At SEP2, we are firm believers that world-class cyber security relies just as much on human empathy and strong relationships as it does on deep technical expertise. That’s why we’re always thrilled when exceptional technical talent steps into a customer-facing role to strengthen the bridge between our engineering capabilities and our client partnerships.

Fabian Reid recently made the transition from our technical Network Security (NetSec) team into the Customer Success team. Having spent over four years at SEP2 navigating high-pressure incident response calls, deep-dive technical support, and complex onboardings, Fabian brings a unique, empathetic perspective to how we serve our clients.

We sat down with Fabian to ask him about his journey into cyber security, what it’s like living through the high-stakes “fear lifecycle” during a major incident, and what “true validation” of a security service really means to him.

My Journey into Cyber Security

I started my career at SEP2 4 years ago and my two previous positions had been technical but in no particular way related to the field of Cyber Security, though I had a keen interest. I regularly listened to Darknet Diaries and Smashing Security on my walks to work, catching up on as much as I could. I have to say I’m very grateful to Dave Gore, People Manager at SEP2, for getting this journey underway. I submitted my CV for the position with hope, but didn’t expect to receive  a response. I got a call from Dave on my birthday, funnily enough, encouraging me to provide further information/context in my CV as it looked, in his words, “very promising”. This gave me the boost I needed, and from there I’ve not looked back.

Why Customer Success?

A big driver behind my move over to the Customer Success team is the great rapport I’ve built up with customers I regularly interact with. It became less of a ‘one ticket in, one ticket out’ exercise it has the potential to be and more of an interaction among peers.

I genuinely enjoyed talking with certain customers as much as I did resolving tickets and would look forward to catching up with what we had previously spoken about on past tickets. I feel in every interaction I have with someone there is always the potential to learn something new. With this in mind, it’s fair to say that my interpersonal skills are a strength of mine, so to be able to marry these with the technical skills I have built up over my time at SEP2, it was really a no-brainer.

Having lived through the ‘fear lifecycle’ that happens when a major incident occurs, I feel that I have an empathy to bring, similar to our Head of Customer Success JT’s experience, to the technical teams. I’m aware of what the pressure is like when the clock is on and the customer’s higher-ups have an expectation that they place on your shoulders. On the rare occasion that things don’t go to plan, I’ve become aware of the heightened emotions and the need for a solution and a path to chart out of what can potentially lead to a major incident.

There are calls I have taken in the early hours of the morning, where remote access users in another part of the world are unable to connect to their work environments within what is their working times, and there being no clear indication to what the cause might be and, at times, desperately looking for a solution well into the next day. The confidence our customers have in a calm, deeply technical team on the other end of the call, that SEP2’s Wingman Services provides, is often evident in their appreciation in the post-analysis phase.

The Wingman Experience

From a Wingman Secure Access perspective, having gone through the onboarding process with a number of customers, I’m aware of how the process should flow. From the responses provided by the technical teams, I should be there in an auxiliary capacity to draw on my previous experience should anything be missed. The difference in requirements that a customer may have, whether they will allow direct access or via a proxy for example; are they aware of the potential impact this could have on the service provided? Questions will always be covered by our incredible technical teams, but it’s my hope that having another fail safe who is aware of these potential pitfalls, will make the process seamless.

To me, true validation of a security service is in the space where technical precision meets genuine peace of mind. While SLAs prove a service works on paper, they don’t often capture how a client feels when signing off for the day. Bridging NetSec and Customer Success will allow me to bear in mind that it’s not just about mitigating technical risk; it is about lifting the weight off our customer’s shoulders.

Looking Forward

Working alongside SEP2 clients day-to-day in this new role, I believe that a genuinely successful relationship should feel more like an extension of your own team, in the shared understanding that you are always welcome to reach out in open dialogue before an anomaly escalates into a crisis. I’m excited to step into this role with my past experiences and continue to deliver a service that bridges expert security support with genuine peace of mind.