Introducing Edward Jamieson, General Manager at SCN

14.09.2022 We take five minutes with our new General Manager Edward Jamieson to hear about his role, why customer engagement is key, and growth at SureCity Networks.

Tell us a little more about your experience and what you’ll be doing as part of the SCN team?

My role as General Manager at SureCity Networks (SCN) will be an exciting change for me. I’ll take more of a role in the business management and help it grow and succeed, and I’ll act as primary contact for all our managed service account customers. On the managed services side of the business the Network Security and Cyber Security functions will report to me and, in this area, my focus will be to develop processes and practices that enable us to grow.

I’ve 18 years’ experience in the IT industry across a wide range of roles. My technical background is that of a System and Network administrator and, while I haven’t held a technical role for several years after transitioning to a management position around eight years ago, I still use the fundamentals I learnt in those technical roles every day.

Prior to joining SCN I was Connectivity and Platform Manager at DuluxGroup Australia, where I was responsible for the company’s network, infrastructure, and SAP environment – I had a team of 15 reporting to me that administered those environments.

With that experience in mind, what was your assessment of SCN as a business and what differentiates it from others in the space.

SCN is a unique business that’s gone from strength to strength every year since it was founded. It’s never tried to be a broad IT service provider. Rather, Tim identified two key areas – Network and Cyber Security – in a very broad and competitive industry and focused on delivering a fantastic service. That got my attention. I could see the success he and the business were having, and the talent they were able to attract because of that.

You touched on it there, but what influenced your decision to join and what most excites you about working for the business?

The opportunity to move back into a small organisation and take a much larger role in its success was part of the reason I decided to join the company. I certainly wouldn’t have made the jump for any company; I can see that Tim has something pretty special here and I feel lucky to now be a part of it.

This year is all about growth and scaling SCN; how will you contribute to that and what will be some of the key areas you’re focusing on in the short term?

My contribution to growth will be leveraging existing contacts in the industry to bring new opportunities to SCN. I’ll also ensure that our existing customers aren’t impacted as we grow, and make sure that we continue to deliver the same excellent service they’ve come to expect from us.

What are the key trends that will dominate over the next 12 months or more and how is SCN placed to continue to be at the forefront of the sector?

From a technology perspective I think this year will be huge in Australia for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), allowing anyone to bring their security posture out to a warehouse or store in a relatively inexpensive way. This is a natural progression from a standard SD-WAN solution.

Bringing network and network security together at the edge is a core foundation of SCN, and something we’ve been doing since the company began.

And what about customers? What are the key security priorities right now and what or where are the main areas of threat for their businesses?

A big threat right now for organisations worldwide is the ever-increasing risk of cyberattacks. The threat landscape has increased significantly due to what’s happening in Europe at the moment and this, coupled with inflation and talent shortages, make it extremely difficult for Australian businesses to protect themselves.

Part of the value that we offer is around doing more with less. Outsourcing security roles can reduce operational expense while delivering a similar service and experience.

You’re in the unique position of experiencing the ‘other side’ of SCN, having previously worked for one of its customers. With that in mind, how would you describe the company’s way of working with customers and how do you plan to build on and maintain those close relationships and collaborative mindset?

Part of the reason I was excited to work here is because I was a customer. I could see the speed at which the company was growing and the exciting opportunities that were happening in the industry.

The way SCN engages with its customers is unique in my experience. Everyone here works in a way that makes them like an extension of the customers’ teams rather than just an outsourced provider. Part of the reason I’m here is to ensure that as we grow that level of customer engagement remains a priority.

What’s the team and culture like within SCN and how important is it from your perspective as GM to nurture a strong culture and innovative mindset?

In my previous role culture was one of the top priorities for us when recruiting new talent into the organisation. To us, it was more important than technical capability. I’m bringing that mindset to SCN. Thankfully Tim has managed to attract some fantastic talent and develop a strong culture already; my job is to ensure we keep that as we grow.

What are your core priorities over the next few months and into the longer term and how would you like to see the business evolve over the next financial year?

My priorities in the short term will be to work with our team and develop processes to improve onboarding, reporting and communication. A priority for us this financial year is to focus on growth in the Cybersecurity side of the business. In addition to this, with the opening of our London office I’d like to see us take on more international customers.