My First Weeks as COO at River Security
When I received the job offer to become the COO at River Security, I was thrilled, humbled, and super excited. I was joining a company with unparalleled expertise in cyber security, a team passionate about challenging the norms and building top-tier products and services. Some of our team members are even hackers! 😮 With cyber security being a top priority for many companies due to global shifts in the security landscape, I was ready to transition from another exciting industry, the renewable energy sector. 🌱
Despite being new to the field, I am eager to share my experiences and the insights I’ve gained so far.
The Why – Who is River Security? 🛡️
We are on a mission to revolutionize the cyber security industry by proactively identifying and mitigating threats before they can cause harm. We achieve this by delivering Digital Footprint exercises, Penetration Testing, and our standout offering, Active Focus, which continuously maps out and monitors an organization’s external attack surface and enables our team of penetration testers to conduct continuous testing on the delta. This is a true game changer!
River Security is 100% Remote 🌍
I must admit, I only had earlier experiences with mixed remote office setups for a month, and when I said yes, I thought this would be a nice extra perk. But the experience has been even better than that! 😃
River Security is created as a fully remote company, with employees spread all over Norway—and some across Europe. We use virtual office software where we can walk around with our avatars. It’s almost like a game. 🎮 In this virtual space, we can easily speak through chat or video. Everyone has their own desks, the office has meeting rooms—and even a room to play poker or go for a go-kart session. And of course, there’s a dog we can pet. 🐶 It’s a big office, and there might be more features I haven’t seen yet.
Why does this work for me? I get to wake up with my family and spend quality time with them in the morning, without rushing to get to the office. It’s a huge benefit and a lot bigger than I thought before I joined the company. I became a dad recently, and just being able to follow my daughter during the day is priceless. 👶 At the same time, I stay easily in touch with all my colleagues.
Summed up: Why is this working? We have a great culture and a great tool to embrace remote working. And a big bonus for me: I get to spend more time with my family while using the same amount of time at work as before. Win-win! 🏆
River Security Next Phase 🌱
River Security has had a tremendous journey so far. Challenging the industry, bringing in great offerings like Active Focus, hiring a lot of skilled and awesome people, and getting a lot of attention in the market. But, as in every other startup, the pain of growing starts sneaking in little by little. More people, more customers, more routines, more apps—and often more manual work. Things that worked totally fine in the beginning are starting to be a pain now. And the question is: How can we scale further? Well, the simple answer is; we need to change, adapt, and evolve, and most likely experience a little pain on our way. 💡
But how can I contribute? Based on previous experience, there are some key elements I will help with to scale faster. Structure in everyday work and collaboration, leverage the endless possibilities in data and automation, enhance the end-to-end customer experience, and enable better internal routines. It’s about making the company ready to onboard more employees and a lot more customers and partners. And being one of the few early companies that show the world we can scale globally with a remote setup. I can’t wait to share more on our journey!
Just to Sum Up What I Learned So Far 📝
The industry lacks a lot of knowledge in cyber security, and that includes me. Over the next few months, I will make sure to learn a lot more.
We have incredibly in-depth expertise in the field of cyber security, which our customers love.
We are gaining more and more great attention in the market and among customers. We have a super exciting roadmap and cannot wait to share this with you as we reach the milestones.
We are a 100% remote working company, and my first impressions are very positive. We use virtual office software that is really cool! It’s easy to stay in touch daily. In our virtual office, we play poker, go for go-kart sessions, and meet each other at our highly cool and funny personalized desks or in one of the many meeting rooms.
We meet frequently in person as a whole company. Our next meetup is in August, called Hacker Space, offering four days at a big cabin with a jacuzzi, casino tables, a bar, a gaming room, etc. Wow, I am really looking forward to that and finally meeting the rest of the company in person!
We need more people who want to challenge the cyber security industry and deliver top-tier solutions. Send me/us a message! 📩
As I continue to immerse myself in this industry, I look forward to sharing more insights and experiences. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if you want to discuss cyber security. I’m looking forward to learning and growing in this exciting field! And maybe I will see you at Sikkerhetsfestivalen in August?
