by Brian Bullock | July 1, 2023

Ryan is Living His Dream with Paladin

When a lot of people say they’re “living the dream,” they often say it with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Not Ryan Palmisano. He means it because he’s found a niche at Paladin he’s been training for, for years.

Ryan is one of our Managed Services technicians who work with Paladin clients to make sure their business networks are operating efficiently, securely and reliably. He’s responsible for configuring and monitoring their networks to protect them against cyberthreats such as malware and ransomware. He also makes sure Paladin stores are operating optimally by identifying any performance-robbing applications.

“We’re a little different in that we work for Paladin, but we don’t work in Paladin,” he says, explaining his work improves network performance, which helps Paladin software performance, but his work isn’t in the Paladin program itself. “We talk to clients quite a bit. “I’m on a first-name basis with a lot of clients. Some of them have us on speed dial.”

He places roughly 15 calls a day to the stores he monitors and fields many others from stores seeking assistance with their networks.

As business is more and more done electronically, cybersecurity is at the forefront of any business. Paladin Managed Services and Managed Network™, which includes services like automatic managed security and updates, and 24/7 network monitoring and management, is in demand. It’s also a field that Ryan has been studying and working in for the past eight years. It’s a job he loves and literally often takes home with him. He can configure and monitor client networks after business hours, which requires him to work from his home office.

“I set out to do this. I was self-taught and now I’m stepping into this role and it’s paying off,” he explains.

Born and raised in Jamestown, New York, Ryan moved west at 22 and went to work for Disney in Southern California. Not long after the pandemic hit, he, his wife Denice, and daughter Olivia Grace, made their way to Bend, Oregon to be close to long-time friends and for the outdoor lifestyle, which for Ryan includes fly fishing and snowboarding. He started at Paladin as a technical services representative and within a year moved into the Managed Services department, which is right in his wheelhouse.

In addition to his work at Disney, Ryan completed Cyber Bootcamp training through Cal Poly Extended Education and is continuously studying to improve his knowledge and skills. That desire is not lost on his supervisor.

“Ryan works hard and wants to grow,” says Managed Services Lead Brandon Hays. “He has gradually taken on more network technician-related work, which entails selling and managing network equipment. The network tech work is not included in his normal Managed Services technician duties and responsibilities. I appreciate his initiative and the hunger he shows for development. Ryan has a habit of asking questions and I think this is a big part of his success.”

Ryan says his work in Paladin Managed Services has him positioned exactly where he wants to be professionally, and he sees the company’s growth makes his job even more exciting.

“Cybersecurity is our over-arching umbrella, but there’s a lot going on. The way the company is going, I like it a lot,” he says.

Living the dream.