CNF Technologies was named #5 on San Antonio Business Journal Fast Track Awards. With a growth rate of 395%, CNF out-ranked 22 other local and privately owned businesses, all headquartered in San Antonio, that have experienced high revenue growth over the past three years. The …
The San Antonio Business Journal is excited to once again honor a group of local, privately owned businesses that have experienced high revenue growth over the past three years. It’s an achievement that is all the more impressive given the unprecedented challenges presented by the …
CNF Technologies has been named a recipient of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Above and Beyond Award. Damon Maldonado, software developer, nominated the company. Accepting the award on behalf of CNF was CEO Roxanne Ramirez. “We take great …
Texas A&M University at San Antonio
Major: Computer Science
“CNF Technologies has given me invaluable knowledge and skills, making interning here one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I truly believe I couldn’t have asked for a better internship experience, not only have I dived deeper into Cyber Security, learning new tools and technologies I wasn’t familiar with, but I’ve also learned valuable lessons that will stay with me throughout my career and have shaped me into a better person. Prior to this, I wasn’t sure what career path I should take. Now, I’m finally able to take all the knowledge and skills I’ve learned and apply them to real world projects. I’ve been able to build upon my existing knowledge and gain real work experience. The work has been great, and the people have been amazing to work with.”
St. Mary’s University
Major: Computer Engineering
My experience at CNF has been a very positive one. The employee-first culture here is something that stands out. Everyone I’ve met and worked with throughout my time here has been highly motivated, supportive, and helpful, and I am very grateful to have been provided the opportunity to learn and develop with CNF. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend my time this summer for my first internship.
Working on the OpenCPI project has helped me grow my skills with things such as FPGAs and Agile development and introduced me to many new concepts like Digital Signal Processing and component-based development. Throughout my time here working on the project, I gained some invaluable experience and insight into what it takes to be successful when working in a professional environment. Each day here, I was always learning something new, and my mentors were very good at reaching out and answering any questions I had along the way. They are fantastic people, and I’m grateful they took me under their wing and made me feel welcome as part of a team.
I want to thank everyone that made this opportunity happen. The internship program here at CNF was very professional and impactful. From day one, everyone here at CNF made me feel welcome. The internship program created a positive environment that helped me grow significantly, and I am very grateful for the experience.
University of Texas at San Antonio
Major: Computer Engineering
“My experience this summer at CNF has been both amazing and eye opening. Being able to work on real projects and experience what it’s like to work on something real has helped me realize what I want out of my career in the future, as well as some skills that I could touch up on. I have a better idea what topics I possibly want to pursue in the future. A skill that I’ve learned while working here is having an improved workflow. Sometimes I struggled to figure out what the next step I needed to take was, but now I can easily identify more of the steps in the process. I made some silly mistakes in this regard, going from A to C with a little bit of B in-between, instead of A to B to C. I really did have a great time here and look forward to all the possibilities that are out there after I graduate.”
St. Mary’s University
Major: Computer Science
“As great as college is, this internship has taught me skills that a class can never teach. This experience has showed me that there is so much more to learn than what is needed to pass a test. Sometimes I felt like I knew nothing, but that didn’t get me down. It just made me want to learn what I didn’t know. I think back to when I first started this internship and it felt like my coworkers were speaking a different language, and I’m proud to know I can now speak fluently with them! It also speaks volumes to the culture of CNF that all my colleagues–most of whom are 10, 20, 30 years my senior–made me feel incredibly welcome and part of the crew. I am so excited to learn even more and continue my journey in this field.”
Josh recently began interning at the start of this year. He’s been able to quickly learn how to create, edit, update, and audit assets in the SNIPE-IT system. Along with asset management tasks, he’s helped fellow interns keep the Hesk system accurate and up-to-date by processing tickets for new employees, out-processing employees, requests for IT, and more. Another focus of his internship is making other internal systems more user friendly.
School: Northwest Vista
Major: Computer Science
“As an intern at CNF I’ve helped in many aspects of the IT department and even had the opportunity to work alongside the CNF C-Suite team.”
Samuel explained that along with what he’s learned, he’s been able to help the newest addition to the C-Suite team, Chief Legal Officer Freddy Ramirez set up his technology, Wi-Fi, corporate VPN, and printer connection and new hire and Director for Intelligence at the CNF Maryland facility Joey Carter.
“Other tasks I’ve been working on are monitoring temperatures at CNF facilities while AC maintenance is conducted, running an internet cable at PT1 for Viper phone use, verifying asset locations and tagging assets for asset management, and gathering questions for security plus studying for employees hoping to get their certifications soon.”
School: UTSA
Major: Computer Science
Classification: Junior
“Throughout my internship experience my responsibilities have grown to match my skills and I hope to continue learning more and further help the IT team in any way I can.”
Ricky explained that he has assisted with the IT department by not merely inputting tickets, but also updating, editing, and resolving technology issues to ensure the uninterrupted work of CNF employees. Contributing to asset management, Ricky has aided Kacie, CNF’s Configuration Manager, research novel and industry-specific topics to create documents which outline in-demand information.
Ricky also learned the ins and outs of Microsoft Office to help both new and existing employees with software related issues. Beyond assigning corporate emails to the new hires, Ricky is now able to help with necessary Microsoft Office software issues, access SharePoint, and personalize libraries and employees’ permissions.
School: UTSA
Major: Computer Engineering
Classification: Senior
“Since I’ve started as an intern at CNF, I’ve learned something new every single day. I plan on continuing to learn much more with the IT team guiding me. Andy, CNF’s Chief Information Officer, and Robert, Project Manager, are awesome and helpful, and I plan on taking in as much as they are willing to teach me!”
Dillen says being an intern at CNF Technologies has already taught him many new skills and introduced him to different aspects of the Information Technology world. Since starting his internship, Dillen’s been working on the Hesk ticketing system creating and resolving issues while assisting the IT department. His duties include coordinating with Kacie, Configuration Manager, for asset management and Gerald, a System Engineer, for account assignments.
Dillen has also had the opportunity to participate in an evening learning class, CNF’s Employee Certification Program, instructed by CNF’s CIO Andy Pilato. “The classes are going great and I’m planning to take the CompTIA Security+ test soon.”
School: Palo Alto
Major: Cybersecurity
Rob is another one of CNF’s very first interns who officially joined the team in 2010. “During my internship I was surrounded by experts who taught me a tremendous amount and I knew then that CNF was the company for me. Before becoming a professional, I aspired to work for a company with leaders who understood the importance of investing in their people. You can really feel that investment daily at CNF and we also have a lot of fun. There’s no way I could leave!”
Rob began his career as an administrator and was quickly promoted to system engineer. Here he worked for the United States Air Force’s intrusion prevention system gaining invaluable experience at a young age. He then became the deployment manager for the vulnerability detection system used at each military medical endpoint covering the entire globe. Nearly a decade later, Rob has grown to be a staple of the CNF corporate information security team, leading all efforts for CNF security compliance for each of the missions owned by CNF.
“Fun defensive and offensive contract work can be found at any defense contractor. What makes me a proud CNF employee are the people at CNF.”
Nathan, a former intern, became a full-time employee a little over a month after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics. In 2012 Nathan joined the CNF team as a System Administrator. Nathan currently works as a Senior Software Engineer and describes his work with CNF as enjoyable and rewarding especially with the type defense contracts CNF is awarded.
“From improving high-speed network packet analyzers that defend our nation’s military bases, discovering and writing zero-day exploits that give our warfighters the edge over our adversaries, improving an Open Source framework for developing Software Defined Radio applications, there isn’t a task I’ve been assigned where I didn’t learn something new and solve challenging problems. I’m able to do this all while having fun.”
Nathan added that while these types of jobs can be found almost anywhere, what truly makes CNF great is something that cannot be found anywhere else, the people. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve my country in this capacity thanks to CNF.”
Jamie is one of the most recent intern graduates and newest member to the CNF team as a Jr. Software Developer. He stated, “I first heard CNF Technologies through Rob Adams while we were volunteering in 2018. I figured if people like Rob came from CNF then that’s where I wanted to be.”
Jamie started his internship in June 2019 and was immediately able to work with seasoned professionals like Jim Pruett, a Senior Software Engineer and Project Manager, and Chief Information Officer Andy Pilato. “Jim and the team were really helpful and willing to offer advice that guided my decision-making process. Working alongside Andy I learned the value of professionalism which helped me have more confidence in fulfilling my responsibilities” said Jamie.
CNF looks forward to a bright future with interns turned professionals like Jamie.
Gerald started with CNF in 2017 as a part-time intern in the Information Technology division. It wasn’t long before this part-time position became a professional one for Gerald, an intern who was always eager to not only learn, but lend a helping hand wherever needed.
“I am so grateful to be working at CNF Technologies. I have never worked for a company that has given me so many amazing opportunities. Every day I continue to learn and grow not only professionally, but personally as well. I can honestly say that I’ve also never before had the privilege or opportunity to work for a company that feels so much like family.”
Gerald is now currently working as a System Engineer but can always be found assisting others all for the good of the team.
“It’s been incredible to see our company grow so much over such a short amount of time. It is truly awe-inspiring to know that I have been able to contribute and be a part of that growth. In my time with CNF, I’ve learned and experienced everything from terminating cabling at brand new facilities all the way up to helping create multiple complicated networks whether separate or interconnected. Supporting the myriad of work CNF does and being a part of this team is something I’ll never forget.”
Jason proves that many of CNF’s top performers are UTSA alumni and former interns. Hired in 2007 as a Security Analyst, Jason has worked his way to the top as a Program Manager and senior subject matter expert for the Air Force cyber intelligence squadron. Jason provides technical support to solving the most dangerous security vulnerability exposures, reverse engineering malware, tracking down new variants, zero-day malware, and creating new malware labs and custom defensive capabilities. In addition to being a highly technical SME, Jason is a key Principal and Team Lead for multimillion-dollar Department of Defense contracts ranging from system accreditation to analyzing and reverse engineering the latest and most advance malicious logic.
Jason has been instrumental in helping CNF achieve accolades like one of the fastest growing companies in San Antonio and top cyber security provider. His ability to leverage his networking and relationships with clients has directly contributed to CNF’s growth. Beyond his contractual responsibilities, Jason is passionate about creating the best cyber professionals. “Future software developer interns coming to CNF can expect guidance and mentorship from senior developers, access to the latest technology frameworks, processes, designs, and software best practices. Our success stories have taken recent college grads and move them to productive software engineer roles supporting our customers.”
Besides his accomplishments at CNF, Jason has also been awarded the AFCEA International’s 40 Under 40 Award. This world-wide recognition is for those who made significant contributions to supporting their organization and clients using information technology, providing innovation, and thought leadership in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field. They were selected based on technical accomplishments in their careers and were chosen by an executive board based on merit in competition with nominees from across the globe. CNF is so proud to have a team member like Jason and looks forward to celebrating more of his future accomplishments.