Rene’s interest in technology started from the tender age of 6 when his parents were finally able to finish building their first computer, a Pentium I with 143 MHz CPU and 32 MB of RAM running Windows 95. Having been born in Havana, Cuba, computers were not as easy to come by. Parts were costly, and they were not sold at stores. One of his first memories with a computer is flipping the power switch before the “It is now safe to turn off your computer” message from Windows 95.
A computer was considered a luxury; even when they had been out for years, parts barely made it to the country. That first computer was built thanks to the many patients Rene's parents helped. Dad is a psychiatrist, and Mom is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. As a way of gratitude, people would give them whatever they had, to the point that they had, at one point, three PSUs and no other computer component.
It is important to note that it took them almost two years to finish that computer, and letting a six years old around it was kind of risky. Flipping the power off switch before the computer was ready and sticking his finger in the CPU fan was the start of a hobby that turned into a lifetime career.
With a stack of floppy disks, René would walk miles trying to find sources with data from video games to applications, transferring every bit of data he would possibly find.
By the time he was 12, Rene had upgraded to a Pentium 3 running Windows XP (His favorite Microsoft OS version). Since access to the Internet was prohibited by the government (There was always someone that knew someone from outside the country that could faciliate something to connect to a very slow, high latency public network), he started to build a local network in his neighborhood. He began by running his first ethernet cable to his closest neighbor, then expanding to neighborhoods, reaching, at one point, over 100 computers. The cables were made out of pieces of any Cat5e he could find and soldered together. He also turned old computers into switches by taking advantage of the many PCI and ISA ports the motherboards had. With donations from fellow friends, most of the nodes were able to be connected to other parts of the city via wifi by modifying Ubiquiti and Linksys Access Points, adapting external homemade yagi antennas for best coverage.
Rene and one of his closest friends would climb up on people's roofs, bringing a full computer setup (no laptops around) and exploit wireless networks with Aircrack-ng, making their way out to the Internet. Covering all the parts with plastic bags as a way to protect the vital components from dew, they would start as late at night as possible until right before the sun was out, minimizing the chances of getting caught. They would google everything he could possibly think of, downloading everything they could get their hands on.
By 13, Rene supported his school’s systems by providing Antivirus software and weekly updates. He did installs and was general I.T. support for the school and his neighbors. His school also took him to other schools to assist on computers affected by malware.
At 15, Rene was admitted to Raul Cepero Bonilla, a technical school specializing in Information Technology and Software Development. He gained much knowledge in and out of the classroom during this time.
By the time he was 18, Rene was working odds and ends, creating web applications for companies in multiple countries such as Germany, Mexico, and Spain, and doing graphic design work and video editing. He gathered a few close friends and launched DESIF and Nerkly as the brands for development products.
Once he graduated, Rene began working in the IT department of DGIR, a center for research in the medical field. It was there that he realized his interest in technology was very focused on Information Security.
In 2013, Rene started his Industrial Engineering degree at the Technological University of Havana José Antonio Echeverría (Cujae) while working at the research facility. He realized that it was essential to balance job experience and formal education from a young age.
A few years later, Rene finally made his way to the United States. He worked on multiple certifications and found a job at Thinkbox Technologies as an IT Support Specialist, and then moved up to c2Hosting (A Global Personals company). He then became Director of IT at DataRemote and then made a move to the FinTech space, becoming the Director of IT and Information Security for Knight Capital Funding and iBusiness Funding, a subsidiary of Ready Capital. Subsequently, Rene joined Burwood Group as a Security Practice Manager, where he focuses on developing comprehensive security programs.
In his free time, Rene ensures he is up to date on current compliance and security practices as well as developing his own cutting-edge practices.
Rene is currently the CEO of CYBEAR, a cybersecurity consulting firm where he helps companies of all sizes with their IT and Security needs, and Datagrasp, an interactive platform that helps companies adhere to current compliance laws and evaluate and correct their risk postures.
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