phia phundamentals
Intelligence informed.
Technology enabled.
Our phia phamily is at the center of our organization. By providing for our phamily’s satisfaction and success, we set ourselves up to be the best at what we do. We are focused on protecting the technologies that enable our modern life.
At phia, we use the status of being a small business to our advantage. It allows us to do many things that larger companies simply can’t. First and foremost, phia is a phamily, not just a company. Have you ever taken a coffee break with the C-Suite of your company or had a lunchtime coaching session with a department VP? These things are not “special treatment” with phia. This is the norm.
Our goal has always been to hire the best possible candidates so that we succeed in providing excellent service to our clients. We do this by seeking out talented and passionate professionals who not only enjoy the work but are interested in building a better tomorrow for the cybersecurity community and beyond. Many of our employees build friendships based on their shared interest in bettering the cyber world. In fact, a large percentage of our employees and candidates come from employee referrals. We like to think happy people are the best source for new hires!
Have we convinced you to join the phamily yet? Check out our Careers page to learn more about phia perks or a list of available positions.
What does it mean to be part of the phia phamily?
In my previous positions, the CEO, COO, Department VP’s, etc., were people to fear. They never had the reputation of being in your corner, and meeting them was a rare occasion. phia is different. Our leadership doesn’t just have a reputation of being approachable but a track record of being available for anyone in the company. Personally, all three owners have visited my home for occasions such as dropping off a housewarming gift, eating dinner with us, or bringing us homemade soup, just because.
As the Employee Engagement Lead, it is my responsibility to make sure everyone in the phamily “feels the love,” so to speak. Since I started at phia in 2016, I have touched nearly every aspect of the company on the corporate side. Add into that the fact that my husband was phia’s first employee ever, and our daughter is “Truong’s favorite employee,” you could say that we really are THE phia phamily. Having all that experience allows me to know our people and best keep them engaged and happy. I can understand their jobs on a level that one would not expect from an admin or marketing person. (Having no previous cybersecurity experience, I earned my Security+ certification within my first year working for phia!) For some of our people, I was part of their interview process; for others, I was the one they called when they had questions about PTO, and more importantly, I have been the person to send them care packages to celebrate their happiest days or support them on their worst days.
My favorite part about working with phia, aside from watching Truong eat bulk amounts of shrimp cocktail and oysters in record time, is that the leadership team has entrusted me with the responsibility of cultivating the idea of the phia phamily. From fancy dinner parties to Renaissance Festivals, Welcome Swag Boxes to gifts for our littlest phamily members, I get to be a part of it all, and I am dedicated to making sure each and every one of our phia phamily members feel welcome, supported, and engaged. At the end of the day, I like to think my job is to carry out the “Happiness for our phia phamily” part of the phia vision.
Testimonial from Meridith Piazza, Marketing Ambassador & Employee Engagement Lead
We’re not just into fun events that only benefit us. We enjoy participating in a variety of community events and giving back in other ways. In the past, we have sponsored a virtual conference with the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu. We also have sponsored BSides NOVA for the past few years, where our employees have served as volunteers & organizers and regularly present talks and workshops for the conference. Additionally, we sponsor other BSides security events within the communities where we work. Another philanthropic event close to leadership’s heart is Arlington Cemetery’s Wreaths Across America. We are honored to assist in Remembering and Honoring our nation’s veterans.
In addition to the many in-person and virtual events we participate in, we also look for donation opportunities. When COVID-19 hit, we immediately looked at what was needed within our communities and beyond. We chose to support two organizations, The Foundation for Fairfax County Schools and everyone on, because of their missions to provide access to virtual schooling for as many children as possible.
phia Origins
phia LLC (“phia”) was founded in 2011 by dedicated and passionate “analysts” with unique perspectives on defensive and cyber operational backgrounds.
As a start-up, phia began its young career by providing full-spectrum cybersecurity support to the Secretary of Defense via the Secretary of Defense Communications Office (SDC), which had traditional network operations, along with residences and high-risk travel missions needs. Thus, cybersecurity was paramount to ensure safe and secure operational communications for this organization. During this period, phia established the fundamentals for the company’s growth into other client spaces, including various departments and agencies across the DHS, DoD, LE, and IC communities. Not only does phia collaborate with the “.gov” and “.mil,” but we also continue to maintain our deep connections to the commercial space.
We recognize that passion for data, creativity in problem-solving, and aptitude for analysis are attributes of a successful “threat hunter” in the cyber realm. However, the leadership team understands that the proper environment is needed to foster the unique talents within this realm. Since its inception, phia’s growth has been organic. We’ve been able to walk this steady, measured path primarily due to our focus on developing our people, sense of “phamily,” and our ability to impact our partners and end customers’ missions while balancing valuable business relationships. The notion of phamily as corporate culture is embodied in the company’s name, which is derived from Sophia, the name of one of Truong’s daughters.
The phamily mindset drives phia’s continued growth as a collaborator and contributor in securing an ever more connected world.