An Open Letter to Fellow Websense Employees –

Blogs are a tricky thing... when you're busy with things like, oh I dunno, work, a new baby, translating, subtitling, certification studies, etc. it becomes inconceivable to take a few moments to sit down and write in your online "diary" for the world to see.

However, when you take leave of a career with a company you've been with for seven years, it seems an appropriate gesture to bid those you've worked with in that time a fond farewell. Well, I'm going to be melodramatic and use my website to do just that. You'll also have to scroll past my misty-eyed reminiscing if you're squeamish. :)

I joined NetPartners on January 19, 1998. I was contracted by a company called “Computemps” and just finished an interview at *****. While the prospect of working with Windows for Workgroups in the late 90’s sounded like a unique challenge, I was still holding out for something more exciting… as I kicked off my good shoes and sat on my couch at home, I received a telephone call from my recruiter.

Would I like to interview for a firewall reseller company called NetPartners, located on the same street on which I lived? Certainly. When would I be available? I looked down at my still neatly-pressed suit and told her, “whenever they’re ready, I’m ready.” Well, as luck would have it, they were ready to interview me if I was able to make it there in 10 minutes. I told her I’d be there in five and stumbled toward the door in my half-on shoes.

At 9:30 PM that night, I got a call from Phil Trubey, the founder and then President of the company and was offered a job performing installs and providing support for Check Point, Borderware, Milky Way, and other firewalls. Additionally, I was informed, I would be supporting the company’s new flagship software solution, “WebSENSE”.

Over the years at Websense, Inc. (as the company became to be known, pursuant to our IPO), I have evolved my responsibilities almost as quickly as the company has grown. As we added personnel to the Technical Support team, I became a senior technician, a supervisor, and ultimately a Technical Services Manager. My fondest memories are those from my time working with that fine crew of support technicians.

The one thing I will always take credit for in my successful career at Websense is my ability to recognize talent and put together a powerful team. In 2003, I was courted by the Director of Operations to duplicate the success we had in Technical Support, as a manager in the (internal) IT Support organization.

The hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life, and I say this without hyperbole, was the one to break from my beloved Technical Support crew and head up the IT Support team. My consolation was that the team I left behind was, by any measure, strong enough to continue succeeding in my absence. I am comforted in the knowledge that this is true.

IT Support was a challenging transition, as there was much work to do to introduce metrics, standard operating procedures, and service level agreements. I inherited a strong team there as well, and in the two years we worked together, I am proud of the improvements we made. It is time to move on to the next challenge and I am eager to meet my next professional challenge head on!

As I embark upon the next stage in my career, I will miss so many of you at Websense, that I cannot list you one by one, for fear of leaving someone out. I have enjoyed working with you, getting to know you, and ultimately, making the connections over the years that extend to your personal hobbies, your families, and your own challenges and accomplishments.

If fate sees fit for our paths to cross once more in the workplace, I will be honored to work with you once again. Please feel free to drop me a note at any time. My e-mail is justin at wasabimedia dot com.