The 2021 Best Firms to Work For: Coalfire

Client Industries Served: Tech, Federal, Healthcare, Retail, Financial Services

Consulting Service Lines: Strategy and IT

CMAG: How would you say you've managed to stay among the industry's Best Firms to Work For amid these unprecedented times?

We believe we've landed a spot on this list because we truly prioritize our people primarily – and it shows. Keeping our team members safe, healthy, happy, and productive is our number one priority as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic. We've continued to encourage remote work by focusing on flexibility and emphasizing outcomes and deliverables over hours worked, time spent online, or other metrics. At the same time, we've continued to grow our business – both through acquisition as well as organic hiring. We acquired two companies, Neuralys and Denim Group, in the last 12 months, and we've simultaneously continued to hire aggressively to expand our team and support our clients.

CMAG: Were there any specific programs or initiatives (internal or external) that contributed to you being a Best Firm to Work For?

While this recognition is reflective of many different efforts, there are some programs and initiatives that stand out at Coalfire. Our focus on diversity and inclusion is one of them. We have doubled down on our commitment to diversity and inclusion over the last year. In addition to our employee-led Inclusion Council, Coalfire is now home to six employee resource groups (ERGs), which are communities focused on fostering a sense of community, providing support and mentorship, and ultimately making Coalfire a more inclusive place for all. We've received some great feedback from our employees on these groups and the impact they've made, and we can't wait to see how they continue to grow and enhance the employee experience at Coalfire.

CMAG: What is unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

We work with many of the industry's best and brightest, support the world's most well- known companies, and innovate constantly to remain on the cutting edge of technology as we solve the world's toughest cybersecurity challenges. We offer a wide variety of services, and we bring together a diverse team of employees with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to deliver them. We consistently get feedback from our clients that our employees are phenomenal. And we hear the same feedback internally from team members, who work cross-functionally and rely heavily on teamwork and collaboration.

CMAG: What's the top priority over the next 6 to 12 months?

Our priority is to continue to scale our technology-enabled solutions supporting cybersecurity and compliance. Aligning our service delivery model with how our clients want to buy. We will focus on core solution areas including AppSec, vulnerability management and compliance.

CMAG: When you look at the remainder of this year and 2022, what excites you? What opportunities do you see in your markets?

I am most excited about how we eventually emerge from Covid with learnings to shape working environments for the better. We have the chance to redefine work to maximize culture and performance in a way that we'd never previously considered possible. I'm also energized by the potential of government, regulators, and private industry banding together to create meaningful change in the wake of the increased frequency and severity of cyberattacks in the last 18 months.

The market opportunity in application security is nearly unmatched. From the need for physical supply chain security to the critical infrastructure supported by the software supply chain to the opportunity to be part of optimizing the way security is embedded into the software development lifecycle, application security is the next frontier for cybersecurity to confront.

CMAG: What impact do you think being a Best Firm to Work For has on the firm? Employees? Clients?

Being recognized as a Best Firm to Work For is certainly something we celebrate at Coalfire. This gives us a great opportunity to celebrate the things that make us unique and set us apart from other firms – our culture, and most importantly, our people. We work with many of the industry's best and brightest, support some of the world's most well-known companies, and do everything we can to remain on the cutting edge of technology as we solve the world's toughest cybersecurity challenges.