Getting to Know Mike Wright of TECH LOCK

Mike Wright is one of the ARM industry’s most respected cybersecurity experts. He is also the first person who has participated in this profile to consider a career in astrophysics. Read on to learn more about Mike and his love of all things Tolkien.

Name: Mike Wright

Company: TECH LOCK, Inc.

Length of time at current company: 9 years

Length of time in industry: 15 years

How did you get your start in the industry?

I started as an IT Help Desk technician at Arrow Financial Services in Niles, Illinois.

What is your career highlight so far?

Building TECH LOCK from a 2-person operation to what it is today!

When or how are you most productive?

After 8pm or 9pm when the emails stop rolling in!

Which industry professional do you admire most?

Leslie Bender, without a doubt – I can ask her any question within her realm and she has an instant, insightful answer.

What is one thing you do better than everyone else?

I think I’m pretty good at explaining some of the more complicated aspects of cybersecurity to folks who have better things to do, like run their business!

What do you like most about this industry?

I like how small it can seem, almost like a family. I’ve worked with scores of companies in all parts of this industry, and have developed lifelong relationships.

What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?

This is more of a selfish desire, and it’s definitely not unique to this industry, but I would change the perception of cybersecurity from a “necessary evil” to a moral and ethical obligation to protect consumer data.

If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?

Astrophysics.

Describe a typical work day.

I live in Colorado and the rest of TECH LOCK lies in the Eastern time zone, so the first few hours of my work day includes catching up on events and emails. Sometimes I think Outlook and email were specifically invented to take up as much of our productive time as possible. I always try to set aside some time in the middle of the day to research the latest cybersecurity threats and trends. I take my daughter to pre-school around lunch time, then it’s usually meetings until the end of the work day! I am typically back at it in the evenings, though, with more emails.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I work from home, and I have spent a lot of time transforming my home office into a setting right out of Middle-Earth.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

As a consultant, you don’t have to know everything about everything. But you should at least know where to get the answers!

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime―from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door by Brian Krebs.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Leslie Bender would be great if she hasn’t. Brian McManamon (TECH LOCK’s President) would be good. I would recommend Jessie Skibbe but she no longer works at Kirkpatrick Price (she went to Amazon AWS).