Success Story - Shahar Troiza, Data Protection Person, Bsafe / By Hadas Shimoni
during the course of our careers everyone, at one time or another, has had the feeling he has maximized his potential and has nowhere to go at a certain job. many would agree the thing to do is to look for a better job and advance, i.e. manage more, earn more and be more independent at work.
after two and a half years of advancement at his last job shahar troiza, 29, found himself in a prestigious, respectable position, yet felt unsatisfied and falling short of his professional potential. "after one year at a large communications company i was promoted to head of the information security team, with three workers under my charge.
i specialized in active directory systems command and control and managed the authorizations of thousands of employees in all systems. after about two and a half years i felt i had reached a dead end professionally and i wanted to continue advancing in the field of information security." in this case, climbing up the company ladder was not a viable option for shahar, who felt he had reached his peak at the company where he was working.
his mulling and uncertainties got the best of him, and eventually shahar decided to leave his place of work to develop a career that made full use of his abilities and desires. three months later shahar found a job in information security at bsafe via jobnet.
founded in 1983, bsafe information systems develops and provides information security solutions for ibm's iseries and mainframe. the company is 100% israeli. the headquarters and product development center are located in herzliya pituach and its products are sold in 60 countries around the world. the company has 20 employees in israel and another 10 scattered around the world.
"i'm the kind of person who loves to work - a workaholic," admits shahar. "i've worked my entire life. the day after i finished my studies in software engineering and data communications engineering i started working at the college of management as a computer person. after three and a half years, during which i was promoted to manager of computer systems, i was hired at a large communications company as an information security expert specializing in active directory. after another two and a half years
i decided to continue developing and to delve deeper into the field of information security."
shahar troiza at the bsafe information systems offices
what drew you to information security?
"an information system is a software package that allows data to be stored, managed, processed and retrieved later. implementing information security brings the organization to a situation in which the risk of losing data or failures are low. information system security is a very broad field that involves protection of all of the computer systems from the risks that threaten them. this field really attracted me, primarily because it demands a lot of responsibility and professionalism."
how did you go about your job search? did you look while you were still at your previous job?
"as i mentioned, i'm a very productive person who loves to work, so i hoped the process of finding work would take place while i was still working. of course i made sure the search did not affect my work. every evening i would send out resumes to large companies like intel and comverse, which are involved in information security. i also focused on the jobnet site, where the selection of positions was wider and more varied."
how did you come across jobnet?
"i happened to be searching on google and the jobnet site was among the first links, and from my experience the first that come up on google are generally the most viewed and widely accepted. jobnet is very organized, understandable and simple, so i was easily able to locate the positions related to information security."
did you get much of a response from the companies you contacted?
"i did get quite a response. i think the reason lies in the fact i sent my resume directly to the e-mail addresses of the respective companies rather than to intermediary placement companies. also, as someone with six years of experience in computers and information systems, i had an advantage over the other candidates."
what tilted the scales in favor of bsafe?
"from my first conversation with menachem fishkovitz, the company's deputy director,
i had a good feeling. his voice was pleasant and the conversation flowed. i guess you could say we clicked right away and i soon realized this was where i wanted to work. afterwards i was asked to come in for an interview with the company president, shimon bouganim, who confirmed my initial impression. a lot of people applied for the job, which raised its prestige. i tried to impress him with my knowledge and experience."
deputy director menachem fishkovitz, what advantage does bsafe have over other companies?
"we're a company with 25 years' experience. the company specializes in two types of infrastructures, both from ibm: iseries servers and mainframe systems. bsafe is world-renowned and sells its security products in dozens of countries.
our clients include companies like johnson & johnson, toyota, the discovery channel and yamaha. we also cover other operating systems such as unix, linux and windows, giving us a clear advantage over the competitors in the field of information security. we provide customers a product that solves a variety of problems and contains the information security for all of the organization's infrastructures."
company president shimon bouganim, how does jobnet streamline the recruitment process?
"the resumes that come through jobnet are generally focused and high quality. if a need arises to recruit an employee in a relatively short amount of time the site can definitely be counted on to do the job in a highly efficient manner. the cost is minimal and the exchange value that comes through recruiting workers through a quality, professional source is tremendous and definitely worthwhile from the employer's standpoint. when it comes to recruiting employees, to my mind it doesn't pay to compromise, so we chose to advertise on jobnet, which has proven itself again and again as a source for recruiting quality candidates who contribute a lot to our company."
shahar, describe your integration here.
"the integration process at bsafe is based on self-instruction, so during the initial days at the company i was asked to enter the company site and simply read about the various systems and the company product. i wasn't paired with a mentor, but i felt comfortable turning to any of the veteran employees and asking for help. the website and the running of the company is in english because a considerable portion of the clients are from out of the country."
did this put you off?
"not at all. i was exposed to a whole new world. it was hard at first, but my reading, writing and speaking in english quickly improved by leaps and bounds. at my previous jobs
i hadn't done much in english in terms of e-mail messages and various texts. i saw this as a challenge, an advantage, and a way to improve my professional abilities."
how has your job advanced to a higher level of professionalism at bsafe?
"at my last job as information security team leader i was involved in managing authorizations for 5,000 employees. at bsafe, after a very short period of time, shimon allowed me to enter the field of programming. i see this is a big privilege to learn programming from the best in the business. every day i read from a book on programming and get help from bsafe's outstanding programmers, so i have all the tools necessary to acquire expertise in this area. right now i'm executing small projects and gradually i'll enter larger, more complex projects."
what kind of company is bsafe in terms of the general atmosphere?
"first of all, shimon is notable for how much he cares. every day he walks around among all the employees to see how each of them is progressing or if he needs help. you can go in to see him at any time and get an immediate response to any question or problem that comes up. bsafe is a company that is really a family in every sense. first and foremost is shimon and chaya, his personal assistant, who are like husband and wife. this family feeling radiates on all of the other workers and creates a really special atmosphere. this is a company that looks out for its employees and really cares. as a family man i see this as a big attribute. also, every employee here is a professional and excels in his field. i feel i can get the best here and realize myself."
so would you say you're very satisfied with your acclimation at the company?
"i'm very pleased here in every way. on one hand i feel i've become a part of a family, and on the other hand i have opportunities to develop and gain expertise in various spheres in programming and information security. i'm treated extremely well in that i'm given a lot of responsibility and they believe in me, even though i'm relatively new."
what recommendations do you have for jobseekers?
"i highly recommend that they enter all of the websites of the major companies and send out lots of resumes. it's also important to send through job-search sites like jobnet, which help you send resumes directly, based on your personal preferences. most important of all is not to give up, because it's definitely possible to find a job that meets your expectations."
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