Philip Hagen

Phil HagenPhilip Hagen is the Principal Consultant with Lewes Technology Consulting, LLC.  He has collected a wide array of experience in creating and deploying strategic and ad-hoc IT solutions.  He has also managed the execution of large government programs as a contractor, handling all business aspects of a $30M annual business line.

Phil started his career in the then-budding information security world while still attending the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  His research in the field included both academic and practical applications, culminating with a proof-of-concept implementation of a rule-based, semi-autonomous host defense tool.  He was a founding member of the extracurricular computer security club at the Academy.

After graduation, Phil entered active duty service with the US Air Force as a Communication and Information Officer.  He was soon tasked with project management responsibilities within the “Year 2000” project covering several mission-critical functions and thousands of active duty members, civilian employes, and their families.  While that event was never as catastrophic as had been predicted, the plans he helped to create were later used successfully during rolling power blackouts imposed in the state of California in the early 2000s.  He also managed a network control center providing connectivity for all users at the base.

From California, the Air Force moved Phil to Washington, DC, where he was assigned to the Air Force Headquarters Operations Research arm.  He managed a small, top-notch team, supporting the high-technology requirements of over 200 analysts and other whizzes.  The demands of such a user base go far beyond the usual office automation needs, and were an eye-opening experience to the need for customer functionality to be taken first.  If a user cannot perform the tasks they were given, then there certainly isn’t much need for a support team.

In 2003, Phil shifted to the private sector, becoming a government contractor providing low-level technical services for a variety of exotic IT security solutions.  These included both pure and applied research tasks, as well as mission-critical systems demanding 24x7x365 operational status and support.  His additional duties also included managing the design, deployment, and support of a specialized network supporting 100 highly technical engineers, analysts, and developers located in over 10 office locations.  In this environment, security was a paramount concern, and balancing that with the users’ need to remain responsive was often a delicate process.

When an opportunity for program management was extended at the same contractor, he jumped at the chance to move from the frying pan to the fire, and took the reigns of a successful group of 70 personnel in the computer forensic field.  He provided P&L management, as well as career path guidance for the greater management team within the group.  The group underwent a significant period of growth, swelling to 85 personnel across several continents at any given time.

Most recently, Phil formed Lewes Technology Consulting, LLC, seeking to apply his IT and security experience to a wider base of small and medium businesses as they aspire to meet their business goals.

Phil and his family live in Lewes, Delaware.  His other interests include craft beer, home technology, and enjoying the great things that Sussex County, Delaware has to offer.