Each one of us has a story and every day, we take steps to make a positive difference. At Balbix it’s no different–we thrive on delivering cutting edge technology and extraordinary experiences to our customers. And we also take the time to reflect on our experiences and motivations to understand the bigger picture and connect the dots.
I recently got the chance to speak to our Director of Solutions Architecture, Ti Saunders. During our conversation, I not only learned more about why he does what he does, but also got to know him on a personal level, his aspirations and drive to make an impact.
Let’s learn more about Ti:
Suraj: What motivates you to go to work?
Ti: My biggest motivator is the satisfaction I get from knowing that the hard work I put in has a real impact on people, technology, and the world overall. At Balbix that translates into helping my team solve the problems that our customers run into, giving them the features and support they need to protect themselves from rising cyber threats.
Suraj: Describe your role at Balbix
Ti: Working at Balbix as a Director of Solutions Architecture, my role gives me the opportunity to work in areas that are far outside of my job description. Generally my role is to ensure our clients maximize the utility of the Balbix platform and help them understand where they stand from a security perspective. This typically involves walking them through different attack vectors and giving suggestions on how to remediate any given problem, or even tracking specific threats and maintaining oversight. So in a nutshell: ensuring our customers have everything they need to fully understand their attack surface, thereby reducing the likelihood of a breach.
Suraj: What is something you’re proud to have accomplished at Balbix and in your professional career?
Ti: I think this is a difficult question to answer because so much has happened. However, one of the things that I am proud of is seeing the folks I have mentored become incredibly successful. I have hired a lot of people from outside the industry that just needed someone to take a chance on and get them in the door. So I think the accomplishment here is identifying the potential in people and taking the time to train and coach them to the point where they have become giants in their roles, companies, and industries. Not only is it a great feeling to have a positive impact on another person’s life, but also the fact that I’m helping progress the field as well by bringing in such great talent.
Suraj: Any interesting stories in your line of work?
Ti: I have quite a few of them. One that I find the most interesting is that I worked with a client who’s organization had become infected with ransomware. We were able to identify and isolate it before it caused any real damage. The reason this is interesting is because the product being used was in Beta and the customer believed in our technology enough to try it. Had they not been involved in this study they would likely be looking at damages in tens of millions of dollars. It really goes to show that it can pay off heavily by investing in and taking innovative approaches to protecting yourself and organization from security threats.
Suraj: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Ti: I enjoy keeping up with new innovations in science. Whenever I can, I read up on the latest developments in theoretical physics, cosmology, and really anything else that deals with discovery of what was previously unknown.
Suraj: What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Ti: I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut and I am continually taking steps in my education and career to make this happen. While I know it’s a longshot and the probability of this happening is near zero, I still maintain hope that it might someday. I make specific, tactical professional and educational decisions with the sole purpose to better qualify myself if the opportunity arises.
