If you’ve been to the Tampa Bay area in recent years, you’ve probably noticed the significant tech industry expansion taking place in the Channel District. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the scene, and Rapid7 is smack in the middle. Being active in the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce is incredibly rewarding. I’ve personally been involved with the Chamber for more than a year, and I’ve witnessed first-hand their commitment to making Tampa Bay a vibrant, inclusive place to do business.
My next adventure with the Chamber involves becoming a part of its Leadership Tampa program — one of the oldest leadership programs in the country — which fulfills a mission to highlight the strengths of the Tampa Bay region and impact the community through various organized projects. Our 52-person group will also be collaborating with local not-for-profits to create strength in numbers.
We will continue building upon the diversity and inclusion efforts driven by previous Leadership Tampa members, as well as focus on the challenges of transportation, affordable housing, and inflation, among others. I’m looking forward to the many conversations and activities we will undertake as part of this initiative.
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Since its launch in 2011, Rapid7 UK has been on a mission to build a strong footprint in the region. Today, the company is celebrating the opening of its newly expanded and designed Reading office, located in the Thames Valley District at Forbury Place.
This new location was selected to reflect both the changing needs of the business since its original UK introduction, while balancing the needs and desires of our people. Working together, Rapid7’s Real Estate and Workplace Experience team partnered with many of the local employees, ultimately narrowing down the search for new space based on items such as accessibility to rail, newly configured space to meet the evolving needs of our team members (we call them “Moose”!), and our ongoing commitment to championing environmental sustainability in our office spaces.
In designing this new space during a time when many companies are managing through dynamics such as “The War for Talent” and “The Great Resignation,” much thought was put into creating a vibrant, energetic space that draws people in. The team is intent on building a space that fosters meaningful connections that help us innovate and build careers while providing a neighborhood community feel, as opposed to static workstations and limited connections and collaboration.
The world has adopted a sharing economy (think Lyft, Uber, WeWork, and Airbnb), and the workplace has evolved, too. We no longer divvy up office space based on the size of a team with no consideration of how they use it – we are purpose-focused, we help our Moose consider the work that needs to be completed on any given day, and we make sure the resources exist to best achieve this. (We also measure this so that we can adapt and respond to how our resources are used – we are never done.) Through these efforts, we are confident that even those who prefer to work largely remotely and want the option to do so will be drawn to this space in a way that makes them feel working in this office will serve to support their success and career.
Using our new Reading space as a model, here are three ways we believe in-office time (even in a “hybrid” situation) can make a positive impact on the business as a whole:
Relationships – Technology certainly helped us stay connected and productive through the pandemic. And yet, no amount of virtual happy hours will ever truly be able to replace genuine human interaction. Virtual meeting platforms are a game-changer for productivity and flexibility, but they can’t offer true trust or relationship-building. Think of all the magic that occurs when you share a lunch outing with colleagues or catch a person in the hall and say, “Hey, do you have five minutes to whiteboard this with me?” Consider all the impromptu conversations that take place in the halls, elevators, etc. Those interactions are wonderful because they don’t require formal meetings.
Separation – Nearly everyone we’ve spoken to feels like they have been working more hours since the pandemic began. Why?! We are never away from our technology. Even if we’ve managed to carve in more flexible time during our days to help a child with homework or walk our dog during lunch, we are never more than a few steps away from email, Slack, or our computers. Having a space to go to actually meet with people and get some project work done allows us to create a bit more distance between our work and the rest of our lives.
Inclusion – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been a hot topic in recent years. At the same time, companies are working hard to diversify their workforces in terms of their mix of people, while also creating a sense of parity among people AND nurturing a sense of belonging. That is a high challenge for any organization, but it will be further complicated with new working models. And it’s absolutely the right problem to be solving. Even with the most flexible new “work of the future” models, there is a risk of people “not in the room” feeling left out or overlooked. However, by carefully crafting experiences where people can gather, we can optimize that feeling of inclusion and belonging through collaboration and human connection.
We aren’t just providing a desk – we’re building a community
At Rapid7, we are laser-focused on creating the chemistry that provides people with the right environment to create their best impact. We understand that not everyone thrives on the traditional 8am-to-6pm, in-office model, and we are not working to reinvent that – instead, we are building a flexible and supportive community that makes every Rapid7 office a great place to come to work.
Irish News has recognized Rapid7 in its Workplace and Employment Awards, where we’ve taken home the trophy for Best Company Connection. Reflecting on the past two years, this award recognizes the organization that best demonstrates how it has adapted its workplace well-being strategy to the challenges of remote working influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this includes how the company has remained committed to providing excellent support to its staff throughout, and maintaining contact and connection with workers during periods of uncertainty and isolation.
Rapid7 has been part of Belfast’s booming technology scene since 2014 and is home to a growing team of engineers, developers, and customer advisors. From 2020 to 2022, the office population nearly doubled in size to support the increasing demand from customers around the world for streamlined and accessible cybersecurity solutions. Maintaining Rapid7’s commitment to the core values of “Be an Advocate,” “Never Done,” “Impact Together,” “Challenge Convention,” and “Bring You” was a critical focal point for our local leadership as they scaled their teams in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic.
The judges were very impressed by Rapid7’s holistic response to this new way of working, and how the company recognised the importance of maintaining contact, culture, and connection during such unprecedented times. Programs that stood out included leadership engagement through weekly Town Halls, engagement with mental well-being experts, and several grassroots community initiatives, including an Academy group designed to support parents in homeschooling their children.
In addition to taking home the winning title, Rapid7 was also recognised as a finalist in two other categories this year: Best People Development Programme and Best Place to Work. Rapid7’s global commitment to its employees has been recognized in other recent designations, including the #1 spot on the Boston Business Journal Best Places to Work list in June and landing at #2 on Comparably’s list of Best Workplaces in Boston in March. Expanding our winning track record into the United Kingdom speaks to how we support employees in creating the career experience of a lifetime while positively impacting our customers and the greater cybersecurity community.
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Welcome back to 7 Rapid Questions, our blog series where we ask passionate leaders at Rapid7 how they’re challenging convention and making an impact. In this installment, we talk to Adrian Stewart, a product manager working on InsightAppSec, Rapid7’s dynamic application security testing (DAST) tool.
Adrian Stewart, Lead Product Manager, VRM – Belfast
How have you grown professionally since joining Rapid7?
The majority of my career has been as an individual contributor, which is where I’ve felt most comfortable. I’m now becoming more involved with the people management side, and at Rapid7, I’ve been lucky enough to work for some amazing leaders. I’ve really learned a lot, and Rapid7 as an organization has also been incredibly proactive for my career progression and continued learning.
What 3 words would you use to describe the culture at Rapid7?
Inclusive, supportive, and surprising. Every organization should strive to be inclusive and supportive, but Rapid7 nails it. Whatever is happening in your day to day, whatever inevitable misunderstandings occur when communication might not be optimal, Rapid7 and the herd have your back, always and without question. I’ve been around long enough to know this is the exception, not the rule. My expectations are constantly exceeded when Rapid7 puts the herd first.
What advice would you give a candidate to stand out in the interview process?
Know your audience. Research on the company executives, products, and locations is a start but not what makes Rapid7 an amazing place to work. Look at the Rapid7 core values and ask how your own values align, because that is where the win-win will come from.
When (or where) are you most productive?
In the office, without a doubt. One chat is worth a thousand Slack conversations.
Which of our core values do you embody the most?
Challenge Convention is the most obvious one. I am constantly asking, “Why is it like this, and how could it be better?” The key is to take a breath and listen to the answers.
What is it that makes cybersecurity such an exciting field?
There are a couple of things to call out, the first being the steep learning curve. It’s impossible to stagnate or become bored as the world realizes why cybersecurity is actually important. The second is, we actually help people. I don’t do this job purely for altruism – I do get paid as well – but knowing that helping our customers protect themselves and their customers is incredibly important for me as a person.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A pilot, but my colorblindness put paid to that. Weirdly, believe it or not, my second choice was programmer, which was almost as unlikely as pilot because this was in the pre-internet days.
Want to join Adrian and his team? We’re hiring! Browse our open roles at Rapid7 here.
Rapid7’s onboarding program, Making the Band, first came to the stage in the fall of 2017 when the original 2-week, video-based program evolved into a dynamic 90-day experience. The updated program delivered learnings to new hires through digital self-paced content and a 2-day live training focused on tactical elements, as well as foundational company knowledge.
However, in the spirit of Never Done, the Rapid7 People Development team challenged convention and recently evolved the onboarding program to address the needs of our evolving business and the future of work.
After analyzing the current state of the program, People Development realized that what was needed was a streamlined experience that supported and connected a growing, hybrid company, as well as one that aligned and prepared employees for role-specific success, regardless of their location or position.
The goal of this work was to reimagine the current onboarding process in a way that sustained the essence of the original 2017 experience, but also adapted and scaled as we onboarded a global new hire population. This would be achieved by keeping ALL Moose in mind, curating opportunities that built connections in this new normal, emphasizing the importance and impact of our culture, and seamlessly guiding new Moose through the fundamentals in order to shorten their time to impact.
Flipped learning: Delivering a vision for evolution
A primary focus for Rapid7’s People Strategy team is to help our Moose build the best career experience. Onboarding is the first step to building this experience. Denee D’Andrea, Sr. People Development Specialist and visionary behind the evolved program, recognized this and wanted to ensure that the program delivered the right content at the right time. This resulted in a new global onboarding experience that extended beyond one-and-done live sessions and self-paced content to a full, multifaceted experience, using blended learning and flipped-classroom approaches.
D’Andrea’s new onboarding vision focused on 3 key phases grounded in our Core Values: Connection, Impact in Your Role, and Embodiment of Bring You.
Rapid7 recognized creating connections was a key element of success while working in a hybrid environment. Because of that, D’Andrea partnered with organizations across the business to ensure opportunities for connection were threaded throughout the entire program. The Connection piece was fostered using the flipped approach – meaning the majority of “classroom time” was spent teaching through discussions led by Rapid7 Culture Ambassadors (our own Moose!) and subject matter experts.
Additionally, to stay true to the Challenge Convention mindset, I created a fully virtual, interactive multi-phase challenge with the goal of further encouraging connections. By navigating animations, digital games, and customized puzzles and codes, new hires were introduced to the security landscape, customer challenges, and Rapid7’s portfolio. The intentional design of the challenge provided the space and activities to encourage discussion and collaboration towards a common goal. New Moose would not only connect with each other (regardless of their location) but also feel like they were connecting with Rapid7’s history, culture, and Core Values.
Next, Impact in your Role focused on encouraging the Never Done mindset and highlighted the connection between individual growth and the success of our teams, customers, and the company as a whole.This mindset was woven throughout the entire 90 days, both within “classroom time” and in the on-demand, self-paced digital content. To create the most impactful learning environment, the team again utilized the flipped classroom. Live sessions provided collaborative learning and discussion opportunities, and then digital flipped-learning materials further fleshed out the learnings. This design ensured New Moose not only benefited from social learning but also fostered accountability to their development both during and beyond the onboarding experience.
And finally, Embodiment of Bring You. At Rapid7, we truly want our people to bring their authentic selves to their work because we believe that these unique perspectives, ideas, and values enable us to Challenge Convention and enhance the work we do. The final piece of the program, an experiential learning challenge, encouraged New Moose to embrace the value Bring You while collaborating with their cohort and Culture Ambassadors to build their cross-functional network.
The New New Moose
On January 3, 2022, this new program launched, for the first time, with a cohort of 43 New Moose. Since then, over 370 Moose, globally, have engaged with the program.
And how has it been? EPIC.
Making the Band is where our New Moose start building the career experience of a lifetime.This program not only motivates and empowers employees to embody our Core Values but also helps them to understand that we are #onemoose, and when we Impact Together, we accelerate together.
Check out what some of our New Moose are saying!
The program
“AWESOME…Onboarding has been an incredible experience so far…One of the best onboarding experiences I have had in my professional career…I believe Rapid7 has an amazing and talented team facilitating the onboarding experience.”
Virtual, interactive challenge (“Insuring” the Security of MiracleMoose Insurance)
“That was fun and engaging…The group roles/participation were great…it was a fun way to collaborate with my fellow new Moose…and the content was highly engaging which provided a meaningful intro to Rapid7’s portfolio and the customer while also fostering communication and critical thinking skills.”
Stay tuned over the next several months to dive deeper into how People Development will be introducing flipped content and other innovative practices into all of their programs for 2022 and beyond in our blog series, “The Forecast Is Flipped.”
Rapid7’s mission is to advance cybersecurity for all — and an essential part of that effort is making the field and its best resources easier to access. That’s why we deliver solutions that meet the needs of large enterprises but can also be deployed and operated by more resource-constrained teams. It’s also why we’ve put so much time, effort, and capital into creating open-source tools and research that help democratize security knowledge.
In keeping with this focus, access and inclusion have also been at the core of our philanthropic and community engagement efforts. Over the years, we’ve launched and supported numerous initiatives to expand diversity by ensuring greater access to careers in cybersecurity. This includes supporting STEM programs that provide opportunities for experiential learning with industry professionals, as well as programs like Hack.Diversity that ensure we’re accessing the full talent landscape as we hire our next thousand employees.
Introducing the Rapid7 Cybersecurity Foundation
As we address the challenges in cybersecurity, we must also remain focused on ensuring the underserved and underrepresented have access to careers and solutions in the field. Over the past 10 years, we’ve allocated millions of dollars in support of organizations that help support this goal. In 2020, Rapid7 established and funded a Donor-Advised Fund with the Tides Foundation, and in 2021, we donated over $300,000 to numerous organizations from our Fund. But we were far from done. A few months ago, we formed the Rapid7 Cybersecurity Foundation and seeded it with $1 million.
The Foundation’s mission is to democratize cybersecurity by focusing on access for the underrepresented and underserved. We do this by promoting a diverse and inclusive cybersecurity workforce, supporting free and open security solutions, and advocating for those who often lack a voice in advancing security.
The Foundation will partner with organizations that work in the following areas in pursuit of creating a secure and prosperous digital future for all:
STEM education, diversity and inclusion in technology, and efforts by organizations to expand opportunities to historically underrepresented groups and make careers in cybersecurity more accessible for all
Open-source tools and volunteering to help make effective cybersecurity solutions available to under-resourced organizations, including nonprofits and municipalities
Research and policy advocacy to strengthen cybersecurity for vulnerable communities, improve cybersecurity awareness, and make achieving effective security outcomes more available to all
Putting purpose into practice
After more than 8 years of having the privilege of being Rapid7’s General Counsel, I’m ecstatic to have the opportunity to serve as Executive Director of the Rapid7 Cybersecurity Foundation and to head up our growing ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) program. In preparing for this transition, I recently read the excellent 2022 Letter to CEOs written by Larry Fink, CEO and Chairman of Black Rock. In it, he writes that a clear sense of purpose, consistent values, and engaging with and delivering for key stakeholders is what distinguishes truly great companies.
Accelerating digital transformation continues to create new challenges and opportunities for cybersecurity practitioners and the industry. It is also redefining the relationship between a company, its employees, and society. Fink writes:
Putting your company’s purpose at the foundation of your relationships with your stakeholders is critical to long-term success. Employees need to understand and connect with your purpose; and when they do, they can be your staunchest advocates. Customers want to see and hear what you stand for as they increasingly look to do business with companies that share their values. And shareholders need to understand the guiding principle driving your vision and mission.
The Rapid7 Cybersecurity Foundation, with its focus on helping advance cybersecurity for the underserved and underrepresented, is a natural extension of Rapid7’s mission to advance cybersecurity for all. It’s part of our effort to put that guiding purpose at the center of our relationship with our customers, employees, and shareholders.
Later this week, we will be unveiling our first Social Good Report, which highlights our broader work advancing social good, for which the Foundation will be an important complementary vehicle. We are eager to get started and look forward to engaging with members of our community and organizations globally to help build a secure and prosperous digital future for everyone. Please reach out [email protected] to partner with us.
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It’s with immense pleasure that we announce today the winners of the Rapid7 Partner of the Year Awards 2022. All our category winners have achieved exceptional growth, demonstrating dedication and collaboration to the Rapid7 Partner Program throughout the year.
We’re very proud to share our complete list of winners. Please join us in congratulating them all.
APAC Awards
Rapid7 APAC Partner of the Year: Cythera Pty Ltd
APAC Distributor of the Year: Netpoleon Solutions Pte Ltd
APAC Emerging Partner of the Year: Murdoch Webster Technology Group Pty Ltd
APAC Fastest Growth Partner of the Year: Blue Apache Information Systems
APAC Best Customer Retention of the Year: Content Security Pty Ltd
APAC Detection & Response Partner of the Year: DGplex Pty Ltd
APAC Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: The Missing Link
EMEA Awards
EMEA Partner of the Year: Softcat Plc
EMEA Distributor of the Year: Infinigate Deutschland GmbH
EMEA Emerging Partner of the Year: Telonic GmbH
EMEA Fastest Growth Partner of the Year: Caretower Limited
EMEA Best Customer Retention of the Year: Saepio Solutions Ltd
EMEA MSSP Partner of the Year: Tesorion
EMEA Detection & Response Partner of the Year: Orange CyberDefense
EMEA Threat Intelligence Partner of the Year: Sorint.SEC
EMEA Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: Tieto
North America Awards
Rapid7 North America Partner of the Year: SHI International Corp.
North America Distribution Partner of the Year: Liquid PC
North America Emerging Partner of the Year: AccessIT Group, Inc.
“We are pleased to be recognized as North America Emerging Partner of the Year, and we value our evolving partnership with Rapid7,” said Bob Reilly, Vice President of Sales at AccessIT Group. “Rapid7 is a great partner that allows us to deliver shared visibility, analytics, and automation to unite our customers’ security, IT, and DevOps teams.”
North America Fastest Growth Partner of the Year: CDW Corporation
North America Best Customer Retention of the Year: Carahsoft Technology Corp.
“We are pleased to be recognized as the 2022 North America Best Customer Retention Partner,” said Alex Whitworth, Sales Director, who leads the Rapid7 Team at Carahsoft. “Carahsoft and our reseller partners enable customers to unlock more value from their Rapid7 investments through our proactive customer onboarding, nurture, and support process. We combine dedicated Rapid7 expertise, customer success technology and automation, and a constant communication approach to build valuable relationships with customers. We thank Rapid7 and our reseller partners for this amazing award.”
North America MSSP Partner of the Year: RKON Technologies
“RKON is honored and grateful to receive the MSSP of the Year for North America award from Rapid7. This award is a testament that the RKON and Rapid7 teams’ shared vision, strong working partnership, and endless determination have been fruitful in driving aggressive growth and adding value to our client’s security programs.”
– Chris Hueneke, Chief Information Security Officer at RKON Technologies
North America Detection & Response Partner of the Year: CyberWatch Systems
North America Threat Intelligence Partner of the Year: Deepwatch, Inc.
North America Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: GuidePoint Security LLC
North America AppSec Partner of the Year: GuidePoint Security LLC
North America Cloud Security Partner of the Year: SHI International Corp.
Rapid7 Canadian Partner of the Year: Forecight
“This is a big honor for our entire team, who supported the company to attain its overwhelming success over the past few years. Our mutual achievements are truly a testament to our partnership and our ability to work together to give our clients the best cybersecurity solutions. We look forward to continuing our robust and fruitful partnership with Rapid7.”
– Arezou Marzara, LL.M., Director, Strategy & Operations at Forecight
Congratulations again to all our winners!
More about our partner program
The Rapid7 PACT Program is built to inspire our partners to grow with us and achieve mutual success through accountability, consistency, and transparency. By participating in the program, partners can offer powerful, industry-leading solutions to our joint customers, resulting in mutual success for all. If you’re interested in becoming a Rapid7 partner, you can learn more here.
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Welcome back to 7Rapid Questions, our blog series where we hear about the great work happening at Rapid7 from the people who are doing it across our global offices. For this installment, we sat down with Maria Loughrey, Commercial Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland at our Reading, UK office.
Maria Loughrey
What did you want to be when you grew up?
After a brief stint of wanting to go to America to study law at Harvard (thank you, “Legally Blonde”), I ended up studying psychology and wanted to become a forensic psychologist.
So, how did you end up in cybersecurity?
I was approached by a recruitment partner of Rapid7, which prompted me to research what cybersecurity was all about. I found that not only is it a super interesting topic, but people are really passionate about it. It was evident how much Rapid7 cared about their customers’ security and, in turn, how much customers respected them as a vendor. It took a bit of a leap of faith to step away from my career plan and start working for a company I knew very little about, but I’m so glad I did!
What has your career journey been like at Rapid7?
Since the aforementioned leap of faith, Rapid7 haven’t stopped putting their faith in me in return. I started in the business development team and then got promoted into a sales overlay role supporting the Account Executive team. I’ve been in sales ever since — starting with SMB customers, then mid-market accounts, and more recently covering the Enterprise market in the UK.
Last year, I became a team lead alongside my Enterprise AE role, and then at the beginning of this year, I was promoted into a management position to support the Commercial Sales team. The support and belief I have received from Rapid7 and my management team over the last 8 years have been truly humbling.
What has been your proudest moment?
It was bittersweet moving into a management position this year, as it meant not working directly with customers as much, but when I introduced new team members who would be stepping into my role, so many customers had such lovely things to say and let me know that I’d be missed. It’s amazing to hear that you’ve had such a positive impact.
What is a fun fact some people might not know about you?
I have a very mild form of Tourette syndrome, which causes people to have “tics.”
Which of Rapid7’s core values do you embody the most?
Bring You. This is SUCH a difficult question, but I chose Bring You because not only do I strive to be my most authentic self at work, but I also think it’s incredibly important for everyone to bring their own perspectives and style. Businesses thrive on diversity of mindset. Without this, creativity becomes stagnant and growth slows. So, Bring You.
What three words would you use to describe the culture at Rapid7?
Understanding, inclusive, genuine.
Want to join Maria and her team? We’re hiring! Browse our open roles at Rapid7 here.
Each year, Rapid7 hosts AMP, our annual employee kickoff event where leaders from across the organization share their goals for the next 12 months. These goals bring us closer to achieving our mission of closing the security achievement gap.
With the effects of COVID-19 still physically separating us, hosting AMP 2022 virtually allowed our people from around the world to maintain a level of togetherness and focus on our shared vision as we move into the new year. While employees throughout the world eagerly attended, we invited some of our newest hires to share their key takeaways.
Patrick Sonou, Enterprise Cloud Sales Specialist – Paris, France
Takeaway: Understanding customer needs
As an Enterprise Cloud Sales Specialist, Patrick’s role requires him to hone in on his customer service skills to build and strengthen client relationships.
According to Sonou, “We need to speak and understand the customer language, their needs, concerns, and expectations.” AMP 2022 was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the challenges our customers face and how to be a strategic partner by enabling them to advance securely.
“Beyond the technologies, we need to understand our customers deeply and provide the best user experience throughout the life of the collaboration,” says Sonou on the subject. It’s one thing to know the product and have the skills to sell it – it’s another to have a strong understanding of your relationship with the customers who are utilizing our products and services.
Luke Gadomski, Director of North American Sales Operations
Takeaway: Building customer and internal partnerships
Luke Gadomski joins Rapid7 as Director of North American Sales Operations. In his role, Gadomski is committed to creating value for our customers to drive impact. According to Gadomski, “The key elements to accelerating together are partnerships and building trust while aligning in shared goals.” In his role, Gadomski is well aware of the strong teamwork necessary to create and develop these important customer connections.
A quote that stood out to Gadomski on the last day of AMP was made by Rapid7 President and Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Burton: “When we drive forward together with our customers and fellow Moose, we accelerate toward our mission.” This highlights the emphasis on Rapid7’s customer relationships and how cultivating and nurturing those partnerships are closely tied to our overall goals as a company.
Carlie Bower, Vice President – Engineering Executive in Residence
Takeaway: Building and growing a career at Rapid7
Carlie Bower joins the Rapid7 team as Vice President, Engineering Executive in Residence. Through her experience at AMP, Bower noticed that there was an overwhelming presence of community. She recognized the culture that is key to what makes Rapid7 so special.
“We bring our whole selves to work, and that’s why we see so many aspects of our lives and experiences reflected at AMP,” she said. “It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to connect the learning and growth we experience as people. There are lessons in life, teaming, and connection through all of these facets of ourselves, and those provide the foundation for us to do great things together in the workplace. We have incredible potential to make a difference by closing the security gap for customers while having a fulfilling experience together on the journey.”
Bower, along with all Rapid7 Moose, appreciates the culture that brings Rapid7 together and allows career growth both individually and company-wide. Bower believes this success is most reflected in the opportunities our people have to work together to tackle tough problems for customers, “when we thrive working together as one, our customers feel the impact of that cohesion through the amazing experience they have.”
Nancy Li, Director of Platform Software Engineering
Takeaway: Authentic leadership and core values
Another new Moose who was equally impressed by the emphasis put on the community was Nancy Li. Li, the current Director of Platform Software Engineering, expanded on her experience, stating, “Good companies take the time to define core values, great companies champion the values so that the employees can remember and demonstrate the values, but rarely have I seen companies like this one where the people at every level live and breathe the values to our core. I felt that. Even in the short month that I’ve been here, especially during AMP, where we had the opportunity to see and hear from leaders and key influencers from all over the company.”
After being in the software industry for 17 years, Li is not new to forums like this. She explains, “Typically, I have seen leaders tend to reflect on the successes of the past and paint beautiful pictures of the future in forums like this, which leaves employees feeling a disconnected sense of reality. What sets AMP apart from others is that the leaders are all very honest about laying out the successes and failures that got us to where we are today and calling out the challenges we need to tackle down the road to succeed in an ever-changing world.” Li described this as being “authentic to the core.”
“AMP has informed me how we got here and left me excited about the future, as I embrace Andrew’s ‘ever curious, never judgmental’ message for 2022 and beyond.”
As a lead-up to the event, Rapid7 employees were encouraged to share personal stories, photos, and videos through Slack, enabling tenured employees and new hires the opportunity to create bonds and get excited. The result was an engaging event that aligned with core values and encouraged learning. AMP 2022 was carried out remarkably well and captured the attention of every single team member by utilizing a user-friendly platform, having sessions that aligned with our core values, and finding ways for our employees to continue to learn during and after the conference.
Interested in exploring a new role? We’re hiring! Click here to browse our open jobs at Rapid7.
At Rapid7, there’s no shortage of passionate leaders looking to challenge convention and make an impact. Our “7Rapid Questions” series is a way to highlight some of the amazing work taking place behind the scenes, and the exciting growth opportunities available in our global offices.
For this installment, we spoke with Stephen Donnelly, Rapid7’s Senior Engineering Manager for SOAR in our Belfast office.
Stephen Donnelly
What does SOAR stand for?
SOAR stands for Security Orchestration Automation Response.
Describe what your teams do in 3 phrases
1. We provide a wide variety of interoperability between our own and other vendors’ products.
2. We accelerate time-intensive, highly manual incident response and vulnerability management processes.
3. We create a consistent automation experience for our customers across our entire Insight Platform, whether they are cloud or on-premise-based.
What are your most important technical goals in 2022?
For 2022, we’re looking at performance at scale, building an open API culture for our customers, and breaking down our work to show value to customers on a regular and consistent cadence.
What is your tech stack?
We use a little bit of everything, primarily Go, Python, Java, Kotlin, React, Typescript, AWS, and Datadog.
What’s a fun fact some people might not know about you?
I once tried out for the National American Football team after playing for the QUB American Football team. It hurts emotionally… and physically.
What was one of your proudest moments at work?
I’d say it’s been seeing our team grow in the last year. We had 13 people join our SOAR practice in 3 months, and seeing how they have all been welcomed and embraced by the teams tells me that Rapid7 is properly focused on our people and their experiences within the organization.
What three words would you use to describe the culture at Rapid7?
Welcoming, authentic, and learning.
Interested in exploring a new role? Stephen and his team are hiring in Belfast! Click here to browse our open jobs at Rapid7.
In our quest to create a safer digital world for all, Rapid7 is also on a mission to reimagine the future of work, culture, and talent — admittedly, we’ve set the bar pretty high for ourselves. But that’s part of the spirit of Never Done, one of our core values. We’re always striving to do better, be bolder, and think bigger as we help organizations across the globe securely advance.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that we’re expanding our US office footprint by opening our newest location in Tampa, Florida. With its fast-growing community of professionals — supported by a diverse population, great universities, and a strong veteran community — Tampa represents the next step in our quest to build the workplace of the future.
Building the next tech hub
We want to do something unprecedented in Tampa by taking an emerging center of tech activity to new heights as the next national hub of technology and innovation.
Tampa is fertile ground for this bold vision. The city recently ranked as one of the top 10 US metro areas for tech industry growth, and technology jobs have been increasing steadily here since 2015, with another 2% growth slated for 2021. This high concentration of tech jobs — and the talent to fill them — should come as little surprise, given the wealth of higher-learning institutions nearby, with 23 colleges and universities in the Tampa metro area. Tampa is also home to a strong military and veteran community centered around MacDill Air Force Base.
We want to take the seeds of potential in Tampa and grow them into a full-fledged tech ecosystem. To do that, we’re not just building an office and creating jobs — we’re putting a stake in the ground to help shape the future of Tampa.
To bring this vision to life, Rapid7 is partnering with Tampa-area colleges and universities to keep fueling the growth of local talent and build a stronger security community in the city than ever before. Our goal is to have 30% or more of our Tampa team be local college graduates and/or recently retired military. We’re also planning to partner with inclusion-focused STEM programs to help create a more diverse and supportive tech community through leadership and service.
Walking the walk on diversity
Rapid7 believes everyone deserves an equal opportunity to build the career they want — and that diversity of experience and viewpoints helps drive the innovation on which a healthy technology culture thrives. By boosting creativity and bringing a wider range of insights to inform better decision-making, diverse teams help drive business outcomes. In Tampa, we’re excited to walk the walk in our commitment to diversity and continue to bring this vision to life.
We believe a diverse workforce is integral to the success of our organization and the culture we want to build. That’s why we’re building something truly unique and putting diversity first in our hiring plan in order to build a team that reflects the rich, diverse character of Tampa.
We have ambitious goals to hire, retain, and develop talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences, with targets set for Black, Latinx, and female hires that we intend not only to meet, but to exceed. We’re aiming for a team that is 50% or more from diverse backgrounds.
With a diverse team that is empowered to be their one-of-a-kind, authentic selves in their day-to-day work — in keeping with our core value of Bring You — the Rapid7 Tampa office will truly help push the city forward as a hub of tech growth.
Build the workplace of the future with us
The task of securing the digital world is more complex and challenging than ever before. At a time when data breaches are increasing in frequency and severity, people need best-in-class security tools that are easy to use and deliver results. But as the challenge increases, so does the opportunity — and having the right people on board is all the more critical.
Our vision of the workplace of the future is not only diverse and rooted in the community, but also flexible, with a hybrid model that accommodates work-life balance while providing a collaborative in-office experience to promote teaming. In our effort to build the workplace of the future, we want to think ahead of the curve — taking the best of what we’ve learned from remote work in 2020 and 2021 while allowing talented team members to collaborate in person. We think the future of work involves flexible in-office policies while also allowing teams to spend time face-to-face. This makes room for serendipitous collaboration, fosters stronger relationships, and helps us support employees in developing their careers through learning and mentorship, which are enhanced by the in-office experience.
In Tampa, we have an exciting opportunity to build a model for the workplace of the future, blazing the trail rather than playing catch-up. This involves bringing a flexible, hybrid work model together with a diverse, dynamic culture that makes building a safer digital world rewarding and fun, while giving back to the community and setting the pace of growth and innovation in emerging centers of tech talent.
At our new location at Water Street Tampa, we’re adding more than 100 positions in data and software engineering, business development, customer support, IT, and people strategy.
Ready to help us meet today’s security needs, reimagine the future of work, and pave a path for the future of tech in Tampa? Check out our open roles.
As any job seeker knows, a lot of thought goes into accepting a new role at a new company — even more so during a pandemic. For sales professionals, this decision includes considering company growth and trajectory, industry leadership, and company culture, all of which had the potential of being majorly impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
We talked with a few of our North America Account Executives to hear firsthand about why they chose to join Rapid7 (even during a pandemic), how they learned about the company, and why they’d recommend Rapid7 as a great place to work.
Nicholas Lennek Enterprise Account Executive, joined Rapid7 October 2019Devonne Skinner Account Executive, joined Rapid7 April 2020Stephen Hislop Account Executive, joined Rapid7 December 201
Where did you hear about Rapid7?
“Prior to joining the team, I’d long been familiar with Rapid7 as a high-profile, publicly traded company here in Boston. Around June of 2019, the word had spread about what an engaging and rewarding culture existed at Rapid7.” – Nicholas Lennek
“I heard about Rapid7 because of the tech scene here in Boston; Rapid7 is a big name, and as I was searching for a career change. I knew of a few friends who had been working here for a few years at the time.” – Devonne Skinner
What attracted you to work for Rapid7?
“The energy! My role at Rapid7 gives me the privilege of tackling unique and often nuanced challenges on a routine basis. The team mentality here at Rapid7 is one of rigor and dedication, which is an attitude I crave. We set our aims high, work hard to achieve them, and recognize a job well done here. To me, that’s what it’s all about.” – Nicholas Lennek
“I started in the beginning of the pandemic, which sounds a bit crazy, I know. At the time, I felt like I needed a challenge, and switching industries alone was a mountain, but adding in starting remote was a whole other ball game. I was very confident after my interviews that Rapid7 was going to be invested in me through learning the security industry, along with helping me continue my growth here. So the clear path to where I could go in this role, along with training, was something that attracted me to Rapid7. Additionally, the team atmosphere was big to me. Collaborating with not just sales but other departments is important to not just individual success but team and company success.” – Devonne Skinner
“I realized that the company had a vision for the future; as the industry grew and progressed, so did Rapid7. I wanted to work for a company that was looking to be a leader in the space and not just another player. Rapid7 has exceeded my expectations and continues to grow rapidly.” – Stephen Hislop
Why would you recommend Rapid7 as a great place to work for your next opportunity?
“Speaking to my own personal path, Rapid7 offers you a chance to skip the local train and join the expressway. My role at Rapid7 isn’t a job, it’s a career — and that same opportunity is afforded to everybody. Your peers and your leadership personally invest in your growth and in your success. To fulfill my professional ambitions, I need the chance to make an impact with my work. Rapid7 has provided me with the platform to do that every day that I’ve been here.” – Nicholas Lennek
“I would recommend Rapid7 as a great place to work because of the attention to their employees. As mentioned, it was important to me when I took this role that I had a clear path to how I was going to achieve my goals and continue down a path of success. Rapid7 has always asked me how they can help me achieve my goals, and individually, that is going to be different for everyone. But they follow through. Whether that be additional training, collaboration with teams, listening to my ideas, etc., they take the time to listen and respond appropriately. Rapid7 is a great company to work for regardless of the industry you’re coming from, because they are invested in YOU just as much as the bigger picture.” – Devonne Skinner
“I would recommend Rapid7 because it is a company that will challenge you but also train you. I have learned so much during my time here and have grown as an Account Executive. I love working with everyone, and it truly is a collaborative environment.” – Stephen Hislop
Over the past year and more, we’ve lived through the most extraordinary, turbulent, and challenging times we’ll likely experience in our lifetime. Yet through all the uncertainty, our partners have continued to show determination, drive, and commitment, performing at an exceptional level.
With this said, it’s with immense pleasure that we announce today the winners of the Rapid7 Partner of the Year Awards 2021. All our category winners have achieved exceptional growth, demonstrating dedication and collaboration to the Rapid7 Partner Program throughout the year.
We’re very proud to share our complete list of winners. Please join us in congratulating them all.
International Awards
EMEA Partner of the Year: Softcat Plc
APAC Partner of the Year: Intalock Technologies Pty Ltd
International Emerging Partner of the Year: Caretower Ltd
International Best Customer Retention Award: Saepio Solutions Ltd
APAC Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: RIoT Solutions
EMEA Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: Orange Cyberdefense Sweden
APAC Detection & Response Partner of the Year: The Missing Link
EMEA Detection & Response Partner of the Year: Saepio Solutions Ltd
APAC MSSP Partner of the Year: Triskele Labs
EMEA MSSP Partner of the Year: Charterhouse Voice and Data
“We are proud of the relationship we have built with Rapid7 over the last two years, and they have become one of our key focus partners. To be awarded EMEA MSSP Partner of the Year in such a short space of time is a testament to our technical team and our commitment to Rapid7. As an integral component in our state of the Security Operations Centre, we only see this relationship going from strength to strength.”
North America Awards
Rapid 7 North America Partner of the Year: SHI International Corporation
“Thank you so much. With Rapid7 being a strategic security partner to SHI, we are excited to be receiving this award. I feel that this highlights the excellent relationship that we have, as well as some really great engagement we’ve seen between our sales teams. Security is an extremely important industry to SHI and our mutual customers. I am confident we will continue to see success when positioning Rapid7 solutions.”
– Joseph Lentine, Director – Strategic Software Partners, Security
North America Emerging Partner of the Year: GDT
North America Best Customer Retention Award: Optiv
North America Vulnerability Management Partner of the Year: GuidePoint Security
North America Detection & Response Partner of the Year: Sayers
“Being selected for this award is a special honor for Sayers. Ransomware preparedness is a cornerstone of the Sayers Cybersecurity Services portfolio. We couldn’t be more impressed with the professionalism and cutting-edge technology Rapid7 brings to the market. It was an easy decision to partner with Rapid7 for our Sayers Managed Detection & Response service offering.”
–Joel Grace, Sr. VP of Client Services
North America MSSP Partner of the Year: Edge Communications
“Edge Communications is honored to be named the Rapid7 North America MSSP Partner of the Year for 2020.
“Edge is proud of the strong collaborative relationship that we have developed with Rapid7, a cybersecurity industry leader. Edge delivers one the best Managed Security solutions available in the marketplace, due in part to utilizing Rapid 7 products which we believe exceed the best in class designation. On behalf of the entire Edge team, thank you Rapid 7 for your support, dedication, and partnership.”
– Frank Pallone, VP Information Security
Congratulations again to all our winners!
More about our partner program
The Rapid7 PACT Program is built to inspire our partners to grow with us and achieve mutual success through accountability, consistency, and transparency. By participating in the program, partners can offer powerful, industry-leading solutions to our joint customers, resulting in mutual success for all.
If you’re interested in becoming a Rapid7 partner, you can learn more here.
Black History Month is a time for every person, from all different backgrounds to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black and African Americans in the U.S. and their impact on world history. In honor of Black History Month, we would like to recognize some of our amazing team members who have made an impact on our company culture, embody our core values, and exude excellence. We pride ourselves on creating a safe space for everyone to be their authentic selves. Hear what Black History Month means to them!
Junior Carreira, Service Desk Technician, Boston, MA
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month to me means an opportunity for the black community to reconnect with their heritage and ancestry while celebrating how our accomplishments and heroes have impacted our ways of being today. It means legacy and continuing to add onto that legacy. It also stands as a reminder of our resilience and that our fight isn’t over as long as we’re still here.
What is one thing that you feel people can do to effect positive change?
I believe that one of the biggest ways that people can make the world a better place is to recognize the humanity/life of others and to respect them for who they are.
Which film or piece of literature was most impactful or life-changing for you and why?
My high school unfortunately did not offer a lot of STEM courses, so I took a lot of arts and drama classes. I had a chance to discover a lot of literature that shaped my life today. One of those was a book called, “Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement,” by Angela Davis. It’s a collection of interviews, scholarly essays, and speeches that cover several different topics that are relevant today, such as Palestine, Ferguson, BLM and mass incarceration. The biggest impact this book had on me is that I learned about how important mass movements can be to effect positive change, and this also helped me learn how to work with others both in school and in life.
How did you get into cybersecurity?
I’ve always been interested in technology, specifically when it comes to cybersecurity. I got interested in it because my cousin was in the military and then transitioned to a security engineer. I remember asking him a bunch of questions at a young age, even though I never understood anything.
What was your path to Rapid7?
Prior to Rapid7, I had the opportunity to be part of the 2020 Hack.Diversity cohort, which allowed me to develop and grow my professionalism, leadership, communication, and many other skills. Developing these skills was essential and helped me through my interview process, during my internship, and even now as I continue to grow. Overall, being part of the Hack.Diversity cohort after graduating from UMass Boston with a major in IT created a path for me to Rapid7.
La-Qiana Perez-Saxon, Legal Counsel, Boston, MA
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month is a great time for every American to reflect on our past and present in relation to not only the plight, but also the contributions of Black Americans. While I think it is very important to remember the plight of Black people in America and the figures who pioneered change, I also think it is equally important for every American to learn and reflect on the contributions and accomplishments made by many Black Americans. This lack of knowledge is what I believe contributes to the “us vs. them” and “my country” mentality still plaguing our nation. It logically follows that if someone doesn’t see the person next to them as a meaningful contributor to an accomplishment, they will almost always have difficulty seeing that person as a rightful beneficiary of the resulting fruits.
What is one thing that you feel people can do to effect positive change?
I think education is truly the key. Black history should not be an optional education topic. Black history is American history, but has been either siloed, or presented as little more than a textbook footnote. This must end. It would be nice to get to a point where we can also ask non-Black individuals what Black History Month means to them, where Black people are truly seen and valued for their contributions to this great nation. Many of us grow up learning about Thomas Edison’s invention of the lightbulb but learn nothing about Lewis Latimer’s 1881 invention of the actual filament that made the lightbulb a success. Learning the role that Black people played in America’s speedy rise to world power will go far in improving the way many Black people are valued and still viewed today.
Which film or piece of literature was most impactful or life-changing for you and why?
Without pause, I have to say “The Allegory of The Cave,” by Plato. As an educated woman of color coming from a severely disadvantaged background, for more reasons than the obvious, I found this reading to be very insightful. It’s a great illustration (albeit fictional) of how a person’s environment can be one of the most powerful forces in forming who they are and how they see the world. Additionally, how without additional knowledge we give others the ability to manipulate us into believing what they will and seeing things as they do. Even more, it highlights the responsibility of those who are fortunate enough to break free from the bondage of the metaphorical cave and experience the splendor that is true freedom. Tim McGraw may have put it best: “When you get where you’re going, don’t forget to turn back around and help the next one in line.”
How did you get into cybersecurity?
At a time in the industry where cybersecurity was just at its infancy, my first job after leaving college was with a global internet service provider that happened to have a security department. My first role with the company was an Internet Abuse Investigator assisting local, state and federal law enforcement in tracking down people who would utilize the Internet in the commission of a crime. The things I witnessed and accomplished during my time in this role is what really got me hooked into cybersecurity, and ultimately what put me on a path to Rapid7.
Reuben Williams, Customer Advisor, Arlington, VA
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month (BHM) is a time to reflect on the struggles, as well as celebrating the resilience and achievements, made by black people. It’s a special period where I can slow myself down and really explore the rich history of people who look like me. It’s also a time when I am humbled and appreciative toward those who blazed the trails that we all now traverse. BHM is joyful and rewarding, understanding that we are all connected, and that BHM is everyone’s history—a history that can truly have a positive impact on the lives of everyone from every race.
What is one thing that you feel people can do to effect positive change?
Building a true dialogue is what first comes to mind. I’m a firm believer that in order to effect positive change, one must be open-minded, objective, and willing enough to listen to those with opposing viewpoints, with the mindset that something can be learned and achieved in such a dialogue.
Which film or piece of literature was most impactful of life-changing for you and why?
A film that has impacted me more than I expected is “Hidden Figures.” It’s a film that represents what I believe is an overlooked segment of the population when it comes to role models in film—black women. As a father of a daughter, it was very gratifying watching this film with her where examples of strong and intelligent women exhibited their determination to not allow barriers and challenges from different directions stop them from reaching their goals. These women are true heroes on the big screen as well as in life.
Terrica Byrd, VP, Change Management, Remote, U.S.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
To me, Black History Month is an opportunity for us to collectively remember and celebrate the sacrifices, contributions, and accomplishments of an amazing and often underappreciated group within our society. As someone who shares this history, it’s also a time of great pride and a call to action.
What is one thing that you feel people can do to effect positive change?
I think the one thing people can do to effect positive change is to embody empathy, personally and professionally. Empathy removes artificial barriers and encourages the desire to understand and meet the needs of others. I can’t think of anything more impactful.
How did you get into cybersecurity?
I had a very specific set of criteria that primarily focused on cultural fit, relevance, and a shared philosophy on organizational change. For me, relevance meant aligning with a global, technology-focused company. I wasn’t sure this really existed, but Rapid7 checked all of the boxes. The fact that it’s cybersecurity is icing on the cake! I feel very fortunate to do the work that I love for a company that I believe in and an industry that has no limits.
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