– ABOUT HANS STUDY · TSG LABS
TSG Labs founder. Independent security and infrastructure consultant.
15+ years on the technical side of enterprise networks, operational technology, and physical security systems. Federal infrastructure, public safety, transportation, defence, healthcare, and large enterprise. Across Canada and the United States.
How this started
It started the way it does for a lot of people in this field. Fixing computers for friends and family in the early 2000s. A part-time job at a local computer shop installing small business networks and CCTV systems. By 2010, that had grown into his own IT firm.
What followed over the next fifteen years is where the depth comes from.
Where the depth comes from
A career working across public sector, defence, public safety, and critical infrastructure environments designing and integrating the technology those organizations depend on. This includes years working directly in the federal space, tasked with the operation of mission-critical networks where failure was not an option, and operational continuity was a daily responsibility, not a theoretical goal.
The consistent thread throughout has been curiosity. A habit of taking systems apart to understand how they actually work, pushing security controls to their limits, and applying what that reveals to stronger designs.
That curiosity also led to teaching at the post-secondary level: Cisco CCNA, Introductory and Advanced Networking, and Network and Infrastructure Security. Hundreds of students went on to careers in IT and networking. Teaching is where you find out how well you actually understand something. You cannot fake it when someone asks you to explain why, not just how.
Credentials, training, and platform experience
The active credential is CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), maintained through ISC2. It is the one that carries weight in government, defence, and regulated environments where the credential is part of the contract requirement.
Beyond that, the work draws on training and field experience across a wider set of disciplines than a single credential reflects.
Networking platforms
- Cisco: trained on and taught the CCNA program for multiple years to hundreds of post-secondary students. Field experience across Catalyst, Nexus, Meraki, ASA, and FTD platforms.
- Aruba (HPE): trained on and field-experienced with Aruba CX, Aruba OS, and ClearPass.
- Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise: field-experienced with the OmniSwitch family in security network deployments.
- Juniper: field-experienced with the EX series for security and enterprise environments.
- Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet: field-experienced on next-generation firewall design and operation.
Wireless
- Ekahau training for predictive site survey design, validation survey, and troubleshooting on enterprise Wi-Fi deployments.
- CWNP coursework on the wireless administration and design tracks.
- Field experience across Cisco, Aruba, and Meraki wireless platforms in airports, transit, government, and enterprise environments.
Physical security platforms
- Genetec: trained and field-experienced across Security Center, Omnicast, Synergis, and AutoVu.
- Software House C-CURE 9000, Milestone XProtect, Avigilon Control Center, Axis Communications, and Axon Body and Fleet.
Microsoft
- Multiple Microsoft training programs across Windows Server, Active Directory, and the security-focused tracks.
- Field experience hardening Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 in production environments.
Forensics
- Trained in mobile device forensics and computer forensics.
- Field experience handling evidence networks and isolated investigative environments for law enforcement and corporate investigations.
A note on certs versus practice
Hans took the courses, sat the exams, and did the work. Maintaining every credential annually has not been the priority. The priority has been doing the work, teaching it, and writing about it. The credentials that are required for specific contracts and engagements are kept current. Others lapse and get renewed when a project demands it.
The teaching credential is the one worth highlighting separately: Hans taught Cisco CCNA, Introductory and Advanced Networking, and Network and Infrastructure Security at the post-secondary level for multiple years. Hundreds of students went through those programs. That is a different kind of credential than a paper cert. It is the credential of having to explain the material to people who are learning it for the first time, every term, in a way they can actually use.
Compliance frameworks Hans works in
Advisory work covers organizations operating under:
Compliance work is not about applying frameworks as written. It is about helping organizations understand what each framework actually requires, given the technical and organizational constraints they are already operating under.
What TSG Labs does
TSG Labs is independent. No equipment sales. No reseller relationships. No vendor partner programs. No margin on hardware or licensing. The recommendation reflects what the environment requires. That is the only thing it reflects.
- Enterprise and control network architecture
- Industrial and OT network design
- Genetec Security Center, Software House C-CURE, Axis, Milestone, Avigilon, Axon
- ICAT (Integrated Communications, Access, and Technology) design
- Data centre and structured cabling advisory
- CMMC, CPCSC, NIST 800-171, ISO 27001 compliance support
- Owner's representative and project advisory
- Mentorship and technical guidance for security integrators and IT teams
Speaking and writing
Hans has presented on cybersecurity resilience and infrastructure security at industry conferences and events.
The Study Byt3s blog at tsglabs.net/study-byt3s/ is a working library of technical articles on switch hardening, Windows server hardening, Genetec deployment, OT and ICS security, and integration practices for security networks. The StudyByt3s podcast covers the work that sits between IT, physical security, and OT, in the format of a conversation rather than a tips-and-tricks show.
Where TSG Labs works
Based in Ontario, Canada. Engagements span Canada and the United States. Federal, provincial, municipal, and private sector. Virtual and on-site.