There are not many positions that communicate with every employee, every day. The cybersecurity and IT departments are essential in keeping the company safe and ensuring H&P’s machines, apps, rigs and emails are in tip-top shape. To put it in perspective, thousands of employees use an H&P laptop or tablet to access email, software and documents multiple times a day. If everything is working perfectly, you probably never notice. But if the network stops responding, you open a phishing email or rig connectivity goes down it may be much bigger than inconveniencing your workday. We may be experiencing an attempted cyber-attack.
Laurel Matchett has worked in H&P’s IT and cybersecurity departments for almost nine years. She began as a contractor for the application systems support group, specifically Viper Plus, after graduating from the University of Tulsa. She then moved to the internal audit team and did IT auditing for a few years. She is now a cybersecurity analyst.
“When a position opened for an entry-level cybersecurity analyst in 2020, I was thrilled to apply and get back to the IT world and work with people who I knew, which was amazing,” she said.
But what is a cybersecurity analyst?
She works with employees across the globe to determine potential threats and alleviate potential attacks. No two days are alike in cybersecurity. As part of the instant response team, Matchett is making sure nothing looks out of the ordinary.
“Cybersecurity is ever-changing,” she said.
The cybersecurity team must be on top of their game because potential attackers are constantly learning and evolving in their strategies. The team attends dynamic trainings and often works together to find solutions for weak points in H&P systems.
“The attackers are getting better at their attacks,” she said. “We must become better at defending against these attacks. We are constantly learning.”
Surprisingly, keeping the company safe also involves staying up to date with the news and energy industry trends to determine if there is an isolated threat to H&P or the overall industry.
Matchett has added strengthening cybersecurity on the rigs to her list of responsibilities. Her team is growing, and they are prepping formal procedures and working through scenarios to prevent attacks on the rigs so the rigs can operate safely. A cyber incident on a rig could be life-threatening. The cybersecurity department and the electrical engineering team are preparing the rigs and field employees with procedures and alleviating weak points.
The biggest benefit of working at H&P for Matchett is building relationships across the company. Her journey through the company would not have been possible without those relationships. H&P has allowed her to grow and learn from different departments in different roles.
“H&P for me is the people,” she said. “My teammates are so smart. I feel fortunate to be able to work with a group that allows me to continue to learn and grow as we collaborate and work together.”