful to be able to say that I absolutely love what I do every day. Each day brings rewards and the secret is finding them. I really enjoy mentoring others and bringing up the next group that will eventually be the seniors. I love when I get someone new that has a real passion for the security field.

My interests lay mostly in the Blue Team area, which gives me plenty of reasons to know how to do what the bad guys do. Have to know it to protect against it! How exciting to learn a new method to attack a target! And thus hopefully how to protect against it. How exciting to see all the advances made and the great tools shared by the leaders in this area! What a great time to be part of the IT Security World!

Where do I see myself fitting? As a valued resource and trusted advisor. I see no reason to know what I know if not to share it. Whether that be in speaking with someone in the company who has no real security experience or helping others to learn how to best protect their assets. My goal is to help to protect what needs to be protected and do it in the way that fits best the business. I do what I do because the business needs it, and that need is based on what drives the business not what IT thinks it needs. That is some of the philosophy that I try to bring to the table where ever I am.