Gary Archer

Product Marketing Engineer, UK

As a Product Marketing Engineer, I explain security design patterns and an architecture that can scale from small to very large setups. I see it primarily as a teaching role, focused on speaking, documentation, code, and resources on cloud native security infrastructure.

My background

Before joining Curity, I worked for 25 years as a lead developer or technical architect in business-focused software companies. Starting with writing reliable code and developing my skills, I became trusted with larger jobs, including extensive on-site technical support for high-profile projects and leading teams establishing technical standards and building blocks for other groups.

My architect roles often meant I was responsible for security, and explaining it to customers whose data we were protecting. This showed me the importance of security - if done well, it empowers the whole system, provides interaction capabilities and, with the right separation and choice of supporting components, it also leads to the simplest and most elegant application code. Conversely, security done badly can often lead to blocking issues or low productivity, with a negative impact on the business.

My Curity Story

I joined Curity several years ago as I wanted to move to a more specialist technical role and be less focused on software delivery. The product marketing engineer (PME) position was a good choice for me. A typical PME job may include writing a tutorial for the Curity website, backed by a code example that uses container-based security components. My team also engages with the outside world via blog posts, presenting webinars, and speaking at technical conferences.

I strongly believe that security done correctly is an enabler when designing software systems. Business and software professionals can then build the most productive architectures and best user experiences. Articulating the best designs can be difficult, but I get first-class feedback from a team committed to delivering great content.

Curity is a place where you keep learning. I have learned to take more time on writing and improve my style with the help of my colleagues’ feedback. On the technical side, I have also learned a lot about security design patterns, such as things you can do in an API gateway. I've also improved my people and listening skills since I am less often the authority on a subject than I used to be.

Work/Life

Working remotely still remains a little strange. I sometimes miss sitting in the middle of people and enjoying the best interaction, but it has made my days more flexible. And an opportunity to skip rush hour commuting to central London is a big plus!

I also enjoy a less stressful and more hands-off work culture. I appreciate the flexitime system and the number of meetings, which is kept to the minimum. I like to retain a self-pressure though, to continually review and fill in any gaps in the end-to-end customer journeys.

My Typical Day

6:00 - I get up, freshen up and then walk a mile to the coffee shop for an early morning cappuccino, and a read

8:00 - After waking my body and mind up, I start my work day and join the morning standup

9:00 - 11:00 - I typically spend the first hour or two on technical reviews and general reading on new subjects

12:00 - 13:00 - Lunch

13:00 - 17:00 - I then usually dive into my current main task, find my thread and spend time on my content until I'm happy with it

At any time of day, I feel free to do a personal thing or run an errand without feeling stressed.

In my free time

I am a keen golfer and have been organizing Saturday games for a golf society for the last 15 years. The game is hard and I have limited talent, but it is an excuse to travel and has taken me to many amazing places. It also provides plenty of humor and a chance to laugh at ourselves.

I live near Blackheath in London which is a great place to go jogging and I aim to run a few times a week. I am also an avid reader, on many topics from technology to history and crime thrillers.