anna belak
Director of Thought Leadership at Sysdig
securing container , kubernetes , cloud | former gartner analyst
'm ex-gartner analyst , technical content creator , public speaker deep expertise container , kubernetes , cloud security . 've helped hundred client , small large , public private sector , hone strategy execution modernize business . help organization answer question like : adapt security practice cloud-native world ? select deploy appropriate tool process address business need ? make sense new technology trend like threat deception , machine learning , container ?
Sysdig
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sysdig
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Director of Thought Leadership
Gartner
https://www.linkedin.com/company/gartner
› Set the research agenda, maintained portfolio, and managed production cadence for a team of 8 analysts. 
› Mentored 20 junior and senior staff on technical writing, presenting, research methods, and client service.
› Partnered with team managers to interview, hire, and train 7 industry analysts across different practices. 
› Led and supported cross-functional teams through numerous internal and client-facing projects. 
› Advised >500 enterprise end users, IT service providers, and investors on emerging technology trends. 
› Produced written research providing IT technical professionals actionable advice in the areas of infrastructure and operations and information security and risk management. 
› Responded to hundreds of client inquiries per year (4.9/5 rating) and provided support to sales teams. 
› Created and delivered dozens of presentations for IT professionals and business leaders on a global stage. 
› Consistently recognized as top writer, speaker, peer reviewer, thought leader, and overall performer.

Coverage Areas:
› Security monitoring and operations 
› Threat detection and incident response 
› Vulnerability and patch management 
› Control validation and security assessment 
› Network detection and response 
› Threat deception and honeypots 
› Application and container security 
› Machine learning and artificial intelligence 
› Open source software 
› DevOps and DevSecOps 
› Public cloud 
› Docker 
› Kubernetes 
› CSPM, CWPP

Skills:
› Project management 
› Product management 
› Technical architecture 
› Consulting and advisory 
› Data analysis 
› Market research 
› Competitive positioning 
› Sales support 
› Public speaking 
› Teaching and mentoring 
› Technical writing and editing 
› Native speaker: Russian
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Director Analyst, Key Initiative Leader
PHOTON Consulting
https://www.linkedin.com/company/photon-consulting
› Analyzed solar market trends from reported data and primary sources from over 80 countries. 
› Built economic models and synthesized client-ready deliverables, generating $17M in annual revenue.
Greater Boston Area
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Research Associate
University of Michigan
https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-of-michigan
› Developed models to explore the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of alloys and battery materials. Adviser and Doctoral Committee Chair: Prof. Anton Van der Ven
› Performed experiments to improve the efficiency of organic optoelectronic devices (solar cells and photodetectors). Adviser: Prof. Stephen R. Forrest
› Managed lab equipment and resources, including acquisition, negotiations, and safety regulation compliance.
› Prepared presentations, research proposals, and annual progress reports for funding agencies.
Ann Arbor, MI
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Graduate Research Assistant
AJE - American Journal Experts
https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-journal-experts
Edited scientific manuscripts for grammar and style in preparation for peer reviewed journals.
Durham, NC
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Editor
PhD
Materials Science and Engineering
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University of Michigan
https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-michigan/
BS
Physics
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Virginia Tech
https://www.linkedin.com/school/virginia-tech/
The introduction of DevOps, infrastructure as code and containers creates new challenges for vulnerability management while exacerbating existing ones. This research helps security and risk management technical professionals prepare for these high-agility trends.
Adapting Vulnerability Management to the Modern IT World of Containers and DevOps
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3979374
Security and risk management technical professionals are flooded with artificial intelligence and machine learning marketing from vendors. This research explores real-world examples to assess the effectiveness of AI and ML approaches in improving security posture.
Assessing the Impact of Machine Learning on Security
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3913278
Vulnerability assessment tools play a critical role in vulnerability management. Security and risk management technical professionals performing vulnerability assessments can use this research to compare the most visible SaaS-delivered VA tools from Qualys, Rapid7 and Tenable based on the most essential capabilities.
Solution Comparison for SaaS-Based Vulnerability Assessment Tools
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3976302
Increased complexity and frequency of attacks, along with historical over-reliance on preventative controls, elevate the need for detection and incident response capabilities. This Solution Path helps technical professionals evolve the processes, tools and skills for performing these activities.
Solution Path for Implementing Threat Detection and Incident Response
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3897465
Running containers in production requires automation and management of manifest files, repositories and infrastructure. To help technical professionals in I&O harness the agility benefits of DevOps, this research offers best practices for building and operating deployment pipelines with Docker.
Designing and Operating DevOps Workflows to Deploy Containerized Applications
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3869918
Building a container stack from the ground up is not for everyone. Many public cloud providers offer managed container services, also known as "CaaS," to simplify the deployment of Docker containers. This assessment aids technical professionals in evaluating Amazon, Microsoft and Google offerings.
Container Services in the Public Cloud
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3666417
Docker containers stress the infrastructure differently than virtual and bare-metal servers. Today's monitoring tools are unable to provide sufficient visibility to be effective for containers. This assessment provides approaches to help technical professionals capture and process relevant metrics.
Assessing Monitoring Tools for a Container-Ready Infrastructure
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3524018
A successful Docker containers initiative requires the adoption of new technology, processes and governance, as well as a new culture. This guidance outlines the essential steps technical professionals should take before starting to deploy Docker containers.
How to Prepare Your Enterprise for a Docker Containers Initiative
Gartner
https://www.gartner.com/document/3826965
The Golden Quill award recognizes excellent writing in published research. Judging is based on criteria in the areas of writing quality (75%) and client impact (25%).  

https://www.gartner.com/document/3826965
Gartner
Golden Quill
Top ten presentation scores at the Gartner Catalyst Conference.
Gartner
Catalyst Top Ten Speaker
Restructured and conducted the annual graduate recruitment events, which resulted in a 50% enrollment increase for the incoming class.
University of Michigan Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Department Service Award
University of Michigan Graduate School
Rackham Merit Fellowship
Advanced Statistical Mechanics
PHYS 623
Applied Quantum Mechanics
EECS 540 & 541
Diffusion and Kinetics
MSE 535
Physics and Chemistry of Materials
MSE 500
Structure of Materials
MSE 560
Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
MSE 532
* Worked with a team of university executive officers on the development of vision, strategic direction, and implementation plans for shared information and communication technologies for the entire university.
* Reviewed, prioritized, and recommended for funding projects that align with University of Michigan IT strategy.
* Represented and communicated with >14,000 graduate and professional student constituents.
University of Michigan IT Council
http://cio.umich.edu/governance/it-council.php
* Served as Representative and Co-chair of Academic and Legislative Affairs Committees
* Wrote and updated university policy, interfaced with university leadership, and resolved student grievances.
* Organized events to engage students with the university administration and local and state political leaders.
Rackham Graduate Student Government
https://rsg.umich.edu/
Quantum Mechanics
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4282948
University of Michigan Alumni
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/41029
Computational Physics
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1316307
Linked:Energy (Energy industry expertise)
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/62696
Gartner Women
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1594417
University of Michigan Materials Science & Engineering Alumni
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C5607AQH8mTx92siP3Q/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1631001450081?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=nUu3KuJ1H2RYOeMAKzOYg5arJUx4sYixzNGTNu5fpl4
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3849299
Russian Speaking Women in Tech
https://static-exp1.licdn.com/sc/h/4h1ldzvvebtszyx75ve7dst1v
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/6940359
Russian Speaking Cyber Security Professionals
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E07AQGLSoxr0MLY4Q/group-logo_image-shrink_92x92/0/1630998912472?e=1647687600&v=beta&t=zc9Qq3fdt4w-K1oP0PBpPBu3329UCUCPLHqDg8m2MKo
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12330700
PhD to Consulting
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3797868
University of Michigan Club of Greater Boston
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2789170
Virginia Tech - Alumni
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/130299
Michigan College of Engineering Alumni
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/68858
Virginia Tech Alumni Group (Official)
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/69020
Materials Research Professionals
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/712117