Meet Matt!
I’m an analyst based in GA who graduated from Kennesaw State University with my Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity in May of 2023. I also dabble in some other technical work too! I consider myself a handyman as I can work with a lot of various tools and know that I have the capacity to do more in the future.
Outside of technical work, I like to make digital art and do landscaping. I took a lot after my grandpa, who was a multi-talented man and who knew how to get stuff done!
Tell us a surprising fact about yourself…
I’m not quite ambidextrous, but I’ve taught myself how to do a lot of things with my left hand! All things outside of writing, that is. Maybe I’ll get there someday!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation. We lose a lot of time due to travel and being in-between places… It’d be a convenient power, however, I’d probably become super out of shape and chunky because I’d get lazy and never move anywhere normally as a result…
What are some things you enjoy doing outside of work?
I jog in the mornings and like to go on a trail during the weekends. I also like to tinker with electronics and fiddle with gadgets whenever I have the opportunity to do so!
Tell us about your role at Rhymetec…
It’s currently my one-year anniversary at Rhymetec! My role is to help aid my project manager in his work by better understanding our clientele’s environments and programs so I can assist with inquiries and even offer suggestions or analysis on how they can better improve their security standing.
I really like working here because it’s exposing me to a wide variety of tools and environments that I probably wouldn’t have encountered so soon. The experience that I’m receiving here will be invaluable for the rest of my career! I can also kind of brag to my buddies that I can conduct ISO/IEC audits too.
Why did you pursue a career in the cybersecurity industry?
I originally majored in Engineering before finding that a lot of the theory wasn’t sticking to me. I’m more of a hands-on person who works better with several manuals in front of me and enough time to make things happen. I was pursuing interests in IT/CS after the fact before finding that Cybersecurity had the right level of “hands-on” that interested me.
As to how I ended up with Cybersecurity, funnily enough, there was a representative who came into one of my lectures while I was in university who tipped me off to considering a degree change with Cyber!
What is your favorite part about working at Rhymetec, or in the cybersecurity industry?
Lots to learn everywhere. Cybersecurity is as much of a theory as it is a concept. It concerns itself with information technology and similarly connected devices. In the end, it’s risk management, contingency planning, and fortifying defenses! It’s an ever-evolving race towards what guards our assets in the best possible way, with more creative and unique ways continuing to be found for people to defend (or even attack) with!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
I read this from an art book and have it pinned on my wall since it applies to many areas outside of art:
“TALENT: Don’t bother about whether or not you have it. Just assume that you do, and then forget about it. Talent is a word we use after someone has become accomplished. There is no way to detect it before the fact, or when someone is still grappling with the learning process. It is impossible to predict when or if mastery will click into place. Besides, the thing we label as talent is not a single ability. It is a complex mixture of motive, curiosity, receptivity, intelligence, sensitivity, good teaching, perseverance, timing, sheer luck, and countless other things. If any part of it is genetic, God-given, the result of astrological fiddle-faddle, fate, or destiny, that part is not the sole determining factor. All the other ingredients must be present in the right combination–and no one knows the exact recipe. Therefore Dear Reader, don’t waste time worrying if you are talented—and don’t blame any failures on the lack of it–that is really a cop-out.”
– Richard Schmid, “Alla Prima II – Everything I Know About Painting – and More”
From a security or compliance perspective, what advice would you give to a potential client or SaaS business?
This one’s a tough one, as I’m still relatively fresh out of university! I feel like more of a senior role or more experienced member could give better insight here… that, or I’d be parroting them, which isn’t a bad thing! I think the best advice I could give is:
“Which would you prefer: the pain of diligence or the pain of regret?”
This could apply to a lot with regards to ensuring that appropriate preventive measures are in-place against threats and threat actors.