April 5, 2023

From an IT Admin to a CIO: My Story, Rodney Dennis

Rodney Dennis

Company: Chief Information Officer
Job Title: GS Construction Inc.
Country: United States

In an exclusive interview with EC-Council, we met with Robert Dennis, who attributes a huge part of his success as a CIO to the Certified Ethical Hacker program. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take your career to the next level – enroll in the CEH program today!

CEH provided that knowledge and allowed me to grow from mid to entry-level, from an IT admin and security systems administrator to upper management.

Tell me about your journey as a cybersecurity professional.

Well, I’ll start by saying that I’ve loved Texas since I was a kid. I learned to use a computer before my parents even configured it, and they were the ones who purchased the thing. I knew a long time ago that my niche would be in technology. I went to school for engineering, and after school, I decided to pursue some more of the IT-related opportunities that were out there. And as I evaluated myself against other personnel or other people who were competing for the same opportunities that I was, I needed something that would separate me, make my resume stand out. And that’s how I stumbled upon the CEH program. It helped me out tremendously.

CEH program took me from being considered for average everyday positions to being an outlier

and a groundbreaking opportunity for organizations to implement and bring people in who were security-minded, amongst other things. I highly recommend the CEH for that reason.

What caught your attention about the CEH program?

The CEH program is something that unless you are really into the hacking world, there isn’t a professional way to go in an interview and say, I know how to infiltrate, and I know how to penetrate networks. CEH stood out because it provided a different professional perspective and an accepted view or opportunity to use those hacking skills inside your organization. And so, I think, wow, a lot of fortune 500 companies have grown to the point where they are hiring white hats to help them fortify their infrastructure

The CEH is like that security certificate that makes you official. It’s the one that says, hey, I’m a professional,

and a groundbreaking opportunity for organizations to implement and bring people in who were security-minded, amongst other things. I highly recommend the CEH for that reason. 

How did CEH benefit your career?

CEH benefited my career drastically. It allowed me to bring a new understanding to my organization and our needs. Essentially, having that IT background is one thing security background is another piece, and having a business Intellect is another piece. Often in the IT world, as we all know, the hardest thing for us to do inside the organization is to bring the complexity of the issues and the problems that we have on the networking and security side. And make it a concern or make it an issue, or effectively communicate that issue to the people who run the business and operate the organization. And so,

CEH allowed me to bridge that gap. I now stand as the CIO of a capital management firm.

And a little bit of security, a little bit of networking knowledge is what allows me to be a leader. It allows me to stand out. It allows me to understand and make critical decisions that I think are most important. 

How recognized is CEH in your organization and the industry?    

In my organization, CEH is very much recognized. There’s not a day where I don’t have someone saying, oh, are you a hacker, heard that you’re, you know, you’re a hacker too. Or, you know, in the cybersecurity world, of course, we don’t take pride in being hackers. We take pride in our ability to protect networks to keep our organizations’ infrastructure safe and keep predators out. And so, you know, amongst other cybersecurity professionals,

CEH is a big pat on the back because it is prestigious.

But for those who don’t know, it’s a great way to say, yes, I’m here, and I’m here to protect you and your organization. And I’ll tell you one thing that owners love it. But directors, anybody who’s presenting the putting their best, the company, your organization’s best foot forward, in the eyes of someone on the outside, they would love to mention that. A CEH professional works there. It’s huge.

How recognized is CEH in your organization and the industry? 

CEH is a big pat on the back because it is prestigious.

Did CEH help you in any way whatsoever to either get a higher pay, get a promotion, get a job that you wanted etc.?

CEH changed the trajectory of my cybersecurity and IT career drastically.

CEH certification, I mean, puts you, leagues, ahead of your competition,

someone who’s just entry-level to go in and say that you studied the ideology and studied the concepts that hackers use to infiltrate networks. You studied their methods, and you’ve practiced it will put you lightyears ahead of other professionals in this industry, who may have practical knowledge but don’t understand the big picture as to how you can protect an organization from the small things. When you’re talking front door access, we’re talking other access controls just across the organization in general. If you’re in cybersecurity, the big picture is what the upper management level must look at while making critical decisions. CEH provided that knowledge and allowed me to grow from mid to entry-level, from an IT admin and security systems administrator to upper management.

How has the CEH certification impacted you?

The CEH program has impacted me immensely by allowing me to have a big boost of confidence in resolving issues that exist within the IT and security space. As a part of upper management and a game player, confidence is the key. When push comes to shove, and you know your network is down or your back is against the wall, you still have to understand the different potential outcomes and shortcomings of your next best move. It is a game of chess, not checkers. And so confidence is the key even when it comes to getting your foot in the door. How great is it to be able to say I have a CEH certification? I am a Certified Ethical Hacker, and I can protect your organization from other people who have similar knowledge to what I have. 

Did CEH help you give back to the community in any way whatsoever? 

The CEH program certainly helped me get back to the community. As of now, I’m advising on several nonprofit organization boards across the greater metro Atlanta area. A lot of the advisement comes in tech, IT, and even cybersecurity at a very high level. So, yes, it does allow me to get back to the community greatly, and I’m grateful for that. 

What was your favorite part of the CEH program? Please explain why? 

My favorite part about the CEH program is the final exam and practical. The CEH is a very tough exam, and it tests your ability to retain the information and use it in a real-world fashion that comes from the practical. I’ve taken several standardized tests, including Cisco and CompTIA. The unique thing about the Certified Ethical Hacking exam is that the questions are situational, and memorization is not in your best interest.

Anybody who makes it through this program and makes it through the exam retains the knowledge in a way that can help your organization.

And, you know, it shows that they know what they’re speaking. So, I’d say my favorite part is the exam.

Do you attribute any part of your success to EC-Council? If so, do you have a message for the team at EC-Council? 

Yes, I attribute a huge part of my success to the CEH program

It has given me knowledge about real-world use cases and their applicability.

It has also provided me with a whole new level of confidence which separated my resume amongst a stack of resumes, you know if you have applied for jobs in this market, and so, yes, the CEH program attributes a large part of my success. It is prestigious, hard to crack, and something that you must earn has made me greater cybersecurity professional. And I’m grateful for that to the CEH team. I’d say thank you for your hard work and putting this together. And I look forward to continuing education with EC Council in the future. 

From a Law Enforcement Officer to Deputy Information Security Manager in the State of Florida.