UIT Leadership Spotlight: Ben Poster, associate director, Security Engineering, Information Security Office

UIT is pleased to announce that Ben Poster has been promoted to associate director for Security Engineering in the U’s Information Security Office (ISO), effective May 15, 2024. Poster, who joined the university in August 2015, previously served as a senior data security analyst. He reports to Jake Johansen, director for Enterprise Security.

“Ben brings a wealth of technical knowledge and experience to this role,” Johansen said. “He’s also been a fantastic mentor to ISO staff and student employees, as well as other campus and hospital staff in many disciplines, making him the perfect person to lead Security Engineering.”

Read below to learn more about Poster. 

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Texas, lived in the Dallas area until I was 11, then moved to northwestern Missouri. I came to Utah in 2003, and it has been my home ever since.

What industry experience do you have? What is your background?

I started my career in Idaho at a company handling Qwest (now CenturyLink) business and VIP services. I returned to Missouri with a company specializing in network and server solutions for state government buildings, K-12 schools, and financial institutions. Upon moving to Utah, I found my passion for information security at Zions Bank. Working with like-minded individuals who shared my security-focused mindset felt like finding my professional home.

What led you to the University of Utah?

After 10 years with Zions, multiple IT reorganizations occurred, and many of my favorite co-workers left. The highly regulated environment felt very secure but often sterile. A close friend had moved to the university and shared their enthusiasm for working with a large, blended network. The U’s multidiscipline business creates more opportunities for my skills to be put to the test, and I was ready for a new challenge.

Can you describe the path you took to IT leadership?

My career was focused on being the best IT security practitioner I could be, not the leader. I value connection, the relationships we build, and the satisfaction we feel when we work together effortlessly. When you work hard and don’t ignore the needs of the people around you, they notice and feel cared for. Inevitably that leads the people close to you to ask why you aren’t in leadership. I stopped telling myself I wasn’t going to be a leader and recognized it was something I am good at.

How would you describe your leadership style and/or philosophy?

A leader’s role is to see the objectives of the organization carried out. You do that by understanding the goals of the business, listening to and supporting the professionals hired to complete the work, and by making informed decisions quickly. A leader needs to take responsibility for mistakes, understand why they occurred, and improve processes to avoid them next time.

At no point should a leader dismiss the needs of the people who work for them; human needs are greater than business needs. Take care of the people you’ve been given responsibility for.

What do you enjoy most about your role at the U?

Being in information security means I’m surrounded by intelligent and interesting people who take pride in their work and enjoy helping to protect the institution. The university is an ever-changing landscape, which makes our work fast paced and engaging.

What do you find most challenging about your job?

The university has a long memory and many entrenched behaviors. Practices that were once common and widely accepted are now known to be risky and unacceptable. Large ships turn slowly, so we all need to work together to be as agile as possible. 

What are some of your hobbies?

I have many hobbies, maybe too many. I “homelab” enough that my wife wishes we had a change advisory board, change windows, and moratoriums around holidays. I love 3D printing, computer-aided design (CAD), long-range (LoRa) radios, motorcycles, and watching my son ride his dirt bike. I recently interested my wife and son in camping, which is wonderful. Utah is the perfect place to camp!

 

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