At E&M, cybersecurity is more than a support function—it’s a mission-critical capability that enables everything else to operate safely and efficiently. As part of the team focused on hardening infrastructure and reducing operational risk, Justin Kobus contributes to strengthening the digital backbone of critical mission system environments supporting the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Modernizing Infrastructure with Security at the Core
A key focus this year has been rebuilding core infrastructure components, rebuilding them from the ground up utilizing secure baselines that better align the organization with modern standards, ensuring tighter access control, greater reliability, and improved patch lifecycle management. This process involves more than just technical execution; it requires careful planning, staging, and validation. Each process is recreated in a lab that mirrors the production environment, with every detail refined to ensure minimal downtime and zero disruption when changes are rolled out to operational systems.
Vulnerability Management: From Discovery to Resolution
Vulnerability management is another critical area of focus. Leveraging data from internal ACAS scans, Justin leads vulnerability burndown efforts across systems to mitigate and resolve vulnerability findings. The objective is not simply to “check the box,” but to address root causes, prioritize critical risks, and ensure that fixes align with real-world operational needs. Support is also provided for patching initiatives across the enterprise infrastructure, advancing these environments toward full compliance.
Virtual Infrastructure Optimization
In parallel, Justin manages and optimizes components of the VDI infrastructure. The technologies used are essential for secure end-user access and are foundational to mission continuity. When systems fail to initialize properly, Justin investigates dependencies, identifies failure patterns, and implements recovery and stability strategies.
Engineering Beyond the Day-to-Day
What distinguishes this work is a commitment to more than just system maintenance—it’s about engineering for resilience. Whether ensuring reliable system reboot after outages, monitoring edge node performance, or proposing new architectures to improve uptime, the goal is to build systems that not only meet today’s requirements but are prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.
There is a shared sense of purpose in contributing to an organization where cybersecurity is woven into the fabric of operations. From rebuilding infrastructure and managing risk to optimizing virtual environments, the impact of this work is both tangible and vital.