about us

Our mission is to help your business reduce risk and improve security.

We develop and deliver the best solutions for every client's needs

In 2003 Steve Walker founded the IT consulting firm Cobaltix in San Francisco. The company provides IT outsourcing and network consulting services to businesses around the United States and around the world.

Over time, it’s offerings also included cybersecurity compliance until 2015 when, out of market need, the company’s time became increasingly devoted to compliance work. This was when Steve decided the time was right to create an independent company to handle these compliance and cybersecurity needs. Thus, Cobaltix Compliance was set into motion.

our values

Collaboration

Our services are far from cookie cutter or boiler plate. Your company’s DNA can be seen throughout the services we provide. This is due to the strong collaborative efforts that goes into every relationship.

Results Maximization

We never settle for sub-par. We strive for the absolute best outcome in every endeavor. The minute you engage Cobaltix Compliance, you will notice immediately that we care deeply for the cyber-integrity of your company.

Excellence

Meeting expectations has never been on our radar. Our objective is to always exceed not only your expectations, but to always strive to extend the bar we have previously set

Innovation

The methodology, ideas and tactics Cobaltix Compliance utilizes are unique just to our firm as we are the standard bearer in the world of infosec and compliance. No one does it like us and no one ever will.

meet our team

Marcin Grela

Director of Compliance

Marcin is a Business Information Systems graduate (MSc) of the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland. He started his professional career as a security consultant and engineer for Cobaltix IT back in 2005. After moving back to Poland he has worked for large, international organizations as a member of central security departments. Marcin, has a track record of successful implementation of  global vulnerability management services targeting approximately 5000 servers worldwide. The last 5 years has been dedicated to Risk Management and Security Consulting – with particular focus on Cloud environments.

Marcin holds several industry certifications including CISSP-ISSMP, CCSP, CCSK. Outside of work he dedicates most of this time to his wife and two children and endurance sports.

Laura Gadola

Director of Business Development

Laura is a graduate of Copenhagen School of Design and Technology and began her career in technology at Cobaltix IT after coming to the US from her home countries of Denmark and Italy. Speaking three languages – English being her third – Laura brings international experience and cross-cultural people skills to the table.

Laura is an expert at helping clients ensure that they are compliant with a wide variety of regulatory standards and she knows how to find the easiest and least expensive ways to make sure clients are up to date with relevant cybersecurity laws and statutes.

If she’s not driving through California’s beach towns and vineyards, Laura is likely skiing between countries in her home resorts in the Alps.

Colton Sumners

Senior Director Information Security and Compliance

Colton has over 20 years experience in the field of information security. As an entrepreneur he was acquired twice, and came on to the Cobaltix Compliance team in 2022 after successfully running a high-level offensive computing firm based out of Jaslico, Mexico.

Prior to entrepreneurship he was director of IT for a large hospitality management company based in the SW, United States and was partner of a design firm in the greater Chicago, Il area. He has given talks around the globe on topics such as hidden services, cryptography and geo-political cyber crime.

When he’s not popping shells on a pen-test and helping his client’s navigate the hurried rapids of compliance and governance, he loves to race autos (Team Porsche Guadalajara / Ducati SWAZ), powerlifting (385 Wilks), and traveling the globe with this wife.

Steve Walker

Founder

Steve earned a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley and studied international economics at American University. He began his career in technology in 1990, working in networking and security for companies including Bechtel, Cohesive, 3Com, Good, and Exodus.

In 2003, Steve started Cobaltix. Since then, many of the firm’s clients started asking for not just IT and security services, but also for compliance work, so in 2015, Steve started Cobaltix Compliance to address these compliance and regulatory needs. 

In addition to running Cobaltix and Cobaltix Compliance, Steve has been helping great not-for-profits. Steve is on the board of Zanmi Lakay, an organization that works directly with street kids in Jacmel, Haiti. Because of his work both in the US and directly with the kids in Haiti, dozens of kids are now computer literate and more will become so because of the labs that he funded and helped install there.

Steve is also an ultra-marathon, cold-water swimmer. He trains in the San Francisco Bay at the South End Club, and is one of the most accomplished cold-water swimmers in the world. Above water, Steve has been happily married for over 20 years and has three great kids.

ready to take your business to the next level?

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