About
Where do I start? Today is December 4, 2019. This is my attempt at writing a bio for my professional blog. Hang on tight, it may get bumpy.
I am from Anniston Alabama and currently reside in Jacksonville Alabama. I a Security Analyst for a manufacturing organization with plants scattered across the US, Canada, and some offices outside the US. I am also a member of the Alabama Army National Guard. I graduated Jacksonville State University in 2005 with a Business Degree. I also have some graduate level coursework that I have completed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I also currently hold the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification as well as other technical certifications.
I started my career in Information Technology later in life. After graduating Jacksonville State University in 2005 with a business degree, I went down the path of sales. This ended up being in a job I hated, and the stress would get the best of me. In 2010, I decided to go back in the Alabama Army National Guard after a four-year break. This took me down a path I would have never expected. I was able to get some solid information technology training and some amazing experiences both for training and a deployment to Afghanistan.
After my return from deployment, I spent some time working for a business internet service provider. This allowed me to develop a solid networking background. After a layoff, I was then contacted by a tech recruiter for my current employer.
As of now, I have been with my current employer just over five years. This has given me a broad knowledge and experience in various systems, networks, and structured processes. The experience you gain from working on a helpdesk and as a system administrator are invaluable to your information security career. Back in September of 2018, I was moved to our newly formed Information Security team. Prior to this, I had my hand in various security projects. In my current position, I have been exposed to a large amount of security projects that include, endpoint security, Identity and Access Management, End user security training, and mitigating phishing attacks. I have also picked up a decent amount of experience in cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure, Azure AD, Office 365, Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft 365 Center.