One of the veteran members of Team Nexum is Jody Hodge, Director of Engineering. Hodge served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years, ending his active duties in a Combat Communications role. It was there that he received not only the combat training required for the job, but the engineering training as well. “After the initial infrastructure goes in at the base, we’re next on the list to get in there and develop the communications,” says Hodge. “In a conflict like Bosnia or Desert Fox, we handled setting up the network for secure and non-secure communication going in and out of our conflict locations.”

Hodge’s first post-military role was in 2000, in network engineering. He came to Nexum in August of 2017 as a security engineer and has worked his way up to be our current Director of Engineering.

Although technology has certainly changed over the years, Hodge thinks the underlying goals of cybersecurity that drew him into the field remain the same. “The end goal is still a secure network. In the Air Force, you’re sending out flight orders, battle tactics, dates, times – absolutely vital information that cannot be intercepted. In the same way, the cybersecurity of a business needs to create a powerful blockade. You’ve got to protect your data, your assets, at all times.”

The Fight for Security

Does military experience translate well into the world of cybersecurity? Hodge thinks so.

“You have a goal and you charge after it. Things happen quickly so it’s imperative that you tackle the project immediately in front of you and then keep going.” He says that in both the military and information technology industry, “you have to use your team members’ skillsets wisely, and the hard work and creative problem-solving will pay off in the end.”

Nexum – A Fit for Veterans

“Nexum saw my leadership skills, my attention to detail, as well as my presence and confidence when I walk into a room. I can calmly take over a situation and control it,” says Hodge. 

“We really are a team. We are a unit. When one of us succeeds – we all succeed.”