(A): What led you to form Arctic Wolf? What are you trying to achieve through Arctic Wolf?
(D): “We realized early on that security isn’t solely a tools problem or a staffing problem, it is an operational problem. We built a cloud-native security operations platform and created the industry’s first Concierge Security Team to deliver key operational capabilities like Arctic Wolf® Managed Detection and Response, Managed Risk, Cloud Detection and Response, and Managed Security Awareness to our customers. We are unique in the industry because the Concierge Security Team not only works round the clock to protect customers from threats but also plays a strategic role. Since your Concierge Security Engineers are named resources, they develop a unique understanding of your environment over time, use this knowledge to continually assess your overall security posture, and work proactively with you to ensure that your organization always improves and adapts to the threat landscape. This combination of tactical execution and strategic guidance is what sets Arctic Wolf apart. We envision a future without cyber risk. Every organization should be so effective at security operations that both the likelihood and impact of a cyber-attack are minimized to the point where risk is essentially zero. The Arctic Wolf Platform and Concierge Security Team make it fast and easy for organizations of any size to get world-class security operations that continually guard against attacks efficiently and sustainably.”
(A): So how did you enter into the world of cyber security?
(D): “When I was in high school, I was very good at math. I took the high school calculus class and prided myself on obtaining better grades than the boys. When it came time to choose a career, I went to the school counselor for advice. He said, “You’re great at math and science and you are a girl, so you should be a math teacher.” My 17-year-old self naively believed him and didn’t even consider schools with engineering, mathematics, or computer science programs. I went to the University of Lethbridge in Alberta to become a math teacher. After my first year there I realized that the most critical part of becoming a teacher was to be passionate about teaching. I found that I was passionate and dedicated to mathematics and not teaching. I decided not to become a teacher. That was the best choice I could ever have made! I waited until my third year of university to take my first computer science course. All my friends told me it was very hard and no fun at all, so I had put it off. After the first few classes, I realized it was no more difficult than my other math classes and I enjoyed it. That is when I fell in love with Computer Science. What I hadn’t realized before was that the strongest skills you need for computer science are logical thinking and problem-solving. These are exactly the skills that talented people in mathematics have. I loved that computer science gave me a real-world way to use this talent. Later in my third year of university, I decided to join the co-op program (internship program) to try and acquire some much-needed job experience. A role with the Canadian government opened. They were looking for math students with computer science experience. Excellent! That was me! They had me implement the Bluetooth spec in C++ so they could evaluate its security value. This was how I discovered and fell in love with Cyber Security. It is the perfect career for someone who loves mathematics and computer science.”