Do you have a concrete idea of what the job of a “Cyber Security Consultant” looks like? Many people probably don’t. No wonder, because the diverse tasks are not easy to summarise. Nevertheless, we wanted to know more and conducted an interview with our Senior Consultant Sebastiano Davanzo. Why the title question is tricky to answer, the high and lowlights of his job, future challenges, insights into his team and other exciting insights can be read in this job portrait.
Sebastiano, in short, can you describe your work as a Senior Cyber Consultant at InfoGuard in three sentences?
Varied, challenging, informative – that’s just three words, but I think they speak for themselves.
What is a normal work day like?
There is really no such thing as a normal working day – every day is different. It depends a lot on the advisory mandates I’m working on at the time. On the way to the client’s premises in the morning, I use the time I spend on public transport to carry out specific tasks like answering my e-mails. Over the course of the day, I usually have meetings on a wide variety of issues related to cyber and IT security – about whatever my expertise is needed most at the moment. In between these, I have time to work on specific project outcomes. This might be developing a security concept, identifying, assessing and reporting IT and cyber risks, preparing a security awareness campaign, etc. Before I leave work in the evening, I update my planning schedule for the next few days and weeks. In this job, that is one of the most important things to get done!
What are the high points and maybe the low points in your job?
One high point is definitely the fact that my work is extremely varied. As I told you already, there’s practically no day that looks the same. That’s what makes the job so exciting. I generally enjoy advising companies and meeting a wide variety of different people. In addition, I am part of a team that is made up of people who are great on a personal level and professionally highly competent. We can benefit a lot from each other.
The only negative I can see is that the amount of time I have to spend on assignments or with clients means that I don’t get to talk to other consultants very often. However, this is easily made up for by exchanging information virtually when the opportunity arises, or by going to the office in Baar – there is always someone there.
What does your professional career look like? Is there one “single” career path?
I did a business apprenticeship in Lucerne. However, I have always had a strong interest in IT, although at that time it was mainly at a personal level. That’s why I decided to study business IT majoring in information security after finishing my business-oriented school-leaving certificate. It was really both a very good and demanding curriculum. It gave me the foundations I needed to get started in the world of cyber security consulting. In the meantime, I have built up almost six years of experience and have worked for various sized companies from a wide range of different industries.
I really like your second question and I think it’s an important one! I ask myself from time to time whether there is such a thing as “the” career path. At the moment, it is important for me to be able to constantly develop professionally and personally – and InfoGuard offers me the right environment for that. However, I don’t think that there is objectively one single career path. Everyone has to find that for themselves.
As a consultant, you always have to be up to date with the latest technology and cyber risks, as well as client changes such as digitalisation and market changes. How do you stay abreast of the latest developments?
It is essential to stay up to date in order to be able to offer clients practical added value within the scope of the advisory mandates. I make use of various options for doing this. For me it is important to have lively interaction within the consulting team and with other internal specialists or partners, to take part in professional presentations, for example at the InfoGuard Knowledge Boosters, and last but not least RSS feeds, newsletters and active information in a range of professional journals and blogs.
What do you think will be the biggest changes in your job in the future?
In recent years, the cyber security threat situation has increased significantly in every sector. This can be seen in a wide range of reports and statistics, such as the half-yearly report from the National Centre for Cyber Security, the ENISA Threat Landscape, the Allianz Insurance Risk Barometer etc. Cyberattacks are now also ubiquitous in the media.
Currently, there are many companies that are unfortunately not at a high enough level of maturity to be able to adequately protect themselves against cyberattacks. In view of this fact, taken together with digital transformation, it can be assumed that in the future, the need for relevant expertise will increase further still. Our labour market has already identified this gap and has broadened the range of training and further education in the field of cyber security. Some of my InfoGuard colleagues are also passing on their knowledge in advanced training courses or at specialist events. I think that’s a very good thing.
Why did you choose InfoGuard two and a half years ago?
At that time, InfoGuard sparked my interest as a “360-degree cyber security company”. I was and still am fascinated by our extremely broad range of cyber security services and the huge expertise in individual areas. I regularly swap ideas with colleagues from other areas in order to gain new expertise, as well as to pass on my own specialist knowledge. What also appealed to me was the size and diversity of the client portfolio, which makes consulting all the more exciting for me.
How would you describe InfoGuard as an employer?
InfoGuard is a collegial, modern company that puts a lot of store by a positive, open culture and happy employees. Yes, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed some things, but, for instance, there are usually several internal events each year. These are always a high point that everyone looks forward to. At the team level, there is regular exchange with supervisors and colleagues in the form of one-to-one meetings and team updates. From time to time, we also organise team events such as the now famous motorbike trip, along with hiking or skiing days. Basically, the management is always open to listening to the staff. There is always the opportunity to get involved in any issue and to give your input. The management’s appreciation of the workforce is high.
At the moment, you and the members of your team are looking for additional staff. What would the person have to be like to fit in, both personally and professionally?
New people who want to join our consulting team should be motivated, open-minded and collegial, and already have professional experience in consulting, as well as technical experience in various areas of cyber security. The customer-oriented work means that it is important for the person to have strong communication skills and enjoy tackling projects independently and in a way that is solution-oriented.
Interested in joining Sebastiano’s team?
We are currently looking for a Cyber Security Consultant and a Cloud Security Consultant. Are you experienced, motivated and do you enjoy customer contact? If so, you might be just the right person to join Sebastiano’s team. Alongside a wide range of projects and exciting clients, you can look forward to a great workplace with the opportunity for career development, attractive benefits and a team that will welcome you. Click here for the available consulting positions:
Is being a consultant not the right job for you, but you would still be interested in joining InfoGuard? You can find all vacancies on our career website. Or better still, why not subscribe to our Job Alert? This way you will be notified immediately when your dream job is posted.
