First - the company name.
I wanted my company to have a unique name but I didn’t want to be another XYZ Security or ABC Cyber. I wanted the company’s name to be something unique and somewhat geeky. I was listening to the audiobooks for the Expanse sci-fi series. In the books, the characters “inherit” a Martian space craft that they decide to name “Rocinante”, which I later discovered came from the name of Don Quixote’s horse. This was often shortened to “Roci” which just kinda stuck in my head. And one final point - it’s pronounced ROE SEE.
About Me
My name is John Holbrook and I’m the owner of ROCI Consulting. I started working in IT in 1997 for a Credit Union based out of Penticton BC. I got real world experience in IT learning about networking, servers, desktop support, Operationg Systems, printers, network management, network design and banking systems. It was an amazing and often stressful time in those early years but I loved it.
As the company and department grew, I took on various roles and titles. All along, I was always known as the “Firewall Guy” or “Security Guy”. In those early days I was given the opportunities to build out our first web server, email servers, firewalls, intranet, SIEM (ArcSight), servers and others often based on Open Source Software. This helped me develop a real passion for Open Source including Linux and *BSD. Even ran a local Linux Users Group from 2000-2015 here in Penticton.
In 2008, I was offered the opportunity to lead Cyber Security for the entire Credit Union. I jumped at the opportunity.
In 2010, we merged with another Credit Union based out of the Fraser Valley. Then a few years later with another. I worked various roles and under various leaders during these constantly changing times. Always tried to learn both what to do and what not to do when dealing with different people/leaders. Always remember - You can still learn things from bad leaders.
I loved the people and the responsibilities. But it was also a very stressful time. I was getting very burned out and frustrated. In 2020, I was packaged out from the Credit Union. Took some time off to rebuild myself and then started ROCI. Partnered with a friend who ran his own successful cyber security company.
My focus with ROCI has been cyber security advisory work for various small/medium organizations and some municipalities. Its really empowering to see a company’s security posture mature with my assistance.
If you’re not sure what you need to do to improve your security posture - or just want to chat - please don’t hesitate to reach out.