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Stewart Watkiss

    • About Me:

      I’m married with grown up children. I enjoy electronics and programming in my spare time, and I’ve written some books on the Raspberry Pi and programming.

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      I enjoy making all kinds of projects, particularly those with both electronics and programming. My first book was Learn Electronics with Raspberry Pi, and my second Learn Games Programming with Pygame Zero. I’ve also written for The MagPi magazine.

    • My pronouns are:

      he/him

    • My Work:

      I work as a Cyber Security Analyst for Taylor Wimpey. My job involves implementing security features to protect our IT systems and data.

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      I work mainly with Microsoft systems implementing XDR (Extended Detection and Response). This involves configuring systems to be more secure and looking for signs that people are trying to compromise our systems.

      The job has a lot of variety, looking at different systems and how the protection can be applied without restricting legitimate use.

    • My Typical Day:

      I start work at 8.30. After checking for any emails that have come in I review some of the status messages on the security platforms and take any immediate actions necessary. I then look at some future improvements which may involve research into how to implement them and whether there are any risks involved. I may also do some testing to make sure the change works as expected.

      I then ask other teams to make the changes on the laptops and servers across the company. I may also need to join a change meeting to explain what the benefits are and what I’ve done to reduce the risk of disruption to the normal business.

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      I also work closely with the SOC (Security Operations Centre) who are the ones that are monitoring our systems 24×7. I may get involved in analysis or investigations and identify actions required to protect the systems.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I’d use the prize money to create kits that could be used with students to create fun electronics and programming projects.

    CV

    • Education:

      Shelley High School

      Huddersfield Technical College

      University of Hull

      Georgia Institute of Technology

    • Qualifications:

      GCSEs, including Maths, Physics and Chemistry

      BTEC Electrical and Electronic Engineering

      MEng Electronic Engineering

      MSc Computer Science

    • Work History:

      IBM Network System Programmer

      AT&T IT Security Professional

      AT&T Data Centre Manager

      Evoque Data Centre Manager and Cyber Security

       

    • Current Job:

      Cyber Security Analyst

    • Employer:

      Taylor Wimpey

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        Electronic Engineering

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I'd sometimes struggle to get out of bed and miss the bus. I'd then have to walk for 20 minutes to catch a different bus which would get me in late.

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I'd would have liked to work in TV or films creating animatronic based props.

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Queen

        What's your favourite food?

        Piri Piri chicken

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        More money for electronics projects, more time to do the projects in and lots of holidays.

        Tell us a joke.

        Why did the password lack confidence? It was insecure.

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