As one of Octeum’s founding partners, Derek has helped build and guide our team from day one. And being part of an amazing culture with people who bring unique perspectives that keep him motivated and driven? That’s an honor and a privilege he’ll never take for granted. Derek has been a part of the security industry for almost 25 years, always driven by wanting to learn more: About emerging technologies. About the people who bring their all to Octeum every day. About the clients who trust us with their most important resources. And about what makes the company he helped found a place where others want to learn and grow as much as he does.

What fictional place does Derek want to visit? The Batcave! Subterranean cave full of cool gadgets and crime-fighting equipment? We see what you did there.

Poseidon. God of the Sea not found.

The Black Pearl. Nigh uncatchable!

Josh is Octeum’s big-idea director of business development, helping our mid-market and enterprise clients shore up their teamwork, processes and technology use. A perfect fit for his 20+ years of experience in physical security. Because Josh is all about bringing out the best: in companies, in systems and in people. His proudest moments come when he’s watching the people he’s hired or mentored grow and succeed in their own careers. Which is a humble way of saying he’s making sure the next generation of security professionals can live up to some pretty high expectations.

Josh’s favorite place in the world? Anywhere with his family. But like most of us, preferably they’re all at a Bills game.

Go Bills!

The Kraken. Legendary subject of superstitions and mythos not found.

You might see UX designer and think Jay’s all about developing brands and creating engaging user interface designs for security applications. And you’d be right. But the work Jay does day in and day out for Octeum goes far beyond his job description. He’ll tell you he has more than two decades in the security industry, but the truth is, it’s more like a lifetime. Jay fell in love with visual imagery all the way back in kindergarten, and from there, was born and raised in the art room, honing his eye for clean design and the kind of user experiences that make people want to come back for more.

Jay’s hidden talent? Master couch-cushions fort builder. Taking on the Fortnite world with his boys.

Go Bills!

Don’t let the name fool you: There are plenty of Mikes in the world. But at Octeum, we know there’s only one Yudi—and we’re lucky to have him. He works with our clients and stakeholders to understand their needs and put together, plan and deliver the software solution our team creates. And behind the scenes, he’s just as busy coordinating with Octeum’s engineers, designers and testers. Oh, and helping with our marketing and social media. Whew. He probably learned how to wear all of those hats during an intense training program he was handpicked for in Amsterdam. What set him apart? His customer-centered approach and innovative thinking.

Who would play Mike in a movie? Justin Timberlake, obviously. “I just googled curly-haired movie stars. Our talents align decently.” Hmm. Tell us more.

Go Bills!

Megalodon. Nothing to see here. Or is there?

When Tina says she enjoys coming together as a team, she isn’t kidding: She’s found a home with our team not once, but twice—first with our founders early in her career and again with Octeum, where she’s a technical project manager for one of our largest accounts. And with 20 years of experience in project management and security, we’re lucky to have her in our ranks. Tina will tell you she found our industry a little bit by accident when a part-time college job turned into a full-time career. But if you ask us, Tina + security solutions = a perfect fit from day one.

What fictional place would Tina like to visit? Oz. A team on a quest to protect the world from the threat behind the curtain AND there’s a dog? Sounds absolutely right.

From small solo projects to large team efforts, Aaron flexes his creativity to find innovative solutions to complex problems. He’s worked with teams at all levels of security data management for almost two decades—and that means he has a unique way of looking at every detail of his client’s issues, projects and support processes. If he could visit any fictional place, it would be Middle Earth. Why? Because it’s been built with the same kind of intricate, complex and beautiful details he finds every day in his work. And when Aaron isn’t teasing out the right solutions for a global telecommunications company, you can find him in his favorite place in the world: On the couch playing video games with his wife and three daughters.

First computer: A Packard-Bell with a 144Mhz Pentium I processor, 16 MB of Ram and a 1 GB hard drive. Down to every detail.

Go Niners!

How do we know Jay likes a good challenge? Easy. He challenges himself and his team every day. And the result? Expectations that aren’t just met, but exceeded. Solutions that aren’t just built, but expertly deployed and managed. Clients who aren’t just satisfied, but happy. Jay came to Octeum looking for work/life balance and a chance to grow in an environment that trusts his decade-plus of experience. Now, he runs our Professional Services division and is a go-to resource at Octeum, helping our people find the right solutions for your people.

You might be surprised to learn: Jay placed 51st in the Buck Hunter world championship back in 2012.

The proudest moment in Nick’s career isn’t a single solution, certification or responsibility. It’s when he was given a chance to turn around a client relationship. And the trust, confidence and support he helped build became the key to executing hugely successful migrations and multiple integrations. At Octeum, Nick puts that same drive to good use evaluating, planning, designing, implementing and supporting our software solutions. So it’s safe to say he loves a challeng. And in an always-evolving and growing industry, we’re happy to help feed that fire.

Nick’s favorite place in the world? On any cruise ship … pre-2020. We’re hopefully he’ll be sailing the seas again any day now.

Go Bills!

Sean is Octeum’s modern-day warrior with 30 years of experience in the security industry. What you say about his company is that he enjoys the people he works with and the teams he works for. He rides out the day’s events, completing projects that drive positive results and feedback from his teams. Because there’s magic at his fingers. No, his mind is not for rent, which is why we’re lucky to have him dedicating his time to one of our biggest global clients, where he’s responsible for security design and results management for all security deliverables. Exit the warrior …

Fun fact: Sean is a *casual* Rush fan. Could you tell?

Jaws. A legend in his own right. But out for a swim.

Rich tiptoed into the security field right out of high school as a security officer—and it’s been an epic journey through the physical security industry ever since. Which makes sense, since Rich is drawn toward big stories with cautionary tales: protect your identity, beware of external threats … and always seek the the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. (It’s 42.) Rich has worked in physical security since 1998, and today he expertly mentors his team and plans and designs strategic solutions as Octeum’s development team lead.

Favorite movie or book? 1984, the Alien movies and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. See? Now it all makes sense.

Lobstrosity. Killer crustacean. Even better developer.

Josh loves seeing all the pieces of a project fall into place—that moment when he knows a software solution will make a real impact. And he comes by his dedication to creating high-quality software honestly: His father was an Octeum software engineer who shared his projects and in-depth computer knowledge with Josh, and we’re honored to help carry on the family legacy. Josh works with one of Octeum’s largest accounts to create custom, seamless solutions, and he helps create, ideate and integrate our Transit-IO solution.

What would people be surprised to know about Josh? “I love musicals. Throughout high school, I played many leading roles and I’m considering joining a community theater.”

Go Bills!

Kristy’s brain runs on learning new things: coding, user needs … how to drive a taxi, playing the clarinet or piano or saxophone, every word of Newsies. Let’s say she likes to seize the day. (See what we did there? Go watch Newsies.) As a solution developer with a decade of experience, Kristy knows how to create reliable software that makes users’ jobs easier. And before she does that, she gets to know the people she’s helping so she understands exactly what they need out of their new system.

Favorite video game: Old-school Dr. Mario

At the heart of every project Chip touches is one goal: a better user experience. Because he knows the best solutions are the ones that truly understand and meet a company’s unique needs. And he has almost 20 years of experience to prove it, plus a master’s degree in strategic leadership that means he knows how to find the right resources and approach for every project that comes his way. Which is all to say that Chip joined the Octeum team in 2021 and has been making our clients happy ever since. When he isn’t developing security software solutions, you can find him swimming, boating and fishing at his family’s lakeside cottage.

First computer: An i386 with 400MB of storage on an SCSI array. Home-built, obviously.

Dave is one of Octeum’s senior software engineers—and that means he takes his clients’ needs from concept to reality, writing code that brings even the biggest plans to life. And while Dave might be new(ish) to Octeum, he’s an old pro at the software industry. He started his career all the way back in 2004, right around the time he was laying down hot licks with Rochester’s most popular band*, Five O’Clock Charlie. Coincidence? Absolutely not.

* You’ll have to trust Milestones’ word on that one. We do.

Go Bills!

It took only one course in web engineering for Ben to know he was meant to develop intuitive apps. Why? Because he loves learning as much as he can about software development and applying those lessons to create elegant solutions. It’s part of what makes him such a great addition to the Octeum team, and he juggled it with his work as a fourth-year student at Rochester Institute of Technology. No surprise there—Ben’s trained in getting in the ring and getting things done. Literally. He trained in MMA when he was a kid and he’s found his way back as an adult. Around here, we call that “exactly who you want in your security solutions corner.”

Who would play Ben in a movie?

It’s a coin toss between Ryan Reynolds and Danny DeVito. Interesting spread.