Who am I?
I'm a proud dad and stepdad to four awesome kids, and our beautiful Frenchie. My partner is an amazing woman who somehow manages to keep up with my hectic schedule while providing love and support everyday - I'm a lucky man!
The Gold Coast has been home now for 24 years since the big move from the UK in 2000. Over the past two decades I've slowly worked through the gears of IT Support, System Administration, Systems Engineering, before moving into Management and finally specialising in Cyber Security.
I'm a lifelong Chelsea fan — I know, I know, but I was born into it. It's a kind of religion for us brits! Before the introduction of streaming services, I would sit up until 2am to watch the games. Thankfully now I can watch replays at reasonable hours without disturbing my much needed and increasingly required beauty sleep.
I love extreme events and try to incorporate one crazy challenge into my calendar each year. Last year (2024) myself and three colleagues took on the Kokoda challenge. 96km across the Gold Coast hinterland. It was pretty brutal, but we got it done in 27 hours. This year we go again in search of a bigger challenge. We have decided to complete the 'Pinnacle Challenge'. which is essentially taking part in three events, the 30km on the Sunshine Coast followed by the 48km in Brisbane, before moving on to the 96km again on the Gold Coast.. I can hear my toes weeping already. When I’m not working or challenging myself, you’ll find me enjoying the great Australian outdoors, caravanning, and making the most of every moment with my family.
So why CyberWithSimon?
I’m passionate about protecting Australian individuals and businesses from cyber attacks. During my time in Cyber Security, I identified a gap in support services. There is currently very little certified support at affordable rates for individuals and Australian small business. This prevents some businesses from addressing their vulnerabilities making them an easy target. Just because a business only has 5, 10, maybe 20 employees, you are still a target. If anything, a bigger target. These businesses still have the same regulatory obligations in a data breach. These businesses rely on reputation to survive - A significant cyber attack can close the doors.
When it comes to individuals, my vision is to reduce cyber incidents affecting individuals by 50% by 2028 by increasing awareness and assisting with the implementation of fundamental security controls all within everyone's reach. I will not sit back while hard working Australians continue to lose their life savings, its just non-negotiable.
Cyber threats aren't going away. Advancements in technology introduce new vulnerabilities - Our pledge is to do everything we can to assist.
Simon & Family