Cybersecurity and Technical Engineering

On this episode of “SoundVision Tech Talks,” Mark and Michelle sit down with SoundVision's Technical Engineer, Fredy Davila, to discuss Cybersecurity and Technical Engineering.

As the digital world continues to evolve, the need for robust cybersecurity has never been more critical. In this episode, we dive into the essential measures that keep customer networks safe, from firewalls to virtual LANs and encrypted passwords. We discuss why these tools are the foundation of modern security and how they empower AV professionals like us to deliver seamless, secure solutions.

At the heart of these operations is Fredy, the driving force behind SoundVision's technical engineering department. Fredy’s expertise ensures that every system rack is meticulously built in-house to meet the highest standards, setting the stage for reliable and secure installations. He also plays a pivotal role in preparing our techs for the field, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to execute projects flawlessly.

But Fredy’s talents go beyond engineering. As an FAA-certified drone pilot, he combines technical precision with creative media production, capturing stunning visuals while adhering to strict privacy laws. His multifaceted role highlights the blend of innovation and professionalism that defines SoundVision.

This episode is not just about the behind-the-scenes work—it’s a celebration of the intricate processes and the importance of cybersecurity in creating smarter, safer homes. Join us as we uncover the systems, insights, and teamwork that make it all possible.

To learn more about SoundVision:

https://www.svavnc.com/

Check out our Instagram to see our recent projects:

https://www.instagram.com/soundvisionllc/

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Contact Us Today:  (704) 696-2792 Ext. 1 | Info@svavnc.com | soundvisionlkn.com

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:03

Welcome to SoundVision's Tech Talks, where we dive into trending topics and expert advice to help you make informed decisions about your home entertainment, automation and more. Whether you're planning a new project or just curious about the possibilities, tech Talks is your go-to source for staying updated on all things technology.

Speaker 2 0:24

With us today is Freddie Davila, our technical engineer.

Speaker 3 0:28

Freddie is the one who builds the systems that we install in your businesses and your homes right here in our engineering room. We're going to talk about where Freddie's from and we're going to go over a couple of really important things in today's system design. One of the most important is cybersecurity and passwords. We're going to talk about what we do differently and how we come up with the passwords that we use. I think you'll find that very interesting, so strap in, and we hope you enjoy the podcast. Hello.

Speaker 4 0:59

Freddie. Hello guys, Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 1:02

Thank you for fulfilling the invitation.

Speaker 4 1:04

Awesome, great to be here.

Speaker 2 1:06

So, Freddy, tell us about yourself. Where are you from originally?

Speaker 4 1:10

I'm from Nicaragua, which is located in Central America.

Speaker 3 1:14

What's the difference between South America and Central America?

Speaker 4 1:17

So you have the America, which is everything and then is split out into three, which is north, central and then south.

Speaker 2 1:28

The little peninsula connecting the two right.

Speaker 4 1:30

Correct. So you have that being in the middle where Nicaragua's in the middle. You have Costa Rica, you have Honduras, north and south.

Speaker 3 1:39

Where's Mexico in relation?

Speaker 4 1:41

Mexico is part of it, but it's towards the north.

Speaker 3 1:45

Mexico is north, more North than Nicaragua, closer to the United States.

Speaker 4 1:49

Closer to the United States.

Speaker 3 1:50

Okay, gotcha, gotcha.

Speaker 4 1:51

I grew up all the way to 12 in Nicaragua. That's when my parents kind of decided to move to Miami and, like anything else, provide us a better life. After that, it was Miami all the way to recently.

Speaker 3 2:07

So what did your folks do? Because one of the things that we definitely want to get across to the three people that are listening to us is that you are a very hard worker, very diligent. We're super excited and blessed to have you here. What did your folks do? How did they instill that in you?

Speaker 4 2:22

Can I get everything from?

Speaker 3 2:24

my dad.

Speaker 4 2:25

In Nicaragua. He worked in a bank where he was a student, you could say, and coming into, say, Miami, the US, it wasn't the same. I could actually see his hard work, trying to have different jobs, trying to do as much as possible to get a better position, and that's something that I saw his effort on and that's, I think it reflects in the minority of the Latin community, if you put it that way. And seeing his struggle, I kind of pushed me in a way to do the same, try to be what he wanted me to be. I mean pushing to study more and try to get a better position in life.

Speaker 3 3:07

Do you have brothers and sisters?

Speaker 4 3:08

So I do have two brothers I'm the oldest, my younger brother, and then we have a younger sister.

Speaker 3 3:17

I know your brother's here in Concord, but where's your sister? I don't know my sister.

Speaker 4 3:22

She's a Kiwas fanatic. She moved to Key Largo and pretty much her new family they do plumbing and that's our whole family over there and they pretty much have a well-established business and she's well off.

Speaker 3 3:34

I mean, she gets to live the good life, if you want to put it that way. Well, key Largo is very different than Key West. Freddie, yes, it's a lot different but it's the same. I mean, she's still they're at the extreme ends of the keys.

Speaker 4 3:45

Yeah, she's all about the Instagram pictures you know the life that's cool. The whole sea life.

Speaker 2 3:52

And you are married.

Speaker 4 3:54

I am married, well recently married my second marriage. I do have four kids.

Speaker 3 3:59

We get pictures. If you follow us on Facebook, you get pictures of the life.

Speaker 4 4:05

The life. Of the young Davila, so the bigger kids. They were the mom in Miami.

Speaker 2 4:11

How old are?

Speaker 4 4:11

they 20, which is Valerie, she's 20. You got Freddie, which is kind of middle, he's 17. Brianna, which is she's 11. And the youngest, eight months.

Speaker 2 4:23

Is it true, freddie's still coming up this way?

Speaker 4 4:26

They're going to be here in June for the summer vacation.

Speaker 2 4:32

Oh.

Speaker 4 4:32

They'll be here from Freddie. All of them, freddie and Brianna. Oh, okay, by the reason, she's the oldest, she's studying and she works and she's pretty much doing her life. She's more busy in that aspect, so I got to kind of wiggle around her time Understood.

Speaker 3 4:51

So how long have you been interested in what we do Like? How did you get involved in home automation and networks and all that kind of stuff?

Speaker 4 4:58

It is funny because I never expected to end up in home automation. My parents or my dad. I got married super young, when I was 18. I thought I knew everything, like anything else, but I went a year without studying. My brother is just a year younger, so when he actually graduated, my parents pushed both of us to do the same thing Go and get at least, if you're not going to go to college, try to get a certification in something that provides a service or like a tech degree. They pushed me to kind of do network network engineering and it was fun.

Speaker 4 5:39

I mean, I was going with my brother to the same classes. Take the same classes. Take, you know. Put up, put computers together, take them apart, learn the whole aspect of networking. Funny to think that I didn't touch any networking until probably five years later when I started working for a security company that at the time required the technician to kind of help out with the whole aspect of getting DVRs NVRs into the network. Everybody wanted to see their cameras online but nobody knew how to get the NVRs online.

Speaker 3 6:12

You actually got a job. You had a tech degree. You got a job with a company, I'm assuming in Miami, working with cameras and NVRs and what you're just talking about. Correct, Okay cool.

Speaker 4 6:22

So that got me into the whole aspect of learning a little more of. Yes, networking is there, but there's some devices that work in that layer. There's a lot of things that work in the network aspect actually communicating between each other, and that kind of pushed me into learning about cameras, mbr, and then not the audio part as much, but little by little TVs and electronic.

Speaker 3 6:48

So we do a lot of camera systems. We even do more networks, and one of the buzzwords nowadays is cybersecurity. Customers, whether they're residents or they're businesses, are very conscious of, and realize the importance of cybersecurity. Most audio video companies nowadays have kind of been dragged into doing networks, but they don't necessarily all do it the same. Tell us about cybersecurity and what you do that sets us apart.

Speaker 4 7:17

Well, the cybersecurity is a big aspect of of the today. There's a lot of things that now control in a way. I mean everything is defined by network. Everything is communicating at the same time. So you have your Wi-Fi devices, you have your Google devices, you have Roku, you have your Apple TVs and all of that needs to be constantly updated to try to avoid being hacked. In a way, my part of getting everything together is making sure that at least curate VLANs for the devices, try to separate the devices. So a VLAN is almost what it sounds a virtual LAN. It means that everything comes from the same house, everything is communicating in the same network but they're segregated, meaning you could have multiple VLANs, in a way virtual LANs, where you could have all your work stuff in one VLAN and does not actually communicate. Your Apple TV would not try to hack into your computer in a way.

Speaker 3 8:20

So you're separating things like the audio video would be on one VLAN Correct, and the computers and maybe their servers or sensitive information could be on another one.

Speaker 4 8:32

But even though both of them are in the same house they actually literally don't see each other, don't see each other, and that is one of the key elements, that it is out there and kind of like a basic recommendation to kind of segregate things out, and it does help. I mean, you are segregating some devices that are communicating to the internet and it could be hacking away. That's one way of protecting yourself. Apart from that is try to use random password. Naturally use the same password password, buzzword password how do we, what do?

Speaker 3 9:06

we do differently on passwords, freddie.

Speaker 4 9:08

Password rule? Do we?

Speaker 3 9:08

use 123 ABC.

Speaker 4 9:11

No, we stopped using that. We stopped using. That Was that yesterday. That was a while ago, but that was one key recommendation we did was try to pretty much use special characters, make the password a little longer and not to use the same password in everything, and that's a recommendation that I mean everybody kind of does themselves, but it's to avoid getting the whole thing or getting your device hacked in a way.

Speaker 3 9:38

So when Kristen and I got married and we were doing, we were, you know, eventually you get into these kind of conversations or whatever run bank password or whatever. And I said, you know what's your password? And she said, oh, what's your password? And she said, oh, I take that very seriously and I'm very conscious of this. So I have a you know secure password, really Okay. Well, what is it? It's buddy123. Where'd you get buddy123? That was the name of our dog. If you Google the most popular names of dogs, buddy is in the top three. I said, babe, that's not like super, so we don't use like dog names and one, two, three either. Correct? You were just explaining yes, correct uh, try to.

Speaker 3 10:24

What do we?

Speaker 4 10:25

use combination of special characters and names in in a way, but other than that as a special character, those add that key element.

Speaker 3 10:35

Do we use the same password for all of our customers?

Speaker 4 10:39

No, we don't. It gets generated, but it's not the same password for everybody. So, everybody's got their own unique password, their own unique password for their project or network devices, in a way.

Speaker 3 10:51

So to kind of sum that up real quick, we have an individual network for our equipment that's inside the customer's home or their place of business. Their sensitive information is on a whole different part of the network. That again, they don't see one another.

Speaker 4 11:05

Correct. So we try to do a managed network where we tag as much devices to that network. That helps us in even servicing, trying to see if our devices are not in the same network but they're live or they're communicating, making sure that they kind of have a better, not a better, communication, but it's just segregated in a way.

Speaker 2 11:29

So, freddie, can I interrupt? You Go ahead. Can you tell me because you're huge on firewalls and all of that good stuff, like some of the security measures that you put in place for us as well?

Speaker 4 11:43

There's a lot of involvement in firewall, started doing some firewall training and understanding what do they do, and it's pretty much the rules on the firewall that allows communication what goes in, what goes out, what goes where.

Speaker 2 11:59

So it's similar to like a VLAN. It's similar, it's regulated, it's regulated.

Advanced Cybersecurity and Technology Integration

Speaker 4 12:03

So proper firewall configure can pretty much help you out in getting the instruction or the communication that is coming. That is bad not to reach the device that it's intended to, because pretty much what a hacker is doing out there is just trying to communicate to as much devices as possible and just knocking on the door to see who's open and you want to make sure that you close those doors and things like porforing ports. That's the way they communicate. It's somewhat the aspect that firewall would kind of catch, filter and either give you access or deny you.

Speaker 3 12:42

So it's safe to say we have no idea what any of our competitors do, but we take extreme measures to protect customers' networks that we set up by using things like firewalls and VLANs and encrypted passwords, which are advanced cybersecurity measures.

Speaker 4 13:03

And the other aspect is like technology keeps evolving and with that, now that we see a lot of cybersecurity threats, is where pretty much we got to evolve into that, because I read somewhere that it's a lot easier to get a network guy into work in the AV aspect but it's kind of hard to get just an AV guy to work in network. So in the way with all the new devices coming through and talking to each other, there's one key element to keep the cybersecurity part on check.

Speaker 2 13:33

So, freddie, what excites you most about what you do Like? What are you most passionate about what you do here? What brings you joy?

Speaker 4 13:41

I think what brings me joy is just touching as much projects as possible, seeing what it could be done, like seeing that this new device is going to power something or it's going to turn a light a different way, or that you could make life a little easier for somebody you know, once you get to program a switch, or once you get to program a TV to work some type of way, and seeing that how multiple devices could work together to bring joy in a way that brings you joy, no, no, I'm saying like multiple devices could work together to bring joy in a way that brings you joy.

Speaker 4 14:13

No, no, I'm saying like multiple devices bringing joy to a customer oh my god, my ears are bleeding yeah, I mean I like I like the whole aspect of how multiple devices and multiple technology could work together to kind of, you know, handle network Wi-Fi, your password, your DV, so all of that and being able to touch that technology. That's the part I like.

Speaker 1 14:42

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Speaker 3 15:05

We do take the engineering part of our projects very seriously and, if we didn't point out before, freddie essentially engineers every project that comes through here in-house. We build all of our systems here in our engineering room. We pre-configure all the systems before we go out, as Zach always likes to say. What does Zach say, michelle?

Speaker 2 15:27

If your contractor shows up with a bunch of boxes, you've hired the wrong contractor.

Speaker 3 15:32

He'll be so glad that he was mentioned in this podcast.

Speaker 4 15:35

Awesome.

Speaker 3 15:36

And so Freddie is very integral for our company in that aspect and that's why one of the reasons we wanted to have him on here because he's behind the scenes in every project that we do. But Freddie is also an FAA drone pilot. What does?

Speaker 4 15:53

that mean Freddie? Well, it means that I could fly a drone in regulator airspace. So it's not a hobby.

Speaker 3 16:02

Are you delivering packages for Amazon on the side? I'm not, but I wish.

Speaker 4 16:07

It just means that I'm able to fly a drone commercially, take videos and pretty much be able to fly in or ask for permission to fly in restricted airspace.

Speaker 3 16:18

Michelle, did you see what we bought for Freddie recently the vest. Do you know about the vest?

Speaker 2 16:22

I do know about the vest.

Speaker 3 16:24

So the other day peek behind the curtain here. So the other day I get this we use Slack for internal communication back and forth and I get this post in Slack with a link to Amazon for this neon yellow like highlighter yellow vest that you would see on, like maybe on a construction site or something like that, but with big letters like f, a, a pilot yes so.

Speaker 3 16:49

So when freddie's out on the job site, he's flying these drones around. People don't think it's. You know, we're being invaded from red dawn in privacy because north car have.

Speaker 4 17:00

I mean, every state has different laws, but North Carolina has some really nice privacy laws concerning flying drones. So that's one of the key aspects of why you want to make sure that you're properly identified. Correct.

Freddie's Role in Media Production

Speaker 3 17:14

So one of the reasons that we did that is to go along with marketing. So Freddie, on top of doing the engineering and his fun, one of the reasons that we did that is to go along with marketing. So Freddie, on top of doing the engineering and his fun, part of the projects also, michelle, what does Freddie do for you?

Speaker 2 17:25

All those really cool drone videos that you see on our social media and our website are videos that Freddie has done. That's footage that he's captured. It's invaluable.

Speaker 3 17:36

It's such an asset however, it's not without turmoil we do have creative differences. I believe there's a music we have creative differences yes, involved, yes, in that freddie really likes he's from.

Speaker 2 17:54

he likes the maybe younger type music and I cater more to our target demographic, which is not Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa. It's created some uncomfortable situations Because Freddie does an amazing job, but I usually go in and re-edit his footage.

Speaker 4 18:13

Or butcher it, or get corruptile.

Speaker 2 18:16

It is cool, it's very cool, it's very cool, it is very cool.

Speaker 3 18:19

It's allowed us. As a matter of fact, we had someone reach out yesterday about one of the videos that was shot for one of our builders and that's going to be on a future podcast, and asked if he could use it if we actually did it. Oh and so, yeah, it's really cool. So, again, something that just separates us Not only can we fly a drone, but we actually have a legally FAA licensed pilot to do so. So that's pretty cool. In five years, Freddie, what do you want to be doing?

Speaker 2 18:45

Say drone videos.

Speaker 4 18:47

Drone videos. I think I want to keep being involved in what I do. I mean, I do enjoy it, I do love it, I know it's going to keep involving, going to keep getting better, more devices. So in five years I see myself doing almost the same thing, just bigger, better.

Speaker 3 19:05

Do you get sick of me throwing out ideas to you almost daily about things that we need to do to improve?

Speaker 2 19:12

Correct, correct. I will edit that part out.

Speaker 4 19:18

No, I enjoy getting the challenge of trying to see if we could make it work.

Speaker 3 19:23

Good answer, Freddie. Very good answer. Do we have anything else to ask?

Speaker 2 19:28

Yeah, I did want to ask who your hero was growing up. Did you have a superhero that you liked? What did little 12-year-old Freddie? What did he think was cool? Like, what were you into?

Speaker 3 19:39

I want to know who's superheroes in nicaragua. Is it the same as the us?

Speaker 4 19:43

the same, just they speak spanish batman is spanish batman is spanish. Sometimes I, you know, like when you ask me questions like that and makes me think like who was my? I see, or try to learn as much as possible, but then again it's like I don't think Batman, avengers, I don't think I had a specific one, I just love them all, enjoyed them all.

Speaker 3 20:08

Were you or are you a sports fan? Did you have like a sports type hero person?

Speaker 2 20:13

No, no, did you play sports?

Speaker 4 20:16

Yes, a few I played, but not for a longer term. I mean, I think I learned how to do all the sports, enjoyed them, but other than that, not something I would watch or go home and watch.

Speaker 2 20:27

Probably too nerdy.

Speaker 4 20:29

Too nerdy for that.

Speaker 3 20:31

Okay, well, this has just been very dramatic.

Speaker 2 20:35

I give Freddie a hard time all the time about being nerdy.

Speaker 4 20:38

Freddie is great, very dramatic. I give Freddie a hard time all the time about being nerdy. Freddie is great, yeah, in a way, but I think now I'm 39, but I'm getting to that age where I'm trying to understand why my dad used to tell me a few things and why learning. Why did I do it younger? Because now it takes me longer but I enjoy it more and that keeps me busy. I keep being busy in that aspect of pretty much learning. The devices keep paying my tolls and I like to at least know of what I'm talking about.

Speaker 2 21:12

You are like the certificate holder, reigning certificate master at SoundVision of most certificates.

Speaker 3 21:20

What's the most recent certificate you have been awarded?

Speaker 4 21:23

Radio Rod 3. That's where it's passing. Ultron wireless lighting.

Speaker 3 21:28

Jason Fuse will be very excited to hear that. What else? What was before that?

Speaker 4 21:33

Before that well, I did Game Alarmcom.

Speaker 3 21:37

Yeah, plugforalarmcom, like that.

Speaker 4 21:41

I did become an Alarmcom certified and there's a few certifications that I'm trying to see.

Speaker 2 21:48

Well, and you're on our education committee here with Mark right.

Speaker 3 21:52

Correct. So that's another thing that you are involved in is we're constantly revising and improving the training for our guys so that when we send folks into the field they are properly trained and are professional and that training is not only technical in nature but also in how to do things, just general process of being clean in a home and you know how to communicate and all that kind of stuff as well.

Speaker 4 22:21

It makes it easier for the guys also to have somebody to fall behind.

Multilingual Team Member Appreciation

Speaker 3 22:26

And I know that in today's day and age it's not uncommon to have someone on staff that's bilingual, but for many years we did not, and now we take it for granted. We have a couple, but that has become very useful in certain situations as well. So yeah. Freddie speaks English and Spanish. Well, hey, we've been here longer than we expected. Freddie, thank you for joining us.

Speaker 4 22:49

Thank you very much.

Speaker 3 22:50

You are an extremely valuable member of our team and we love you very much.

Speaker 1 22:55

All right, Well, until next time thanks for joining us for simplifying life through technology team and we love you very much. All right, Well, until next time. Thanks for joining us for Simplifying Life Through Technology. To learn more about SoundVision, visit our website at soundvisionlakenormancom. You can follow us on X at SoundVisionLKN. Find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at SoundVisionLLC.