What to Know
- A Carbonista is someone who seeks challenges and likes to overcome obstacles.
- Brian Owens was a Carbonite™ customer. Now he’s our Senior Director of Product Engineering for Data Protection.
- In fact, Owens’ mom is a long-time Carbonite customer, too!
- Owens loves to help customers who are struggling with using our product.
- You can find out about opportunities at Carbonite by visiting our careers page.
“Carbonista” is a moniker we use to describe the spirit of working here at Carbonite, which includes collaborating, overcoming obstacles and helping customers. From engineering to product management to human resources, these principles keep us focused on our shared goal of ensuring that today’s small and midsize businesses are cyber resilient. As a technology company, the primary driver behind the business and our future trajectory is our Product Engineering team, who are responsible for maintaining, developing and evolving our portfolio of cyber resilience solutions. To get a closer look at the people behind the team, we spoke with Brian Owens, Senior Director of Product Engineering for Data Protection, to find out how he came to be a Carbonista.
What were you doing before working at Carbonite?
Long before Carbonite, I was part of DoubleTake Software, where I learned about data protection and working closely with customers to solve problems. In 2013, I had the opportunity to lead the Engineering and Operations teams at hc1.com, a product hosted in AWS. I did that for four years, until 2017.
What brought you to Carbonite?
As luck would have it, I was looking for a change in 2017. Carbonite was purchasing the DoubleTake organization and I REALLY wanted to work for Carbonite. I had been a Carbonite customer for years and was impressed with how simple and foolproof the product was to use. I wanted to learn more about how to build software for the non-technical customer base (like my mother, who is also a customer).
What is your role in the company?
I am Senior Director of Product Engineering for Data Protection. I am responsible for engineering for all data protection products
How did you get into software development?
I have an electrical engineering degree and I felt that software development had more potential for growth opportunities than other areas of my field.
What parts of your job push you outside of your comfort zone?
As an introvert by nature, I find it challenging to work with large groups. Especially people I may not know. Of course, I have to do a lot of that now, so it always requires me to push myself harder to go against my nature.
What are your proudest accomplishments as a Carbonista?
Throughout my career, I have had to work with some challenging customers. By challenging, I mean that they were not satisfied with the product or the way it was performing. Usually, the product didn’t meet expectations, whether real or assumed. I enjoy working with these customers and our team because we all want the same thing: for the product to work and for the customer to see the value of what we provide. I love turning a dissatisfied customer around. The customer who scares me the most is one who won’t give us feedback, but silently goes away.
Where do you think the future of software development is headed?
When I was at hc1.com, I was able to build up my Software-as-a-Service chops by working in AWS. That has helped me tremendously at Carbonite. With the tooling, automation and containers available now, it’s amazing what has been accomplished in just a few short years. It’s cliché, but the public cloud is where it’s at.
War Games or The Matrix?
Definitely “The Matrix,” but only the first one. Two and Three were disappointing.
What else do you like to do?
I love to get out west to hike in the mountains. My favorite national parks are Zion and Yosemite. During the pandemic, I’ve enjoyed smoking ribs or brisket in my spare time.
Any personal details or stories you’d like to share?
I live in the Midwest with my wife and her two dogs. The dogs drive me crazy. I have two kids and one granddaughter (who has me totally wrapped around her finger).
Want to find out more about careers at Carbonite? Visit our careers page.
