From self-taught technologist to cybersecurity advocate for SMBs.
Dave Kleinatland began his journey in IT back in 1996, immersing himself in technology at a time when formal training was scarce. "I'm almost entirely self-taught," Dave shares. "When I got started in the late '90s, there wasn't really any formal training for 'fixing computers and networks for small businesses.' I also simply couldn't afford 'professional' or 'institutional' training."
Throughout his career, cybersecurity was always an important facet of Dave's roles, even if it wasn't his sole focus. In the later stages, he honed in on business continuity and disaster recovery, zeroing in on the aftermath of cyber-related events. "This piqued my interest in preventing or reducing the effects of these incidents to make recovery times shorter," he explains. A class offered by Huntress became the catalyst for his career change into a cybersecurity-focused role at the company.
At Huntress, Dave primarily concentrates on two key areas: addressing the needs of Channel (MSP) Partners and integrating with their businesses and toolsets, and serving as a Subject Matter Expert for Microsoft 365-based technologies they develop. "What I love about working for Huntress is that it gives me a larger platform to serve the SMB community," he says. "You'd run into your partners at the grocery store or local restaurants and have a good rapport with them. It feels pretty good to help enable our Partners to serve their local communities."
Before joining Huntress, Dave was a Technical Director and Engineer at a Managed Service Provider. His diverse background includes roles as an IT director in the general contractor space, managing access control technology in the hospitality industry, integrating enterprise messaging systems in the SMB space (Microsoft Exchange), and serving as an all-around technologist for various SMBs as a consultant.
What's your favorite cybersecurity tip, Dave?
"Don't skip the basics. A lot of what's out there focuses heavily on the latest threat du jour or the sexy nation-state attacks, but having your basics covered is by far THE single most important thing you can do to shore up your security posture. Most incidents I've worked started with some very basic simple thing that was overlooked or misconfigured."
Outside of work, Dave is an avid vintage computer and video game system collector, even performing component-level repairs to bring these systems back to life. He also has an affinity for '80s and '90s Japanese sports cars and enjoys working on them in his shop. Additionally, Dave serves as an emergency communications volunteer as a District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in Louisiana, providing communications assistance for various natural disasters and community events, most notably Hurricane Katrina.
Give Dave a follow on X: @DaveKleinatland
And don’t forget to check out Dave’s LinkedIn.
