30 Years 30 Stories

AusCERT 30 Years 30 Stories – Mark Carey-Smith

A staff member of AusCERT for the past two and a half years, but long-time member, Mark Carey-Smith is AusCERT’s Principal Analyst. As an organisation whose sole focus is to benefit its members and wider community, Mark is a proud AusCERT employee, and continues to improve AusCERT’s educational offerings and other services.

What motivated you to apply for a job at AusCERT?

With thanks to the conference, I had six or seven years of experience with AusCERT. I knew some of AusCERT’s main employees and had developed a good relationship with them over the years. I wanted to pursue cyber security education more, so I spoke with AusCERT about how I could contribute to the development and improvement of AusCERT’s educational services.

What are some of the key benefits you’ve experienced being a part of the AusCERT community?

Community is the main word – at events, when we’ve run into members, community always comes up. A tight-knit community is certainly how I envisaged AusCERT both before I was a staff member and now that I am, and there’s no doubt a micro-community between AusCERT, its staff and members.

How has AusCERT evolved over the years that you’ve been with them?

With my experience with AusCERT as both a member and now employee, I’ve been involved with AusCERT for about eight years in total. Some of the ways that we’ve evolved have been in the maturing of existing services and the development of new services.

There are many ways AusCERT remains true to its roots and community. I think in more recent times, there’s been a focus on getting in touch with our members and understanding their needs. We focus our future development on what our members need from us.

What do you think the future holds for AusCERT?

I hope that in some ways it’s more of the same. I hope that we expand our range of educational offerings in particular so they suit member needs, and we continue to grow while maintaining our focus on community. Many vendors have no interest in community and just want to take money. With AusCERT, we’re much more concerned with creating a space that works for the community.

What do you believe sets AusCERT apart from other organisations in the cyber security industry?

Compared to other vendors, AusCERT is not-for-profit, meaning we operate in a space where the focus is on our member’s needs. Without a focus on profit margins, we don’t cut corners, dissemble or exaggerate. Unfortunately, the cyber security vendor space is one where there’s some unethical behaviour. The focus on behaving ethically and supporting our mission, which is member-focused, is a main differentiator. As a staff member, I also think one of our differentiators is the way in which we support one another, providing a positive and friendly environment.

What does AusCERT mean to you?

It all comes back to community. There are different ways you can interpret that word, and there are different ways in which we facilitate and nurture community. The conference is certainly not the only community-focused offering, but it’s a beautiful example of how we collectively create a community space.