Pete Helgren

Background

About Pete Helgren

Technology has been integral to my life since I watched the first suborbital flight of Alan Shepard. I marveled at the ability of humans to create a technology that could launch a person into space and safely return them. The following journey wound its way through the electronics lab, amateur radio, and computer clubs in high school. A challenging first year in pursuing an Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from North Dakota State led to rebuilding my academic confidence by attempting degrees in Psychology, Business, and Human Resources, all of which were successful at the University of Utah. The HR degree was actually my on-ramp to a tech career. As HR director at a school district, I was deeply involved in the implementation of a new payroll system. That led to a position with the software company as a trainer on their software. I held several positions with that company but after going through two buy and sell transitions to other companies I left and started my own startup. Over the next 20 years, I developed a deep love of both learning tech and implementing it. I really can’t think of doing anything else. More recently, as I gained a few certifications in cloud technology and when married to my developer interest in secure programming, I find myself challenged to keep up with the quick evolution of tech as it applies to cybersecurity. I have enjoyed the courses and certifications that I have gained from the SANS institute and GIAC, AWS and Azure certifications.