Alex Bunn, Cyber Security Technician

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What I do

I’m an Apprentice Cyber Security Specialist at a managed service provider, which means we help businesses with all their IT needs, from support and telecoms to internet and security. My job is all about keeping things secure. That could be training users, checking for malware, doing ethical hacking or making sure businesses meet security standards. It’s a bit of everything, and no two days are the same.

Alex in an office surrounded by lots of computers and electrical devices.

How I became a technician

I’ve always been into tech. It started back in primary school when my teacher, Mr Tennant, introduced me to Python. I was about 10 and was completely hooked with all things computing. I even ended up helping teachers with their iPads! At secondary school, we didn’t have many IT options, so I picked creative media because it was the closest I could get to working with computers.

How I became a technician

After school, I chose a T-level in Digital Software Development. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew it had to be something in IT. I thought about combining tech with agriculture, but then my dad’s company became a customer of Lineal, and I found out they did software development. I needed an industry placement as part of my T-level, and they were happy to take me on.

How I became a technician

I started in software development but then tried working in the support team and never left! I realised it wasn’t just answering the phone and resetting passwords, I loved it. After finishing my T-level, they offered me a job and the opportunity to do an apprenticeship. I’m now halfway through an apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions, it’s worked out better than I could’ve imagined.

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A typical day in my working life

Every day’s different. I usually start by checking emails and seeing if anything’s gone wrong overnight. I then catch up with the team and the news, even if it’s about big companies, there’s always something to learn. I check my to-do list, which could include anything from reviewing training results to deploying new software.

A typical day in my working life

Sometimes I write code which gets pushed out to thousands of devices at once, it’s amazing how quickly we can make changes across loads of businesses. I also help the support team with any security-related questions. Security touches everything, so I often have people queuing at my desk! I might also be responding to incidents, like if someone thinks they’ve been hacked. It’s a mix of planning, reacting, and helping others, and I love that.

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It’s nice knowing that what I do makes a difference to everyone else

Try things out, you never know what you’ll end up loving

What I love most about my job

The variety. Everyone says no two days are the same, but in my case, it’s really true. Because we’re a team of about 30, I get to do a bit of everything. One day I might be writing code, the next I’m helping with user training or planning how to respond to a cyber-attack.

What I love most about my job

Working here gives me the chance to see what all the different departments do, it works well as it means I can figure out what I enjoy and what I don’t, without having to change jobs or departments. I’ve also got the chance to start training to become a certified Cyber Advisor with the National Cyber Security Centre, I’ll be one of just over 100 in the country, and probably the youngest!

The skills I use most

Communication is a big one. A lot of people in IT are happy working on their own, but I’ve found that being able to explain technical things in a simple way really helps, especially when you’re talking to people who aren’t technical at all.

A little more about
my everyday role

The best bits about working in a team

I love being able to support the rest of the team, my colleagues often come to me with questions and it’s great to be able to help them out. We all bring different skills, it’s nice knowing that what I do makes a difference to everyone else.

My favourite piece of equipment

It’s got to be our RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) software. It lets me access machines remotely, run code, pull data, and fix problems without having to be there in person. I can push updates to thousands of devices at once, which is a massive time-saver. Without it, I’d really struggle to do my job and we wouldn’t be able to support customers all over the world like we do now.

What I like to do in my spare time

I’m a football referee outside of work, which keeps me busy! I spend a lot of Saturdays travelling miles to different matches. It’s helped me loads with confidence and communication, standing in front of 500 people and having players shouting at you teaches you how to stay calm and explain things clearly. I think it’s made a big difference to how I work too.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, just follow what you enjoy. IT is used in every industry, so you’re not closing any doors. And try things out, you never know what you’ll end up loving.