This year we’re celebrating GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary since its founding in 1996. Each month in 2021, we’ll be introducing you to a member of the GlobalSign team – representing countries from all over the globe, departments from Product Management to Compliance to Customer Support, and with years of service from one to 25…these are the people working hard behind the scenes to bring industry-leading PKI and identity solutions to the world.
Let's dive right in to today's conversation with José Sue Smith.
GS: What is your role here at GlobalSign?
José Sue: I am the Manager for the Sales Engineering team in EMEA.
GS: How long have you worked for GlobalSign?
José Sue: 8 years and counting!
GS: Where do you call home?
José Sue: I’m originally from Panama City, Panama and currently I live in Leuven, Belgium. Roughly 20 minutes away from Brussels in one of the oldest student cities from Europe. I feel at home in both places.
GS: What is the best part of your job?
José Sue: To feel like a team member and contribute to the common goal. I strive to continue growing and feel blessed that I’m surrounded by like-minded people.
GS: How would you describe the GlobalSign culture in one word?
José Sue: Ever-evolving.
GS: What makes GlobalSign unique?
José Sue: The company culture we have is quite unique. It feels very familiar, which allows people to communicate easily across departments and encourages teamwork.
GS: Is there a year that stands out in your mind from your tenure at GlobalSign, and can you share one of your most memorable moments from that year?
José Sue: I have been here during many company milestones but for me personally it was 2017 when our Digital Signing Solution (DSS) came to market. That was a real game changer! DSS was very well accepted as it truly took care of many barriers in the digital signing space that customers were struggling with. Helping customers get onboarded with this solution was very satisfying.
GS: What would you consider your biggest work accomplishment so far?
José Sue: To build the Sales Engineering department in EMEA to what it is today: a reliable team able to fully assist our Sales department with all of our GlobalSign solutions.
GS: There have been plenty of changes in the CA and identity services industry over the course of the last two-and-a-half decades. What’s one of the most significant changes you’ve witnessed during your time with the company?
José Sue: Hard to decide on one. Since I joined GlobalSign, I have experienced a lot of changes as the CA industry continues to adapt and improve on security (for example: deprecating SHA-1, limiting validity of SSL Certificates to 1 year, etc.). There have also been significant changes in the way certificates are used by customers. The common goal throughout it all has been to make online life more secure for everyone.
GS: What security tip have you learned since working at GlobalSign that you didn’t know before you started?
José Sue: Don’t just trust anyone online. Make sure you are communicating with whom you intended to do so. Especially when buying goods online!
GS: What makes you most excited about the future of tech/security?
José Sue: The growth in the IoT Space! Security in the IoT space is incredibly important and its quite exiting to be part of this wave of solutions for it!
GS: What does GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary mean to you?
José Sue: It’s a year of hope, considering we are all currently living in a COVID-19 world. I hope for a better future where we can live free and secure in an online/offline world!
On that hopeful note, we'll conclude this month's chat. Thanks for sharing these fantastic insights, José Sue.
