The Journey
I’ve spent the last 10+ years working in sales and sales leadership. My sales background sits across various verticals, but primarily in tech. My most recent role was Head of Sales and Partnerships at an Atlassian partner and agile consultancy. During my time in sales, I always had a background passion for tech and IT, with the view that hopefully one day I would be able to take what I had learnt in sales and leadership and move into a career in cyber security. 12 months ago, I decided it was time to go on that journey, leaving my previous position and focusing on learning as much about the cyber security industry as I could. I immersed myself in labs, certs and anything else I could find that would help me build the right foundations to be employed as a cyber security analyst. After achieving my CompTIA Security+ and CySA+ certs, alongside the Microsoft SC-900 Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals, I started to look for opportunities in the industry that fit my current skillset, mindset and a place where my previous experience would also be valuable. I had no idea how challenging this process would be, but thankfully that is where the team at Nova Blue Technologies came to the rescue. One DM on LinkedIn can really change everything. That’s what I would tell the salespeople I managed, and it wasn’t snake oil: it worked.
What it’s like to work at Nova Blue
To say that my role at Nova Blue is everything I had hoped for when making the choice to change careers would be an understatement. From day 1 I felt like part of the family, and every person I met through the interview process was exactly as I perceived them to be. The team are more than that; they are a family, and that shows. Everyone is prepared to show up and help each other, living the values of Nova Blue every day. It’s not just something they say, it’s something they do, and something I have the pleasure of being part of. The attention to detail that goes into each customer is incredible. They have taken Defence in Depth and Least Privilege and put them into practice, ensuring that every customer is monitored and is as secure as possible daily (to be honest, I’m unsure how any SOC survives without the MIDAS service in place). I needed someone to give me a chance and Nova Blue took that chance, giving me the training and guidance I needed to continue to develop what I’d learnt, while giving me the opportunity to bring my own skills and experience to the table. Would I go back to sales? Absolutely not, and I have the entire team at Nova Blue to thank for that. I now have the rare opportunity to be a salesperson on the other side of the process, offering help and support while continuing to develop my skills and passion for all things cyber security. Mike Durham - Defending the Defenders.