Our goal at edgefi is to help our customers build security operations that evolve with the times and are ahead of the chaos, which would be impossible to do without our incredible team.
This month, Travis celebrated his three-year anniversary at edgefi! He started his journey at edgefi as an IT Specialist and has since grown into the role of Tech Team Lead. He’s received countless 5-star reviews from clients and high customer satisfaction, and it’s easy to see why! We’re lucky to have such a hardworking, detail-oriented, and kind individual on our team.
In honor of his three years at edgefi, we put together a list of questions for Travis to share a bit more about himself, his life, and his role at edgefi.
Get to Know Travis:
When you’re not at work, how do you enjoy spending your time?
I spend a lot of time playing video games and board games or watching TV. I occasionally read books but I get most of my entertainment from games. I also like to take trips with my wife to parks, hiking trails, farmers markets, random hole-in-the-wall restaurants, etc.
What’s your favorite movie or book, and why?
My favorite all-time movie is The Princess Bride. It’s got everything I like in fiction – romance, sword-fighting, jokes among friends, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles… The book is also really good but it’s not my all-time favorite book. Right now, that’d have to be The Hobbit – it’s got all the same kinds of fantasy elements that The Princess Bride has but in the most inescapably beautiful setting I’ve ever imagined. It also has a lot about bravery among those who are weak and small and how they often win against all odds.
Do you have any kids or pets?
We have one pet and she is a Pomeranian/Chihuahua that is 15 years old. She’s very playful and cuddly and her own dog in a lot of ways. One is not listening when she should but chooses not to.
What are two truths and a lie about you?
- I’ve gone to basketball camp.
- I’ve never broken a bone in my body.
- I’ve had a dance party on a yacht in Canada.
Who has been a significant influence in your career?
Of the people I’ve met in my career so far, the most impactful person was my year-two teacher at Cascadia Technical Academy. We’re still friends today and he (along with the year-one teacher) is the biggest reason I am where I am today career-wise. He still constantly strives to learn everything he can and be the best and I take that into my life to this day.
If I had to choose someone not technically in IT, it’d have to be my wife. I wouldn’t have grown half as much as I have if not for her – and I am 100% sure I wouldn’t be where I am career-wise without her support.
What recent cybersecurity trend or innovation has captured your interest, and why?
I recently started noticing more and more disruptive tools that are simple to purchase and use in a malicious way. Items like the Flipper zero have been around for a while but they’re getting more and more common and inexpensive. I won’t be surprised to see many public or government places start setting up posters warning of them and how folks use them to steal your data within their place of business.
In your opinion, what’s an overrated IT measure that people put too much faith in? Why?
A super complex password. Don’t get me wrong – you need a good password and password123 isn’t going to cut it. But with the addition of MFA enforcement from most businesses and companies, having a complex password for your main login is not as important as it used to be. In fact, it’s easier to make an easy-to-remember password that’s just long, like a song lyric. That, plus MFA, and you’re protected in almost every cybersecurity scenario.
Conversely, what IT aspect do you believe is severely underrated or overlooked?
It didn’t used to be as bad as it is now, but it’s the users themselves. Training users how to be good cyber-aware is way more important than most cybersecurity configurations/insurance/etc. since they’re the easiest part of the company to trick into doing something malicious. If your company is absolutely 100% secure and walled off and it has human employees, it’s never 100% secure. A lot of companies will also train employees on how to be safe the wrong way. Practice makes perfect, but if you practice it the wrong way, you’re only perfecting business vulnerability.
If you could enhance your IT skills overnight in one area, what would it be and why?
I would definitely enhance my hacking ability, specifically penetration testing. I have always found that part of cybersecurity interesting but the kind of work you have to do is daunting to learn.
What’s the most unusual or creative IT challenge you’ve faced, and how did you address it?
There’s one instance I’ll always remember and it was years ago for a non-profit. Their Internet was not working and that’s all I knew. After a few hours of troubleshooting to find out the issue was with their Comcast Modem, I didn’t realize the actual problem was simply their static IP was not correct. I asked them if Comcast had come to visit them and they said no. However, they did visit their home and the home network was also the work network… the work and home buildings were right next to each other. All I had to do was talk to Comcast and mention the house visit to get into the modem to change the static IP and everything was fine.
What are you most excited about with your new role at Edge?
I really enjoy helping people. I have had the pleasure of working alongside some brilliant folks and learned everything I could from them and I want to be like them to others. As Tech Lead, I get to work closely with my team and make sure they’re as successful as they can be. That, and planning the strategy for the direction of edgefi is exhilarating in its own right.
From your perspective, what is the key to building a strong and resilient IT team?
I’ve always tried to lead my team by being an example of what I aspire to be. I’ve had a few role models that I look up to and I try to exemplify that in everything I do. If you lead with empathy and integrity and, most importantly, humility, your team will likely follow suit. At least I feel mine has and I’m extremely grateful to have them.
Do you have a funny IT joke?
Not a joke, but I enjoy seeing what people name their Wi-Fi when I’m out and about. I’ve seen a few good ones:
- The Promised LAN
- Pretty Fly for a Wifi
- Bill Wi the Science Fi
- Wi Believe I can Fi
- Friendly Neighborhood SpiderLAN
Any parting thoughts or favorite quotes that inspire your approach to IT?
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Don’t be afraid to make that mistake – it’s the best way to grow.
Okay, what was the lie?
I have broken one bone… my right big toe.
Bonus question: What’s your IT hot take?
The last thing I want to do when I get home is set up a network or troubleshoot my computer. I just want it to work so I can forget about IT while at home!
Travis’ journey at edgefi has been full of growth, hard work, and leadership. It’s been a pleasure to know and work with Travis over the last three years, and we look forward to what’s to come. Happy three years at edgefi, Travis!
