Interview with lecturer: Bc. Ing. Radim Trávníček
Bc. Ing. Radim Trávníček works not only as a lecturer at the European School of Business & Management but also at the same time works at the company BeSecured, which he founded in 2021. The company provides services in the field of information and cyber security.
Tell us something about yourself, what were the beginnings of your career like?
I have always been close to the IT field. I was already interested in computers during elementary school, so it was no surprise that I decided to study information technology in high school and then in college. However, here I slightly changed the direction of my work focus and moved to the field of information security. It is closely related to IT, so I stayed with one foot in IT. After school, I started working as a junior consultant in the field of information security, which allowed me to work on very interesting projects across individual sectors of the private sector and government. The turning point came in 2013 when I moved from the role of consultant to the role of Security Lead for a larger Czech company. This was a job in telecommunications, so again my role was strongly linked to the IT area. and so it was no surprise that after a few years, I also took on the management of the IT department. In total, I spent just under 9 years with this company and had the opportunity to influence and set the strategy for IT & Security Operations for branches in Europe, South Africa and the United States of America.
I founded BeSecured in 2021 and today I provide consulting, auditing and training services in the field of data and information security to all who need and want them.
How would you describe yourself?
I dare say about myself that I am process-oriented with an emphasis on the quality of the outputs of the activities that I do myself or that are done by colleagues around me. At the same time, I try to be as empathetic and fair as possible and I look for reasonable ways to fulfill the wishes of clients, management or how to work with colleagues. I am guided by the fact that managing people is not only about assigning tasks and evaluating their performance, but also, and this is the most important thing in my opinion, about human management, motivating and also fairly evaluating the people I lead. I can also be impatient and I try to approach life and the situations it brings with humility.
Tell us about the company you founded.
BeSecured is a company providing services in the field of information and cyber security. We help our clients and partners primarily in the area of compliance (ISO 27001, ZKB and VoKB, currently NIS 2, PCI DSS, DORA, GDPR and other regulations and security standards). In addition, we also audit the overall level of security or focus in detail on some of their pillars, such as physical security, cyber (IT) security, OT security and, last but not least, personnel security. We train general security rules and awareness as well as train security experts in the roles of specialists in individual areas, regulation and in the role of a security manager.
What decided the current direction of your career?
Coincidence as it happens. After completing my bachelor’s degree in information technology, which was extremely difficult for me, I vowed that I would never work in IT and completely changed my field. This was process control and quality control by committees. This field produces experts primarily focused on the automotive industry and product manufacturing in general. However, during this study, I met a teacher (an extern) who taught the subject of information security. I thought about the possibility of using my experience in IT and a process approach, and after a few weeks, I started working for this teacher and already stayed in information security and IT.
What is your current job? What are you exactly working on?
Currently, my working day consists of managing the company and ongoing projects that colleagues from BeSecured are working on. I am also involved in specific projects as a consultant, auditor and trainer, so every day I devote some time to these projects. The development and growth of the company are the topics that I deal with most often since the new year.
What are your greatest professional achievements?
The previous period was a company expansion project and the related selection of offices in Bulgaria, South Africa and the USA, where I also led the exhibition of the office from the point of view of IT and security and its preparation and certification for projects where the end customer was entities of the American government. Related to this was the day-to-day work and security management for several hundred colleagues who worked on projects in telecommunications.
Among the current successes, I would like to single out the role of CISO for the Czech company SAFETICA, one of the TOP 10 providers of DLP solutions in the world, acquiring a multinational client in the automotive industry and preparing its branches for certification according to the TISAX standard. However, I am happy with every successful and completed project that fulfilled the client’s wishes and helped him to improve the level of protection of his data and information. I see this as the most important output of our work. And I try to approach each success with humility because I know that behind them is a lot of work of my colleagues, for which I am grateful to them.
What do you think is the secret of success at work?
110% commitment – if you want success, you have to give it more than others; not be broken by failures; accept that you can’t please everyone; promise only what you can fulfil and deliver and not stress unnecessarily about problems. Every problem has a solution. And to work honestly and not slack off. The result (success) will come sooner or later.
What else awaits you in your professional life? What is your nearest goal?
The goal is to stabilize the company after significant growth, which is still catching up. I would like to solve such a personal-professional debt and complete my CISA and CISM certification.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your professional life?
IT and Security construction and preparation for certification in building offices in Texas, USA. It was largely remote work, covid came into play so traveling to the US was not an option. Fortunately, my colleagues and I managed to make 2 turns in Texas before these restrictions came into effect. Choosing the right person helped us a lot, who helped us on-site with the activities and management of IT and Security suppliers.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
We can help clients solve their problem(s). And that in the projects we deal with, we deal with people who want security and need to deal with it. Safety cannot be completely copied, so we always create a safety culture for clients from the very beginning. And I enjoy building in general. Be it projects or BeSecured development management.
But life is not just about work. What do you like to do in your spare time? What do you do?
Currently, I try to spend my free time with my family. We have two young children, so it’s a lot about them now. I also have a larger home project connected with this, and that is the reconstruction of the garden so that the children can spend more time there and have interesting attractions, such as a sandpit, a trampoline or a slide.
How would you evaluate the cooperation so far?
Fresh experience, I would say. You can also say that I am just getting started, but so far all the cooperation has been fine and very pleasant.
What topics do you give lectures on at ESBM?
MSc Information Technology Management.
What should students take away from the lecture?
I believe that I will be able to give them the maximum of my experience and bring them a real view and the world of IT, its management both on the scale of a smaller company and a multinational organization, the difficulties associated with it, but also what IT and an IT manager are essential for an organization.
Is there anything you would like to say to our students?
Don’t stop learning and keep up the good work, even if “clouds appear in the sky”. The field of IT is one of the most important in the work area, and it is you who will influence IT workers and leaders or directly decide as CIO on the strategic direction of the company in which you work.
