Dennis Schröder

I've been with the company since 1 February 2008. After my IT security studies, I only wrote two applications and received two acceptances. As I first wanted to gain as much project experience as possible in the business world, I then decided in favour of TÜVIT. At around the same time, other young professionals started at TÜVIT with me, who - like me - are still with us today.

Because I find the work environment, the scope and the variety exciting. We give the customer the opportunity to improve their level of IT security and data protection by showing them where their weak points are. In this respect, we are the so-called "good hackers". In addition, it is certainly also the social context, i.e. the team, direct superiors and colleagues at the same level. I also like the fact that you can really get involved in the company and help shape and advance new topics.

I have a Master of Science in IT Security, which I completed at the Ruhr University Bochum. I started out as a pentester in the offensive security environment. I now work as a manager, which has of course changed my area of responsibility considerably. This means moving away from technical project management towards a helicopter perspective in terms of lead people, lead business and lead change. This includes all management tasks, such as developing employees, ensuring operational order fulfilment or strategic planning of new business areas.

This varies greatly and depends, for example, on specifications, deadlines and, last but not least, the current day-to-day business or the associated order situation. In the worst-case scenario, it can be a marathon of meetings in the double-digit range (laughs). We generally work very agilely in order processing on behalf of customers and I often have to make decisions at management level and have a controlling influence on project processing. Then there are the other administrative management tasks that arise on a regular or ad hoc basis. However, motivating and taking an interest in my employees is also particularly important to me in my day-to-day work.

Since the pandemic, it has become clear that many of these activities can be carried out remotely. I therefore often work from home. In our department, we have introduced the voluntary "Full House Wednesday", where you can meet many employees in the office and exchange ideas in person. This flexible work organisation works very well for us and has now become a highly valued benefit.

In fact, this is success in the sense of real win-win situations, i.e. motivated employees carry out projects with fun and success, our customers are happy about the achieved project goal and the added value that comes with it and are happy to come back, and at the same time our company is also economically successful. In this sense, "hack for fun and profit" (from the book of the same name) has always motivated me. The search for weak points and potential for improvement can be very creative and exciting. You gain a lot of insider information that "normal people" don't know about.

What I like best is that I can bring things forward and actively shape them. I enjoy finding alternative solutions and thinking about how to achieve a win-win situation for all parties.

This was a so-called red teaming assessment. This involves using very broad-based attack factors against individuals as well as organisational and technical security measures. I had a key experience that still makes me smile today because it made me feel a bit like James Bond. Among other things, we had chosen an attack path via the management and bugged the workstation of a senior employee and were ultimately able to successfully take over the admin rights of the Windows domain of the entire customer infrastructure. To do this, we had to physically gain access to the workstation and, in doing so, we had to fit in a short window of time when both the lady in the outer office and the executive had left the office for a short time.

I like to do all kinds of water sports - apart from swimming (laughs): That means I like to go kite surfing, surfing, sailing or paddling. I also enjoy riding my motorbike and travelling with my wife and son, as well as being an amateur photographer.

It certainly depends on the type of person, but the working conditions are definitely ideal. As we have been working remotely and flexibly since the pandemic, moving to my old home has not also meant a change of employer. Great importance is attached to developing and retaining top performers, which in turn has a positive effect on motivation and the high level of expertise.