What do you work on at Sicra?

I work with strategy and direction, both in terms of how we develop the company and how we can best help our customers. Following the merger between Sicra and Bluetree, a lot of the focus has been on realizing the value of the combined expertise and building an even stronger and more comprehensive security offering.

What was the thinking behind the merger between Bluetree and Sicra?

To combine the best of two worlds. Sicra has strong expertise in IT security and security operations, while Bluetree has deep expertise in networking, zero trust and OT. Together, we can address the entire attack surface in a completely different way than before.

Read the story: Sicra and Bluetree join forces to build a leading Nordic cybersecurity provider >

What does this mean for customers?

It means more comprehensive deliveries and a stronger ability to handle complex threats. Customers no longer have to deal with silos, and we can take responsibility across both IT and OT, from architecture to operations and incident response.

What motivates you in your work?

Working on challenges that truly matter. Cybersecurity is largely about protecting critical functions in society, and that provides strong motivation in everyday work.

What is the biggest challenge in cybersecurity today?

Complexity and fragmentation. Many organizations have strong individual solutions, but lack a holistic approach. Threat actors take advantage of exactly this, when defense mechanisms are not sufficiently connected.

What should organizations do to be better prepared for cyberattacks?

Get the fundamentals under control first. Understand what is critical, reduce the attack surface and make sure you are actually able to detect and handle incidents. It sounds simple, but that is where many organizations fail.

Read the story: Six steps that can save Norway from the next cyberattack >

What are you particularly focused on professionally?

The convergence of IT and OT and how it is changing both architecture and security. Traditional boundaries are disappearing, and that requires new ways of thinking.

What characterizes a strong security environment?

Curiosity and collaboration. The best environments are the ones that share knowledge, challenge each other and constantly strive to improve.

You hold some of the highest networking certifications in the world. How rare and demanding is this level?

CCIE and CCDE are among the most demanding certifications in the IT industry, and relatively few people in the world hold them. They require many years of experience and the ability to solve complex problems under pressure. Having multiple CCIE certifications combined with CCDE is quite unusual.

What do these certifications mean in practice?

CCIE stands for Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert and is a practical, hands-on certification that tests the ability to configure, troubleshoot and operate complex networks in real time. It is about deep technical understanding and operational execution.

CCDE stands for Cisco Certified Design Expert and focuses on architecture and design of large and complex network solutions. Here, the focus is more on making the right high-level decisions, understanding business requirements and translating them into robust technical solutions.

The combination of these means being able to dive deep into the details while also stepping back to design comprehensive solutions.

Is there anything else fun we should know about you?

When I am not spending time with my family, I enjoy reading about history, ancient languages and the history of religion. I am particularly fascinated by how important decisions, ideas and events throughout history have shaped the society we live in today.