Brian Kirk
Vice President, Cybersecurity Services at Strata Information Group- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
Topline Score
Bio
Joe Volpe
I worked for Brian when he was the CISO at CH2M. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of his security team and I'll always be grateful. He was an excellent person to work for. Not only was he an exceptional manager but a great mentor as well. He always took the time to meet with me and go over professional development goals. There are few managers I've worked for that are technically proficient and the innate ability to lead a team; Brian has the skill set and is a proven leader. He is sorely missed but I'm glad I had the opportunity to work for him and with him.
Robert Root, CISSP
Hands down, Brian was one of the best managers that I worked for in a long IT career. In our first meeting to set goals for the year, he asked me what I want to do. I told him, "That I wanted him to teach me his job, because my plan was to be in that position in 5 years." He laughed at first, but then realized I was serious. Brian has a couple of quotes that he likes to use, the first of which is "Good Leaders don't make followers, the create leaders." A little over 5 years later, and I'm fielding interviews for CISO positions. I have to thank Brian for this. On the work side, he is completely professional, highly technical and can interpret the technical jargon so that both executive management and lines of business understand the requirements, security risks, options available. Another of his quotes is that "I was told to hire people smarter than I am." His ability to build a smart, dedicated and passionate team is second to none. I have seen the tremendous amount of work a small group of people can achieve with the right person directing the efforts, but letting the work get done. He is an outstanding person to work with and for. If given the opportunity, I would work with him again tomorrow.
Joe Volpe
I worked for Brian when he was the CISO at CH2M. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of his security team and I'll always be grateful. He was an excellent person to work for. Not only was he an exceptional manager but a great mentor as well. He always took the time to meet with me and go over professional development goals. There are few managers I've worked for that are technically proficient and the innate ability to lead a team; Brian has the skill set and is a proven leader. He is sorely missed but I'm glad I had the opportunity to work for him and with him.
Robert Root, CISSP
Hands down, Brian was one of the best managers that I worked for in a long IT career. In our first meeting to set goals for the year, he asked me what I want to do. I told him, "That I wanted him to teach me his job, because my plan was to be in that position in 5 years." He laughed at first, but then realized I was serious. Brian has a couple of quotes that he likes to use, the first of which is "Good Leaders don't make followers, the create leaders." A little over 5 years later, and I'm fielding interviews for CISO positions. I have to thank Brian for this. On the work side, he is completely professional, highly technical and can interpret the technical jargon so that both executive management and lines of business understand the requirements, security risks, options available. Another of his quotes is that "I was told to hire people smarter than I am." His ability to build a smart, dedicated and passionate team is second to none. I have seen the tremendous amount of work a small group of people can achieve with the right person directing the efforts, but letting the work get done. He is an outstanding person to work with and for. If given the opportunity, I would work with him again tomorrow.
Joe Volpe
I worked for Brian when he was the CISO at CH2M. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of his security team and I'll always be grateful. He was an excellent person to work for. Not only was he an exceptional manager but a great mentor as well. He always took the time to meet with me and go over professional development goals. There are few managers I've worked for that are technically proficient and the innate ability to lead a team; Brian has the skill set and is a proven leader. He is sorely missed but I'm glad I had the opportunity to work for him and with him.
Robert Root, CISSP
Hands down, Brian was one of the best managers that I worked for in a long IT career. In our first meeting to set goals for the year, he asked me what I want to do. I told him, "That I wanted him to teach me his job, because my plan was to be in that position in 5 years." He laughed at first, but then realized I was serious. Brian has a couple of quotes that he likes to use, the first of which is "Good Leaders don't make followers, the create leaders." A little over 5 years later, and I'm fielding interviews for CISO positions. I have to thank Brian for this. On the work side, he is completely professional, highly technical and can interpret the technical jargon so that both executive management and lines of business understand the requirements, security risks, options available. Another of his quotes is that "I was told to hire people smarter than I am." His ability to build a smart, dedicated and passionate team is second to none. I have seen the tremendous amount of work a small group of people can achieve with the right person directing the efforts, but letting the work get done. He is an outstanding person to work with and for. If given the opportunity, I would work with him again tomorrow.
Joe Volpe
I worked for Brian when he was the CISO at CH2M. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of his security team and I'll always be grateful. He was an excellent person to work for. Not only was he an exceptional manager but a great mentor as well. He always took the time to meet with me and go over professional development goals. There are few managers I've worked for that are technically proficient and the innate ability to lead a team; Brian has the skill set and is a proven leader. He is sorely missed but I'm glad I had the opportunity to work for him and with him.
Robert Root, CISSP
Hands down, Brian was one of the best managers that I worked for in a long IT career. In our first meeting to set goals for the year, he asked me what I want to do. I told him, "That I wanted him to teach me his job, because my plan was to be in that position in 5 years." He laughed at first, but then realized I was serious. Brian has a couple of quotes that he likes to use, the first of which is "Good Leaders don't make followers, the create leaders." A little over 5 years later, and I'm fielding interviews for CISO positions. I have to thank Brian for this. On the work side, he is completely professional, highly technical and can interpret the technical jargon so that both executive management and lines of business understand the requirements, security risks, options available. Another of his quotes is that "I was told to hire people smarter than I am." His ability to build a smart, dedicated and passionate team is second to none. I have seen the tremendous amount of work a small group of people can achieve with the right person directing the efforts, but letting the work get done. He is an outstanding person to work with and for. If given the opportunity, I would work with him again tomorrow.
Credentials
-
CISSP
(ISC)²Jul, 2014- Nov, 2024 -
GIAC Security Essentials
SANS InstituteNov, 2006- Nov, 2024 -
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Windows Server 2000
MicrosoftMar, 1999- Nov, 2024 -
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
CiscoAug, 1998- Nov, 2024
Experience
-
Strata Information Group
-
United States
-
IT Services and IT Consulting
-
100 - 200 Employee
-
Vice President, Cybersecurity Services
-
Sep 2022 - Present
Hired to develop and lead the cybersecurity consulting practice for Strata Information Group. Assisting higher education and corporate clients with the unique challenges presented in their environments by implementing strategies to prevent and recover from cybersecurity attacks. Coordinating a team that is performing a wide variety of services including: CISO advisory, security cloud and framework assessments (NIST, CIS, CMMC), vulnerability scanning, policy development, tabletop exercises, network architecture reviews, and awareness training. We do not sell hardware, software, or managed security services allowing us to provide an agnostic opinion on the value that these solutions offer to your organization. Show less
-
-
-
Elliott Davis
-
Greenville, South Carolina Area
-
Director of Cybersecurity
-
Apr 2018 - Sep 2022
Hired to create and develop an enterprise cybersecurity consulting practice for a regional accounting and advisory firm located in the Southeast. Developed a sustainable practice that has consistently exceeded client expectations, net revenue goals, and continues to develop a wide array of services for a diverse set of clients in various markets including healthcare, finance, higher education, manufacturing, state and local government, and industrial control systems. Coordinating a team that is performing a wide variety of services including: penetration testing, CISO advisory, security assessments (NIST, CIS, CMMC), policy development and awareness training. In just over three years, our team has expanded the cybersecurity practice to multiple states and cities to support growth and client demand. Please note, I am not part of the internal Elliott Davis IT team and do not purchase hardware/software on behalf of Elliott Davis. Show less
-
-
-
CH2M
-
United States
-
Civil Engineering
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
-
Jul 2011 - Apr 2018
Built and managed the information security program at CH2M in cooperation with the executive management team. Expanded the security team to global locations to reduce cost and improve response time. Trusted decision maker on information security strategy, procurement and technology solutions with a focus on reducing risk and user impact and staying within budget. • Established standardized perimeter security technologies and monitoring at 7 Internet Points of Presence around the world • Protected corporate HR, Finance and critical database servers with data center firewalls and next generation firewall technology to minimize risk of data loss• Developed corporate Insider Threat program to monitor high risk employees in conjunction with HR and Legal teams• Created Security Operations Management team located in the US and Poland to monitor for global incidents in real time• Implemented global Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool, logging all company activity for forensic activity and incident identification• Developed centralized Identity and Access Management program for global on-boarding/off-boarding of employees and Single-Sign On integration with third party platforms• Trained 20,000 employees with state of the art security awareness offerings. Regularly reinforces training with active phishing exercises and real time training supplements• Evaluated and deployed machine learning technologies to detect and eradicate advanced ransomware and malware strains• Regularly work with Legal, Human Resource and Corporate Communication teams to develop company policies addressing mobile device management, cloud storage usage and user acceptable use policies Show less
-
-
Network and Security Manager
-
Jan 2004 - Aug 2011
Managed and maintained combined network and security program for 14,000 employee global design construction and engineering firm. Combined team provided the maintenance, design and implementation of a 300 node MPLS and VPN network as well as monitoring and security to all Internet points of presence. Developed state of the art monitoring and maintenance technologies and procedures that operated with greater efficiency compared to outsourced alternatives.
-
-
-
Lockwood Greene Engineers
-
United States
-
Government Administration
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Network and Operations Manager
-
Jul 1999 - Dec 2003
Provided technical and managerial leadership for all network, data center and infrastructure decisions for a 6,000 person engineering organization. Responsibilities included management of global, local and wide area networks, Active Directory deployment and management, data center design and maintenance, disaster recovery strategy and testing, application development, help desk support, voice services and messaging (Exchange). Provided technical and managerial leadership for all network, data center and infrastructure decisions for a 6,000 person engineering organization. Responsibilities included management of global, local and wide area networks, Active Directory deployment and management, data center design and maintenance, disaster recovery strategy and testing, application development, help desk support, voice services and messaging (Exchange).
-
-
-
Systems Services Group
-
Columbia, South Carolina Area
-
Vice President of Technology
-
Jul 1994 - Jun 1999
Successfully launched a startup technology firm specializing in network integration, cabling and data center services. Lead engineer for all the firm’s major clients including hospitals, school districts and major financial/automotive and manufacturing companies. Responsible for all technology budgets and investment strategies as well as the management of all engineering and billable employees. Successfully launched a startup technology firm specializing in network integration, cabling and data center services. Lead engineer for all the firm’s major clients including hospitals, school districts and major financial/automotive and manufacturing companies. Responsible for all technology budgets and investment strategies as well as the management of all engineering and billable employees.
-
-
-
-
Systems Engineer
-
Feb 1993 - Jul 1994
Served as on-site systems administrator and engineer for Novell networks at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board in Washington D.C. Assisted users with software and hardware problems, configured new terminals and software, maintained a document imaging system, and supported the connection of both networks to the Internet. Served as on-site systems administrator and engineer for Novell networks at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board in Washington D.C. Assisted users with software and hardware problems, configured new terminals and software, maintained a document imaging system, and supported the connection of both networks to the Internet.
-
-
-
Clemson University
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Support Engineer
-
Jan 1992 - Dec 1992
Assisted Clemson students, faculty, and users outside the university in the use of the university’s computing facilities and in the resolution of technical problems. Technical assistance was provided for all of Clemson’s computing platforms including VAX/VMS, MVS, Unix and DEC Pathworks. Assisted Clemson students, faculty, and users outside the university in the use of the university’s computing facilities and in the resolution of technical problems. Technical assistance was provided for all of Clemson’s computing platforms including VAX/VMS, MVS, Unix and DEC Pathworks.
-
-
Education
-
1988 - 1992
Clemson University
B.S., Computer Information Systems
Community
