Category: Rapid7 Culture

Each March, we reflect on the historical accomplishments and ongoing need to support women. This, of course, should be embraced all 12 months of the year, but Women’s History Month gives us a special opportunity to learn from, celebrate, and amplify the voices of women.

At Rapid7, we’re shining a light on women's voices all month long with special events and panel discussions, while recommitting to the ongoing efforts that last all year long. Below you'll find some highlights from our International Women's Day panel, which focused equity, inclusion, and advocacy in the workplace.

Rapid7 International Women’s Day Panel

This year's panel focused on the difference between equity and equality. While historically the focus has been on creating equal opportunities, it’s argued that focusing instead on equitable policies is more effective, as it takes into account the advantages and disadvantages of each individual’s circumstance.

“If we want to drive equitable processes to create an EQUAL playing field, we need to recognize the advantages and disadvantages that are out there today, and address them,” said Laura Ellis, Rapid7 Vice President of Data Engineering and Platform Analytics.

Creating equitable processes requires a dedicated effort and requires us to lean into hard conversations to address common stigmas. If organizations are committed to creating equitable policies and practices, having a culture that supports safe spaces is essential in getting to the most impactful solutions.

“Safety comes easy for a lot of our dominant groups or leaders with a certain title—but we should be aware that it’s not always there for our non-dominant groups,” said Nancy Li, Rapid7 Director of Engineering. “Be open to trying different forums where people can speak. Your loudest voices aren’t always representative of the whole population.”

So, what are some practices that we can take into the workplace to help create more equitable workplaces? Here are a few additional takeaways from the discussion.

1. Grow your teams with intention. If you are a hiring manager, or in a role where you influence hiring, slow down and partner with your Talent Acquisition team to ensure you’re seeking out a diverse candidate pool right from the start. Ask questions about where they are sourcing talent, what schools and universities they are historically partnering with, and see if there are opportunities to incorporate more diversity into the talent pipeline. It doesn’t stop once someone gets hired either—mentoring and providing support can help them gain the skills necessary to continue to advance their careers. Build out a multi dimensional team, and be open to the ways that each member’s different experiences can help fuel the innovation and creativity of the team.
   
2. Be an Upstander for One Another. Many women on the panel shared experiences of when another woman or a male ally stood up for them in the moment. What was shared was that once you feel the support of someone standing up for you by pointing out something that wasn’t right, it makes that person feel even more comfortable passing that support on and standing up for someone else. As stated by one group member, “After an upstander demonstrates how you should be treated—what a difference it makes in your confidence, and in your ability to be an upstander for someone else and pay that forward. Embrace it and then pass it on and use it to support someone else.”
   
3. Recognize that progress is fragile—we cannot lose focus. While women have made significant advancements in the workplace, the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated just how fragile this progress can be, especially when many women still bear the brunt of caregiving. While panelists observed progress being made and the gender diversity of the teams around them, they also pointed out that post pandemic, many women who left the workforce still have yet to return. In fact, the US Department of Labor reported that more than two years post-pandemic, women’s labor participation is still a full percentage point lower than what it was pre-pandemic. This means that roughly 1 million women are missing from the labor force. Flexible working policies provide a way to ensure that employees are able to balance their personal commitments and caregiving responsibilities with their work responsibilities. Offering this flexibility to both men and women in the workplace takes this one step further, as it was noted that even policies that are not exclusively for women, have the ability to impact women elsewhere as families are able to share responsibilities more equally.
   
4. We all have imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome isn’t something that is limited to a specific pay band or job level. We are consistently our own toughest critic, and can sometimes feel like there is “someone else” who should be taking advantage of an opportunity or stepping up to take on a leadership role. To combat imposter syndrome,  the panel recommended  looking around the room to determine where your skills can add value, and not being afraid to share that. It was also mentioned that many women are quick to brush off compliments when they are recognized for their work. However, it takes a lot for someone to go out of their way and pay you a compliment, so when that happens, lean into it and really listen to that positive feedback. Those moments can really make an impact on what you believe you are capable of, and make it easier to overcome that feeling of imposter syndrome. Finally, the group stressed the importance of leveraging the resources available to you through your employer, whether it’s access to therapy services or an employee assistance program. Sometimes the key to overcoming imposter syndrome is having someone help us reframe the situation, and shift our perspective. There's no shame in speaking with someone who is trained to help us navigate all stages of life and career.
   
5. Use your voice. Even if it shakes. When paving the path to a more equitable world, things aren’t going to be easy or comfortable the whole time. Continue to speak up and speak out - both for yourself, and for others.

This panel discussion took place on March 8th, and through the month our Women Impact Group will continue to partner with the business to host open and honest conversations and opportunities for reflection and education. This includes an allyship training session hosted by both our Women’s Impact Group and our PRIDE Impact Group, with guests from PFLAG.

In our internal communication channels, we’re spotlighting women in our organization who are making a considerable impact on our business and customers, shining an extra spotlight on the work and accomplishments of our own women at Rapid7. In a fireside chat, “Celebrating Women’s Voices”, leaders shared their own experiences in the workplace and the importance of sharing our journeys and building each other up. From parenting challenges to advocating for yourself and others, to moments of self doubt, these personal stories are shared to emphasize the importance of hard conversations and navigating challenges.

While we remain committed to uplifting the voices and representation of women in our industry throughout the year, we’re proud to have our Rapid Impact Groups driving these events in March that spark important conversations and provide real resources and opportunities for connection and community for our people.

Click here to learn more about our Rapid Impact Groups, and our ongoing commitment to diversity at Rapid7.

Elianna Sfez is a Detection and Response Practice Operations Manager based in Rapid7’s Tel Aviv office. As she approaches her six month anniversary with the company, we sat down to chat about her new hire journey, initial impressions and experiences in her new role, Rapid7 culture, and more.

Tell me about your role at Rapid7.

I am the Threat Intelligence Practice Operations Manager. My main goal is to help our teams work more efficiently on cross functional projects, whether that's within our specific practices or between practice teams. Most of the projects I deal with are aimed at supporting the customer experience and improving the customer journey. In my role, I look at everything from R&D to Customer Success and Product and look for ways to deliver the best experience and journey for our customers. Typically, that means identifying bottlenecks and looking for ways to make things better.

What made you excited to join Rapid7?

In my career, I’ve worked with a mix of true startups, as well as companies that were transitioning from the startup phase to a more mature corporation by way of acquisition. This specific type of growth is really interesting to me—seeing the transformation happen as they move from a small startup to a larger company. With Rapid7, I was excited about the challenge of the role. With the maturity of the company and its acquisition of IntSights, I was really excited to be part of navigating that change for the team and building out this new role in Tel Aviv.

What are the major differences you see between working in a startup environment vs. a more global corporation?

There are a lot of differences moving from a startup to a larger corporation, mostly in the way you work and the pressure of the environment. In a startup, you have to be very reactive and respond to challenges at any time—even if it means being up at 3:00 am to troubleshoot issues. There’s a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality and as you are trying to build something from the ground up. It’s important to get that momentum going and have the ability to wear a lot of different hats to solve challenges. The CTO is often right in the trenches with you, and everyone is working around the clock to keep the business moving forward.

As you get larger, you have to get better at being proactive and seeing that fire coming, and figuring out how to fix it before it becomes an issue. Cybersecurity is a field where this is really important because hackers are advancing every day. We’re challenging ourselves to anticipate what customers are going to need 6 months, a year, or two years from now, so we can continue to stay ahead. In a bigger company you have more resources and people who are able to be experts in their areas of focus. We have teams that we can rely on for their insights and expertise, and you aren’t on your own to solve problems. You have more of a support system to lean on and that also helps you grow and learn too.

How would you describe your onboarding experience?

My onboarding experience was interesting, mostly because I don’t have any team members locally in Israel. My manager is in the US and we’re truly a global team. Regardless, people were really welcoming and amazing each step of the way. It was nice to meet other new hires from around the world during the global onboarding sessions, and everyone in the local office was eager to learn more about what I do, and how they can help.

My manager created an onboarding project plan which was also really helpful. I got to see an overview of what my first week would look like, what my first month would look like, and felt confident knowing everything was set up already. There was a good mix of meetings on my calendar with people my manager wanted me to connect with, but I also had enough unscheduled time where I was encouraged to do my own outreach and determine who else I would want to connect with and learn from as well.

Having ownership in the process made it really exciting and gave me permission to ask questions and learn more about the business. My manager even asked me to think about three things I wanted to go and learn more about or become an expert in. That permission to grow and learn right from the start is really empowering in terms of creating your own career path.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy the challenge of working with a global team to help build and improve on our customer experiences. I feel I am creating an impact, and that I have the support of the people around me. One thing I’ve found here is that even if someone doesn’t have an answer to your question, they are more than happy to help you find the right person or go find out and circle back with you. Everyone here has new ideas, and those ideas are really welcome. People are curious and ask the right questions to get to the root of a challenge, and there's an appetite to keep trying new things to find solutions.

How would you describe R7 to someone outside the company?

Everyone has a shared goal of bringing more value to our customers. That alignment helps us all feel connected and committed to helping each other get to the best outcomes possible. It’s a big job and it takes a lot of work, but it also gives you an incredible opportunity to grow in a place where you are supported and encouraged to try new things.

How do the Rapid7 values influence workplace culture?

The company is really living their core values, it’s not just something that they promote externally. Everyone is expected to be transparent and open, and everyone is really supportive in helping you grow and do the best work possible.

When it comes to workplace flexibility, there’s a culture where everyone trusts one another to do what they need to do. As a mom, this means I’m able to leave early and pick up my son and then jump on after hours to wrap things up. I’m having my second child in April, and Rapid7 hired me while I was pregnant. All of my team members were so welcoming and wonderful about this. I’ve even recommended a friend to cover for my role while I’m on maternity leave.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about the culture of the company, the values they have, and the exciting and interesting work that’s being done. There’s an opportunity to do really incredible and impactful work, but also have that space to create balance in our lives without being judged or feeling guilty.

To learn more about opportunities available at Rapid7, visit: careers.rapid7.com.

For the fifth year in a row, Rapid7 is pleased to share that we've been included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index. The Gender Equality Index (GEI) recognizes publicly traded companies for being transparent in their commitment to gender equality. This includes how they score in areas such as talent pipeline and leadership, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-harassment policies, and more. Inclusion in the GEI for 2023 recognizes our commitment to transparency while building a workplace that enables every person to have the career experience of a lifetime.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rapid7

We know that diversity of backgrounds and mindsets help us close gaps in experience and spark innovation. A deep commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is core to the strength and success of our business. It empowers communities, makes our company healthier, and makes our customers more secure. It’s also, quite simply, the right thing to do.

Bring You is an initiative that builds on the focused efforts we started in 2018 to ensure that every employee—regardless of their ethnicity, gender, religion, or background—has the opportunity to thrive in their career and feel a sense of belonging within our community. More than just a set of goals, Bring You is using targeted investments to cultivate an increasingly diverse workforce as we continue to grow. While that overarching mission speaks to the essence of inclusion, Bring You highlights our focus on continuing to strengthen our gender and racial diversity in the organization in a measurable, impactful way.

In 2022, we celebrated the addition of three new employee resource groups, while bringing additional structure and resources to the existing three. The resource groups, referred to as our Rapid Impact Groups, are entirely driven by employees who serve as local leads, while being supported by the business. Today, these Rapid Impact Groups include:

• Rapid7 Women: Supporting and advocating for women and female identifying individuals
• Moose Mosaic: Supporting and advocating for our AAPI community
• Moose Vets: Supporting and advocating for our veterans and former military community
• Rapid7 Diversability and Neurodiversity: Aims to level the playing field by making the day-to-day experience of ALL employees equivalent in challenge level regardless of disability or neurodivergence
• Rapid7 Pride: Supporting and advocating for our LGBTQIA+ community
• Rapid7 Vibranium: Supporting and advocating for our Black and LatinX community

Click here to learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rapid7, including our latest social good report.

Looking Ahead

One of our core values is: Never Done. We will continue to be transparent about progress and push forward to create more inclusive environments, build a workforce that reflects all communities present in the world, and create a culture committed to educating ourselves to better empathize and support one another.

In 2023, we will continue to challenge ourselves, leaning into additional programming, creating new ways for employees to build cultural competency and investing in more tools so we can continue to build teams that are dynamic, innovative, and more effective in driving positive customer outcomes.

We value visibility and being included in surveys such as the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, as it allows us to measure the progress on our journey and be accountable, as a responsible leader in the Cybersecurity space.

Originally planning to pursue a career in sports journalism, Blake Walters joined Rapid7 ready to roll up his sleeves and learn about an entirely new field—cybersecurity. Walters always had an interest in computer engineering. However, he craved the ability to connect with people and build relationships instead of working deep within coding.

Walters is a learner by nature and is not afraid to take on new challenges or face new risks. Living by the mindset, “If I don’t know, I will work to figure it out,” he began his journey as a recruiter in the technology space. This gave him a great opportunity to learn more about how software is built, which eventually led him to Customer Success, where he could build relationships with customers and help others.

Walters had his first personal brush with cybersecurity when a client he was working with, a small hospital, got hit with Wannacry ransomware in 2017. He became even more curious about cybersecurity as he witnessed firsthand the impact it had on his client.

“You know what cybersecurity is and you know people get hacked all the time, but unless you are in it, you don’t realize the ins and outs of what that impact is,” he said. “There were 4-5 weeks where they couldn’t access hospital records, patient information, company files, ANYTHING. That’s a big challenge for a small hospital, or any company.”

From there, the stars aligned, and Walters was approached with an opportunity to join Rapid7. He noted that during his interview there was less emphasis on having a vast amount of cybersecurity knowledge. Instead, the focus was on his ability to build relationships and proactively use the resources provided by Rapid7 to build the industry knowledge needed to be successful in the role.

According to Walters, joining Rapid7 felt like he had finally found a place where he could do what he loved, while being supported in continuing to learn a new industry and grow his career.

“With cybersecurity, it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. Hackers are changing all the time. If we aren’t also helping our customers evolve and improve their security over time, we are doing them a disservice,” he said. “That’s why Customer Success is so important. It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been in the past, it’s about how good you’re going to be moving forward. That is an exciting and motivating mindset to have.”

One of the biggest misconceptions about cybersecurity is that you need to have specific knowledge to break into the field. According to Walters, that was not his experience.  

“Everyone has a day 1. You don't wake up with knowledge of cybersecurity products,” he said. “If you are trying to break into the field, just start reading. There is plenty of information out there. Learn the basics, and then as you're looking at companies and jobs, start tailoring your understanding of what that company does.”

In an environment where things change so rapidly, it is integral to have an open mind and willingness to adapt. In regard to Rapid7 specifically, Walters believes diversity is key to the company’s success.

“Having different types of people and backgrounds in an organization has a huge impact. It keeps you out of groupthink and lets people collaborate for a common good,” he said. “At Rapid7, that stood out to me early in the interview process. Everyone is challenging one another to be better. That's what I was looking for in a company regardless of what industry or business it was.”

Overall, Walters wants others out there thinking about entering the cybersecurity space to know that with some effort, you can make it happen. Even without a technical background.

“Don’t be afraid to push yourself outside your comfort zone. I came into this with no cyber experience. It shows the ability of Rapid7 to take a risk on people who are willing to come in, devote themselves to learning and growth, put in the work, and make an impact,” he said. “It’s not about just finding a job, it’s about finding a home.”

To learn more about opportunities available at Rapid7, visit: careers.rapid7.com

On January 3rd, it was a little bit quieter than usual here at Rapid7. That's because our offices were closed for our first of five Global Days Off for 2023.

Global Days Off are designed to encourage teams around the world to unplug and rest, enabling them to bring their best selves back to work. At Rapid7, we care for our employees and believe these days will enable our teams to rest and recharge together, so we can continue to create positive outcomes for customers.

We already offer generous or unlimited paid time off plans, as well as a high level of flexibility in how our people structure their days. However, we all recognize that it can be difficult to step away from our work, especially when that work is so impactful. Global Days Off are aimed at providing relief throughout the year.

Days are strategically placed throughout the year, either extending existing holidays or weekends, or providing much needed relief during stretches of the year without holidays. They provide an opportunity for our people to enjoy a day off without feeling the urge to “check in,” having to miss out on meetings, or sift through an overcrowded inbox upon their return.

We are in the process of creating an updated service schedule for shift teams that directly monitor and support customers, so everyone can enjoy time off without impacting our customers.  

We’ve always done our best to balance the well being of our team, while delivering the best outcomes for our customers—especially over the last few years.  By continuing to invest and align our people strategy and actions with our business goals, we are well positioned to create impact for our customers, our employees, and our industry.

If you’d like to learn more about the important and impactful work our teams are doing around the globe, check out our careers site.

On November 30th, 2022, Rapid7 was again recognized by The Boston Globe as a Top Place to Work in Massachusetts. This marks the 11th consecutive year Rapid7 has made the list, this time coming in at #3 in the large company category. Top Places to Work rankings are based on a Globe survey that measures worker opinions about their company’s direction, management, pay and benefits, culture, engagement, and more.

Christina Luconi, Chief People Officer at Rapid7, is proud that the company has maintained such a consistent place in one of the most prestigious workplace award programs in the region—especially as the company has grown and scaled over more than a decade.

“We started participating when Rapid7 had less than 100 employees. Since then, we’ve scaled the size categories from small, to medium, to large, and still maintained that ‘great place to work’ status,” she said. “Today, we have nearly 2,700 people in offices around the world, with 735 in our Boston headquarters.”

Luconi believes it’s more than office perks that keep people engaged and ensure long term company success. “The companies that stand the test of time as truly amazing places to work are those that unite employees around a shared mission of customer success,” she said. “From there, these organizations are able map their business strategy back to an environment where their people are inspired, motivated, and thrive.”

To create an environment that fosters innovation and success, Rapid7’s people development team empowers employees to take ownership of their career trajectory and goals. This includes programs at every stage of the employee lifecycle, from onboarding to management and leadership positions.

“Rapid7’s strong sense of core values, impactful company mission, and alignment between business and people strategy is what makes the company special,” said Luconi.

For more information about working at Rapid7, please visit our careers page.