CO = Security: Janelle talks with Joe Dietz week of 10/24/20
In this episode of Colorado = Security, Janelle interviews Joe Dietz, Network Security Architect at Lumen. You can listen to the podcast here.
Joe nicknamed himself “just Joe,” to counter the idea that we should only look to C-level and upper management people for answers and insight about technical and security issues. As a very talented technical member of his organization, he advocates for “allowing” technical people to stay technical and still progress within a company, without having to go into management to do so. To this end, Joe also supports the idea of guiding the younger generation of tech workers into a variety of employment directions.
Joe started his career in computer technology at a young age. Although he didn’t have a clear idea of what he wanted to be, he believed there were enough opportunities within the emerging computer industry that he could choose something he would enjoy. He began his studies at a community college, and along with Janelle is a vocal advocate for community college as a starting point in technical education.
After moving to Denver, Joe began working with USWest, which over time and various iterations became Lumen. He’s been with them for 25 years now, and when asked which direction they’re taking moving into 2021 he said the focus is on edge computing, trying to get 5 millisecond response times.
Side note: although Joe has been in technology for his entire career, he’s a late adopter for technical gadgets, and until recently still sported a flip phone!
Another interesting thing Joe discussed is the cloud and its downsides. Earlier in phone technology’s trajectory, the public would have demanded compensation for missed calls, dropped calls, “can you hear me?” calls, but now we put up with it because we’re willing to sacrifice quality for the benefits the cloud offers.
Finally, Joe said he advised security professionals to go into things with the “zero trust” mindset, reminding them to always look at things through a zero-trust lens. In terms of giving back, Joe’s mantra is to be service-minded and collaborative, volunteer to help within technology organizations and non-profits and keep a good work ethic.
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This week’s news:
After 21 years, Pepsi Center to be renamed Ball Arena as part of new partnership
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Ping Identity Named as Denver Top Workplace, CEO Named as Most Admired CEO
The SSO Practitioner's Introduction to Decentralized Identity
ABS Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs invest in Deepwatch - Denver Business Journal