Q&A with Matthew McSpadden, IT DevOps Lead
"I joined Aviatrix because I love its Secure Cloud Networking solution. It’s just that simple. While I was an Aviatrix customer, I was consistently blown away by the endless features it offered, and nothing has changed. I’m still enthralled by the impact Aviatrix has on enterprises moving to cloud. I want to build, and at Aviatrix, I’ve been given the opportunity to do just that.”
Employee Spotlight – Matthew McSpadden
Q. Prior to Aviatrix, you worked for three years as a DevSecOps Lead at Socially Determined, an Aviatrix customer. During your tenure there, you were a champion of Aviatrix (see video). How did Aviatrix help you do your job efficiently?
A. Aviatrix provided speed, agility, and visibility – all on a secure plane that was interoperable with our existing tools (Terraform, etc.). We needed the original FQDN Egress v1 for compliance—I wish the Aviatrix Distributed Cloud Firewall existed at the time—but we got so much more once we went all in on transit/spoke architecture using Aviatrix.
Q. While at Socially Determined, what did you like most about your role? Any top accomplishments or milestones you can share?
A. My team was incredible and the work they produced was equally impressive. What was rewarding is that we had a direct line to improving people’s lives. My most proud accomplishment was designing, building, and managing the company’s Information Security Management Program, mapping to the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) used by healthcare organizations for regulatory compliance and risk management.
Q. Why did you join Aviatrix? What do you like most about working at the company and what excites you about the company’s future?
A. I joined Aviatrix because I love the Secure Cloud Networking solution. It’s just that simple. I was impressed then, and since joining in May 2022, the company has released a ton of new features—including Aviatrix Distributed Cloud Firewall. I’m still enthralled by the impact it has on enterprises moving to cloud. I’m excited for the next several years, especially with new CEO Doug Merritt onboard.
Q. What attracted you to a career in DevOps/DevSecOps? Would you recommend a four-year degree to someone looking to get into DevSecOps?
A. Believe it or not, my foundation in high tech came from video games. I Initially designed player logos, banners, etc. and then web design (HTML, CSS). Eventually, I built my own gaming computer (~2014/5) and started writing light code. In an unexpected twist of fate, I liked it so much that in my senior year of high school, I decided not to play baseball and focused my time on coding instead. At that time, no one understood, and it caused a lot of waves. Nearly a decade later, here I am in a career that I am good at and have immense passion for. In my humble opinion, I don’t need a formal education for this type of role. Having hands on experience across different types of roles and various technologies is the way to learn. For those looking to jump into this line of work, I’d recommend starting with CSP certification(s) followed by tool-specific certifications where the ACE Program helps bring everything into focus.
Q. What are your career aspirations? If you did not work in high tech, what other career would you have pursued or have interest in pursuing?
A. I want to build! There’s no better feeling than building something and having it work well. If I had chosen a different career path, I’d have gone into property development. Perhaps I’ll think about it after my tech days are over!
Q. When you are not working, how do you spend your time?
A. My wife and I just had our first son. It’s been such an exciting chapter in our lives, and mine as a dad. When I am not working, I enjoy playing tennis, travelling, (~13 countries, 30/50 U.S. States so far), and getting lost in a TV series or movie! I also have ~20 hours in my fixed wing private pilot license and will finish soon…then onto rotorcraft!
An experienced cloud and automation engineer, Matthew leads developer and security operations at Aviatrix, working closely with software engineers, executives, and consultants to support multicloud networking in business strategy, operations, and mission. Prior to joining Aviatrix, Mathew spent more than three years at Socially Determined as DevSecOps Team Lead. He resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn. View the Careers page for the latest Aviatrix job openings. Learn more about the Aviatrix Certified Engineer Program.