(Welcome to the first entry in a series of videos and blog posts from Paul Fisher, Admin By Request’s Head of Global Strategy. Over the series, Paul shares his views on identity, privileged access, and how to control AI agents, but first, a lighter look back at how he ended up in cybersecurity.)
This is the video where I try to make myself look interesting and probably fail. But there’s some genuinely interesting stuff in here – really! For example, how many other people have nearly knocked former UK Home Secretary David Blunkett off a stage in front of 1,000 people?
Overall, that event was a disaster as I recall. I was chairing the UK Government Tech event (hence why I had to accompany the blind David Blunkett to and from the lectern with his dog), but it went horribly over time as speaker after speaker wouldn’t shut up. Of course I should have been stricter, but politicians tend to waffle on. As the morning ticked away, the schedule was now more than 45 minutes over time, and I was getting frantic text messages from the organisers to bring it all under control – I failed. At the time, I thought, well, it’s better that delegates hear more from the speakers rather than spend time at the sponsors’ expo, but I was young (well, about 47) and naïve. To wrap things off nicely, the front of the stage also fell off, so everyone could see all the panellists’ legs. And Blunkett’s dog fell asleep on my foot. I wasn’t invited back.
But what a life I’ve had. Worked in Queen Elizabeth’s (RIP) back garden with a bunch of yobs and an insane head gardener who used to throw twigs and leaves around and accuse the gardening staff of not keeping the place tidy. And when you’ve seen a Royal Footman dressed in a scarlet jacket with white breeches walking the Queen’s corgis, straight out of something like Bridgerton, you never forget it.
Also: laundry worker, van driver, railway worker, office minion doing something even more mind-numbing than the poor souls in Severance (just call me Paul F), and shop assistant. You see, I wasn’t always the fabulous success I am today. But I like to think all those experiences were part of my “journey,” where I learnt valuable life lessons, one of which was to not be any of those things if you can possibly help it. Actually I don’t believe in all that journey stuff, for most of us the voyage consists of getting lucky and making the best of a bad deal.
One thing I should have done was listen to my father a bit more, don’t rush into things, he said on the many occasions I was just about to do exactly that. Like the time I spent a whole month’s wages on a Technics turntable. “So, what are you going to live on for the rest of the month?” he said. It was a good question. Anyway, I still have no money and if you want to see my special talent, you will just have to watch the video.
