Geo Owl is excited to welcome Bryan Crain to the team as the Director of IT and Cyber Security. Bryan has 19+ years of experience in the field of information technology encompassing an impressive array of duties.
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Geo Owl is excited to welcome Bryan Crain to the team as the Director of IT and Cyber Security. Bryan has 19+ years of experience in the field of information technology encompassing an impressive array of duties. Look out for great things coming out of the IT department!
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]What brought you to Geo Owl?
A chance to live in Wilmington again… I love this city! I went to school at UNCW with our CEO, Nick and before that served with him and our Chief Growth Officer, Jim in the military. As such, I know the leadership here. It’s composed of hard working and innovative individuals that won’t take no for an answer, and wouldn’t ask you to do anything they wouldn’t do themselves. Geo Owl is going places and I wanted to be a part of it!
What do you do at Geo Owl?
I serve as Geo Owl’s Director of Information Systems and Cyber Security. I was brought on board to help tackle some of the issues that come with a growing team and network as well as contribute to Geo Owl’s narrative, providing my perspective as we pursue new opportunities which are increasingly more IT focused. I’ll be responsible for making sure some of our small business IT systems and processes evolve into fully fledged and accredited enterprise systems and processes.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I get to walk around and see how everyone is doing, and will do so more once I finish my move to the Wilmington area. I love the small business vibe. The past decade I’ve been part of some of the Fortune 500 defense contractors. It’s nice to be part of a smaller group of professionals accomplishing just as big, if not bigger, tasks often more efficiently for our customers compared to the big names. So, even as we continue to grow, I’ll be doing my damnedest to keep the small company vibe real!
Do you have any hobbies? If so, what?
I grew up on a farm in the Midwest so hunting and fishing will always be relaxing for me, though I haven’t managed to make the time to do so much in the last few years. Looking forward to getting some fishing in now that I’ll be near the water. I’m also a gamer; board games, card games, video games, it’s all fair game. I’ve been on a “Destiny 2” kick lately, though I hear “Ghost of Tsushima” that just came out last week is worthy of a play through. I haven’t had much time to formulate content yet, but I co-sponsored an ENGAGE-gamers group with a few others here at Geo Owl so keep your eyes peeled for that! Good opportunity for some camaraderie and competition outside of work!
What is your favorite book and why?
To be fair I don’t read enough these days, for pleasure anyway. All too often I’m researching a technical specification, reading a white paper, or technical manual. Favorite book of all time is a tough one. I’ve read some of the “must reads” I suppose from the likes of Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”, and Orwell’s “1984” to E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web, Dickens “Great Expectations”, and F Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. If I had to recommend a book, I’d say read “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”1296″ img_size=”large”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”1295″ img_size=”large”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]What is a fun fact about you that we do not know?
I’m a percussionist. I’ve played since age 11. Symphonic band, Jazz band, Corps Style Marching in college, Big Band Style marching in high school, Jam sessions in college, I’ve done it all. I’m not that bad either, I’d rate myself “bar quality” though I haven’t performed in years. I own a set of Neil Peart “Paragon Sabian Cymbals” that he helped design that I’ve never take out of the box. I purchased them in 2004 or 2005 maybe? I’ve never owned a drum set with hardware enough to support Peart’s 11+ cymbal setup!
What advice would you give to other people in your career field?
I suppose I’d tell my younger technical self, “If it’s easy push yourself harder; look for more”, “If it’s hard, don’t be afraid to ask for help, someone else has been there before. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed if you don’t grasp something at first, hell what percentage of the world even has a clue how their smart phone works?!? You’re already leaps and bounds ahead of those that chalk technology up to black magic because you’ve bothered to ask the question why? or how?!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
