We have some impressive employees in our ranks: from basketball players to marathon runners, from gamers to authors. The Employee Spotlight series aims to highlight the talented individuals who work here.
For this month’s Employee Spotlight, we’re featuring Joshua Fretwell, 1st Line Support Engineer here at Cybrid.
What do you do at Cybrid?
1st line support IT Engineer.
What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?
This is my first IT-based role. I was previously an Electronic Warfare Specialist for 7 years serving in the Royal Navy. My job was to provide ships command with intelligence reports whilst at sea and to also monitor radar emissions.
I had a draft in a cybersecurity and Internet monitoring role, where I briefed RN personnel on personal electronic device security and social media presence.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I’m a naturally inquisitive person, so I like to see how things work. Something that can seem simple on the surface can be quite complicated underneath. So I get a kick out of discovering the inner workings of technology and finding a solution to something that isn’t working correctly.
What’s been your proudest moment at Cybrid?
I would say my proudest moment was completing the first job I was tasked to do. I helped in the migration of a legacy ticketing platform to a more fluid and functioning system. Each individual ticket needed to be migrated manually. A simple, yet important task that led the team to get a clear view of each request or issue.
What’s it like working at Cybrid during the current pandemic? Has the way you work changed at all?
I started working at Cybrid about 2 months into the pandemic, so the procedures that had been put in place from the start have become second nature. In light of any government changes, we have been able to successfully adapt and overcome any kind of challenge that has come our way. Being able to do a large portion of our work remotely makes a huge difference.
Before working at Cybrid, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I will always look fondly at my time in the military. It’s such a multiskilled role – as well as your core job you’re also a cleaner, firefighter and first aider and you get the added bonus of seeing the world. I would say my most unusual job was my time working in a bowling alley. If I wasn’t in the bar pulling pints you could find me walking up and down the lanes dressed up as a bowling pin or Mickey Mouse.
What’s something new you’ve learned in the past week?
Every day is a school day in IT! I am constantly learning. This past week I studied and took my CompTIA A+ so I’m currently half way to gaining the full qualification. Watch this space!
What are your top three books/podcasts?
I’ll have to go with podcasts as I can’t get enough of them:
The Joe Rogan Experience
Search for the Missing Crypto Queen
Off Menu Podcast with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I’m pretty passionate about basketball and love to play badminton most weeks, I also enjoy trail running and mountain biking when I get that chance, rain or shine. When I’m recovering from the following I’ll most likely be sat in front of the TV chilling with my cat.
Stay tuned for more Cybrid Employee Spotlights!