Me and my job

Q: How did you get into security?

I joined the military [the Marine Corps] as a COBOL programmer. They had other plans for me, and decided I was going to network computers together. That was kind of my first step into it. Every position I've been in since has dealt with information security in some fashion.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

Being able to deal with different things every day. One thing I like is that my upper management understands security, and they make it part of the day-to-day operation, and not an afterthought. If you're just reacting, you can never catch up.

Q: What annoys you?

One thing that probably everyone is finding annoying is spyware. Sometimes, we have users who can't resolve web pages or their computer slows down [because of spyware]. We've taken steps, but these guys are coming up with new ways every day to get it on the machines.

Q: Who influenced you most?

I can't give one person particular credit. I've been lucky to work with a lot of great people, and every person I've worked with has given me something to take with me.

Q: How do you describe your job to strangers?

I usually just say I work with computers and leave it kind of vague, because if you go into depth with what you actually do, people give you that glazed-over look.