In a post-COVID world where most organizations are still struggling with deconstructed hyper-siloing, Digital Hands has built something different: a collaborative culture that rewards individual contribution, team achievement, and cross-departmental partnership in equal measure. I recently spent time with CEO Charlotte Baker, CTO Jason Allen, and VP of Operations DeWayne Alford to understand how they balance business, technology, and operational demands in their day-to-day decision-making.
What was clear from the first few minutes of conversation: these three work closely together, and they credit regular communication and common mission alignment for the company's strength. As AI marches forward and automation takes on more analytical work, humans are increasingly relied on as the key decision-makers — and Digital Hands has organized itself accordingly.
Hiring as the lever
Baker pointed to hiring as the most important lever in growing the company. The team must be close-knit, mission-focused, and compatible from the ground up. Every employee has to understand and embrace the why. She acknowledged that some candidates describe the interview process as "hellish," but it's important that a wide variety of team members participate in vetting — that's what intensifies the experience and lengthens the timeline. People from different departments end up working together on everything, so they need to be part of the recruitment decision.
The single trait Baker looks for above all others: innate intellectual curiosity. From day one, Digital Hands has hosted a "What Works Room" — a space where staff leave their functional hats at the door and work peer-to-peer, without rank, on the puzzles and challenges the team is facing. "Diversity of thought and mind," she said, "yields better security."
Speed, satisfaction, and the engineering challenge
When asked about the biggest cybersecurity challenges he's working through, CTO Jason Allen pointed immediately to speed — the constant drive to design and deliver faster, to produce value quicker. He admitted the CTO role isn't easy, but said it's precisely those challenges that make the job worthwhile.
DeWayne Alford, VP of Operations, built on that: his daily goal is keeping his finger on the pulse of both emerging challenges and emerging solutions — making sure whatever Digital Hands ships reflects the standard the company has built its name on.
The double edge of intellectual curiosity
From her CEO vantage point, Baker noted that the traits she hires for are double-edged. When intellectual curiosity expands unchecked, distractions or scope creep can stifle progress. With a team of doers, it can be a challenge to keep people focused on the product at hand rather than the shiny next thing in the pipeline. The controlled release of products can frustrate people who already have their eyes on the next project. But that energy is the point — there is no shortage of ideas at Digital Hands. "You can do no wrong except to do nothing," Baker said. "Even if four out of five ideas fail, one may still result in a big hit — and that's considered a success in our environment."
The talent shortage as a threat
On staffing, Alford was blunt: from a security operations perspective, the talent shortage is itself a threat. There's no shortage of applicants — but most lack the skills, technical familiarity, and capabilities the work demands. The company has to select the most mission-aligned candidates who get through the multi-tiered vetting, then invest meaningfully in additional training. He also looks for people who can pivot between customers and environments, which isn't always easy to find.
Allen flagged a different threat: complacency. Many organizations decide the threat to their cyber integrity is too large, complex, or expensive to face — and effectively do nothing. Others buy security packages, sometimes very sophisticated and expensive ones, then fail to implement them well. Either they don't assign the right talent to operate the tools, or they don't test them on the right schedule and scope.
Baker took the global view and called out the weaponization of AI as one of the biggest threats facing the cyber arena today — that, and the role humans play in the overall value process. One thing seems certain. Despite the proliferation of machine capability and machine achievement, the role of people as innovators, problem-solvers, and especially collaborators is still the engine behind Digital Hands' success.
Shira Rubinoff is a cybersecurity executive, advisor, and thought leader. This piece was a guest contribution.