Reflections from the front line

At Solis, we’re proud to be able to support and nurture the next generation of cyber security professionals. Over the past 12 months, our placement programme students have worked across Incident Response, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Cyber Incident Management, and MDR – gaining real-world experience, solving real-world problems, and contributing meaningfully to our mission of protecting clients globally.
 
In their own words, Joey, Priyra, David and James reflect on the challenges, achievements and key lessons from their time with us.
 
Joey

Reflecting on the past year at Solis, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come, both technically and personally. My journey began with the CTRL team, where I was immersed in threat intelligence and proactive security from the outset. I worked on identifying and tracking vulnerabilities, got stuck into automation projects, and sharpened my programming skills. Working alongside such a supportive team, I quickly learned the importance of adaptability and creative problem-solving in the world of cyber security.

Shifting into the MDR team for the second half of my placement brought a completely different set of challenges. I had the opportunity to shadow analysts during live incidents, seeing up-close how we use tools like SentinelOne to spot and respond to threats. As my confidence grew, I began taking on more responsibility, developing PowerShell scripts to streamline day-to-day processes, and contributing directly to case investigations. Alongside this hands-on work, completing my SentinelOne SIREN certification helped me link theory with practice, making me feel genuinely part of the team. Being able to see the impact of my work – whether through automation or in real investigations – has been particularly rewarding. 

This year has been a huge learning curve for me, and I’m grateful for the trust and support shown to me by both teams. The experience has confirmed for me that cyber security is the field I want to build my career in, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing from here.

Thank you to everyone at Solis who has made this such a welcoming and inspiring place to start my journey.

Priyra

Wrapping up my placement with CFC Response gives me an opportunity to reflect on a year of personal and professional growth. With my final rotation in the Incident Response (IR) team now completed, I can look back on a truly incredible journey. 

During my time in IR, I shadowed and assisted with multiple Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware investigations, gradually progressing to leading cases independently. From forensic analysis of Microsoft 365 logs to relaying our findings back to insureds, each new project has helped me sharpen my skills. One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was how each investigation built on the last. All knowledge I picked up from one project left me better equipped for the next. My understanding of cyber response was constantly expanding, and no two days have been the same. 

My IR rotation also built on everything I’d learned previously with the Cyber Incident Management (CIM) team. During those six months, I developed key triage, threat intelligence and communication skills. I came into this placement with limited industry experience and no formal cybersecurity training. So it really felt like starting from scratch. But over the past year, I’ve gained confidence navigating technical investigations, contributing to projects and taking on real responsibility. Rotating from CIM to IR gave me the opportunity to see cyber response in a broader context, before zooming in on incident forensics.  

Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ll be taking away is that learning on the job is continuous, especially in such a fast-moving field. I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of such a collaborative and knowledgeable team. This year has consolidated my passion for cybersecurity, specifically digital forensics, and I’m excited to apply my current understanding to future prospects! 

David

As I come to the end of my placement, I’ve taken some time to reflect on my journey at Solis – and how much I’ve grown, both commercially and personally. When I first joined, I had no prior knowledge of cybersecurity and no exposure to the industry. I began by shadowing each of the teams I could potentially be joining. This gave me a broad overview of the organisation, and helped clarify where my interests lay. I was then placed on two teams, each for a six-month rotation.

The first team I joined was Incident Response (IR). As I saw how the industry handles live incidents, I began to appreciate the full incident response lifecycle, from triage and containment to investigation and remediation. This equipped me with practical, hands-on skills I simply wouldn’t have picked up through university alone. As my confidence and capabilities grew, I was given the opportunity to lead my own investigations during live incidents. This included everything from forensic collection to root cause analysis, and then presenting my findings. Taking on this responsibility, not only helped consolidate my understanding of the incident response process, but also pushed me to improve key non-technical skills, particularly in communicating complex technical findings clearly and effectively. Overall, my time in the IR team gave me a solid grounding in the technical aspects of cybersecurity, as well as valuable experience in managing real-world situations.

After completing my six-month rotation in Incident Response (IR), I was thrust into the Incident Management (IM) team – a dramatic shift from the technically focused work I’d been used to. IM presented a whole new set of challenges. The first of those was learning to prioritise my time and workload in an incredibly fast-paced environment. When new incidents came in, we had to triage them quickly to determine how best to support those affected and initiate an effective response. Along with triaging, I also had the opportunity to conduct threat intelligence research, producing reports and summaries which I would then present to policyholders during meetings. This helped me pick up and strengthen a wide range of skills, from triage and incident coordination to communication and stakeholder management. Over time, I was able to manage incidents from the initial triage phase all the way through to them becoming full-scale projects. This meant keeping all stakeholders regularly updated on our investigation, as well as clearly communicating any major developments or changes. Overall, working in the IM team taught me that succeeding in cyber isn’t just about technical know-how – it also demands strong soft skills to effectively coordinate, communicate and manage in high-pressure situations.
My year at Solis has been an incredibly valuable experience, one that taught me lessons I could never have learned in a classroom. It exposed me to an industry I might never have encountered through university alone, and it allowed me to develop my technical skills and understanding of cybersecurity in a real-world setting.

More importantly, it taught me that, while technical skills are essential, soft skills are just as critical. Whether it’s communicating with stakeholders, working under pressure or managing complex situations, these interpersonal skills are vital across every part of the industry. I’ve had the privilege of working with, and learning from, an incredible team. Their support and guidance every step of the way made this experience, not only educational, but genuinely enjoyable. I’m grateful for all the relationships I’ve built, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the memories I’ve made. 

Thank you, Solis. I won’t forget it.

James

My time with the CTRL team has been amazing, as was my experience throughout the entire year. With CTRL, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside a team that’s dedicated to proactively protecting our clients. I’ve learned, not just how vulnerabilities are exploited, but how to identify, research, track and detect them across the internet using a range of tools and techniques.

I have also had the opportunity to work closely with our intelligence partners, aggregating and making effective use of the intelligence we’ve collected. I’m happy to say I was also able to bring my project to a positive conclusion, demonstrating how we can enrich our user experience by leveraging AI to provide easy access to information in a clear and concise way.

Working at CFC and Solis has been an absolute pleasure. Everyone I worked with was incredibly talented and generous with their knowledge. I have learnt an immense amount about cyber security – and had the opportunity to be involved in some really important and impactful work.

All I can say is: a big thank you to all of you!

Conclusion

Here at Solis, we’ve been hugely impressed with what our placement students have achieved over the past year. Their curiosity, commitment and willingness to take on real responsibility have made a valuable contribution to our work here at Solis and the clients we protect. We’re immensely grateful for the energy and fresh perspectives they’ve brought to each new challenge, and we wish them every success as they take the next steps in their careers