We would like to congratulate Michael Ferree on being promoted to Vice President of Business Development. He is responsible for the development of new business, management of the sales cycle, and building strategic partnerships in order to drive growth of the company. He oversees the full life cycle of SecureStrux business development for Commercial and Federal clients. His number one goal is building long last partnerships with all clients and teaming partners.
Michael Ferree was first introduced to Information Assurance (IA) in the late 90’s while working in the DISA data center. IA was an important factor in his work from both the IT and physical security aspects. IA went on to be renamed Cybersecurity and continues to emerge as a key requirement with more security vulnerabilities evolving. Michael’s cyber expertise comes from working with small businesses on both federal and commercial contracts. He currently holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) ® certification, is a Yellow Belt in Six Sigma, and has had training in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
When asked about gaps in cybersecurity, Michael said “There are major gaps in how all of the industry and the government handle cyber. All too often, there is little to no budget and security is often overlooked due to budgetary constraints and resources. I think everyone can use a third party look at their cyber status. Having an outside look has numerous benefits. There are many new requirements coming down from the government side as well. The new Cybersecurity Capability Model Certification (CMMC) is going to be a major impact to any government contractor.”
For individuals interested in working in the federal contracting space, Michael stresses the importance of the IAM/IAT/8140 requirements. These certifications are needed to get started in the industry. If you want to get hired for a federal contract you will need to have the required certifications to meet the 8570/8140 guidelines. Most contracts are not even allowing a window anymore to get achieve your certification they want them day one.
As Michael looks to the future, he sees more organizations prioritizing cybersecurity and individuals interested in the field. Michael is excited to continue to expand his role serving the clients of SecureStrux and building the services and products we will provide with our internal team.
Michael’s Bio
