Chris Hartley

Lead Security Engineer at The Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, United States

About

I like to solve problems, to make things better. Since I also enjoy logic and, by extension, computers and programming, I tend to focus on computer- and network-related problems. As a manager, I've enjoyed solving "people" problems, with an emphasis on principled leadership and emotional intelligence. I crave the delight in creativity - mine, and others. Granting space for creativity is typically tough in Incident Response, but sometimes novelty arises from situations that many may consider tough, like handling an active attack or trying to produce solid analyses with limited or flawed data. I've worked in networking, infosec, developed software, I was a founder of a local non-profit arts group, and I own a 4000 square foot maker space in Columbus, OH. I've guest-lectured for courses at OSU, and I served as a professor for a grad-level infosec class at OSU. I've done public speaking at OSU, for local conferences (security and otherwise), and national education-focused online security conferences. I meditate on solving big problems, trying to limit myself to alignments of opportunity and capability. I like to think I'm a dreamer who is also a doer - something I've been told is impossible. Repeatedly. My main focuses as of this writing are Zero Trust Strategy, Security Operations Automation, Incident Response, and Identity and Access Management - a strange combination, I know. Stranger still is that I wrote another network mapping tool for E-911 Location Determination compliance for use here at OSU by multiple departments, and soon: open-sourcing it. What animates me more than implementing a solution to a problem is seeing the elation and the real growth while watching (and maybe helping) someone else do something they thought they couldn't: making a tangible object - a thing - at the maker space using tools they didn't even know about before, a new method, or material; doing a pull-up for the first time; solving a problem without fear of "failure."

Experience

  • The Ohio State University (15 yrs 11 mos)
    • Lead Security Engineer
      Jan 2017 - Present · 9 yrs 6 mos

      Previous responsibilities plus management and strategic planning, working broadly across teams - skunkworker in chief.

    • Senior Security Engineer
      Jan 2013 - Jan 2017 · 4 yrs 1 mo

      Specialization in network security and Incident Response with the Information Security Team in the Office of the CIO at The Ohio State University, holistic security preparedness and response, lightweight management, consulting, security assessments and penetration testing.

    • Security Specialist
      Aug 2010 - Jan 2013 · 2 yrs 6 mos

      Specialization in network security and Incident Response with the Information Security Team in the Office of the CIO at The Ohio State University

  • Network programmer at OARNet
    Jun 2007 - 2010 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Projects, as assigned, related to network management, visualization and customer reports

  • Network Security Lead at Student Affairs IT, The Ohio State University
    Sep 2003 - Sep 2008 · 5 yrs 1 mo

    Secondary Departmental Network Administrator for /18, primary or secondary administrator of ~20 *nix servers

  • Student Programmer 3 at Office of the CIO, The Ohio State University
    Apr 2006 - Dec 2006 · 9 mos

    Research in H.323 videoconferencing, firewall/NAT traversal for the Internet2 Commons Participation in Megaconference Reporting to Dr. Bob Dixon, PhD.