offering and developing a new model with practice areas managed by practice managers. This collaborative structure allowed KIS to become a fully capable cybersecurity firm, where Craig now leads in acquiring and developing cybersecurity solutions and optimizing skills to support clients. Leading Through Change One of Craig's biggest challenges was maintaining and developing the necessary skills for his team as the company evolved and formed multiple partnerships. There needed to be more in their ability to support clients across various technologies. To address this, Craig championed and implemented a formalized training program to ensure engineers and practice managers quickly acquired the needed skills. Given the rapidly changing market, particularly in cybersecurity, Craig's focus was on building a strong foundation in cybersecurity skills and advancing their capabilities specific to the client’s needs. This approach enabled the company to provide deep, efficient support to clients and stay current with emerging trends and technologies, continuously improving their service offerings. Project Management Excellence Craig explains that KIS offers various services, with cybersecurity being a primary practice area. Additionally, they specialize in cloud services, including private cloud and partnerships with providers like AWS and Microsoft. Their expertise extends to virtualization, working with major vendors such as VMware, Microsoft, and Amazon. KIS stays committed to adjusting and optimizing its support of current and evolving markets, such as the recent VMware acquisition by Broadcom. Craig supports consulting services to assist clients with best practices and formalizing their implementations. Moreover, KIS provides project management support, ensuring clients have the necessary oversight and management to complete projects effectively. Holistic Service Delivery KIS's uniqueness lies in the deep understanding and knowledge within each practice area, coupled with the crossover of skills among them. Their cloud engineers, for instance, possess expertise not only in cloud technologies but also in areas like Microsoft, virtualization, and Linux. This interdisciplinary approach allows KIS to pull skills from different practice areas as needed to fulfill client projects or services internally. Unlike organizations that focus on vertical markets, KIS prioritizes the diverse needs of their clients, spanning various industries such as education, government, commercial, healthcare, and transportation. Rather than specializing in vertical application- level aspects, KIS focuses on enhancing their client’s ability to communicate, process data, and operate within their respective industries. Recently, KIS introduced a Managed Service Provider (MSP) model to better serve their clients. This outsourced managed service solution encompasses desktop infrastructure, desktop as a service, infrastructure as a service, software as a service, and cybersecurity as a service. Although still in development, the management portion of the MSP model has been completed and launched over the past months. Despite being in its early stages, the service desk has garnered significant attention, with over five companies signing up solely through Navigating Technology Trends Throughout its history, KIS has continuously adapted to the pace of technological advancements, evolving from providing basic hardware to delivering complete virtualized networks. Despite these changes, their commitment to providing cost-effective solutions, maintaining quality, and delivering exceptional customer service has remained steadfast. Over the years, KIS has expanded through strategic collaborations with six different companies, each contributing to building a more robust business. With one of Northern California's largest multidisciplinary consulting staff, many of whom have been with the company for a decade or longer, KIS prides itself on being the best at what they do. They invite potential clients to discover how they can leverage their expertise to address their IT needs effectively. From Military to Cybersecurity At a young age, Craig joined the military and served for 14 years, gaining experience in intelligence, reconnaissance, and other skills relevant to security in general. During his service, he also pursued college, including legal studies. In his military career, he served as an infrastructure engineer, developing general network design using Cisco, Microsoft, and Novell skills. This laid the foundation for his expertise as a network and systems engineer. Craig also served as an Intelligence Analyst responsible for securing data honing his security skills. After leaving the military, Craig joined KIS and became a leader in building its services organization. Under CEO Sean Canevaro’s vision, KIS transitioned from a value-added reseller to a consulting and services | July 2024 14