Intern Feature: Aaron Wojtaszek

During my last semester here at UMass, I decided to do something different and try doing an internship during the school year. This is my fifth official internship and I have worked for various companies in the past, including a F500 technology company. I’m currently working for a cloud cybersecurity startup called CloudLock based in Waltham, MA. CloudLock is VC funded, and operates as a cloud access security broker (CASB). A CASB specializes in creating security software for cloud based applications, like Google Apps & Drive, SalesForce, Office 365, ServiceNow, Box, DropBox, and many more.

Many businesses and even UMass use Google Apps and Drive. A CASB is a tool that allows security personnel to have the ability to do things like prevent sharing of sensitive information, alert and potentially prevent hackers from logging into accounts with stolen account information, prevent the downloading off dangerous apps, and comply with federally mandated policies, like FERPA. These cloud apps are very secure on the back end, but its usually the end user who creates the security risk. The CASB market is very new, and very hot. It was first recognized in 2012, and is exponentially growing, especially given the growing cybersecurity risks that organizations are faced with today.

I work on the technical support team for CloudLock. This involves responding to customer support cases that range from simple UX questions, to major customer issues or product bugs. Every day is different in that sense. The support team is very tiny, so this gives me the ability to interact with every kind of customer and industry all the way up to the enterprise level - some customers include NASA, the US Army, and HBO.

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OPPORTUNITY?

I got this internship actually by applying to a different role within the startup. I had applied to a role that needed a full-time employee right away, but I couldn’t commit to that given I was still in school. They decided to interview based on my past experiences and I fit well enough that they decided to offer me an internship in the area that I’m in now. I had used a Boston based startup website called VentureFizz.com and found the posting through there.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

My experience has been awesome to say the least. It’s the best work environment I’ve ever been in. Everyone is very laid back but intelligent, it’s casual dress, it’s an open desk environment, there are kitchens with free snacks, MacBooks are the standard, and the sky is the limit. There is no time to relax though. Working for a startup requires a lot of focus, and there is a lot of work that needs to be done, often times with an insufficient amount of staff and time. In the short amount of time I’ve learned an exponential amount about cloud cybersecurity, software development and technical lingo, and the different roles within a high-growth SaaS company.  I’ve learned more at CloudLock more in the short amount of time than anymore else.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS?

My advice is geared for business school students interested in working in technology or for a startup. If you’re interested in technology – stay informed of the industry and the current trends. Read blogs, news sites, and things to keep you informed. It’s a dynamic industry that is growing more rapidly than ever before in history. Take as many technical classes as you can, and try and learn more online. Technical skills will give you advantages compared to other business students if technology is your end goal. For startups, be informed of where they are located. Boston is becoming more of a tech hub so look for startup specific websites that have job postings. Roles you would be considered for would be in sales, marketing, or support. Reach out to your network when you can. Just note that startups only consider hiring immediately, so for summer internships, start looking in March/April. When you’re at whatever internship you land – network, network, network. Meet as many people as you can, and take on as many projects as you can. Some advice I once heard at UMass that I like to abide by: 1. The answer is always yes. 2. Yes is with a smile. 3. Be the first one to arrive. 4. Be the last one to leave.