I’m Chris Krautheim, Software Developer and the newest member of the Development Team at Raxis. I dove right into to making the Raxis One platform for both Raxis Attack (PTaaS) and Raxis Strike (traditional point-in-time penetration testing) the best it can be. If you purchase any Raxis service, you’ll get to see a bit of my handywork!
Bonnie: We’re excited to have you on the Development Team at Raxis working with Adam Fernandez. You’ve been interested in technology from a young age, I hear.
Chris: That’s right. I’ve always been interested in computers. Coming out of high school, I wasn’t sure what major I wanted to choose at Georgia Tech. Back then it was difficult to pick between all the sciences and engineering majors that were available. I thought about that and decided I wanted to know more about how computers work and how people program them to make their lives easier. I ended up picking computer science as my major at Tech and fell in love with it.
Bonnie: That’s awesome. Georgia Tech is a very difficult school. I bet that was a great experience.
Chris: I learned a lot of great things and met a lot of great people during my time at Georgia Tech. I had some amazing opportunities such as the Lightning from the Edge of Space project team, where I got to work on a lightning weather research balloon.
Bonnie: That sounds awesome… and complex!
Chris: It was super cool. The team was part of the Vertically Integrated Project program at Georgia Tech. I joined a small group of about 25 people, and I was a member of the software team responsible for maintaining the drivers that sent and received data between the balloon and the ground station.
Bonnie: Using your computer programming skills in real life! I bet you learned a lot.
Chris: I got to learn some cool things about relational databases as well as embedded software. Every semester we would have a balloon launch day, which were usually all-day affairs where our work was put to the test. These events began with sending the balloon up in the morning and tracking its trajectory across great distances, which could sometimes be upwards of 130 miles. One time, the payload flew from Atlanta all the way to Augusta. It was not always guaranteed we would be able to recover the payload, so it was important that our software that transmitted data functioned properly.
Bonnie: Your time at Georgia Tech was not all computers and technology, right?
Chris: That’s right! I was a member of the Georgia Tech marching band for three years, and I had all kinds of amazing experiences.
I have been drumming ever since I entered 4th grade. My parents bought me my first drum kit back then, and I have been a life-long musician ever since. So, when I had the opportunity to join the GT marching band, I knew I had to take it. The auditions were super stressful, and I actually didn’t make it onto the line – twice! But I was persistent and eventually made the cut, and it became one of my most memorable college experiences.
Bonnie: Georgia Tech had a great season last year, and with so many teams in the ACC, I bet you got to travel to some cool places with the band.
Chris: I traveled to universities all over the country performing at football games in front of thousands of people. We got to visit Virginia Tech, Clemson, the University of Georgia, and the list goes on. I even got to fly to Ireland and play at the season opener between Georgia Tech and Florida State. And, of course, I got to do it with a whole bunch of like-minded nerds such as myself. (Shout out to the 2024 Georgia Tech Quad section!!!)
Bonnie: As a marching band member, I’m guessing you really enjoyed the football games as well?
Chris: In high school, I used to be pretty apathetic towards football and sports in general. However, when you’re attending a minimum of 6+ games per season, you start picking up the rules and quirks of the game. My friends and I love to get together on Saturdays whenever college football season rolls around. We’ll watch either the best matchup or whoever our beloved Yellow Jackets are taking on that week. Some other sports I follow include baseball and volleyball, and I always enjoy attending a Braves game with friends or family.
Bonnie: I love it. Representing in enemy territory! Well, I know Adam is excited to have you on the Development Team here at Raxis, and I’ve already seen you deploying code quite a bit.
Chris: As a Software Developer for Raxis One, the web portal for Raxis services, like PTaaS, I work closely with Raxis’ Lead Developer, Adam Fernandez, to implement and maintain new features that improve our service.
A lot of the job is taking ideas on paper, such as “How can the user interface help our users identify vulnerabilities?” or “How can our users collaborate with our penetration testers in real time?” and being able to put that functionality into the software. Then, if any issues arise, we need to be able to use problem-solving skills to think through a solution. The platform is constantly evolving so there’s always room to think of something new or improve upon what is already there. There’re definitely some big new things coming for Raxis One, and I’m super excited to be part of the team.
Bonnie: Well, we love what we’ve seen so far… and the hints you and Adam have mentioned for updates to come. Welcome to the team!
