As we wrap up our last week of Protiviti Women in IT, we would like for you to meet Caitlin McCoy!
Caitlin interned for Protiviti in the Indianapolis office during the summer of 2013, and graduated from Miami University of Ohio in May 2014 with a degree in Information Systems. After graduation, Caitlin started full-time and has now been with Protiviti for over a year. She focuses her time in our Internal Audit and Financial Advisory Technology solutions segment.
When we had some time to connect with Caitlin, we asked her the following questions:
- What attracted you to Protiviti? “My first exposure to Protiviti was at a career fair during my junior year at Miami University. After interacting with the Protiviti employees at career fair, I immediately connected with the individuals that I was speaking to—I felt comfortable talking with them and was able to picture myself working with them. Also, as a relatively young but established firm, Protiviti offered me significant exposure to a variety of projects due to the wide footprint of Protiviti across different industries while also having the perks of a younger firm such as accessibility to management, an innovative culture, and a drive to grow.”
- What excites you the most about your work in IT? “All organizations rely on IT infrastructure and IT resources in some form to operate, and there are so many branches that stem under the umbrella of IT to explore including network security, ERP implementations, and IT control design and effectiveness–all areas that I have gained experience in at Protiviti . Because of this, IT is a dynamic and challenging field that allows me to be creative and analytical at the same time. Working in IT at Protiviti offers me an abundance of opportunities to learn in this way but always connects it back to offering value to the client—which is a great combination for me and really motivates me.”
- What has been the biggest challenge you have faced working in IT? “As I approach each engagement, I’ve continued to push myself to see each work program or list of deliverable’s not as a static document but as a dynamic list that should be expected to change and be refined according to what we learn about the state of the IT environment at the client–whether that is current implementations, security issues, or IT initiatives. Having this mindset, ensures that what we are delivering is going to add as much value as possible.”
- Where do you see Protiviti in the IT space in the next 5 years? “As the Protiviti brand continues to grow, our client base will both expand and deepen. From an IT audit perspective, I think that the continued growth of Protiviti will increase the number of large co-sourcing relationships we have as we do more projects with annuity clients and as they bring us on for more work. Within the realm of IT Consulting, security work will continue in high demand and will become a large percentage of the practice.”
- Who has played a critical role in the development in your career? “One distinguishing characteristic of Protiviti is the culture, and I can say that I have directly experienced just how special the Protiviti culture is. Management in the Ohio Valley office has continued to listen well, support my goals, and take time for teaching moments. This has made a major difference in my development as a Protiviti consultant. It’s given me great exposure to a variety of projects, industries, and cities, while being equipped with the skills to take on any new challenge and excel in it due to the support I’ve received from management.”
- What do you enjoy doing outside of work? “As much as possible, I try to be active and do something outside. I like to run on the Monon Trail in Indianapolis and try to run races when I can. I also enjoy hammocking and reading outside or going for a hike in nearby state parks.”
Thanks Caitlin for being one of our Protiviti Women in IT spotlight professionals. We appreciate the time you took away from your client work to share with others about your career.