What exactly does a Network Security Engineer do? Help businesses keep important and sensitive data safe. But beyond building firewalls or configuring systems, this professional designs resilient architectures that allow organisations to grow securely. Ultimately, a Network Security Engineer is the unseen architect behind digital trust: the one ensuring that every connection, transaction, and exchange of data takes place safely, wherever the business operates.

In this article, we take a closer look at Paolo Zangheri’s work at Prime Engineering Italy as a Network Security Engineer. We interview him about his two decades of experience protecting the unseen foundations of our connected world. We share the experience and mission of our consultants around the world to celebrate their knowledge and expertise, wherever they are. With presence in over 25 cities worldwide, our teams work with the same purpose: to innovate, protect, and build technology that drives progress.

 

Building digital fortresses

For Paolo, network security is both craftsmanship and vigilance. “I’ve always seen my job as a blend of two disciplines: architecture and firefighting”, he explains. “On the one hand, I’m an architect, designing and building digital fortresses for our clients. On the other, I must always stand prepared to become an online firefighter.”

For him, every day begins with a patrol, reading security alerts and system reports, looking for the smallest glimmer of trouble: “a wispy cloud of smoke where there ought not to be any.” Some days are devoted to what he calls “fire prevention”. In other words, bolstering defences, running drills, and shoring up the infrastructure. Others start with an alarm that demands immediate action. “There, we must act immediately to identify the hazard, contain its spread, and extinguish it, ensuring that the client’s critical operations can safely resume. It’s this mix of careful planning and intense problem-solving that makes every day unique.”

 

From fortresses to cities

Paolo has seen network security transform beyond recognition over the past twenty years. “It feels like a lifetime since I started”, he recalls. “When I started, we were building a ‘castle and moat’ model. Our primary task was to create a good security perimeter around the corporate network. That fortress is lost.”

Today, the digital landscape stretches far beyond the office walls. Cloud services, remote employees across various continents, and smart devices have dismantled the old perimeter. “The task has shifted from protecting a single fortress to safeguarding a global, networked city with numerous entry points.”

Threats, too, have evolved. “They are no longer exclusively about disruption; they are sophisticated, well-coordinated, and financially motivated criminal endeavours.” Paolo’s work now focuses on building resiliency. “We now assume a breach will occur and stress our ability to detect it immediately, respond intelligently, and bounce back elegantly.”

 

Behind all the zeros and ones

Paolo stresses that protecting sensitive data as a Network Security Engineer begins with understanding the business, not just the technology: “We design frameworks that are both strong and flexible, capable of evolving with our clients’ needs.” For Paolo, data protection starts from a human principle. “We must build a deep respect for data itself. Behind all the zeros and ones are people, ideas, and businesses.”

This mindset drives his layered approach to security. “Protecting sensitive data begins by securing the data’s integrity through encryption. It’s like locking a letter in a mailer that only the recipient can open. Even if it gets intercepted, its contents remain safe.”

However, encryption alone isn’t enough. Even an encrypted message must be sent to the right person. This leads us to the next step: strict access control. “We must operate on a ‘need-to-know’ basis: just like you wouldn’t hand the key to your house to everyone you know. Similarly, individuals should only be able to access the information needed for their role.”

Finally, comes visibility. “You can’t defend what you can’t observe. It’s not about surveillance; it’s about having a sharp, unbroken insight into what’s happening across the network.”

 

A breakthrough on the factory floor

One project that stands out for Paolo involved a client in the manufacturing industry whose systems were slowing down dramatically. “The tools showed heavy traffic, but no clear reason. My instinct told me we were looking in the wrong place.”

He started scanning the chatter between devices, including overlooked factory equipment. The result was surprising: “A collection of older sensors had been hijacked. They’d become part of a botnet: an army of zombie machines used in external attacks.”

By broadening their understanding of what the client’s ‘network’ truly included, Paolo and his team not only restored performance but closed a critical vulnerability. “It helped them regain trust in the very technology their business depended on.”

 

Teaching awareness, not fear

For Paolo, true security starts with people. “Security is a team sport, not a police exercise”, he emphasises. “The biggest mistake we can make is to finger-point at customers or scare them. My approach is based on empathy and empowerment.”

He explains that he makes security concepts personal. “A phishing email isn’t an abstract attack: it’s someone pretending to be at your door, trying to deceive you. A weak password is like leaving your key under the doormat. Both render the threat tangible.”

Above all, Paolo promotes openness. In his own words, “A culture where people feel safe raising their hand. If they clicked on something they believed was a dodgy link, I want them to feel comfortable reporting it immediately, rather than hiding it, lest they be blamed. We turn those moments into lessons.”

“The goal”, he adds, “is to move from compliance to consciousness: from following rules to truly understanding why security matters.”

 

Protecting progress

“The future of cyber security is not about a single magic tool, but about intelligence that learns and adapts”, says Paolo Zangheri. For him, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are transforming the way engineers defend networks: analysing billions of data points every second, detecting subtle patterns that humans could never see, and strengthening digital defences before an attack even begins.

This evolution aligns with a broader shift in mindset. “The traditional model granted trust once you were ‘inside’ the network”, Paolo explains. “But Zero Trust is founded on a simple and powerful principle: never trust, always verify. It’s like having a security guard who checks your ID not just at the entrance, but at every door inside the building: a far more thoughtful response to a world without a clear perimeter.” This philosophy guides Paolo’s work: combining human expertise with smart automation to create security that is proactive, not reactive.