Baltimore Business Deters Security Threats Associated With Data Breaches
Hugh McLaurin, owner of Securis of Central Maryland, purchased his Securis franchise back in 2014. Securis is a franchise industry leader in electronic recycling and data destruction, offering services to local business and government clients to prevent data breaches. Prior to purchasing his franchise, McLaurin worked 35 years for the federal government.
McLaurin holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. He also completed post-graduate work in acoustics at Penn State University.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"My primary role is to educate decision-makers in companies and institutions about the need for the services we offer and establish relationships that will hopefully lead to partnerships down the road. But I also get my hands dirty with picking up and processing customers' equipment, destroying data stored on hard drives and other media, running the financial aspects of the company and writing proposals for new customers and contracts."
What is your favorite part about your daily duties?
"My favorite thing is meeting with new and existing customers and building strong relationships with customers and the business community. It's important to me that every customer understands that I care about them, appreciate their business and want to provide them with services that exceed their expectations in every way."
How has your education/training prepared you for your current role?
"Having a technical background is advantageous in understanding and describing to customers their need for services provided by Securis."
What do you do to continue your education/training?
"Other than on-the-job learning, I studied for and received my credentials as a Certified Secure Destruction Specialist (CSDS). This includes annual continuing education requirements to maintain the certification, ensuring that I keep up to date on the latest issues, regulations and resolutions concerning data protection through destruction techniques. I also take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and information available from the people within the Securis system, all of whom freely share their experiences in order to improve the system as a whole."
Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
"I fully believe that as technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the risk of data breaches prevails and the awareness of the need for (and regulation of) responsible recycling of e-waste expands, this will remain a great business to get into. People considering this business should be prepared to work hard and to develop expertise in the field so they can better educate and assist their customers. The CSDS certification is one way to do that, as is keeping abreast of a rapidly changing regulatory environment. That said, I strongly believe in the need for this business in today's complex technological world, and I would recommend it to anyone concerned about sustainability and data protection."
Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.