Every month, ATS will share the talent and hard work that we call our team. From help-desk and NOC, to consulting, sales, application development, and more – we pause to get a little bit personal, showcasing the faces behind thetechnologysolutionswe work on each day.This month we meet ATS Compliance Manager, William (Bill) R.
- What was your first job? Tell us about it
Help Desk Analyst with Gannett/USA TODAY.It was simpler times then. I was on a team of 6 and we were all roughly the same age and at the same stages in our lives. To this day we’re all still great friends and get together as often as we can. The work was interesting. On paper, we were responsible for supporting all desktop IT hardware and software. However, as technologies like Microsoft Windows/Windows Server 2000, Microsoft Active Directory, and Microsoft SMS started to permeate our infrastructure we began taking on a hybrid role which included supporting the server infrastructure for these solutions. My time at Gannett and USA TODAY was the beginning of my journey as an IT professional, focusing my efforts on IT Service Management and eventually Compliance/Information Security best practices. It also taught me the value of research and an appreciation for Google. I quickly learned that I was usually not the first person to encounter an issue and oftentimes the answer was on some forum. - Who has influenced you most in your professional path/career?
This is a tough question to answer because I can’t point to just one person. Having been in IT for nearly 20 years, I have worked with a lot of people and a lot of different personalities. One of the ways I like to learn is though observation. In doing this, I have found that I get a more comprehensive view because you can learn what to do and equally, and if not more importantly in certain situations, what not to do. - What’s your favorite part about working in the Technology industry? What drew you to security?
My favorite part is the ever-changing landscape in people, process, and technology.I was drawn towards Compliance as an opportunity to start down a new path. I had never worked solely in compliance before now. However, I had been a part of compliance work with PCI, SOX, and ISO. I used to work closely with the Compliance team at Symantec and found the work that they do interesting. - Looking back, what career advice would you tell your 18-year-old self?
Pick an aspect of IT and become the most knowledgeable on it. Being a “mile wide and an inch deep” is acceptable but being the subject matter expert on something really puts you in a different light with your peers and leaders. - What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
a. Spending time with my family and friends. I am currently coaching Joey’s U5 soccer team and Billy 7/8 flag football team
b. Learning something new. I recently built my own PC, dusting off my desktop knowledge from over a decade ago and becoming more familiar with today’s products
c. Taking things apart and hopefully putting them back together better than they were. My two boys are into Nerf and I took that as an opportunity to understand how they worked and what can be changed to make them better. This lead me to modifying the internals and custom paint jobs. My kids have the meanest Nerf guns on the block. I also started working on my Jeep, and so far I have replaced the intake, exhaust (from the headers on back), and rear bumper on my own. Supposedly it helps with performance and safety but honestly, I did because I wanted to, and I could.
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