(WACO, Texas) – Henry Herring of Temple has gone from serving and defending our country to protecting technology networks throughout Texas.
Herring, a 2018 graduate of Texas State Technical College’s Cyber Security and Digital Forensics Specialist programs in Waco, is director of security operations at Sentinel Cyber Intelligence in downtown Waco.
“This is not just a job,” Herring said. “This is a lifestyle and something you need to have a passion for.”
Sentinel Cyber Intelligence was founded in 2015 and specializes in digital forensics, cyber security and private investigations. Most of its clients are city and county governments and school districts throughout the state.
“The more technology develops, the more we are going to have our hands in it,” Herring said. “There will always be someone out there who needs protection.”
Herring spent more than 15 years in the U.S. Army working with tactical communications.
“Back then, we had some low-tech and high-tech stuff,” he said. “We had AM radios we had to transmit with.”
Jonathan Owens, a TSTC Cyber Security instructor, encouraged Herring to consider Sentinel for professional experience.
“He was a great student and is a wonderful person who strives to excel at each task and create relations with each person he meets,” Owens said. “He continues to challenge himself, and he now shows his TSTC spirit by helping TSTC students get local internships at Sentinel Cyber Intelligence.”
The business usually has five TSTC interns at a time working around their class schedules.
“We try to find interns with longevity,” Herring said. “We like them to have at least a year to train them. Here, this is not textbook because these are live clients. We do a lot of research on the stuff that is coming through and the latest threats.”
Owens said he welcomes opportunities for high-achieving students to work at Sentinel.
“It is always a great thing to receive an email from Richard Martin (a Sentinel co-managing partner) or Henry asking for new interns,” Owens said. “Richard and Henry provide inspiration and direction to each intern, building on the foundation that TSTC provides.”
Michael Mata, a Cyber Security major from Waco, is currently a Sentinel intern.
“They have taught me a lot of different software and programs,” Mata said. “They have shown me how to use open-source services. I feel security is at the top of people’s minds. We have to know our job and how people can exploit the systems. Malicious hackers are becoming more common.”
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
