Keep Pushing: Ken Hopson
Back before we were work colleagues, before either of us were fathers or even husbands, Ken Hopson and I were friends more than 20 years ago. Introduced by mutual friends back in Silver Spring, Maryland, we had a lot in common — including being men of color working in tech — and even roomed together for a short time. I knew him as many things, but among them was as a great runner. Few who work with him today know that he was a Division I track star at Kansas State University, one who consistently broke records. Ken always knew at a young age that he had a God-given talent and used sports as a tool to escape poverty and pay for college.
In my experience, I’ve always particularly enjoyed working with athletes. They’re not only exceptional at time management, but they’re great problem-solvers. They love a challenge, they give 100 percent, they’re never complacent, and they don’t give up easily. They want to win, and after a loss they fight even harder to come back and win next time. This certainly describes Ken.
Early in his career, he received the same advice offered to Black men the world over: that his best wasn’t good enough. A young IT consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, fresh out of college, Ken was pulled aside one day by the company’s one and only African American partner and offered some advice. The older man, in his distinguished suit, recommended that Ken make more of an effort to “dress to impress.” When Ken asked why, the man, who became a sort of mentor to him, said, “It’s a lot harder to climb the ladder as a Black man. You’re going to have to work twice as hard as everyone else.” Ken credits this as a key turning point, realizing the harsh reality that he’d have to work twice as hard as a man of color to be considered on par with his peers. This was the experience of his mentor, and it was a reality he too had to face. But instead of letting it deter him, it gave him fuel to prove he could be successful.
Several years ago, comedian Steve Harvey coined the phrase “You have to jump” to be successful, meaning every successful person, at some point, had to jump off a cliff, so to speak, and take a leap of faith to reach his goals. This has been Ken’s mantra for his career, and he is starting to see the fruits.
His road to Palo Alto Networks was not easy. He applied not once but three times — the first two times making it through the interview process but neither time finding the right fit. I saw in him qualities valued at this company and knew he’d be a great addition; it just wasn’t his time yet. But like Ken does, he kept pushing. He regrouped, applied again several months later, and the third time was the charm. He joined Palo Alto Networks as a Services Account Manager in 2019, eventually moving into a Senior GSI Partner Services Manager role last April. He continues to impress with his talent, his drive, and his desire to keep learning and getting better at what he does every day.
As an accomplished professional who has provided a better life for his kids in terms of neighborhood, schooling, and opportunities, this past year has been very tough. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, he has had to coach his kids on the frequent double standard applied to people of color by law enforcement. While these conversations are never pleasant, it’s one that many black fathers have had with their kids.
Ken says that as he reflects on the importance of Black History Month, he thinks of it as a moment of time to ask ourselves what we’re doing each day to combat the problem of racism. He believes corporations must do the same. That’s one of the things he appreciates about the culture of Palo Alto Networks, which provides a spotlight to allow people of color to tell their stories. It’s also making very meaningful changes on hiring and promotional opportunities for underrepresented communities.
Perhaps that’s why he has been profoundly influenced by Malcolm X — for his leadership within the African American community and his personal and spiritual transformation — and modern-day civil rights activist Shaun King — who works to promote social justice causes through social media.
Though the two men are separated by decades, Ken sees in them qualities he admires and strives to have in his own life: the willingness to keep pushing against obstacles, the desire to question the status quo, and the courage to speak up even when it is difficult, all in the name of fighting for change.
The Art of Customer Success
For many people, the term “customer success” equates to addressing complaints. It has negative connotations. But in my role as Customer Success Manager for Prisma Cloud at Palo Alto Networks, we perform true customer success functions, in that we are working to ensure that customers obtain the highest possible value from our products and services, leading to better, stronger cloud protection. I come in at the post-sale phase and help manage our relationship with the customer by assisting with the operationalisation of Prisma Cloud, helping them see value in it, and helping implement best practices in line with their business objectives.
I work in London as part of the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia) region, specifically working with customers in Southern Europe — Spain, Italy, Portugal — as well as in Israel. My work involves travel about one-third to half of the time so that I can meet face to face with customers and work with them on enablement to ensure that they’re getting the most out of the products and maximising the value of their investment with us.
My path to Palo Alto Networks was untraditional. Growing up, I wasn’t an academic. Art was my thing — I love to paint and sketch — and it was something I’ve always been good at. I thought for a while that I would pursue a career in art and design, but when I wasn’t able to attend the art school I’d set my sights on, I realized university wasn’t for me. I much preferred a professional setting to an academic one. So I finished my A levels and left school at 18, then went to work for a bit in retail. Soon after, an opportunity came along to work for my friend’s dad at an IT company, and my tech career started at age 19.
When I started out, I was doing purchasing and procurement in desktop support. Because it was a small company, I was quickly promoted to head of customer support, which made me a supervisor at a very young age. That’s where I started to engage with customers more often and enjoyed it while realising that I was good at customer-facing roles. After four years, I was ready for the next level and moved to another tech company, specifically, as a service manager. After an acquisition the role was changed to customer success, but unfortunately, it fell back into service management — the focus was quite reactive and concentrated on escalation management and resolving customer issues more often than not. Whereas customer success should be very proactive and consultative. I was soon promoted to a management role, but I eventually realised I preferred delivering true customer success and wanted to focus on that.
I sought out a role with Palo Alto Networks because I had been working in Technology for quite a while and had heard a lot about its culture, its products, and the direction in which the company was headed. I had kept an eye on shares and stock prices, watched the growth of the company, and had seen how it was transitioning from traditional firewalls and physical security to the cloud, and SaaS offerings, which was all very attractive to me. Plus, I knew its leadership was strong, and I wanted to be part of a company that was continuously growing and progressing. It seemed like a really exciting place to be.
Customer Success at Palo Alto Networks is the opposite of what my prior experiences were. It’s a very positive position in that we’re not selling, per se — we’re reminding customers of the continuous value of our products and helping them to successfully obtain that value. For example, rather than talking about ticket numbers or problem cases, we’re talking about adoption, new features, giving best practice guidance, and— as the name suggests — how to achieve success with the product. Customer Success means always finding ways for customers to achieve value.
While university may be right for some people, I don’t believe it’s essential in order to work in tech, and the professional world has been an invaluable training ground for me. I’ve developed in the course of my work, facing new obstacles that create more learning. The challenges of this role have truly improved my skills in working with customers over the short time I’ve been with the company. I think my work has been helped by my artistic background, because it means I tend to think more outside the box, coming up with creative solutions and being persistent in overcoming obstacles. Palo Alto Networks is a place that appreciates an innovative approach and empowers people to offer up new ideas. I recently told my boss, I’d rather go to her with a suggestion or solution than a problem, and I feel well suited to this company because it’s a place where that is encouraged.
Improving the Customer Experience
I am a technology professional with over 20 years’ experience in the networking industry with the last two spent at Palo Alto Networks. In my current role at Palo Alto Networks, I am part of the APAC (Asia-Pacific) Global Customer Success (GCS) management team that oversees support operations and ensures that we have a satisfied customer base in APAC.
During my high school years, I was fairly clear that I would choose a career in either technology or administration. Back then, computer programming was just beginning to become a fad, and coding courses were newly introduced into the school curriculum. I used to enjoy having the ability to solve problems in a logical manner in my programming classes. One thing led to another, and I wound up pursuing my bachelor’s degree in engineering, followed by a career in computer networking.
Career Transition
I spent most of my career in quality assurance and management roles, within product engineering organizations. I have enjoyed being part of new product initiatives (NPI) and projects that help to deliver tangible products to the market.
However, over the last few years, being in Singapore, I realized that I needed to be closer to the customer to get a real taste of the business. This made me pursue a Master of Business Administration degree, simultaneously scouting for opportunities that were different from what I had been doing before. The Tech Support role at Palo Alto Networks seemed ideal to help put me in close contact with the customer and also to get an understanding of business drivers in the industry.
Fast-paced — that’s the best way to describe Tech Support. Customers expect problems to be solved pronto, and this demands urgent action. I have huge respect for my colleagues who continually take calls from customers — customers whose emotions are somewhere within the spectrum of confused, desperate, frustrated, or angry. Members of Technical Support have to maintain their own composure, calm down the situation, and then go about troubleshooting technical problems. It requires a demanding combination of excellent technical and communication skills.
This is where work-life balance is important. When work takes up so much of our time and mindspace, it is hard to not call it an integral part of our lives. On an average day, most of us spend more than 70% of our waking hours at work. This means that work has to be taken as part of life and not contrary to it. To keep an inner balance, I try to follow a routine that involves reserving early morning hours for yoga and meditation. I also squeeze in a walk or work out after work, whenever I can. Outside of spending time with my family, I have a variety of interests like playing games, reading, and contributing to certain social causes. I try to be genuinely present at work during working hours and with family during off-work hours, though I must admit that there are unavoidable encroachments into both.
Women in Tech Support
As a professional, I hardly ever identify myself with being a female worker – rather the focus is always on the task at hand. However, it is no secret that there are fewer women than men in tech support professions. Knowledge-centric professions are great levellers for women in the workforce, as they remove the requirement for physical prowess and technical support roles should be no different. Unfortunately, job requirements for technical support roles usually detail a need for shift timing and weekend work. This may be a deterrent for women who are technology savvy but unable to commit to schedules that are outside of traditional working hours. Conscious action by companies such as ours, with carefully worded job descriptions and supportive policies for employers, can help us have more smart women take up this role.
Due to the obvious competitive advantage that a diverse workforce brings, there is conscious effort around the world, to have greater participation from the female workforce in all levels of the organization. In this environment, the female professionals should not miss out on opportunities due to lack of self-confidence or initiative. Research has shown that the female employee is more likely to doubt herself and her contributions as compared to her male counterpart. As female leaders, we need to be introspective and consciously rise above these self-defeating doubts and not trivialize our value. The entire leadership team, irrespective of gender, plays a vital role in supporting this. Looking forward to seeing great female talent and leadership blossoming in our organization!
Enjoy the Ride
As a Customer Success Engineer for Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Cloud, I wear three hats, which I wear interchangeably each day: One is as my customers’ trusted advisor providing guidance about how we can best address their needs with our products. One is as a trainer for other employees within the company as well as for new customers as they onboard with our products. And the third is one that puts me in a support role for existing customers so they can overcome tech challenges. Every customer is in a different stage with our products, so I’m continuously changing my “hats” each day, which makes every day interesting — there’s never a dull moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Although I have only been with the company a little over a year, it feels like I’ve been here for years, and I mean that in the best way possible — the learning I have achieved and expertise I’ve been able to gain in my short time are incredible.
Our Global Customer Success department is what we call a speedboat — this means we’re a self-contained unit that is empowered to be agile and move quickly ahead. In this analogy, there’s constant wind coming at us and we need to speed ahead to lead the way, deflect hazards in our path, and deliver results.
But for me, I think of working in GCS as being like a roller coaster. Personally, I’m scared of roller coasters. I’m always afraid I’m going to fall off. But every year on my birthday, I go to a theme park and ride one, just to prove to myself that I can do it. Every year, I feel that anxiety while I wait in the queue to get on the ride, and I wonder why I’m doing this to myself. The waiting is stressful. But then after I ride, I’m exhilarated and glad that I did it, and I’m ready to ride it again. In some ways, this is like my work. In Customer Success, we have a lot of customer meetings to get through each day to make sure they’re getting the right and expected value from our products. The anticipation of what challenges they’ll bring can be scary sometimes — you don’t know what you’re going to get, and sometimes you’ll encounter a challenge you’ve never faced. It can be overwhelming. But then when I speak to my customers and earn their trust, then watch their progress with the products, it’s so exhilarating and rewarding. Then I think, “I’m ready to do that again!”
On our team, Customer Success Managers (CSMs) and Customer Success Engineers (CSEs) work closely together — the CSMs hand more of the account management and customer service whereas CSEs deal more with the technical challenges. And we definitely complement each other. But when I was hired, this was a new department and I was given the opportunity to set the scene for building the team. In my mind, CSEs also must provide that customer service. We can’t just be siloed to our headphones and screens. For me, the customer-facing component is key. Building relationships with customers is a daily necessity — they need to trust that I’ll be honest with them and see that I take their success with our products personally. To be able to say, “This is the solution I know you wanted, and we’re going to work together to make sure you achieve it,” and to forge an ongoing relationship with them is amazing. Because we’ve gotten to know them — what their needs are, how they use the products — we’ve been able to tailor solutions to each customer. There’s a continuum of care we need to provide our customers, which means we’re available when they need us and we pay close attention to them, not just because they’re our customers, but because we have that relationship and I care about their success.
Always Learning
I didn’t start my career preparing to work in Customer Success; I began in system administration, then storage administration. Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, I provided support and consulting for storage solutions and automation projects. However, I served as a liaison between engineering and our support center, helping tech support to solve high-level, complex problems, or helping engineering to understand systemic issues with the product so they can fix them going forward. This is how I discovered that I loved that customer success component. I knew the cloud was where everything was headed, so I became passionate about teaching myself everything I could about the cloud. I’m the kind of person who needs to constantly learn and be challenged.
That’s when I began looking for a challenge and discovered Palo Alto Networks’ Customer Success role in GCS. Because I had the technical and customer-facing background and could demonstrate my ability to learn quickly and excel in this role, they gave me a chance to prove myself, and I’m so happy they did.
If you’re interested in pursuing this career, I don’t believe you necessarily have to have cybersecurity experience, but you should understand the basics of it while “knowing” the cloud and cloud native designs in and out. If you’re familiar with one or two cloud providers and can work your way around them, and perhaps have certifications from cloud providers to demonstrate your knowledge, we need that — the rest of the technology is teachable. But you also need those soft skills. Can you interact effectively with customers and your colleagues? You can’t just be transactional and technical; you need to be good at interpersonal relationships as well. This is a company that will give someone who’s passionate and hardworking a chance, but be proactive and demonstrate that.
This job can be very difficult and even exhausting. But it’s also fun and so rewarding, and every morning I wake up excited to do it all again. Everyone should feel that way about their job.
Because I am someone who thrives on learning and taking on new challenges, I’m continuing to evolve in my career at Palo Alto Networks. I am now transitioning to a new role and expect to continue serving our customers with cloud-native security solutions. I am super excited to shift to the world of a Systems Engineer Specialist for Cloud Security (Prisma Cloud) and help our customers conquer cloud security challenges using our solutions. This new role also entails greater challenges in new areas of the organization, which I aim to master. For me, this has been the natural, measurable journey that I have been striving for. While there are some key differences in shifting from Customer Success to Specialist Systems Engineering, the experience and relationships collected along the way will definitely help. I’m excited to take this next step of my career with Palo Alto Networks!
For the Aspiring Women in Technology
Sonal Sethia
There are times that I believe women are held to a higher standard than men. We’re expected to juggle multiple roles every day: a great mom, a loving daughter, a supportive spouse, a career ninja, just to name a few. And with all of this, we’re expected to balance the rigors of the workplace: upcoming deadlines for projects, acing battle cards with a competitor, and driving results at every customer interaction.
On days that I’m struggling to keep it all under control, I remember the advice offered by Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo. She points to a strong network of support from others in your life as the key to success. But she also famously disagrees with the idea that women can “have it all.” She believes we’re always going to be making sacrifices, either at home or at work — and that’s OK. I am mindful of my own choices and know that there are sacrifices behind each choice I make. And my own community of support makes it easier to wear my various hats and accomplish as much as I do.
Equally important is finding an employer that supports women in the workforce. I’m fortunate that I work for a high-tech company that not only actively recruits women and values the diverse perspectives women bring to the industry, but also encourages a healthy work-life balance because they know this balance ultimately results in happier, more productive employees. Not every company operates this way, and it makes me appreciate my job even more.
The Winding Path to Happiness
As a young teen, I was always interested in technology, and the desire to pursue computer networking as a career option got stronger over the years. I started as a Technical Support Engineer for a telecommunications giant. It seemed I was on the fast track to success, but I soon encountered difficulty on my career journey when I was laid off from one of my first jobs.
I still remember that day vividly: Our entire department had been outsourced, and the newbies, myself included, were the first ones to be let go. Devastated, I spent an hour in my car, crying my eyes out. But after that initial shock, I got my things together, drove home, and immediately planned my job hunt. Within a month, I landed my next job, the one that helped me identify my passion for operations and defined my career.
I spent the better part of my career delivering customer-focused services to large technology organizations. When I had the opportunity to apply my expertise and experience in the cybersecurity industry, it felt like the natural next step. Today I’m with a company that values my contributions and fulfills me every single day. When I look back, I feel grateful to have been faced with that difficult challenge early on. I learned an important life lesson through that experience: We rarely unlock our true potential unless we are challenged with some kind of obstacle or are forced to overcome adversity. What’s more? I think it’s there for each of us. When you look at someone across the table, you might see someone successful. But what you forget is that they might have had their own moment in their own car, crying their eyes out.
Bringing More Women to the Table
There is a massive shortage of cybersecurity professionals today, and the fight against bad actors, who come from disparate backgrounds, demands a wider variety of people to better our chances of success. Encouraging people from diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of expertise will increase creativity and lead to better business outcomes. Women are natural multitaskers and bring such highly valued traits as empathy and team building to the workplace. Augmenting our workforce with women at the decision-making table will make us better at what we do.
Women should know that their skills and perspectives are wanted and needed in technology, and although it can be challenging at times, it also can be very rewarding. For me personally as the mother of small children, I know that the work I’m doing in cybersecurity will affect their lives as they grow older, and I find that enormously satisfying.
I also can attest to the guilt of passing on “mom duties” to take care of job responsibilities — it’s very real and can be all-consuming. I recommend that any woman interested in a career in technology should find a supportive group of other moms who are in the same boat — women struggling with work-life balance — with whom they can share common experiences and seek advice. This can be hugely therapeutic.
For women just starting out in technology, I know how it feels. It’s not the easiest of paths, but it’s getting easier. Here’s what helped me:
- Identify a mentor or mentors, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them for direction. Make it a two-way street and offer your own assistance and feedback when it’s appropriate.
- Periodically do a self-analysis. Jot down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, just as any company’s marketing department would. Read a lot, and seek ways to enhance your skills in order to convert those weaknesses into strengths.
- Keep an eye out for opportunities that showcase your potential. Women can be extremely self-critical and are more likely to underestimate our own impact. Advocate for yourself and brush up on those negotiation skills.
The strongest asset in my career is my ability to solve problems. I am a fixer and an extensive planner, and I’m persistent in reaching my goals. I am also highly competitive and want to be the best version of myself. Identifying my strong suits early on has helped me navigate my career and excel. I’ve also been fortunate to have worked with other strong women who have exemplified that work-life balance and have been career champions, guiding me along my journey.
It can sometimes feel like you have to be a superhero to succeed at home and at work, but when things get rough, I remind myself of these words from my favorite superhero, Wonder Woman: “You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.” And when you’re feeling like everything is falling apart? Know there are others here waiting to lift you up.
A Career with Freedom
Torsten Stern, Professional Services Consultant
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
Palo Alto Networks has enabled me to truly navigate my career with freedom — not only in my ability to work remotely but also in how I approach solutions for our customers.
In my role as a Professional Services Consultant, I work directly with new customers to implement our platform in order to secure their digital environments. I help them migrate from other platforms, and I provide training to their staff to ensure they fully understand and can maintain the technology.
When I joined Palo Alto Networks in 2017, I was impressed by how the organization had transitioned successfully from a startup to a global leader in security. Joining this organization was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Every Day is Different
I work with two teams through my position: the EMEA Professional Services team, which is comprised of about 50 people, and a much smaller Public Cloud team, which works with customers who wish to secure their use of the public cloud. Because of the type of work involved in Professional Services — interacting with customers on their work sites — the entire team works remotely, with many of us spread across several time zones. I travel at least once a month, and sometimes more, as the occasion calls for it. If we aren’t on the road, we’re working from home. This means that every day brings something completely different.
However, even though the members of the team are spread far apart geographically, I don’t feel isolated. There’s a real sense of camaraderie. We support each other, and there’s a great dynamic among us, so the mix of perspectives really helps us to develop innovative solutions. We can lean on each other for meetings and collaborative activities; this is important because, with so many of us in different parts of the world, some of these events may take place late at night or early in the morning. There’s a lot of flexibility within the team, and everyone’s willing to step up and help when needed so that we can all have some work-life balance.
When we have a chance to come together as a team, we make the most of it. For instance, last summer, we all traveled to Houston, Texas, for a company event, and we arranged to remain in town together afterward so we could spend some time together before we had to make our next trips. We just genuinely like each other and have a lot of fun together.
A Culture of Freedom
If I had to choose one word that sums up life at Palo Alto Networks, it would be freedom. Of course, the mission drives everything we do, but we have space to breathe, to develop our own solutions to accomplish that mission, and our ideas are supported, tested, and sometimes used.
Other companies aren’t like that. In my previous position with another company, I was under so much pressure all the time — there was a constant demand for quantity, not quality. I didn’t have the freedom to pursue solutions that change the course of our organization’s support to our customers.
My job offers challenges that excite me and inspire me to keep learning, and I’m given the space to do that. And I’m very inspired by my team; I learn new things from them all the time.
I love that we are encouraged to seek out learning opportunities. We aren’t told that we don’t need to learn things because they don’t apply to our particular job titles. Instead, we are continually being offered training and certification opportunities that can benefit our careers and enhance our knowledge.
My advice for career seekers would be to maintain your enthusiasm for learning. No one in this organization expects you to know everything. What is important is your passion, your curiosity, and your willingness to learn and seek out answers. If you have those things, this might just be the right company for you.
Outside the (Job Description) Box
When a friend of mine first approached me about joining him at Palo Alto Networks, my initial response was no, I was happy with the company I was working at. But he repeatedly suggested it to me and expressed his passion for this company, and although I said no several times, I was intrigued about this company and decided to learn more.
I agreed to do an interview with a member of the executive team, but it wasn’t like any interview I’d ever done before. Mostly, it was just an enjoyable conversation where this person talked about the organization — where it’s been and where it’s going — and then shared his thoughts on how my skill set was valuable to where they were headed. It was less about my doing any specific job and much more about the culture, people, and future of Palo Alto Networks, about what we’re going to become, and ultimately, that’s what hooked me.
I have had a career in technology, marketing both hardware and software, data management as well as cybersecurity. This opportunity intrigued me because of what’s at stake, this is about something personal that affects all of us, every day — the protection of our personal information. I take our mission very seriously, for myself and for my kids. It’s not just a job, it’s a critical aspect of safety in our lives, so it’s not just important to me on behalf of the company; it’s important for my family’s future. In this position, I have the privilege of being able to spread that important message and contribute to people’s digital safety, and I’m really proud of that.
Outside the Job-Description Box
Since I joined Palo Alto Networks, I went from having no direct reports to leading a team of 15, and we’re constantly growing. The company and our individual careers are growing at a rocket-ship pace, and I’ve learned a ton.
My primary focus in this position is on partner and services marketing. I’m working with all kinds of people every day, each of whom has a different amount of understanding about cybersecurity and our products, so it’s important for me to communicate well with people on any level, whether they’re laypeople or technology experts, and get them excited about what our organization does. My day-to-day work involves writing that effective messaging, working one-on-one to present our products and enable people to use them, and generally sharing the importance of how working collaboratively will change the future of the industry.
When I first started here, my responsibilities were much narrower in scope, but the company has grown so fast that the scope of my work has grown with it. In fact, “scope of work” isn’t really a term we use around here. This is not a linear company, and people don’t do linear jobs. We’re very fluid, and things are always changing.
The people who thrive at Palo Alto Networks are those who can embrace and even chase that change. We don’t like to just stick with what we know. Instead, we just go for it, we try new things, we make things happen. Our philosophy is that we fail fast and learn faster. We’re encouraged to make mistakes because that means we tried something new, pushed ourselves, rose to meet a challenge, and we learned something from it. I’ve been pushed more at this company in my three years here than I ever have before.
One of my favorite parts of this job is being involved in the interview process and giving people a peek, during our 45 minutes together, into just how unique and special this company is, and how it’s like no place I’ve worked.
A Career in the Support Arena
I have worked in the technology field for over twenty years. Starting my career as a field engineer in the communications sector around 1997. From engineering I moved into program management and then into a people management role. During my career, I have covered a broad variety of fields within technology and whether it was working with contact centers, customer relationship management platforms, or software to web portal technologies, my entire career has been focused within the support arena.
Presently, I am the manager of a global customer support business systems team. We help our company mission of protecting our way of life in the digital age by providing behind the scenes support of mission critical applications used by our organization. In gathering our stakeholders business requirements, analyzing complex problems, we deliver solutions used by our organization to address our end customer’s support needs. It’s a constantly changing, challenging, and evolving ecosystem – but one that I am always glad to work on every day in a field that I am proud to be a part of.
Why cybersecurity?
When you hear the term mission driven company, typically you think of a not for profit company. Most for-profit companies’ goals are to increase value to the shareholders and to sell something, typically that people don’t need. I didn’t want to be associated with that. I wanted to be in a job that really had something of value to offer and something I would feel good about aligning myself with. Today, in my role, I support the equivalent of technology first responders, who are on the forefront, servicing our customers in successfully thwarting cyber attacks against their networks. That is mission-driven and I don’t see a lot of opportunities in the tech sector where you can say that you are really doing something that is a positive in the industry and for the betterment of society as a whole, that is not just seeking a profit.
For me, I am connected to technology in ways most are not. I literally depend on technology to keep me alive. I have an implanted cardiac device that is remote controllable via a network. Understanding that, I want to make sure there isn’t a hacker out there who can access my pacemaker. So you can say, I have a very personal motivation to ensuring networks are protected. I also have a passion for making sure that the world is as safe as possible because everything is becoming more and more intrinsically dependent on networks and data.
When I look at technology and how everything is increasingly becoming more linked, whether it’s an appliance in a home or a car, there is some level of technology behind it that is being routed over a network and having that network secure is extremely important. That’s the mission. As such, I am a part of something that is protecting our digital way of life and that means that I’m not only coming to work to add value to a specific function, but in a way, I’m part of something that is important and is making a difference to the world we live in as a whole.
Why Palo Alto Networks?
The types of companies I’m drawn to have always seen support as a differentiator in the industry. That is important. My team comes to work knowing what they are doing is valued and matters. A lot of companies say that for support, you just should be on par with the rest of the industry. Who wants to go into a place where they are told that mediocrity is ok. Really? Are we are ok with that? Similarly, who wants to be told your job is important but doesn’t bring a lot of value to the mission of the company? I joined Palo Alto Networks because they believed in legendary support.
Working in a Fast-Paced Industry
I think we all know and hear that things move fast, but I don’t think you get a full sense of how fast things move until you are here. Things move extremely fast at Palo Alto Networks and you need to be nimble and agile. It’s important to be passionate and invested in your project but it is also important that when priorities change that you don’t take it personal if you need to drop a project and switch gears. The value you bring in a role comes not only in your ability to deliver, but also how quickly you adapt, when priorities change.
The People
The caliber of individual that is drawn to Palo Alto Networks is truly unique. In my career I’ve had strong relationships with peers outside of work who were coworkers that became friends, but my current team often does things as a group, that is completely voluntary and not company sponsored and usually you’ll see 100% participation. We spend a lot of time together at work, and they will still make the choice to come and spend even more time together outside of work. I believe in connecting at a human level, because we are more than the sum of the projects we deliver and having time to recoup and bond outside of work, to connect on a personal level, provides a personal reward, camaraderie and friendship that I really appreciate. The team’s closeness and how they build on those relationships is amazing to be a part of. It feels more like family than coworkers, and that’s something I’ve never had before in my twenty plus years of working in the technology field.
My Experience in Tech
I have always been drawn to science, as a child I loved astronomy and the idea of space exploration. I knew from growing up as a kid in the late 70s and 80s that there was the concept of spin in technology, that by the time you produce something, and it goes to market, it’s already obsolete. I understood that. However what I see today in the evolution of technology, is just how accelerated that change has become. Advancements come at an exponential rate. The amount of physical space that a chip takes now versus when I started in my career is amazes me. I never thought we would cross the barriers of understanding that we have. As machine learning and AI become more present in our everyday life, we will have to determine what the ethical responsibilities of that are. I feel as if the generation coming to the market today will be able to achieve more in terms of technological advancement than the founders of Apple and Microsoft did and do it in one fifth the time and the center of it all, is AI. We stand at the precipice and I feel that is if I’m part of that history that is about to unfold. As a society we are on the tip of the next great evolution and I’m excited to be involved in it.
I think we live in an amazing time and I believe in what we are doing as a whole in terms of technology. But as with all things, where there is something meant for good, it has the potential to be turned or exploited for the bad and so at the center of it all, you will always need cybersecurity.
My advice for Jumping into Cybersecurity
First and foremost, believe in yourself. Don’t let someone else define or dictate what you can do. I have physical limitations, I’m legally blind, and I remember being told at a young age that I would never amount to anything because of it. That I would never be a productive member of society. That is when I learned to not let someone define who you are. So you must first believe you can do it. Then you go get the skills that you need to succeed. Attitude in everything. Anyone can learn a skill and it doesn’t always have to be through conventional channels, but not everyone has a good attitude. I think that’s what sets Palo Alto Networks apart from other companies. We look at the attitude, not just the aptitude of the individual. Maybe a candidate doesn’t necessarily have all the relevant background, but they have something similar. We ask can they achieve this job, and do they have the right attitude, and we weigh that against a set of qualifications.
Lastly, you must continue to keep an open mind and be coachable. If you are willing to learn and willing to grow, you will find a lot of doors open for you in your career path. You can’t allow yourself to get to the point where you think you know everything. Never lose that zest to learn and keep an open mind.
Slopes to Circuits
My First Computer
I started dabbling in the computer world because my father used to run a distribution one of the main mainframe companies at the time. When I was about 10 years old, he brought home a ZX81 Computer, which was one of the very first home computers, it had 1K of RAM. At the time, I wasn’t really into gaming, I was more interested to understand how those games functioned, as such it introduced me to coding, at that time in BASIC.
From Slopes to Circuits
Believe it or not, my career in cybersecurity started with skiing. By the time I was 13 I was skiing for the regional squad, and by the time I was about 17, I was skiing on the national team. Of course, skiing isn’t free, and during the summer months I worked to fund the winter ski racing season. I got work at one of the main anti-virus firms in Europe at that time. It was my first job at cybersecurity organization. During school you did a work placement, I did mine as a car mechanic, because as a boy, and still today, I love cars! However, I quickly realized working on cars was rubbish; It’s oily and not fun. My summer job helped me realize the potential of the technology world. My brain is logic bias, so I wanted to understand how computers functioned, how anti-virus software worked, and of course how cyberattacks worked. After a year out skiing and working, the company owners challenged me to pursue a degree in computer science, I challenged them to support me on the endeavor, and that’s how I ended up writing my own behavioral anti-virus tool, as my dissertation for my degree in computer science.
Working in Technology
What I love about my work in cybersecurity is that every day is a different day, and that’s still true every day I go in. It doesn’t matter what job you do in cybersecurity, research, support, consulting, or something else, you will find a large variety in your day-to-day tasks that is impossible to predict, and your job will never be boring and monotonous.
Take consulting or advisory work as an example which I have done as the Chief Technology and Chief Security Officer, you think you’re going to come in for the day and do a list of tasks, but all too often something occurs, a major threat outbreak, a large breach, new regulations come into effect. On those days, I would often get redirected to meet with government agencies, clients and then talk to the media about these events. For me, jobs in cybersecurity hit that key factor – variety. I’m not the type of person who can come into work and repeat the same tasks over and over. I need variety in my job; variety is the spice of life.
Why Palo Alto Networks?
I’ve been working in the cybersecurity industry for over twenty years, in a couple different companies with a variety of products. I’ve always known about Palo Alto Networks, I watched the start of the company from an outside perspective and I had friends who went to work there and had great careers. I was three weeks into working for a startup when I was approached by Palo Alto Networks about a job opening. The timing was wrong. I would have loved to go work there but it just wasn’t the right time. Fast-forward to after the company I was working for went public – the company started going in a different direction and I reached out to my original contact from Palo Alto Networks and told him now was the right time and I wanted to work for Palo Alto Networks. He said it was unusual to have someone cold call him back. I had to sell myself to him as a candidate and the rest is history. There are a lot of players in the technology and cybersecurity market, but I wanted an organization that truly has a world class vision and strategy, where I could be passionate in where they are going.
Companies change, and move, and that’s necessary. But I have left organizations when I didn’t agree with where they are going. I really hold on to that belief that I am going to make a difference in the world. One of the questions I always ask myself is when I retire from cybersecurity, what do I want to be remembered for? How have I changed the industry? It’s a Goliath kind of ask, especially in such a big industry. But I think it’s important for all of us to have the ability to shape our own little corner of this industry. That starts with working somewhere that has a desire to shape and change the world as a company.
Disrupting and Shaping an Industry
Working in cybersecurity, we have the opportunity and responsibility to make a real impact. I’ve always worked closely with law enforcement agencies and sat UK law enforcement and now today the Europol industry advisory board to help shape how our society and communities interact with and utilize cybersecurity measures. It started when I use to run cyber forensics training for law enforcement staff and evolved from there. But it’s more than focusing on the “today”. It’s always important to shape the industry by involving the next generation, too. I’m proud to work for a company that recognizes this and is involved with organizations like Girl Scouts and with academic programs. Cybersecurity is a skill, that in a very digital world, everyone should learn, starting at school. It’s probably not a surprise my own children do well in their school cybersecurity test. By my believe is every child and adult should be as well prepared.
Cybersecurity is global impact. It’s an evolving threat to our lives. With that responsibility comes innovative thinking – sharing information like few industries have before. It’s why the Cyber Threat Alliance was established: to shift an industry, that our organization co-founded. I’m always impressed by their ability to collaborate with other companies for all of our mutual advantage. It takes a savvy executive team to recognize that. We also helped instigate the cybersecurity moonshot program, which has the goal of working with the government make the internet safe in 10 years. Closer to all our homes we have the Cybersecurity Cannon, which is dedicated to recognizing written works that are critical to the cybersecurity world and its future be that for hobbyists or executives.
Advice for Hacking into the Industry
Finding your career path can be difficult, but the most important thing is to be passionate about whatever you do. When you find a passion in life, it drives you through the good and the bad aspects of your career and everything in between. If you are passionate about a topic, you will read forums, you’ll watch the news about it you’ll have a drive and hunger for it, and you’ll continuously work towards understanding how something works. My passion for cybersecurity has shaped my career, just as my career has shaped a small portion of the industry.