Today at Inprosec Human Capital we present Saber Mhiri, responsible for research, development and innovation (R&D+i) in the InprOTech division of Inprosec.
What’s your role at Inprosec?
I’m the responsible for research, development and innovation (R&D+i) in the InprOTech division of Inprosec, where we’re developing new technologies to help protect industrial networks from cyber-attacks.
What would you highlight about your work in research, development and innovation?
I’m in charge of the technological development of the project SANTI. This project represents the future of InprOTech and the future of Inprosec in the industrial cybersecurity market. Within this project I help define the technological functionalities of the project while consulting with different field experts. I also maintain a direct and periodic contact with technological centers and development companies involved in the development of the technological modules of the project such as Gradiant, Balidea and more.
What has Inprosec meant to your professional career?
It’s my first work opportunity outside the university research group where I was working on my Phd. Through Inprosec I had the chance of discovering the world of industrial security and applying the research knowledge I gathered through my research career into real world projects.
How do you manage to reconcile your personal and professional life?
Having supporting parents and a supporting wife helps me balance both the personal and professional life’s aspects. Since I was in High school, technology was an important part of my life, so I had time to mix both aspects of my life (personal and professional). But as a rule, I always try to have at least 1 family activity a day.
Tell us an interesting story about your time at Inprosec
Since I realized that my name is a verb in Spanish, I have been introducing myself with the following simple sentence “me llamo Saber, como el verbo”. This sentence has caused a lot of mispronunciation of my name, because although it’s written like the verb, it doesn’t sound like the verb.
Long story short, the first day of work in Inprosec, everyone was pronouncing my name wrong, and each person was pronouncing it the way he/she felt the most appropriate. And I just let them do it without correcting them because I was too shy to correct my new boss and colleagues.
Anyway, before the end of the day, my colleagues realized they were all pronouncing my name differently, so they directly asked me about it. And I had to explain it to them. Lesson learnt, sometimes, awkward situations can be delayed, but not avoided.
What do you value most about working for a company like Inprosec?
I enjoy working in Inprosec because of the people working in it. All my colleagues are experts in their fields with an appetite for improvement. There is a great sense of teamwork and support gathered within the company that helps making Inprosec’s working atmosphere a valuable treasure.
As an employee of a company that specializes in cybersecurity, what is your advice on systems for any entrepeneur who is starting out?
With the introduction of the concept of Industry 4.0, most of the industrial companies started connecting their assets online due to the introduction of multiple new IIOT (Industrial Internet Of Things) devices to their networks. This gradual change, although important to the production, represents a major concern when it comes to industrial cybersecurity. Attacks on IIoT devices tripled in the first half of 2019.
Such statistics shows that the threat of cyberattacks is becoming a serious risk that industrial companies should prioritize. Here in InproTech we offer services based on our expertise in the field, which would help companies seeking to improve their factories find the best security plan for their networks.
What are your hobbies at the end of the working day?
Watching series and documentaries with my wife in order to spend some quality time with my family.
Who do you “nominate” to interview next and why?
My colleague Alba, she is one of my first contacts in Inprosec. She has a direct contact with the clients as well as a great capacity of managing them and their needs. I think her interview will be super interesting.