Ryan Sepe

How long have you been with the company?
I’ve been with Radial for four years now.

How has your career grown since starting at Radial?
My career has grown by continuously taking on more responsibility and spanning into different technology departments. The information security portfolio – which I manage along with my director, Rich – has expanded leaps and bounds in the time that I’ve been with Radial.

For example, we have introduced new capabilities such as secure file sharing and privileged access management into Radial’s information security portfolio. We have also greatly expanded our educational resources for Radial staff.

Are there any notable mentors or peers you feel have contributed to your growth/ success?
From a mentorship standpoint, my director Rich Quinney and Chief Information Security Officer Keith Strahan have been pivotal to my growth and success. They have an open-door policy to answer questions or offer advice from both a work and personal perspective, which I have greatly appreciated over the years I’ve been with Radial.

My teammates have also been instrumental in helping me understand the historical aspects of Radial’s information security portfolio. They support me by showing where we came from and how that informs where we are hoping to go.

What does your day-to-day look like? What are the main responsibilities of your role?
On a daily basis I manage a variety of information security initiatives at the engineering level. When a project comes into scope, I would likely be one of the leads for the project, which could be anything from vulnerability management implementation to privileged access management implementation. At an engineering level, I focus on making sure that the platform we are implementing fits well within Radial’s workflows, corporate culture and that it serves the function advertised. My team and I are always looking to improve our platforms – there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ solution.

I also manage a team of three employees: one engineer and two analysts. Similarly, my job here is to make sure that the security portfolio is structured in a way that these individuals can be successful. A big factor from the management perspective is ensuring that the team member leading an effort has all the resources they need. I have regular 1:1 meetings with my team as well as team-wide meetings to ensure we are aligned on goals and that we are synergizing with other technology departments.

Lastly, I’m always performing vulnerability management and minimizing security risks in the background, given the rapid pace with which security and technology are evolving. My team and I try to stay on the cutting-edge of security technology, which enables our clients to operate securely.

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?
My family is my biggest motivator. I’m married with a two-year-old daughter and a Corgi named Oliver. They give me the motivation to get up and do my job to the best of my abilities. My family is the backbone of what I bring to the table from a career perspective.

What is your favorite part of your job/ what do you like most about working at Radial?
What I like most about working at Radial and my role specifically is the creation aspect of it. When I first came on board, I had the opportunity to grow the information security portfolio and with that comes the ability to create. As an engineer, I love creating – getting my hands on something and growing it from the ground up. I think of it like gardening in that you’re in the weeds with a project and when the product is complete, you get to see the beauty of what you have created, which is very rewarding. The free range to create is what brought me to Radial and what I enjoy most about my job.

Where do you see yourself within Radial in the next few years/ what are your goals?
Within the next year, I would like to become the manager of information security, which goes hand-in-hand with my long-term, dream goal of becoming the chief information security officer.

In the shorter term, I’d like to continue to create, guide initiatives, fuel collaboration, increase resources and continuously expand the team and by extension, the information security department.

What is your favorite non-work specific thing about your job? (i.e., breakroom games, onsite activities, awards, colleagues, etc.)
There are two main areas that come to mind (both of which were pre-pandemic). The first is going to lunch with colleagues to spend time on a more personal level and find common points outside of our work with Radial.

The second is playing basketball with my colleagues. There is a basketball hoop outside the Radial office where my teammates and I would often play after work, which was very enjoyable. It’s these types of activities that build bonds that not only strengthen our work but also help immensely from a mental standpoint.

While we are still working remotely, I enjoy connecting with colleagues online to discuss things like movies, shows and literature.

What is one word you would use to describe working at Radial?
Intriguing. To me, Radial’s vision statements are often encapsulated by the word intrigue – along with curiosity and passion. Radial is always intriguing to me, whether it’s allowing me to take my work to the next level or expanding my professional and personal growth. I’ve met many different people throughout my career and the culture at Radial is one that definitely helps me grow in all aspects.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?
I’ve learned that while motivation and perspective are two areas that differ drastically from person to person, they help us forge an understanding. When a colleague might not see something the way that you do, it’s important to see it from their perspective and find a happy medium. Rather than think in binary terms, I try to think of all efforts as a collaboration where we are working together to find a solution.

What is a fun fact that most people don’t know about you?
Most people wouldn’t know that I was a division one athlete in college. I went to La Salle University (which is what brought me to Pennsylvania) and played soccer all four years.

What do you like to do in your free time?
My free time is filled with family activities, whether it’s visiting relatives in New York or playing with my daughter.

What is one thing you can’t live without?
Automation. I’m a very methodical person and enjoy finding solutions for complex problems – and there’s no better way than automation. I’m constantly looking for ways to make my home into a ‘smart home’ by integrating the infrastructure with technology. Finding new ways to automate has become one of my key strengths.