Transition

I worked at UTHS for just over four years before joining the Proctorio team, and in that time I was lucky enough twice to attend Proctorio’s annual user conference, ProctorioX. As an educator, I participated and presented at numerous conferences; I even helped to plan a few, but I never experienced anything quite like ProctorioX. It’s a small, intimate conference with nearly a 1:1 ratio of participants to Proctorio employees. Members of the design, engineering, strategy, sales, QA, and leadership teams are always in attendance, including Proctorio’s founder and CEO, Mike Olsen. And they weren’t just there to welcome us, dispense swag, or speak. They actively participated in every session, social event, and bathroom break, all of them eager to listen, answer questions, and collaborate with first-hand users.

What does all that have to do with protecting test-taker data? Well, it’s simple enough to post claims on a website or ramble off bullet points about how your company is better than any other at protecting data. It’s not until you meet the people behind the product that you truly understand what’s important to them, and what motivates them. Those of us who have frequently participated in RFPs (requests for proposals), listened to sales pitches, and heard a litany of promises only to be wholly underwhelmed by reality quickly learn to recognize sincerity and authenticity.

Mike is not a person who filters his thoughts or feelings. When I first heard him speak about protecting customer data while attending ProctorioX, he spoke with a sincerity and ferocity that was palpable. He knows mining and selling user data is a highly profitable business, but profit is not his primary (or secondary) motivation. Proctorio is not accountable to any shareholders, venture capitalists (VCs), or board of directors who too often prioritize profit above all else. No. Mike, and his incredible team, which I’m now proud to be a part of, are just good humans trying to create a good product.

Can we do better? Of course, I wouldn’t want to work here if not.