Cyber Sentinel Chad Barr Protects CRRA & CMLS’ Computers, Network From Internet Attacks

By Elizabeth Donahue

Chad Barr, CMLS’ IT Manager, is known fondly among associates as “the guy with the alphabet after his name.” That’s because Barr has earned such professional certifications as CISSP® (Certified Information System Security Professional), TICSA (TrueSecure ICSA, International Computer Security Association, Certified Security Associate), (CEH ) Certified Ethical Hacker, MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and CSSA (Certified SonicWALL Security Administrator).

What does that mean?

The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)2® president and interim CEO Rolf Moulton translates: “In today’s society, our heavy reliance on electronic and wireless communications makes us vulnerable to professional cyber thieves that threaten to steal identities and assets. Just as police officers protect our streets, qualified, highly trained information security professionals are critical to protecting us against the cyber attacks that jeopardize our economies and way of life.” The CISSP© is the internationally recognized “gold standard” for certifying information security professionals and only a very limited number of people in the world hold it! It is formally approved by the U.S. Department of Defense and is also endorsed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).

In other words, in addition to being the association’s “go-to guy” for computer and technology issues, such as networking, hardware and printer troubleshooting, Windows and Office applications, email mail and the phone system issues, Barr is the Jack Bower of CRRA’s computer world, on the alert for cyber terrorism 24 hours a day.

“It’s been a goal of mine since I got into the security field to receive my CISSP®,” Barr says. “I think you must stay on top of the curve so you can be the best.”

Tech, Math Savvy for a Long Time

Born in Blacksburg, Va., while his dad was attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Barr is the oldest of Mike and Judy Barr’s three sons. He comes by his interest in technology and math honestly. His dad is an analytical chemist and lab manager for FMC Corp. in Gastonia, a diversified, global chemical company headquartered in Chicago that serves agricultural, industrial and consumer markets. His mom is an office assistant for Charlotte Dermatology.

Barr says, “I really enjoyed Business in school, but Mom always told me, ‘You’re gonna need math.’ She was right. I use it every day, especially algebra.”
The Barr family moved to Charlotte when Barr was 2 years old. He got his first computer, a Tandy, when he was 12. “I played with it and had a knack for it. Then I took two classes in computer education along with typing.” By then, he was hooked. Graduating from East Mecklenburg High School in late spring of 1995, Barr took a month off, and then jumped into the computer science curriculum at King’s College with the goal of graduating a year later.
“I was determined,” Barr says. He attended school every day, including Saturdays and half-days on Sundays.

“Those were the days when we wore shirts, ties and jackets to school,” he remembers. “Fridays were business career days, and on those days, we wore full suits — just the opposite of today’s ‘casual Fridays.’”

And in his “spare time” during college? “I worked full time as assistant soft lines manager at the Super K-mart on Sardis Road. I started when I was 15 and was there for five years, working my way up from collecting carts in the parking lot to management.”

An Eventual Link to CRRA

Barr believes this early work experience and the rigors of the business college prepared him well for the working world, especially in business and written communication.
Not surprisingly, his goal of graduating in 1996 was met. Barr was one of only five people to earn diplomas that year out of 25 who had started the course. Soon, he signed on at Kaiser Fluid Technologies, a subsidiary of Rockwell Collins and a supplier of valves and actuators for aircraft and turbine engine applications for such clients as Lockheed Martin and Boeing. He had interned earlier at Kaiser and was ultimately named MIS Director. There he reported to Steve Byrd, who would play a role in his future at CRRA as well.

As things began to change in the aerospace industry, Barr launched his own network consulting firm, InfoData Solutions, Inc. But he soon began a five-year stint at TransUnion Technology Group, a division of TransUnion SSI, a global provider of business intelligence and credit information services that delivers loan-processing services to the residential lending industry.
In his positions as Network Administrator and, ultimately, systems engineer, Barr worked on special projects and traveled weekly to such locations as Columbia, S.C., Kingsport, Tenn., Atlanta and Richmond. He also established the company’s offices in Plano, Tex., and Irvine, Calif.

“My boss assigned me anything and everything,” he recalls. “That’s where I got most of my experience.” Of course, that also translated into considerable overtime. “A 60-hour workweek was considered a slow week,” he explains. “But I believe that if you do something, you should do it the best you can. I’m not afraid of hard work; I put 130 percent into what I do.”

Work Ethic Draws Attention

Two people, in particular, took note of Barr’s commitment. One was Accounts Receivable Manager Melissa Burnett, who would later become Barr’s wife. And the other was former boss Steve Byrd, who had been named vice president and chief information officer for CMLS. “Steve e-mailed me occasionally with lunch invitations, and I’d see him a couple times a year,” Barr says. “We’d joke about my going to work for him again. Then, one day, he called and said, ‘I have a position for you.’ That was three years ago, and I’ve been at CMLS ever since.”
So what does the hard-driving Chad Barr do for fun? Anything with his family.
“Melissa and I have a 6 year-old daughter named Katlyn” he says. Not surprisingly, Katlyn became computer-literate in kindergarten and now takes computer classes once a week.
The family went to Walt Disney World when Katlyn was 4. “I liked it, too,” Barr admits. “We were there a week and hit every park, including the water park. My favorite was the Animal Kingdom.

“I love to scuba dive and try to get out twice a year, once to a quarry in Thomasville, and once with a local dive club in Myrtle Beach. And, I coach Katlyn’s soccer team for at the Porter Ridge Athletic Association.”

The computer guru is not a computer junkie even when not at work. “I’m the Webmaster for our church, Emmanuel Baptist in Monroe, along with a few other websites” Barr says. When not at work Barr is researching the latest technology, volunteering at his church, spending time with his friends and family or doing web site and security consulting work with his company C&A Enterprises.