Chris Matthews

Results-driven cybersecurity professional with 6+ years of SOC and IT security experience across threat detection, incident response, endpoint protection, and security administration. Proven track record managing security operations for 100+ global customers at Fortra/AlertLogic, developing incident playbooks, and driving automation that measurably reduced workload and improved service quality. Hands-on background in EDR, vulnerability management, access control, compliance frameworks including ISO 27001, SOC2, and HIPAA, and IT infrastructure across distributed remote environments.

Blade Segmentation Technician / Heavy Equipment Operator - MaxxForce/Central Surplus - Traveling – Multiple U.S. States

(2025-08)

• Operate specialized saws to cut decommissioned turbine blades into transportable sections on-site.
• Compress, band, and stage blade segments for flatbed loading and transport to recycling or disposal facilities.
• Handle fiberglass and carbon fiber composite materials in compliance with safety and environmental requirements.
• Operate boom lifts and heavy equipment during active turbine dismantlement.
• Support flatbed loading operations for oversized blade segments and tower components requiring route-surveyed transport.
• Perform site material separation, sorting recyclable metals and composite materials for transport to processing facilities.

Junior Network Engineer (Contract) - NorthStar Technologies - Remote

(2025-01 - 2025-07)

• Diagnosed and resolved Layer 1–3 connectivity issues for enterprise clients, supporting tickets escalated beyond Tier 1/2 helpdesk and coordinating resolution with client-side senior engineers.
• Assisted in the configuration, installation, and testing of routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points across client environments as a contracted resource.
• Performed routine system maintenance on behalf of client organizations including firmware patching, backups, and device replacements to maintain network availability.
• Used network performance and diagnostic tools to identify bottlenecks and maintain optimal LAN/WAN efficiency across contracted client infrastructure.
• Supported network security configurations (VPNs, ACLs) and maintained up-to-date network topologies, configuration logs, and SOPs for client deliverables.

Load Test and Quality Assurance Technician - ZT Systems - Georgetown, TX

(2024-07 - 2025-01)

• Set up servers, applied complex computational workloads, and validated OS and driver performance through stress and load testing on hyperscale cloud hardware prior to shipment to global data centers.
• Monitored the manufacturing floor for compliance with customer requirements, executed hardware repairs, and documented non-conformance issues across a high-volume L10/L11 assembly environment.
• Identified error codes, executed hardware fixes, and troubleshot system errors to support failure analysis and corrective action workflows.

Operations Lead - Fortra – AlertLogic MDR - Austin, TX

(2023-05 - 2024-07)

• Oversaw security operations for 100+ global MDR customers across endpoint, network, and cloud environments, serving as the senior escalation point for critical incidents and high-severity security events.
• Developed, maintained, and enforced incident response playbooks and security procedures aligned to ISO 27001, NIST, and MITRE ATT&CK, ensuring consistent and documented response processes across the team.
• Drove automation initiatives that reduced analyst workload by hundreds of hours weekly; partnered with engineering teams to improve tooling, detection fidelity, and operational efficiency.
• Owned KPI tracking across a $20M+ MRR portfolio using Power BI dashboards, monitoring MTTR, MTTD, false-positive rates, and SLA adherence.
• Managed security and IT administrative tasks including user access reviews, licensing audits, and onboarding workflows across a distributed, remote global workforce.
• Developed and delivered analyst training programs that increased CSAT by 5 percentage points to 95%, improving team capability and service quality at scale.

SOC Analyst (Professional Analyst → Analyst) - AlertLogic MDR - Houston/Austin, TX

(2018-11 - 2023-05)

• Investigated, monitored, and reviewed SOC and SIEM alerts and network traffic for unusual or suspicious activity, serving as Tier 1 first responder and escalating to Tier 2 and Tier 3 as needed.
• Executed end-to-end incident response activities including identifying adversaries, guiding customers through containment, eradication, and recovery, and producing post-incident documentation aligned to NIST protocols.
• Administered and maintained endpoint protection technologies including EDR, applying security configurations and monitoring endpoint health across diverse customer environments.
• Assisted with developing and maintaining documentation for security systems, services, and procedures to support compliance requirements including ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and HIPAA.
• Automated routine SOC and security administration workflows via Python and Bash scripting; standardized reporting templates adopted platform-wide.
• Supported vulnerability management efforts including reviewing patch status, flagging unpatched endpoints, and coordinating remediation with customer teams.
• Applied working knowledge of TCP/IP, Windows/Linux OS internals, and application-layer protocols to accurately classify and contextualize alerts from SIEM, EDR, and firewall telemetry.

B.S. - Cybersecurity - Western Governors University (2024)