GIB Cybersecurity Company Tour

Our Study Abroad group headed to a German company called NitroKey, which develops IT security hardware.

They told us a lot about their company, including where they got started. The first product they started telling us about was the NitroKey itself. This product allows consumers and employees to securely log onto devices rather than using a password that someone could potentially forget or a password that is too short and easy to guess.

They also discussed some of their other products, and one that spoke to me was the NitroPhone. They sell Google Pixels where, if needed for very high security, they are able to take out key components such as cameras, microphones, and sensors. They even talked about why it would be important to take out each one, like how cameras could potentially be used to take unwanted photos and how the acceleration and rotation sensors could be used as microphones through vibrations. As a computer science student, this was just fascinating to learn about real world applications of cybersecurity.

They ended the tour of the company by giving us some advice for the future and a pep talk. We were also encouraged to not only focus on our coursework during our time here at Gonzaga, but to also put time and effort into doing projects on our own and learning on the side. We were also told that success doesn’t have to mean landing a job at a major corporation, but that there’s value in working at a smaller company or even launching something of our own in an idea that we believe in.

On a more personal note: Did I burn my tongue today? Yes. Did I get a bit claustrophobic from a train packed tighter than sardines? Yes. Was it still a great day? Most definitely, yes.

Before our tour, a few of us started our day with breakfast at Alexanderplatz, a large public square in Berlin that we get to by hopping on the underground railway here called the U-Bahn. One thing I have noticed about this study abroad program is that you will be a pro at public transport, whether or not you were one before. We consistently use maps and public transport such as the U-Bahn and buses to get around Berlin.

We eventually got to a sandwich shop called Breggs, where they make these delicious sandwiches covered in several different sauces. I may have burned my mouth here, but it was worth it, as this is my favorite place to eat in Berlin so far.

Finally, we started making our way towards the laser tag arena. The issue was that it was over ten stops away, rush hour, and two of the trains were down for the day. This meant we had to wait some time before getting on, and when we did, it was packed to the brim. However, in the end, it was all worth it, because the laser tag was AWESOME!

We played five different games of laser tag, and because there were just shy of 20 of us, we got the entire place to ourselves. We got to play different game modes, including a power-up game mode, an everyone-for-themselves game mode, and a total blackout mode. My personal favorite was the blackout modes, as it was more intense and even the lights for the detectors we were wearing were turned off.

The power-up game mode was quite interesting for the vast majority of us, as the power-ups were in German, so you either had to have a good memory of what was told before the round or just learn them on the fly. Besides the German wording, it was actually very similar to what I have played back home in the States. Overall, while a couple of things may not have gone my way, it was still another great day in Berlin.