[author: Julian Costache, Cybersecurity Engineer]
I didn’t plan on working in cybersecurity.
My path wasn’t exactly traditional, but every job I had taught me how systems break—technical or operational, it didn’t matter. I was usually the one cleaning up after things went wrong. Eventually, I got tired of cleaning up and wanted to stop the mess before it started.
Security just kept pulling me in. I was the go-to for firewall questions, weird activity, suspicious access. At some point, I realized I liked the challenge. It combined the tech I was into with the kind of real-world problem-solving I was already doing. Cyber made sense. But even once I landed a full-time role in the field, I brought an old habit with me: treating everything like it was urgent.
When I started at Accelerynt, I still jumped on every alert like it might be the big one. I’d see something come in, and I’d be on it—no pause, no context. Every issue felt critical, and I treated it that way.
Looking back, I wasn’t helping. I was just reacting.
Slowing Down to Move Smarter
That changed when I took on my first major project: a four-month Okta to Microsoft migration. It was my first time being in something from beginning to end—planning, navigating roadblocks, executing the rollout, and handling client questions.
I couldn’t approach it like a stream of incidents. I had to think strategically, balance what was technically possible with what was actually valuable to the client, and stay focused when things didn’t go as planned.
That project gave me confidence. It also taught me to step back and evaluate—not everything needs a response, and not every problem is worth the same attention. One of my teammates helped me realize I was burning cycles on low-value work. Once I understood that, everything changed.
What Agility Really Means
People throw around the word “agile” a lot. I used to think it meant being fast.
But real agility isn’t about speed. It’s about clarity. It’s the ability to adapt when things shift—when a threat emerges, a priority changes, or a plan breaks halfway through. It’s staying steady, adjusting quickly, and knowing what matters most.
At Accelerynt, that’s how we operate. We don’t wait for perfect tools or ideal conditions. We solve what’s in front of us with what we’ve got. We move with purpose, not panic. That’s what operator mindset looks like—and it’s something you feel every day here. No drama. No delay. Just progress
Helping Clients Tune Out the Noise
Once I started working this way, I began spotting the same pattern with clients: alert fatigue, tool sprawl, and dashboards full of noise.
They weren’t lacking data—they were buried under it. Many assumed that adding more tools would help. But more tech without clarity only adds drag.
My job now is often helping clients step back, see the big picture, and focus on what matters. Sometimes that means helping them reduce 80% of their alerts. Other times, it’s streamlining their processes so they can act faster and with more confidence.
Clarity consistently beats complexity. A focused alert, a clean process, a well-defined role—those aren’t just efficiency gains. They’re what help security teams stay resilient.
What Changed for Me
I didn’t come into cybersecurity the usual way, but that’s helped me stay grounded. I’ve learned that solving the right problem at the right time is more valuable than responding to everything at once.
I’ve also learned that speed without strategy wears teams down. At Accelerynt, we help clients move faster by helping them focus better—tuning environments, simplifying processes, and getting more value out of what they already have.
That’s how I work now. And it’s made all the difference.
