Have you packed your bags for Cancun yet?! With the event just around the corner, taking place taking place February 27 – March 3, we’re pumped to share our latest interview in the Nerd Icon series featuring Justin Weller, Director of Business Development, Blackpoint Cyber!
Our agenda is live on our event website – www.nerdiocon.com – and we encourage you to check it out in addition to downloading our NerdioCon app for Android or iOS so you easily can plan your event schedule and identify sessions to attend.
Tell us a bit about Blackpoint Cyber and your current role with them.
I am the Director of Business Development at Blackpoint, the premier SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) organization that is trusted by SMB’s and global organizations alike. We serve and protect many types of MSP models that service specific verticals such as medical or manufacturing, all the way up to servicing the likes of global airlines and major apparel brands.
How did you get to this point in your career, and what sustained or prompted your interest in the tech industry?
My dad owned an internet marketing and design company when I was growing up and IT was always a hobby of mine. Once I decided to turn it into a profession I got some Cisco certifications and began working at an MSP. I started where most people do as a L1 technician. I then worked my way up to a L2, Service Desk Lead, Project Engineer and then a Project Manager before I ventured out on my own into running my own MSP as a one-man shop. After that, I went to work as a Senior Solutions Engineer at Datto before taking on this role at Blackpoint Cyber.
Can you tell us about what you plan to speak about at NerdioCon? Why will this be relevant/important for partners?
The value of a 24/7 SOC!
What are you looking forward to at the event?
This is my first time attending NerdioCon and I’m really looking forward to networking with Nerdio’s MSP community.
What trends do you think we’ll be seeing in the partner space in the year to come?
- I think we are going to see the continued trend of consolidation and acquisitions.
- There will also be an increased emphasis on vendors enabling partners.
- Vendors are going to need to develop ecosystems of solutions to simplify stacks with a focus on insurability.
Finally, who are your “nerd icons”? That is, who do you look up to in the tech industry? And/or who has influenced your career in it?
These are going to be trendy answers, but Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I became a hobbyist in IT in the 80’s and that’s when these two were basically all over the place.
