Experience on

Cybersecurity Instructor

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 01:31:51 +0000

Teaching Cybersecurity

In 2021, I was beginning to get a little burnt out with the operational side of cybersecurity and started looking for a change. Through some network contacts, I was able to start working at INE as a Cybersecurity Instructor.

Since I started there, I’ve created a new learning path and associated certification called the Enterprise Defense Administrator and eEDA, respectively. At the time, there was a lack of training and certification options that were geared towards fundamental defensive security engineering - proper configuration of systems and networks to be resilient against attacks. I took that opportunity to design and build the training for the EDA and working with an Instructional Designer, built out the certification exam which includes not just multiple choice questions, but also a hands-on lab environment. The hands-on component to the exam ensures that students must prove they can actually perform the tasks necessary for an entry-level security administrator in an organization.

Cybersecurity Manager

Sun, 01 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Network Admin to Cybersecurity Manager

Lexington Medical Center was the start to my “official” cybersecurity career. I’d always been “security-minded” in all the administrative work I did - ensuring systems were configured in secure manners as they were deployed and when performing routine work on them as well, but LMC led to my first fulltime cybersecurity role.

I started at the hospital as primarily the Exchange email administrator, as well as the primary administrator for the web filtering and email filtering systems - so already a security-focused role. Two of my first projects at LMC were to upgrade the Exchange servers to a new version with minimal downtime, and to replace both the web and email filtering systems with new technology. (Since those technologies may still be in place there, I’m not going to mention what they are). In addition, I designed and built a custom PowerShell GUI for the helpdesk team to use for simple AD account management tasks (renames, password changes, role modifications, etc - all before more automated methods were implemented).

Network Administrator

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Law Firm Network Admin

I started at Rogers Townsend & Thomas (RTT) in a hybrid role in their Charlotte office. The Charlotte office was originally a different lar firm that merged with RTT just prior to me joining, so the IT team at that office was relatively small - a manager and two technicians (including me). This was a classic ‘jack of all trades’ role where I was responsible for daily helpdesk staff as well as overseeing the entire server and network infrastructure.

Network Administrator

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Helpdesk & Network Admin

I started my professional IT career working at a small family-owned MSP in Charlotte, NC. Primarily, this role consisted of answering helpdesk calls for several clients, including a large multi-state advertising firm and the franchise owner for a multi-state restaurant. In addition to answering calls and tickets through email, I was also the primary contact/administrator for a regional real estate firm that employed several hundred employees.