For my grouping of potential future employers, I focus on both established and fast-growing companies that align nicely with my prospective Cyber Security career. I have spent over 15 years in the tech industry so I have had dealing with the majority of the companies on this list and had some degree of understanding concerning their business focus and best practices. The companies I chose are Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto Networks, CyberArk Software, and OPSWAT.
Lockheed Martin is an aerospace, arms, defense, and information technology company based out of Bethesda, MD who currently employs approximately 114,000 people. (Lockheed Martin, 2022) Although the company is based out of Maryland, they have an office right here in my hometown of Lakeland, FL. Their proximity to my residence and their well-known involvement in cutting edge IT solutions could possibly make this company a good fit for me. For an initial contact I was able to establish a connection with the Staff Contracts Manager, Paul Werth, who I located on LinkedIn. I can appreciate the advancements that Lockheed Martin makes in all sectors, but by nature I am a pacifist. I am still uncertain how I would feel working directly for an arms dealer, so I would have a couple of focused questions for them pertaining to that. “If I were chosen as the candidate for this position, would I have any choice of what branch of your organization that I contribute to?” and also “What is your companies stance of arming counties that could potential pose a risk to the United States?”
Palo Alto Networks is a Cyber Security company based out of Santa Clara, CA. (Palo Alto Networks, 2022) My first exposure to their product line was back in 2010 during a time that I was working for a reseller of their products. I was impressed that their firewalls consistently outperformed in raw throughput and intrusion prevention compared to similar price point offerings from Cisco. I even had an opportunity to travel to Fort Lauderdale and get training in their product configuration, and afterwards attained a vendor-specific certification for my efforts. They employ just over 11,000 people, two of which I know very well. To establish an initial contact, I would reach out to either of my prior colleagues, Jeremy Garver or George Kassos, to determine if there was a current need for my skillset and who I should follow up with. I already know from recent interactions with Jeremy that Palo Alto offers a 100% remote work experience, so relocating would not be a concern. During the interview I would ask “Does your company value competitor certifications as a determining factor for qualification?” Although I do hold one Palo Alto certificate, I currently have my Cisco CCNA with 4 specialization certificates on top of that, so knowing this would be a good determining factor as to my chances of being a viable applicant.
CyberArk is an information security company whose product I work with very frequently in my current position. Founded in 1999 in Israel, the company has grown into a multinational player in the identity management realm (CyberArk Software, 2021) competing with IAM offering from larger and more established IT powerhouses like IBM and Microsoft. They currently have office all over the globe, including a US headquarters in Newton, and other domestic offices in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, although most of the people that I have worked with from their organization were based out of Vancouver. They employ just short of 1,700 people according to the latest number I could find. (MacroTrend, 2021) For an initial contact I would reach out to Robin Guidry at (617) 372-4305, who is associated with the company in a Talent Acquisition role. I would discuss how my qualifications and experience align very nicely with a current remote job offering they have posted on their site for a Security Services Director. As the company has recently been engaged in purchasing smaller security companies in an effort to bolster their client offerings, I would ask “Do you have any interest in acquiring additional solution vendors that would strengthen your current customer offerings?” This would demonstrate a knowledge of their prior business practices. I might also ask “What are your views on allowing employees to work abroad? Would you be willing to sponsor them?”
OPSWAT is a data security company based out of Tampa, FL. Their products focus on mitigation of zero-day attacks and malware both in the traditional network hierarchy as well as the next generation cloud computing platforms. (OPSWAT, 2022) They currently employee 500 employees and have offices across the US, Europe, and Asia. For initial contact I would try to reach Stephanie Breslin, their Human Resource liaison, at their main Tampa line 415-590-7300. I took note of their recent investment from a large venture capitalist firm, Brighton Park Capital. To get a better understanding of the ramifications this might cause I would ask “Does involvement and external pressures from VC investors drive you have to be more profits focused, or is the company still able to focus first on delivering your trademark customer first service?” Not only does this show that I’ve done my research, but also keys them in to the fact that I’m a results-driven candidate.
References
About OPSWAT. (2022). OPSWAT. https://www.opswat.com/company/about
About Us. (2022, January 19). Lockheed Martin. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are.html
About Us. (2022). Palo Alto Networks. https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us
CyberArk Software. (2021, December 23). Corporate Trust Center. CyberArk. https://www.cyberark.com/trust/
CyberArk Software: Number of Employees 2014–2021 | CYBR. (2021). MacroTrends. https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/CYBR/cyberark-software/number-of-employees
Hi Mark
I am just starting out in the Cyber Security market and find your job choices very interesting. This field has a lot of opportunities to work in any state and possibly remotely. Do you think the remote work pays just as well as being on-site? Do you think the certifications that are offered online make you a better applicant? If so which ones?
Since you are already working in the field it does give you a better understanding of their business practices.
Heath
Good evening Heath, and thank you for the reply. In the current job market for Cyber Security personnel I have not found that there is any discrepancy in pay for onsite employees versus remote. In many scenarios, especially with Covid-19 making being onsite more challenging, companies potentially save money by allowing you to work from a home office. Some reports even show that salary workers are putting in more hours and getting more accomplished as an effect of working from home.
When it comes to certifications and what employers want to see from you in that regards, the answer is unfortunately “it depends.” It is a very good idea to go ahead and attain some of the more affordable certifications like Comptia Security + and possibly even the ICS2 SSCP if you’ve got the coin. When I entered the IT industry, the gold standard for getting a job was an Associates in any IT track and more certifications that you can shake a stick at. It feels like that is changing now to focus more on relevant experience and then allowing the employer to tell you what certifications you should seek after employment. Most times, they will even compensate some or all of the cost for sitting for the test. So why am I back in school you may ask? Well, my employer, and MANY others, will expect you to have a bachelors degree to accompany any certifications and experience if you are looking to proceed into a managerial role. At 40 that feels like the next logical step for me.
Mark