National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is coming to an end and we’re rounding out our 2-part series on the cybersecurity team. Read on to learn more about the team and their day-to-day at AvePoint. If you missed our first post, check it out here!
Meet Henry Feliu, IT Manager, Jersey City
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 6 years
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? The curiosity of encrypting and securing data. What did you study in school? Criminal Justice.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? It helps to have an analytical mind, be curious, and be able to think outside of the box.
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? I’m working with multiple teams and people to provide the needed information, guidance, and troubleshooting to resolve any security/IT concerns.
Meet Timothy Smit, Director, Privacy, Security, and Risk, Denver
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 8 months
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? My involvement in the military. What did you study in school? EE and Military Science – double major
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Do it! Research the perfect job that you would like to have and surround yourself with individuals who are technically proficient and will teach you and guide you as you develop.
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? I’m forecasting risks across the organization, devising strategies to mitigate those, while automating processes to support those efforts and sustaining scalability for those processes.
Meet Spencer Li, Senior Security Architect, Jersey City
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 11 years
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? Passion. What did you study in school? Industrial Engineering.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Be passionate about what you do!
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? I am part of the development team and work as a security architect focusing on development and product security to make sure we follow the best security practices and compliance for security standards such as ISO and SOC.
Meet David Woo, Sr. Information Security & Privacy Analyst, Jersey City
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 3 years
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? What did you study in school? I double majored in economics and ITI at Rutgers University. During an internship, I worked at a bank in the Philippines right after the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist (and the resulting money laundering in Filipino casinos). Specifically, I supported one of the compliance teams focused around AML/KYC initiatives. From that experience, I became more interested in compliance within the tech industry which led to me stumbling into the world of cybersecurity and privacy. This led me to seek out a career in the cybersecurity and privacy fields. I was eventually introduced to Dana, our Chief Risk, Privacy and Information Security Officer through a company connection and was mentored by her throughout my college experience.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Don’t be afraid to reach out to individuals already working in the field with your questions. Seek mentorship if possible.
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? A typical workday includes reviewing our internal privacy related policies and procedures, reviewing the security & privacy programs of potential vendors, researching technology to aid with automation in our privacy program, customer contract review, and more.
Meet James Nankervis, Information Security/Privacy Analyst, Richmond
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 3+ years.
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? What did you study in school? Global Antiterrorism Operations. Computer Science.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Get involved with local security-focused meetups.
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? Each day provides our team with opportunities to demonstrate our collective teamwork, agility, and passion. Like most other AvePoint teammates the day is packed with checking both internal and external resources, clearly communicating project information, and working across the entire organization in order to achieve AvePoint’s goals.
Meet Christopher Hodum, Senior Privacy Security & Risk Manager, Jersey City
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 5+ years
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? What did you study in school? I was project manager for AvePoint’s ISO 27001:2013 audit when it became clear there was an opportunity to build out the security, privacy, and risk functions. This could not be further from my school studies, where my focus was History and Business Administration.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Follow your curiosity wherever it leads! The areas of Cybersecurity and Privacy are growing to meet increasing demand, and there are many career paths to consider. Finding internships or other real-world experiences will help you decide which path is best for you.
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? A day at AvePoint is a chance to work alongside the brightest minds around on a range of infosec and privacy projects. Our projects and programs are designed to improve corporate governance, employee awareness, and minimize risk across the organization.
Meet Yi Ning, VP, Information Technology, Jersey City
How long have you worked at AvePoint? 13 years and 10 months
What led you to a career in cybersecurity? What did you study in school? I studied M.S in Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition at the University of Rochester and the passion in the field led me to a career in cybersecurity.
Recommendations for students who want to get into the cybersecurity field? Be passionate about what you do!
What does your workday look like at AvePoint? Previously, I founded and managed AvePoint’s Consulting Services Teams to provide IT services for global enterprise customers. I also managed AvePoint’s Sales Engineer Team to provide pre-sales services for all AvePoint products along with AvePoint’s migration products and modules. Currently I am engaging in Information Security, strategy and practice, ISO 27001, CISSP, CIPT, GDPR; Global Hybrid Cloud operation and strategy; Azure, Office 365, AWS Cloud transition, and operation scripting.
Although Cybersecurity Awareness Month is recognized during October, our team at AvePoint makes the security of our employees and customers a priority year-round! If you’re interested in a career in cybersecurity, please check out our careers page today!
