About Darius J. Davis

It started with fixing computers around the classroom as a kid on the south side of Chicago. I liked solving problems and people kept bringing me more of them. I started building a portfolio as a freelancer in my early teens and never stopped.

Since then I've worn a lot of hats. Web developer, database administrator, professional services engineer, lead software engineer, staff engineer, engineering team lead and people manager, and now security engineer. At each stop I picked up something different: how to build APIs and integrations, how to manage infrastructure, how to lead a team, how to ship a product, and eventually how to secure all of it.

I'm an IT professional who ended up in security because I kept doing the work that required it. The title caught up with what I was already doing. I build tools, automate processes, and work across teams to understand problems and solve them. I write code and I explain it to people who don't. That's what led to the speaking engagements, and it's a big part of why the work lands.

I run Southside CHI Solutions, an IT and cybersecurity consulting practice I started in 2012 to help small businesses on the south side of Chicago get the same security guidance that larger organizations take for granted. Named after where I'm from.

I'm a proud father. I advocate for diversity in tech through speaking (BITCON 2019, Hacker Halted) and my YouTube channel Talking Tech with D. The industry gets better when more people from different backgrounds have a seat at the table.