In 2019, before high-profile cyber crimes such as the Optus and Medibank breaches were regularly making headlines, a group of three experienced Canberra cyber security and technology professionals broke out on their own to operate a new Australian firm.
Jim Boekel, Adam Haskard and Thomas Kazan were on their own when they first formed Bluerydge, but as events in the ensuing years brought to light the nation’s cyber vulnerabilities, a great need for expert solutions grew. The firm, while still headquartered in Canberra, now has operations in all east coast capital cities and a staff of 45 (and counting).
Despite the growth trajectory, Jim says all three founders want to keep their hands in.
“We’re the founders and the directors but we’re all also practising cyber security and technology professionals,” he says.
“That gives us an edge because we’re leading from the front but can be collaborative. It means when our clients get one of us, they get all of us.”
Given the trio’s extensive collective experience in cyber and tech for Defence and government projects, the firm started with a Federal Government and Defence focus. But as COVID drove more businesses online and cyber security became a focal point across the nation, Bluerydge responded to an increasing call for its services from small, medium and large businesses.
This growing demand mixed with the team’s vast know-how provided the perfect catalyst for success.
“There was a dire need in the cyber security market for skilled, experienced professionals. Thanks to our background, we were ahead of the curve from the get-go and were well placed to respond to people’s cyber security and tech challenges,” Jim says.
“Over the past four years or so we’ve seen a big shift in cyber security focus in the private sector. Businesses that traditionally weren’t preoccupied with it are increasingly aware of their exposure, but a lot of the time don’t even know where to start. It’s understandable because cyber security is a minefield.”
While there is no “one size fits all” to safeguarding businesses against all cyber threats, Bluerydge has helped dozens of organisations navigate the full scope of this minefield.
Services include short, holistic cyber security maturity assessments to highly technical “penetration tests” to detect vulnerabilities for large government entities.
Preventative measures often include governance, risk and compliance assessments or helping clients obtain certifications needed to “harden” their systems. Reactively, the company can conduct incident responses – a whole field of expertise in itself.
Jim says aside from being a go-to for its growing client base, the firm has another responsibility – to help address the nation’s cyber security capability shortfall by positioning itself as an incubator for talent.
Part of that means creating strongly defined career pathways and development plans for each employee, and funding qualifications and certifications all the way up to Masters.
“We’re all about delivering quality results and caring for our clients. That means taking a long-term approach and ensuring that at the same time we’re investing in our people, and creating a great environment for cyber security professionals,” he says.
“It’s also about doing our part to help grow the country’s industry, which is why we like to get involved with speaking at high schools and events where we can talk about cyber security careers.”
In 2022 Bluerydge claimed Outstanding Employer of the Year and Employer of the Year – Medium in the 2022 Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards.
“Two of our founders are vets, so it felt very natural, and is something we’re proud of. It reflects the values that have been ingrained in who we are from the start,” Jim says.
“We won that award for supporting vets in achieving job security as they transition to a new career when leaving the military, but we’re doing it more broadly by looking at former police service personnel and people leaving other industries who might be looking at a cyber security or tech career.
“We’re proud of the part we’re playing in addressing the nation’s cyber skills and workforce shortages through a significant range of measured investments in people.
“This is an exciting time in an exciting field. We’re at the forefront of mass adoption of emerging technologies like AI and with that comes endless opportunity.”
