Working at Bulletproof
Solving the staff shortage problem
The cyber security industry is suffering from a shortage of skilled professionals, in the UK and beyond. In fact, it’s estimated that by current rates we’ll hit a short fall of 3.5 million professionals by 2021. This means businesses should be scrambling to get the right people through the door and invest in the relevant training as soon as possible. Equally, if there aren’t many people coming through the door, we need to make it seem more inviting, perhaps with a sign that says ‘free cake’.
To some extent, it’s a universal problem. Those looking for their start in a rewarding career often hit an unnecessary stumbling block marked ‘experience’. Candidates are often denied opportunities due to their lack of it. The only way they can get said experience is by taking those very same opportunities. This can go on for some time.
In not taking the time to provide more opportunities for those with less experience, businesses are draining the talent pool for the future. This will only work against them as, eventually, those with experience have to retire. Then where would we be?
At Bulletproof, we take great pleasure in watching talent flourish. We put a lot of emphasis on grad schemes and like to provide as many opportunities as we can. I could wax lyrical about these roles myself, but it’s probably best to hear it from the people currently filling them.
Nathan, Jr SOC Analyst
Our Junior SOC analyst started in mid-2018. Having studied for a degree in computer science with a focus on cyber security, he discovered Bulletproof when researching CREST-approved companies. We liked the cut of his gib, whatever one of those is. He showed excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills, which made him a perfect candidate for our SOC.
Nathan says he particularly enjoys “the stories that come with security issues and the detective work involved in stopping or remediating them.” This works out pretty well, as it is the fundamental aspect of our managed SIEM. Nathan monitors our clients’ networks, systems, applications and user activity and conducts active threat hunting to ensure their environments are kept safe at all times. Whether it’s a ransomware attack, phishing or suspicious user activity, Nathan is there to save the day. Not all heroes wear capes.
Nathan has been guided by the senior analysts and has rapidly developed his skills. With SOC analysts having such a variety of skills, there are plenty of progression opportunities in store, either in the SOC or in other departments.
As well as advancing in the SOC team, Bulletproof have progression plans to support him should he want to look at working as a penetration tester, or even a compliance consultant. In his words, “Bulletproof is a great place to start a career. Opportunities are provided to those who have the drive and want to work and develop their skills.”
Viki, Graduate Communications Executive
Communications Executive is a broad title that can be loosely translated to mean ‘a marketing type’. Bulletproof’s marketing team has a diverse range of skills and functions, and Viki’s position is one of quality assurance. She is a proof-reader extraordinaire. Nothing reaches our customers until it has been through the QA team, where errant commas are squashed, misspellings are righted and formatting kept firmly on-brand. This goes for reports as well as our marketing material. Given how popular our penetration testing and GDPR compliance offerings are, it’s a busy role that requires a broad knowledge of practically every area of cyber security.
Viki discovered Bulletproof through these very blog pages and, despite not having a lot of existing cyber knowledge, showed the right attitude and aptitude – an attaptidude if you will, but please don’t. Her cyber industry knowledge has grown extremely quickly, and she can now tell a POODLE attack from a SWEET32, and even has a good working knowledge of our SOC.
Very quickly, Viki became a popular member of our team and not least because she bakes us cake. She says “I find the cyber world endlessly fascinating, and it’s great that my grammar gripes are actually useful for once.” With marketing being such a diverse subject, there are many areas Viki could step into.
Euan, Apprentice Sales Executive
Euan is our Apprentice Sales Executive and is also the youngest employee. His natural talent means he’s already landed VIP sales deals. Euan discovered Bulletproof when searching for apprenticeships and was immediately grasped by the name ‘Bulletproof’ (well done branding team). He then spent an hour reading some of “the interesting blogs” (well done blog writer) on our website where he concluded “Bulletproof sounded like a cool place to work”. He wasn’t wrong.
Like Viki, Euan didn’t come to us with a huge amount of cyber-security knowledge, but within a few months, he was an expert. He is successfully selling penetration tests, our next-gen managed threat protection service, and a host of compliance packages. There’s barely a moment where he’s not on the phone or badgering the marketing department for more materials.
It’s this diversity that Euan finds most interesting about cyber security – there are lots of elements that go into building up a strong security posture. “I get a lot of satisfaction in helping a lot of smaller companies maintain their security and seeing our partnership grow as they do.”
Euan is in a great position now, having gone from having no experience in the industry to having a huge number of opportunities open up. In sales alone, he can go on to become an account manager, managing key partnerships with high-profile customers.
Experience leads to experts
Bulletproof are extremely proud to be offering people their start in the industry, nurturing their talent and helping them flourish. Providing people with experience leads to the next generation of experts, something our sector sorely needs. So, if anyone’s thinking of entering the cyber security industry, send us your CV or check out the opportunities we have on the careers page.
Looking to develop your cyber career?
If you think you can bring something to Bulletproof, get in touch today or check out our current vacancies.
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