Nixu – Not an average consulting company!

I’m an information and IT security consultant with ten years of proven track record in the field of defense contracting. I joined Nixu in Sweden last fall and I figured I’d share my experience as my first anniversary at Nixu has come to pass.

A busy year

It’s been a busy and productive year with Nixu. I’m particularly proud of the following:

• I was able to bring in several new clients to Nixu, thanks to previous achievements and I had the privilege to work for three of them too.
• I was able to help recruit two new employees to Nixu, both with lots of experience in their field.
• I gave talks at five different conferences during spring (attended another two and will talk at a sixth later this year).

Meeting people and realizing ideas brings energy! With my previous employers, there wasn't any room for non-project related activities, such as public speaking arrangements. I could only do the normal security work. For most people, that’s more than enough, but for me, that’s always been a bit frustrating.

When I joined Nixu, several people saw the value in working strategically. Together we became even more energized to leverage this opportunity.

Thanks to the support I get from my colleagues, I can actually do more and be less stressed about it. This is a unique thing. In practice, this means creative sales and marketing professionals, proactive consultant colleagues, and attentive management.

Creative marketing and sales professionals

Marketing and sales departments can make or break a company, and Nixu Sweden is no exception. As two examples, our marketing manager, Helene Andersen, and my primary sales guy, Magnus Lundqvist, is always open to support me before, during and after meeting with a potential client. As a bonus, Magnus is based in Linköping (where I live), which is very convenient for me. When I meet with people who need things done related to cyber security, I feel confident in telling them “of course we can help you”. And when it comes to quickly translating a client meeting into a finished contract is where Magnus shows his skills!

Proactive consultant colleagues

I couldn’t have delivered this year’s results without the assistance of my colleagues, the expert professionals within the company. Having that network so tight within the organization makes for a great product. They make it look easy, that’s how competent they are.

Take Martin Bergling for example, he's a professional who is actively involved in the cyber security community in Sweden. His feedback is always on point and at the right level. He’s helped me prepare for giving talks at conferences and I’m very grateful for his input. I feel as if my talks become just that much better and it truly is a great feeling to deliver them.

Attentive management

Another thing which sets Nixu apart is that management really walks the talk when it comes to improving the company. They listen attentively and make things possible. Certainly there are always complexities in business, but at Nixu this culture of listening to each other prevents problems stemming from complexities and prestigious thinking.

Now and then there might be disagreements, sure. But I find that healthy. Everybody agreeing all the time may turn a fizz into a flat. The culture we have seems to be geared toward handling disagreements into optimizations, rather than dubious and counterproductive compromises that nobody ends up being happy with. I find it unique.

Sometimes it’s an open discussion, sometimes someone just decides the priority list. Then people can debate about the priority list, and if there is sound reasoning, the management can re-prioritize. We have set goals, but the goals can be changed if the circumstances change. This is new to me, and it’s refreshing!

The biggest advantages with working for Nixu, in my opinion, are:

• An active support network, people deliver
• Great colleagues from all over and all walks of life
• Well-known brand in the cyber security community
• Management that pays attention to what’s going on within and outside the company

Lastly, shameless plug. We’re always on the lookout for sharp individuals to expand our network. I have written this based on my own thoughts regarding the past year and I really recommend that you take a look at our open positions here.

We’d be happy to have you!