PREVHAPPY HACKS: An office 200 yards from the legendary Rincon surf break, twice-weekly workouts with a personal trainer, staff meetings on the beach, four weeks of vacation a year, and a commitment to the environment through financial support of nonprofits like Heal the Bay—all at a firm that does security audits for banks and corporations? It surprised us, too. "We need A-plus-plus people," says John Abraham, Redspin's founder and CEO. "So we're building a company that you want to be a part of."
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: FROM THE COMPANY
ABOUT
Redspin is a security-auditing firm specializing in network security and compliance, providing objective IT security auditing services to financial institutions, casinos, e-commerce, ATM providers, automated clearing houses (ACHs), utilities, defense contractors, and various mission-critical enterprises. Redspin services include penetration tests, Web application security assessments, IT security assessments and compliance audits (FFIEC, PCI, HIPAA, GLBA).
FITNESS BENEFITS
Redspin provides space for working out on-site and around the office. On-site for use, Redspin offers bikes, surf boards, paddleboards, Swiss ball, etc. We have a personal trainer that works out the team on Mondays and Fridays at 6:30 a.m. at the nearby beach. Redspin sponsors (pays for) the personal training sessions available for all employees and family members to participate. Additionally, we have an organic oatmeal breakfast bar three times per week, with all the fixings: nuts, fruit, honey, spices, wheat germ, protein powder, etc. We also provide daily snacks—fruit, protein bars, etc.—and beverages: tea, Peet's Coffee, water, etc.
OFFICE CULTURE
Although we are an important part of our clients' risk-management strategy and take our work very seriously, internally we like to have fun with our work and think about our work like this: "Hey, we get paid to hack! Cash! Hacking! It's legal: Sweet!" We also take the time to go play beach volleyball to assist in dealing with stress levels, award work well done, and promote teamwork among the different departments. Our last all-company meeting was held at the beach on a beautiful day, with beach volleyball, pizza, salads, and drinks for all. We work hard and play hard. We also care about our beaches and participate in beach cleanup day and make significant contributions to environmental causes.
FLEXIBLE HOURS
We live and work in Southern California, so our "summer hours" are all year round. Also, our employees' working hours are flexible—no punching a clock—which allows people to work out before work, ride their bikes to work, work out during their lunch break, etc. We have office space set aside for storage of bikes, surfboards, paddleboards, skateboards, waves, etc. We also assist our employees in finding housing in our beachside community.
