Deon Butler
Our next Q&A interview features Deon Butler, former NFL wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks turned cybersecurity professional. With a degree in Forensic Science and a passion for tackling digital threats, Deon now leads a team of engineers as a Network Sustaining Security Engineering Manager. From the gridiron to guarding networks, we loved diving into the inspiring journey of this multifaceted intellect!
From the NFL to Cyber is quite the leap! Can you tell us about your journey from professional football to the cybersecurity world?
An absolutely unique path. It started with college, where I took classes for my Forensic Science degree. While processing mock crime scenes, there would be laptops, phones, and other digital devices that stored evidence. We would process those with various tools and find evidence that perpetrators thought they had erased. This led me to become really interested in how bad actors try to break in, delete, or hide information in digital devices. That interest translated into computers and networks and how bad actors attempt to ‘hack’ into networks and the various ways to protect them. All of this while also being a pretty good football player at Penn State University.
The ultra-competitive team/individual atmosphere of sports allowed me to transition into corporate America seamlessly. I was often asked how well I handle pressure situations (3rd down and 2 with 1+ million fans watching and screaming), and I could answer that pretty confidently. Building chemistry with teammates from all types of backgrounds and working towards the same goal. Being accountable and not afraid to make key decisions in times of stress—these are just some of the traits that are just as important today in my corporate journey as they were in my past 7-year NFL career.
What are you currently working on in the tech space, and are there any upcoming projects or goals you're excited about?
Currently, I am working on improving our security posture by designing and streamlining firewall and security requests that come into our network. I lead a team of 8 engineers and hold the title of Manager, Network Sustaining Security Engineering. The process is exciting because we can measure the benefits through key performance indicators (KPIs) and client feedback. Seeing how ticket creation to completion time has decreased, as well as the client experience—all while educating them on our network posture and why we do things—helps lead to a more secure and educated company. Another current project is our software lifecycle process, ensuring our software/hardware versions are up to date. Vigorously testing code versions for vulnerabilities, remediations, and behaviors helps better deploy the best products that balance usability and security. The goal is to continue educating the client while growing my team as a whole and individually so they (and in turn the company) can achieve and even surpass their goals.
What do you find most exciting about working in cybersecurity? Are there any specific aspects or challenges that keep you engaged?
The most exciting thing about working in cybersecurity is the constantly evolving threats. The new challenges presented daily/monthly keep you forward-thinking and innovative. We have some of the most intelligent people in our field, and unfortunately, some of them are bad actors with various motives. Finding ways to enhance network speeds and functionality, providing ease of use for customers, while simultaneously protecting the network and customer data, is exciting. Whether through firewalls, security tools, or access controls, there is a large network footprint to protect. The constant race to be proactive rather than reactive is a daily challenge that I welcome.
The public often views athletes as role models, but cybersecurity isn’t as high-profile. How do you think pop culture can help raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity?
Great question. This is something personal to me, as I think there is a stigma around information technology (IT) professionals in general. I think our culture thinks of ‘computer nerds’ who grow up building computers out of their basements as kids. While there may be some of that, most are individuals who took a liking to computers or software and ran with that interest. I am a big ambassador for communicating the message that you don’t have to have grown up tinkering with computers to get into an IT career. I often speak to youth and young adults thinking about starting an IT career and make it a point not to overdress and look unrelatable. I think a large part of getting our culture to buy more into the field of technology is allowing them to ‘see themselves’ in others currently holding those titles. There are so many aspects to what is considered IT. From hardware support, where you may fix someone’s laptop that is running slow, to being an intrusion detection specialist using software tools to scan a network for weaknesses that a bad actor may use to get in (think of having a server accessible from the internet with no firewall to block just anyone from their home logging into company assets). Kids are being exposed to so much technology at a young age and are able to casually troubleshoot device & network issues and don’t realize they’re already building the foundation for an IT/cybersecurity career.
As someone who has excelled in two very different fields, what advice would you give to athletes or others considering a major career change?
My biggest advice would be to be patient, humble, and take the same skills that allowed you to be great in your sports or other career into the new one that you pursue. Don’t be ‘diminished’ into thinking you are just an athlete. For instance, athletes of any level naturally have teamwork and communication skills, as you have to ‘talk’ to teammates about things going on in the game and diagnose them on the sideline to adjust on the fly. Additionally, athletes usually are able to work under pressure, as most sports have high-stakes moments that greatly impact the final outcome. Athletes also have to be able to accept various outcomes and move on from them during the course of a game. It’s often thought of as ‘focus on the next play.’ The amount of discipline and work ethic to succeed at a sport with high competition also carries over into the corporate world. Athletes have all these traits, which are foundational to almost any field they want to pursue. Only the specific skill set for the field you are pursuing may need to be learned, and that is the equivalent to learning new plays. You just need practice.
Looking back at your time with the Seahawks, what are some of your favorite moments from your NFL career? How did those experiences shape who you are today?
The NFL was an awesome experience for me. Some of my best memories were my first touchdown and actually being drafted, getting the call with close family and friends. Being part of the ‘Beastquake’ run, which is an epic moment in football history. The teammates I had, who became friends, and the stadiums I played in, stand out as well. The fact that my family was able to enjoy these experiences with me is something very important and non-tangible.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I interned with the Philadelphia homicide unit in college and traveled to real-life murder scenes to watch how they are processed. In college, I majored in Forensic Science and love criminal murder shows. Watching detectives and crime scene experts use evidence to recreate the events that led to a murder really fascinates me.
