Ben Thomas

Ben Thomas Email and Phone Number

CEO, Co-Founder @ Practical Assurance
Saint Petersburg, FL, US
Ben Thomas's Location
St Petersburg, Florida, United States, United States
Ben Thomas's Contact Details
About Ben Thomas

I’m not your ordinary information security and compliance guy. With a startup and technology background, I love using innovation and creativity to bring fresh, new ideas to the companies I work with.That’s why we do penetration testing differently at Practical Assurance — we’ve created an entirely new process designed specifically for startups and SMBs that’s, well, practical, as well as simple, actionable, and auditor-friendly (you’re welcome).After helping hundreds of startups and small companies pursue their SOC 2 audits, I witnessed 3 things: (1) they were being charged what a corporation can afford, not a startup (2) the process was so cumbersome it was completely disruptive to the team, and (3) the report was underwhelming, with no useful translation to various team members (executives, the board, engineering, sales, etc.), leaving them no more secure (...and isn’t that part of the point?!).My team and I took our decades-long experience as security and compliance professionals and turned pentesting into something that’s not only far more accessible to startups, but actually leaves a positive imprint on their development processes, enhancing their overall security as a result.Specialties & Certifications: CISSP, CISA, CISMWhen I’m not working, I’m out playing the Mandolin (any bluegrass fans out there?!) I have more hobbies than I can count (or have time for) including ham radio, photography, and algorithmic trading/system trending following. I love building things and get bored if I'm not continuously learning.

Ben Thomas's Current Company Details
Practical Assurance

Practical Assurance

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CEO, Co-Founder
Saint Petersburg, FL, US
Ben Thomas Work Experience Details
  • Practical Assurance
    Ceo, Co-Founder
    Practical Assurance
    Saint Petersburg, Fl, Us
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  • Practical Assurance
    Ceo, Co-Founder
    Practical Assurance Jan 2015 - Present
    Boston
    We’re fundamentally disrupting the pentesting industry. At Practical Assurance, we’re breaking down what has traditionally been a complex, lengthy, and costly process into an adaptive, attainable, and affordable testing process designed specifically for startups and SMBs so you can achieve your compliance goals AND reduce your information security risk.
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  • Backupify
    Vp Product & Security
    Backupify Jan 2010 - Mar 2016
    Boston
    As the first official hire all the way through our acquisition by Datto, I had my hands in nearly every area of the company — product, engineering, security, sales, marketing, customer success, funding & culture. Hired first as the VP of Product, and then becoming VP of Security, my focus was ensuring our infrastructure was secured at every layer as well as throughout each sprint cycle and development release. Security and compliance needs for a small, fast-growing startup is unique and it was my responsibility to understand our unique requirements, and then adapt processes policies that fit our environment, needs, budget, and industry.
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  • Rescare, Inc.
    It Audit Manager
    Rescare, Inc. Aug 2005 - Jan 2010
    Louisville, Kentucky Area
    Managed compliance activities for rule 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002, ensuring that the company (1.2B rev, 40k employees) systems accurately reflect current controls, and that new controls were properly evaluated, reviewed, and implemented. Responsible for protecting key organization assets by managing and performing information system audits, recommending improvements in operating policies and practices, performing control and security assessments of existing systems and those in development, and identifying and document system process flows, risks, and control points.
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  • Rescare, Inc.
    Information Security Consultant
    Rescare, Inc. Feb 2005 - Aug 2005
    Louisville, Kentucky Area
    Managed HIPAA compliance project by identifying associated threats and vulnerabilities, documenting potential mitigation strategies, and evaluating overall risk. Analyzed and interpreted legislation, translating it into functional requirements. Wrote the company’s Information Systems Security Policy & Procedure to ensure compliance with HIPAA and SOX and then developed material for corporate security awareness and training program.
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  • Guardian Digital Inc.
    Information Security Project Lead
    Guardian Digital Inc. Apr 1999 - Dec 2007
    Project management, development, and maintenance of LinuxSecurity.com, a security news portal that averages over 65,000 page-views per day, the Guardian Digital online store, payment systems, online advertising campaigns; Web programming, and CSS/HTML development.Weekly composition of two LinuxSecurity.com newsletters (Linux Advisory Watch and Linux Security Week).
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  • Rescare, Inc.
    Security Administrator
    Rescare, Inc. Sep 2002 - Sep 2003
    Louisville
    Provided application security to support employees and operations in 32 states by configuring security for strategic business applications. Assisted in special investigations and configured strategic systems to ensure the greatest level of security.
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  • Ka.Net Internet Services
    Assistant Systems Engineer
    Ka.Net Internet Services Jan 1999 - Jan 2001
    Louisville
    System administrator for multiple BSD Unix and Windows NT servers for over 3000 users. Internal penetration testing, reporting, vulnerability mitigation, and server hardening.

Ben Thomas Skills

Information Security Security Cissp It Audit Firewalls Computer Security Penetration Testing Vulnerability Assessment Strategy Cross Functional Team Leadership Linux Vpn Itil Application Security Project Management Network Security Risk Assessment Cobit Software Documentation Process Improvement Risk Management Cisa Virtualization Program Management Editing Writing Technical Writing Journalism Proofreading Editorial Copy Editing Magazines Technical Communication Freelance Writing Research Blogging Content Development Journals Copywriting Storytelling Social Media Public Speaking Feature Articles Grammar Fact Checking Brain Press Releases Marketing Science Writing Short Stories Editors Non Fiction Headline Writing Breaking News Incopy Literary Creative Writing Publicity Literature Manuscript Publishing Manuscripts Fiction Newsletters Social Media Marketing Magazine Articles

Ben Thomas Education Details

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Thomas

What company does Ben Thomas work for?

Ben Thomas works for Practical Assurance

What is Ben Thomas's role at the current company?

Ben Thomas's current role is CEO, Co-Founder.

What is Ben Thomas's email address?

Ben Thomas's email address is ex****@****ail.com

What is Ben Thomas's direct phone number?

Ben Thomas's direct phone number is +150250*****

What schools did Ben Thomas attend?

Ben Thomas attended Royal Holloway, University Of London, University Of Louisville.

What are some of Ben Thomas's interests?

Ben Thomas has interest in Culture, Mobile, Clean Technology, Technology, Health Care, Photography, Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Videography, Travel.

What skills is Ben Thomas known for?

Ben Thomas has skills like Information Security, Security, Cissp, It Audit, Firewalls, Computer Security, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Strategy, Cross Functional Team Leadership, Linux, Vpn.

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