The people and the idea behind Assured are the key to everything. It is a privilege to have extremely competent people just a keyboard away
says Mattias β one of the founders and a man with an unusually large number of hats.
Mattias Jidhage has been with Assured since day one, when the company was founded. It has almost been ten years now. He jokingly calls himself the Security Janitor, someone who runs around cleaning up for customers. But he wears many hats at the company.
The atmosphere and mentality are the most important things for Mattias: The culture, that's where it all started. Then the company was built around that idea.
And Assured's internal values β The Hero, The Expert, and The Passion β are central to this.
The Hero β we stand for the good, the open, and the transparent. The Expert β quality is never compromised, and we always aim to exceed expectations. The Passion β Assured is so much more than just a job and a paycheck, we believe in creating such a work environment that you genuinely want to go to work.
In almost 10 years, only 2 employees have actually left, and one came back almost immediately.
We emphasize this heavily during recruitments. Those who get excited about what we also believe in are more likely to be hired and stay. It's quite amazing, you have to pinch yourself
, says Mattias, continuing: In almost 10 years, only 2 employees have actually left, and one came back almost immediately.
For formality's sake, he adds that a couple of the founders have chosen to go separate ways, but the bottom line remains the same.
Speaking of those hats, Mattias has held several roles over time. Like most, he is primarily a consultant, helping clients in his role as a Security Architect. At an earlier stage, he also contributed a lot by being the energy and motor of Assured, but jokes that nowadays he acts more like a wise old uncle
in that context.
This was in the late 90s, so there was no broadband to speak of β the pentest had to be done via a good old-fashioned modem.
With warmth, Mattias remembers his thesis at Chalmers: This was in the late 90s, so there was no broadband to speak of β the pentest had to be done via a good old-fashioned modem,
he laughs.
Another fun anecdote is that Mattias was involved in pentesting the high school admissions system Indra in Gothenburg once upon a time. He jokes further: And what do you think my kids are applying with now? Indra2! I've been working with this for a whole generation now.
Another hat that Mattias gladly wears is the recruitment hat. He is primarily responsible for interviews and most things related to recruitment. Running interviews and seeing the people is really my thing. Of course, I look at competence, but mostly if they fit into the culture.
For Mattias, the culture is everything, that's clear.
Economics, profitability, and profit are not central. They're necessary, though, because otherwise we wouldn't be able to pay salaries.
And then, once again, to the core values. We want to be the good guys β the independent, competent company you can trust,
Mattias repeats, continuing: That, in turn, has led to a unique group of individuals that I love to spend time with.
The primary goal is not to generate returns. Economics, profitability, and profit are not central. They are necessary, though, because otherwise we wouldn't be able to pay salaries,
he adds.
Further, Mattias beams with pride: Everyone here is incredibly competent, and they genuinely care. The drive is always honest, open, and positive. People want to be helpful, make a difference. It's incredibly refreshing to work in such an atmosphere.
He can't help but add to that: Often, there are multiple layers of politics. Why was this decision made? It's so nice to avoid that atmosphere. The focus is on doing good things instead!
he adds.