Karen Lawton grew up surrounded by technology. Her mom worked in IT; her dad was an engineer, and her older brother broke apart and reassembled computers at home as a hobby. Today, as President, Founder and CEO of SJ Technologies, an IT consulting company based in Buford, Georgia, Washington D.C. and Montgomery, Lawton is using her decades of experience to help her company’s clients use tech efficiently and safely.
What is your background in IT before founding ST Technologies?
I was co-founder of InfoShark, a software company my mom started in 1998. I built and ran the sales department and was involved in raising $12 million of venture capital. After that, I worked for several different business partners focused on Oracle and IBM Solutions, which allowed me to work with many different large enterprises.
What are SJ Technologies’ primary services?
We focus on leveraging the transformational power of DevOps methodologies and technologies to help organizations evolve. Services include: DevOps and DevSecOps consulting services and workshops, IT modernization, cloud migration strategy and support.
Who are the company’s primary clients?
We provide IT solutions and services to commercial and federal customers. Some of our customers include U.S. Treasury, U.S. Army, the Department of Energy and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Is the threat of cyber-attacks on businesses growing?
Absolutely. We hear about a steady stream of viruses that affect businesses on a regular basis. For example, in the spring, there was the WannaCry, which hit 230,000 computers in over 150 countries.
How can businesses fight back?
It is clear from the name ransomware that there is a lot of money to be made from malware. For example, the Experian cyber-attack resulted in 300 million people having their information stolen. Mostly, this will be sold for the purpose of identity theft. There is an enormous amount of technology with dozens of tools that can be used to defend against cyber-attacks. However, some of the most effective methods of fighting cyber-attacks are related to people. Make cybersecurity everyone’s responsibility. Have policies and procedures that are clear, concise and visible. Train everyone regularly.
How does SJ Technologies approach cyber security for its clients?
SJ believes in continuous security. This means that security is baked into the software process from the beginning when users are first describing their requirements. It is included in every phase that follows (design, code, build, test, deploy) and continues throughout production. We also embrace the “human factor” aspects of security.
What is SJ Technologies’ client-service philosophy?
SJ Technologies recommends the business, cultural and technology solutions best suited to meet each of our clients’ needs, fit their budgets, and exceed their expectations. “One size fits all” is not in our vocabulary.
What do you love about or enjoy about your job?
I appreciate being in the services business because I love to learn new things, and it is such an expansive field that’s always changing. My daily goal is to help people solve problems, and there is no shortage of opportunities in this industry.
What would you like to see change in your industry?
The percentage of women in technology is not acceptable (25 percent) and is declining. I am trying to do what I can for women in tech. I contribute to a STEM program at a middle school in an underprivileged area. We belong to several organizations that help women in our industry, including the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Anytime I can help a woman in the industry, I will.
Any recent milestones or awards?
Woman-Owned, Certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). With three-year revenue growth of 3,802 percent, SJ Technologies ranks No. 78 on the Inc. 5000.
What are your interests outside of work?
I enjoy cooking. One of my daughters is a vegan, so I have begun trying some of those recipes.
Tech Talk
DevOps is software engineering culture and practice that works to unify software development (Dev) and software operation (Ops).
