Life in the Swimlane with Technical Alliances Manager, Greg Sherman

Hi there, I’m Greg! A quick bit about myself, I am originally from a small town called Las Cruces down in southern New Mexico. After growing up there, I went off to college hoping to study Theater and Music but eventually found a good path focusing on Business. I ended up getting my degree from Eastern New Mexico University and then moved up to Denver looking for an opportunity in Hotel Management.

Upon reaching Denver and spending a few years in the hotel industry, I began to realize I wanted to find a greater work-life balance than hotel management could offer. I made the transition over to cybersecurity in 2016 through a Cybersecurity Distributor called Westcon and it has truly become a passion ever since.

Currently, I live about 15 minutes from the main Swimlane office here in Colorado, but I have plans to relocate back to New Mexico to be closer to family in a few months.

How long have you been with Swimlane?

I came onboard with Swimlane back in August of 2018, I believe I was something like employee 66 at the time. This was not my first interaction with a Swimlaner though, that story I have to share.

When I was working for the cybersecurity distributor, Swimlane was actually in the same office building. I was not familiar with Swimlane though and had not ever heard of SOAR at the time. As I was coming into the office one day, I noticed someone kindly holding the elevator for me. I sped up my pace a few steps and thanked him as I made it in. We had a nice discussion on the way up and he wished me a nice day as he stepped out onto his floor. I remember wondering about who he could have been, eventually thinking he must be a traveling executive for my company to have gotten off on the floor he did.

I would later come to realize that this discussion had been my first interaction with Swimlane’s Co-Founder, Cody Cornell. Upon realizing this, I was a bit shocked at how down-to-earth he was for a CEO, even holding the elevator for me. I decided to look deeper into the company to better understand what they did and noticed they had a job opening. The rest is history!

What does your job entail?

My role at Swimlane has evolved a bit since I first joined the company, but the main functions have remained relatively consistent. My main responsibility is to work with Swimlane partners, which might entail connecting with another vendor to work on an integration together or requesting product access, connecting with a channel partner around an opportunity, establishing frameworks for both of these initiatives, and/or brainstorming strategies that can enable sellers and partnerships.

What do you enjoy most about working at Swimlane?

Swimlane has been a fantastic experience for me and I have really enjoyed my time here. The big three that I enjoy the most are:

• The people! Amazing colleagues and partners, strong values, and deep technical knowledge I have been fortunate enough to learn from.

• Education: Being a part of Swimlane for the last four years has given me a tremendous opportunity to learn about many sides of the business. I have been able to operate across many different teams and volunteer to lend a hand on any projects I have an interest in. Additionally, Swimlane as a product touches every technology in the SOC (and many beyond), and getting to see them all firsthand has been a great way to speed up my cyber education.

• Partners: I really enjoy working with others around the industry and my role at Swimlane has introduced me to many amazing people.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

Having moved from the desert of New Mexico up to Denver, I really enjoy the outdoor activities Colorado offers and the ability to enjoy all four seasons. Hiking and golfing with friends are likely the top two activities I enjoy, but I also like exploring new places, having get-togethers with friends, and just generally exploring the beautiful state of Colorado.

Beyond the outdoor activities Colorado offers, I am also a self-professed nerd! I enjoy many strategy games with friends including board games, video games, and card games. We have always been a very competitive group, so being able to strike up friendly competition, even remotely, has always been tons of fun. I also enjoy getting to read up on the latest technology in both cybersecurity and crypto.

What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?

The one I typically lead with would be my strange food allergy; I am allergic to poultry. That would include both Chicken and Turkey, unfortunately. The next question I am almost always asked is, “What do you eat for Thanksgiving and Christmas?!?!” A nice holiday ham!

Bonus Fun Fact: Within Swimlane, my nickname is OGGregSherman. Why? At one point, Swimlane had a number of folks with the same first names and we needed a good way to prevent confusion. We then rolled out a solution; once we hit three of the same first name, the longest-standing Swimlaner with that name would be given the honorary title of Swimlane OG. It has stuck ever since, even now as the lone Greg at Swimlane.

Your motto or personal mantra:

Family and friends are everything! Definitely the top personal mantra in my life and a guiding factor in the majority of my actions.

Others that come to mind are from family and have been repeated across a few decades:

• A smart man changes his mind…. A damn fool never does

• Work smarter, not harder

• To whom much is given, much is expected

• There is no situation so bad….. That it cannot get worse

• (While on vacation) It’s NOT time to go home yet! : )

• “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie (A right of passage in my family)

Three words that best describe you:

3 is really tough! I am going with

Determined, Thoughtful, Practical

What Swimlane core values resonate with you the most?

Swimlane’s core values are spot-on for both business and life. The two that resonate the most with me are:

Integrity In All The Things: My father has advocated for this since I was old enough to listen. He was self-employed and relied on return customers, or their word of mouth, to grow his business. His integrity led to a number of impossible sales over the years, even folks coming back after disagreements. My mother is exactly the same, she always taught me about the importance of being honest in all areas of life, and seeing this pillar regarded so highly at Swimlane always felt right.

Always be leveling up: In college, a professor once told my class, “In business, you are either growing or you are dying.” I feel knowledge and skills are the same, in that they have to be constantly growing to remain sharp. Time spent leveling up is never wasted and a steady cadence of learning achievements creates passion for accruing further knowledge.

What type of impact do you want to leave on our industry?

When I was still in the hospitality industry, the hotel I helped manage had tons of travels from the tech industry. Seeing guests stay with us and enjoy their travels really created a yearning to experience that life for myself. Having made the transition into a technical industry now, the mark I would like to leave on this industry has become clear; I hope to enable others who are looking to move into cybersecurity or technology.

From the outside looking in, it seemed a nearly impossible path to transition from hotels to cyber. I had failed to realize though…. just how many skills carry over and that cybersecurity companies also need non-technical people to help run or grow the business. If you are considering a career move, I highly encourage you to consider the cybersecurity industry. The difference this move has made in my life is astounding and I know many more are capable of the same transition.