Me and my job

Q: How did you get into security?

I'd worked in many different areas – helpdesk, NetWare, Unix, Windows and network administration. A security opportunity presented itself and I felt the position would be a great way to continue using what I had already learned, as well as learning about something new.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

Different things happen every day. There is very little routine in security. Once I get out of bed in the morning, I never know what will happen next.

Q: What most annoys you?

Cold calls from sales people. They always call at the worst times. If I have interest in a certain product, then I am going to research the product space and solicit opinions from folks with similar environments, or from the mailing list Unisog.

Q: Who has influenced you the most?

My boss in this job, Jeanne Smythe, director of IT policy. She is in all ways an excellent mentor, coach, and traffic cop. She encourages and kicks us, as needed, and shields us from items we do not need to stress over.

Q: How do you describe your job to strangers?

Four or five years ago most people had not heard of IT security, but today many have some point of reference, either from silly movies like Swordfish or virus problems they have experienced. Using the stranger's experiences often provides a good basis for building a description.