Get to know Kyber Security’s President, Michael Giuffrida!
How long have you been with Kyber Security, and what do you do here?
I started at Kyber in 2017 and was brought in to help transition the company from a “Standard MSP” to a Managed Security Services Company. Day to day I am responsible for guiding the direction of the organization operationally as well as finding new companies to partner with. Additionally, I work hard to help us build a culture of responsibility and accountability while balancing the needs of our team from a work/life balance perspective.
What is your favorite thing about working at Kyber Security?
The people, definitely the people. I have become friends with many of the team and love knowing that they have my back as much as I have theirs. We have a strong culture of “family first” at Kyber and it shows when anyone needs anything to help them personally, there is always someone willing to step up and help.
What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?
The most valuable lesson that I have learned in my career is that you have to try to understand someone else’s perspective in any situation. Regardless of how strongly I feel about something, everyone views information through their own “lens” and as I such as a leader I need to consider what they are hearing, not just what I am saying.
What have been your biggest accomplishments on our team?
Seeing the transition in the way we think as a SecurityFirstTM organization has been huge for me at Kyber. It certainly was not an accomplishment that I achieved on my own, but helping guide the team to think this way in everything that we do has helped us become who we are as an organization.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations within the company?
When I see the passion that people like Myriam, Bob, Susan and Cindy have for doing the right thing for our clients it inspires me every day. Knowing that we are all thinking about what is in the best interest of our clients, not only the company, helps me know that we are going in the right direction and will continue to be successful as an organization.
What has your experience been with our company culture?
As I mentioned above, the family atmosphere of our culture is incredible. It feels great to work with folks who I know would be there at the drop of a hat for me not because of my title, but because of the relationships that we have built together. That coupled with living by our core values is very important. Our core values are not just something that we post on the wall or website, but something we use to guide our everyday actions. We recognize each other for exhibiting these values and even work to learn from experiences where we missed one. This open conversation makes improving very easy.
What’s the most unique part about working here?
Everyone has the same goal in mind; doing the right thing. Even when we go over on a project or do something that was out of scope, it is because someone was trying to do something good.
How have you grown professionally while on our team?
The complete transition of our company into a place where the market did not even know they were ready to embark on security services was definitely a growth experience for me at Kyber. We had to spend a lot of time educating the market to understand what we were offering and why it was important to them. This took the effort of running a successful growth organization to a new level for me and I have learned a lot from the experience.
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Probably run a golf course or a Ninja gym. They are both outside things that I am passionate about and would enjoy doing. My answer in the past would have been to be a musician as I have played drums since I was 6 but I enjoy my music dabbling at this point and wouldn’t want to turn tat into a “job”.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
I love to be with my family (married 25 years and have a 13 year old daughter). When I can integrate one of my other outside activities such as golf, ninja warrior, or running with the family, it is a HUGE win for me.
What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?
That on a weekly basis I challenge myself (and my body) training at a ninja warrior gym (see for yourself). Its great exercise and is also a place with a great community of people.
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Probably to stay physically young forever to match my mindset. I never feel as old as my body proves to be. 😊