Cybersecurity · Network Design · Compliance GRC

Robert Engler

Founder & CEO of Torchsec Technologies — and a hands-on senior escalation engineer. Thirty-two years securing and building networks, from Wall Street trading floors to the modern managed-security stack.

32 Years in IT & Security Wall Street → MSP Centerburg, Ohio
info@torchsec.com +1 380 900 7099 LinkedIn
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32yrs
In IT, networking
& security
7
Roles from technician
to CEO
21
Engineers led at
CIBC World Markets
6+
Major exchanges
supported
01

Profile

I lead a managed security provider — and I still carry a pager. Strategy and the console, in the same pair of hands.

As CEO of Torchsec Technologies, LLC, I set the direction and run the operations of an Ohio-based MSP/MSSP supporting business-critical IT environments. I pair executive leadership with hands-on technical responsibility, staying directly involved in support engineering, security operations, and service delivery.

In parallel with the business, I function as a senior escalation engineer — monitoring systems, responding to incidents, managing backups and disaster recovery, and maintaining security tooling across client environments. That dual role keeps technical decisions grounded in real operational experience while staying aligned with long-term business and risk objectives.

I've overseen the development of internal policies and controls — privacy, business continuity, and security documentation — reinforcing a security-first culture both internally and for the clients we protect.

02

Areas of focus

01

Cybersecurity

Security operations, endpoint & vulnerability management, incident response, and the tooling that keeps client environments defended around the clock.

02

Network Design

Multilayer LAN/WAN architecture, routing & switching, VLAN segmentation, VoIP, and resilient WAN — BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS across enterprise scale.

03

Compliance & GRC

Governance, risk & compliance — BCDR and privacy frameworks, security documentation, and formalized controls that demonstrate operational maturity.

04

Technical Support

Senior escalation for complex, multi-site environments — servers, virtualization, backup/DR, Microsoft 365, and the last-line troubleshooting others hand off.

1994 – 2010 · The Street

Where the network couldn't go down.

Long before "high availability" was a marketing term, I ran network operations for the financial firms that live and die by the millisecond. As Network Operations Manager at CIBC World Markets, I led a group of 21 technicians on a 24×7 LAN/WAN/MAN, refreshed Catalyst 5500s to 6509s, stood up multihomed BGP and OSPF, and deployed Cisco IDS sensors to watch for attack signatures. When the towers fell on 9/11, I contributed to the disaster-recovery effort that relocated the infrastructure and brought the network back.

Across two tours at Telemechanics, I supported the trading floors themselves — migrating clients from mainframe controllers to routed networks at the major exchanges, and supervising NCR field technicians nationwide.

› NYSE › AMEX › CBOE › PHLX › MERC › PECOS
03

Career timeline

2019 — Present
Centerburg, OH

Founder & Principal / CEO

Torchsec Technologies, LLC MSP · MSSP

Founded and lead an Ohio-based MSP delivering managed IT and cybersecurity services to small and mid-sized organizations — owning business operations, client relationships, and technical strategy.

  • Serve as senior escalation engineer across endpoint management, backup & disaster recovery, security tooling, and incident response.
  • Designed and maintain business continuity, DR, and privacy frameworks aligned with client security and compliance expectations.
  • Act as primary technical and executive liaison with vendors, clients, and partners — balancing operational delivery with strategic growth and risk management.
AI & Automation

Leading Torchsec's adoption of large language models (Anthropic Claude) across service delivery, internal tooling, and client-facing products.

  • Designed and shipped an AI support assistant on torchsec.com — Claude-powered self-service answering client and prospect questions in real time.
  • Built an Autotask-integrated operations platform with AI-assisted ticketing, reporting, and a client portal — unifying service delivery on a single system of record.
  • Created AI-assisted security & compliance document generation — WISPs, incident-response plans, contracts, and GLBA readiness assessments produced with LLM tooling and human review.
  • Developed alert-to-ticket automation that turns SOC, RMM, and vulnerability signals into triaged, actionable tickets using LLM reasoning — cutting manual effort.
2016 — 2019
Ohio

Company Owner / Operator

Rob's Technology

Built and ran an IT services practice end-to-end — defining vision, pricing, and recurring-revenue models while remaining the primary point of contact and hands-on engineer for key clients.

  • Designed, implemented, and supported managed networks, servers, and endpoints; managed Microsoft 365 and cloud services.
  • Implemented backup, disaster recovery, and business-continuity plans; assessed client risk and recommended security controls.
  • Conducted client onboarding, QBRs, and strategic IT planning; maintained documentation, standards, and operational procedures.
2012 — 2016
Corporate IT

IT Specialist

Harbor Footwear Group, Ltd

Sole IT support for the entire office — owning everything from day-to-day support to full network and messaging modernization for a 70-user environment.

  • Designed and migrated a flat network to a multilayer network; installed Cisco SG500 PoE switches for a full refresh.
  • Upgraded firewalls to Fortigate UTM, then to Check Point 4200 + Smart-1 210 across three locations.
  • Migrated Exchange 2003 → 2010 → 2013; designed and implemented a Cisco UC560 phone system for 70 users.
  • Maintained an ESXi cluster and VM servers; managed Veeam 8 with offsite site-to-site NAS replication.
2010 — 2012
Consulting

IT Consultant

Central Construction Management

Designed and implemented the customer's network infrastructure and led a cloud-forward messaging migration.

  • Migrated Exchange 2003 → Exchange Online; implemented and supported Cisco ASA 5510 firewalls and remote-access VPN.
  • Upgraded a flat Netgear network to switched VLANs on Cisco 3750, boosting response time and reliability for VoIP.
  • Configured and maintained VMware ESXi and the Cisco UC500 VoIP phone system.
2003 — 2010
New York · The Street

IT Specialist · Co-Owner

Telemechanics

Co-owned and operated a firm serving the financial exchanges — designing and maintaining trading-floor networks for the biggest names on the Street.

  • Assisted the move of financial firms from AMEX to the NYSE; designed, implemented, and maintained the internet network for AMEX.
  • Led the upgrade from mainframe controllers to routers and switches at all major exchanges for clients.
  • Configured Cisco ASA firewalls, switches, routers, and Radware Linkproof; supervised NCR field technicians nationwide.
  • Supported clients at NYSE, AMEX, CBOE, PECOS, PHLX and MERC; troubleshot 56k, ISDN, T1, DS3 and Frame Relay circuits.
1998 — 2003
New York, NY

Network Operations Manager

CIBC World Markets Corp

Ran 24×7 network operations for a global investment bank — leading a team of 21 across the entire LAN/WAN/MAN, including the disaster-recovery response to 9/11.

  • Managed a Network Operations Group of 21 technicians on 24×7 support of the entire LAN/WAN/MAN.
  • Implemented core network solutions including multihomed BGP and OSPF; deployed EIGRP and IS-IS across the WAN.
  • Refreshed Cisco Catalyst 5500 → 6509 switches; installed Cisco IDS sensors with CSPM policy manager to monitor attack signatures.
  • Contributed to the disaster-recovery process and relocation of network infrastructure resulting from the 9/11 crisis.
  • Diagnosed circuits from ISDN and 56k up to DS3 and OC3 using Sniffer, Fluke, T-bird, HP OpenView, and CiscoWorks.
1994 — 1998
New York

IT Technician

Telemechanics

Where it started — administering servers and desktops, building out cabling infrastructure, and supporting the exchange floors 24×7.

  • Administered Intel servers and desktops (PDC/BDC); implemented and supported cabling infrastructure.
  • Implemented controllers at all major exchanges; supported clients at NYSE, AMEX, CBOE, PECOS and PHLX.
  • Administered 24×7 end-user support; installed and configured CSU/DSUs and troubleshot 56k, ISDN and T1 circuits.
Get in touch

Let's talk security,
networks & risk.

Whether it's a managed-security engagement, a network that has to stay up, or a compliance program that needs to hold — I'm reachable directly.

Email
info@torchsec.com
Phone
+1 380 900 7099
LinkedIn
in/robert-engler ↗
Company
torchsec.com ↗
Full Resume
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