In this blog, they share what they’ve been working on and where they’re heading next
Now well into their placement year at Solis, our UK interns are actively contributing across teams, developing their technical expertise and gaining first-hand experience of what it means to work in cyber security.
Working on everything from threat research and incident management, to investigations and client support, each of them has gained a clearer understanding of where their strengths lie and how the different parts of our service fit together. They’re all now playing a meaningful role in the day-to-day operation of our business.
Here, in their own words, is an insight into what they’ve been working on, and where they’re heading next.
Tim:
My placement with Solis has been an incredible learning experience, and I’m enjoying it more and more every day. Over the past seven months, I’ve gained so much knowledge and practical insight into this industry. One of the key areas I’ve been involved in is monitoring newly discovered critical vulnerabilities, assessing which clients could be at risk, and issuing clear timely security advisories to help make sure they stay safe from attack. I’ve also worked on handling support requests from customers, responding to their queries and supporting them through technical issues. This has really helped me strengthen my customer service and communication skills.
I’ve learnt a huge amount from working on the project I was assigned. This allowed me to apply technical concepts in a real-world context and develop my analytical skills. I’ve also achieved the SentinelOne SIREN Certification, which has given me a strong understanding of how to prepare for, detect, and recover from a data breach.
Beyond my core responsibilities, I’ve been taking part in the company’s badminton club every fortnight, which has been a great way to meet my colleagues and stay active. I’ve even had the chance to play for our team in the Lloyd’s football competition, which has been an amazing experience, and a fun way to represent the company.
Sam:
After joining Solis as an intern seven months ago, I’ve been absorbing a huge amount new information every week. My confidence has grown a lot in that time and I’m starting to get that warm feeling that comes with being an established member of a team. I also now have a much clearer understanding of how to tackle complex scenarios confidently. I’m asking questions in meetings that actually spark thought, instead of just trying to show interest.
I’m currently spending a large part of my day monitoring and investigating security alerts. Suspicious files or unusual activity are constantly being flagged up - sometimes, every five minutes. Some are bland and repetitive, but I haven’t had a day go by where I didn’t see something new. I investigate the reputations of companies releasing products, and dig as deeply as possible into at how different processes interact, to understand the full context of a case. Each situation is different, but my role is to assess the evidence and reach a clear binary conclusion: is it safe or does it present a risk? I absolutely love the challenge of analysing complex scenarios and distilling them down to a clear evidence-based conclusion.
Sometimes, to gauge legitimacy, I’ll even go through a company’s social media to see whether any projects they’re advertising relate to a file. One of the reasons I love what I do is that there’s no fixed routine. There’s no strict guide to follow. I’m given the resources I need, and then I have to investigate, thinking critically all day long. When it gets to 5:30, I have no idea where all that time has gone!
Reila:
The past seven months at Solis have been an exciting and transformative phase in my professional development. Working with the Cyber Incident Management (CIM) team has given me valuable exposure to real-world incidents. From triaging business email compromise incidents (BECs) and third-party cases, to analysing how each alert may reflect a potential threat. This experience has strengthened my analytical thinking, attention to detail and ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
I have also gained significant insight into threat intelligence, leveraging in-house tools to understand how cyber threats are identified, tracked and shared. Taking the lead on my first project was a particularly rewarding experience, reflecting the progress I’ve made and showing the importance of continuous improvement. I’ve gained a lot of confidence and now feel ready to take these new skills into my next rotation, with the Incident Response team.
Equally valuable has been having the opportunity to collaborate with a highly skilled and supportive team. Their expertise and guidance have been instrumental in my growth, giving me the motivation to further develop both my technical and professional capabilities. These seven months have been an invaluable learning experience, and I look forward to building on this foundation in the months ahead.
Rei:
The past few months at CFC have been an absolutely amazing experience. Working in the Incident Response (IR) team has equipped me with a huge amount of knowledge and experience. I’ve gained a broad insight into the full lifecycle of a cyber incident, from observing the Cyber Incident Management team during initial triage, through technical analysis and investigation, to the final reporting of findings to clients. I’ve particularly enjoyed getting stuck into investigations, assisting on both business email compromise (BEC) and ransomware investigations, and also completing my own BEC project.
As I move on to MDR in my next rotation, I'm looking forward to learning more new skills and getting an in-depth look at the tooling I was introduced to while I’ve been with the IR team. I’m really looking forward to the rest of my placement and to further developing my skills and experience over the coming months.
Conclusion
What’s been particularly encouraging is not just how much technical knowledge each of our interns has developed, but the confidence and judgement they’ve gained from applying it in real-world situations. They’ve all moved confidently from shadowing other team members to leading elements of their own work.
As they begin their next rotations, we’re excited to see how they continue to grow. Internships are - or certainly should be - about much more than just learning tools and processes. They’re about building professional judgement, resilience and curiosity. On all three fronts, our interns are making excellent progress.
We’re proud of the contribution they’re making, and even more excited about what the second half of their internships will bring.
