Ryan van der Vate

About Ryan van der Vate

I am a highly motivated self-starter with a degree in Cybersecurity and a Security+…

Experience

1. Cybersecurity Risk Advisory Consultant

   Baker Tilly

   Jan 2024 — Present · Tysons Corner, VA, US

   Led cybersecurity assessments for over 40 clients across diverse industries, evaluating technical configurations, policies, and procedures against standards such as NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, CMMC, CIS Controls, and IT SOX, and delivering tailored recommendations that improved compliance and strengthened security posture.• Conducted in-depth control walkthroughs with IT and security stakeholders, gathering documentation and evidence across tools like Palo Alto, Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike, Splunk, AWS, and Azure, to validate the design and operating effectiveness of security controls in both on-premises and cloud environments.• Identified control weaknesses, misconfigurations, and compliance gaps, helping clients proactively address risks before regulatory audits, leading to reduced audit findings and faster remediation cycles.• Produced executive-ready technical reports that translated complex cybersecurity findings into clear, prioritized recommendations, enabling leadership teams to make risk-informed decisions and improve their governance posture.• Conducted on-site assessments of data centers and office locations handling CUI, evaluating physical security safeguards against federal requirements, developing SSPs for system-specific and centralized environments, and creating CUI data flow diagrams to document and strengthen compliance posture.• Partnered with stakeholders including IT, compliance, and leadership teams to clarify control ownership, interpret framework requirements, and build a culture of security accountability within client environments.

Education

• Virginia Tech

  Bachelor's degree, Cybersecurity Management and Analytics