Dr. Bill Lawrence

Chief Information and Security Officer, for Hopr.co, a start-up cybersecurity technology company specializing in developing and providing several products that have a unique way of providing end-to-end data transport security protection across any Internet Cloud environments as well as machine to machine trust without the need for exchanging passwords or using conventional third party Certificate Authority processes. See www.hopr.co.

Led Professional Services Delivery OT Cybersecurity Risk Engineering group. Client organizations range across all areas of critical infrastructure from energy to finance to communications. Significant functions of his team included:  Risk-based cybersecurity consulting services provided to national and international clients in all aspects of Operations Technology (OT)  Creation, development, and deployment of various consulting solutions methodologies.  Assessments of enterprise OT and IT cybersecurity risk levels.  Recommended gap remediation strategies, implementation roadmaps.

Led/Directly participated in multiple projects involving assessment of commercial enterprise IT and operations cybersecurity maturities/capabilities and development of gap mitigation plans/roadmaps involving policies, standards, controls, guidelines from organizations, including National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and Department of Energy (DOE).  Focused on Electric Power Industry; helped clients conceptualize, plan, and implement Smart Grid, Communications, and cybersecurity systems and technology as strategic assets.  Technical leader/contributor on electric energy sector power distribution automation/cybersecurity projects  Helped large electric utility develop five-year technology implementation plan for upgrading IT infrastructure to support aggressive Smart Grid modernization plan  Business planning leader/contributor on capabilities assessments and gap analyses that lead to actionable strategic capabilities evolution roadmaps involving IT/cybersecurity processes/technology.  Provided technical leadership and guidance.  Participated in IRAD development of new initiatives involving Smart Grid distribution automation, energy efficiency, and cybersecurity.  Leader/Participant in national Smart Grid industry forums/organizations (former NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Panel [SGIP] Board of Directors, former UTC Smart Networks Council Board of Directors, Lockheed Martin representative supporting development of NIST Cybersecurity Framework).

Developed and built new secure architectures, processes, and tools for company’s Smart Grid End-to-End Systems Engineering and Strategic Technology Planning initiatives, including secure systems and equipment for AMI, Fault Detection, Volt/VAR Optimization, and BPL Communications.  Led systems analyses for next generation product approaches and architecture selections.  Developed sensors, analytics, and communications architectures for Smart Grid metrology and fault detection applications in domestic and international environments.  Realigned/Led electrical hardware, embedded software, mechanical design, development, testing for unique Smart Grid product portfolios, including wide range of equipment for use in highly challenging physical environments and communications channels across electric utility infrastructures.  Built highly specialized field test facilities for testing BPL equipment in live Power Utility environments.  Successfully took multiple BPL network products from concept to mass production ready.  Significantly raised overall BPL network stability and performance metrics

As an independent consultant, provided technology development, business management, and funding acquisition support services to early-stage businesses.  Engaged as interim CEO, COO, CTO, VP Strategic Marketing to turn-around “problem” companies in Venture Capital Investor’s portfolios.  Developed basic concepts into functional/physical designs, intellectual property, national system architecture, business/service models for early-stage company with breakthrough technology for highly scalable interactive/on-demand digital video services; led to highly successful sale of intellectual property rights.  Led re-positioning into new, more viable markets for early-stage company commercializing state-of-the-art IR laser diode technology for long-range communications.  Led new market opportunity development and value proposition validation for early-stage company developing VoIP technology solutions.  Executive-in-Residence and Member of Technical Advisory Board for venture capital fund specializing in early-stage information and communications technology companies.

Professional services firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, specialized in planning, designing, and implementing eBusiness Communications Infrastructures for Fortune 1000 companies. Started, built, and led the company’s global infrastructure professional services practices and laboratories.  Led development of methodologies, service delivery guides, sales collateral, and training materials used by Netigy’s consultants.  Spanned all electronic communications/information infrastructure technologies from cybersecurity to wire and wireless voice, data, video LAN/WAN networks through IT servers, databases, management systems, and middleware.  Grew consulting practices from few dozen consultants in 2 offices to over 600 in 12 offices across U.S. and Europe in under 2 years.

Created and led Bell Atlantic’s (Presently Verizon) Technology Architecture Planning organization.  Led initial concept development and preliminary business cases for several major technology-related strategic corporate business initiatives (including DSL for broadband data access) Resulted in significant and positive new services and revenue impacts.  Created and led company’s cross-functional Network Architecture Working Group o Delivered first “Integrated Technology Roadmap” for Bell Atlantic  Introduced/Helped institutionalize systems engineering processes across network engineering organization. o Saved substantial technology integration time and expenses.  Led corporation’s Standards organization that established Bell Atlantic as dominant player in telecom standards arena, especially for new technology. o Saved countless dollars in network interface and equipment costs.  Executive Director for Technology, led all initial projects and activities relating to technology planning and enterprise system architecture development for Video Services Company (joint venture start-up funded by Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, and PACTEL) o Defined, built, and led video services technology architecture engineering. o Managed numerous complex relationships with many vendors involved in overall service solution, resulting in highly successful commercial marketing and technical trials of Video-on-Demand over ADSL transport.

Led Professional Services Practices serving US Government classified agencies involved in communications and security.

Led the Internal Research and Development projects in Information Security

Researcher in Information Security