Last updated at Fri, 21 Jul 2017 17:11:42 GMT
If I was asked to pick one word that encompasses the reason I decided to join Rapid7 as a Security Consultant and Researcher it would be community. After seeing two of my colleagues, Trey Ford and Nick Percoco, join the ranks of Rapid7 over the last several months I knew that something special was happening, and curiosity being what it is, I started to do some research into what Rapid7 was about. Sure, there are all the wonderful technology they provide and the range of security products they offer, but having been in the industry for more than 15 years, I was looking for something that separates Rapid7 from the others, who also offer great technologies and security services. One of the first things I discovered was a sense of community fostered within the ranks of Rapid7. Christina Luconi, who refers to herself as “Chief People Officer,” has an impressive record for creating a working environment that fosters creativity, success, and a healthy lifestyle; these are things that are important to have in a workplace, but it can be difficult to all of them find in one place. After talking with Trey, Nick, and others from the Calvary organization (https://www.iamthecavalry.org/), I knew that Rapid7 was building a healthy working community for its people and is working on reaching out in an effort to help establish this balance in the larger community of Infosec, and I wanted to be a part of this process. Throughout the interview process, the importance of participation in conferences and events like local B-Sides gatherings was emphasized; this appealed to me, as I have a background in public speaking and love presenting at conferences, and also see these venues as opportunities to expand that sense of community and work to help establish this balancing act of work and life. Often the community and presentations take a secondary or tertiary role in a company, as such activities often present as a cost. Conference and other presentation opportunities, however, are also the primary way that knowledge is transferred in our community, and Rapid7 is clearly supporting the growth of our community in supporting attendance and participation in these areas. Finally, Rapid7 was very encouraging of my continued research in the area of Medical Device security and safety. As a patient and user of this technology, making the world a safer place has become one of my passions; emerging technologies in the medical world are often ill-equipped for the dangers that the interconnected world faces, and we need spokespeople to draw attention to these dangers. As a diabetic, who depends on these interconnected devices to live, I find myself as an advocate in this arena. It doesn't stop there: the infosec community needs advocates of safety across this new world of embedded computers that are effecting and controlling our physical world. I see Rapid7 wanting to support and lead the worldwide community, I see it as a place of advocacy, and as a personal community to support my endeavors. For all of these reasons, I am excited and thankful to join the team and make our world a better place.
--Jay
@jradcliffe02
