Michael Atkinson

Commander
DISC Type : D

Director, Field Engineering at Halcyon

Mundelein, Illinois, United States

Overview

Michael Atkinson is a cybersecurity leader specializing in building high-performance sales engineering teams. Currently Director of Field Engineering at Halcyon, his expertise spans anti-ransomware, security policy, and network design. A Northwestern University graduate, colleagues describe him as talented, passionate, dedicated, and professional, with a history of driving significant technical wins.

Outside of his professional life, Michael is a family man based in the suburbs of Chicago. He lives with his wife, their four children, two dogs, and an indeterminate number of hermit crabs, balancing a demanding career with a full family life.

He is the co-founder of the Chicago Security Meetup, demonstrating a commitment to building and engaging with the local cybersecurity community.

Personality Overview

Impact-Driven

Risk-Taker

Very Quick

More than the product, they care about the effectiveness of the product.  They are very proud of what they do. They are not focused on building rapport and relationships.

Topics They Care About

Anti-Ransomware
His current company, Halcyon, is on a mission to deliver dedicated anti-ransomware solutions to protect businesses from data extortion.
SE Team Building
Describes himself as a "serial builder of high performance cybersecurity sales engineering teams" and has a track record of hiring and managing successful teams.
Public Sector Security
Has spent a significant portion of his nearly 30-year career focused on serving public sector clients, including state and local governments.

Media Appearances

Michael has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2026
Director, Field Engineering at Halcyon
3-2025 - 1-2026
Sales Engineering Manager at Cyera
9-2021 - 3-2025
SE Manager, SLED at Armis
12-2020 - 9-2021
Technical Solutions Engineer at Tanium
5-2020 - 12-2020
Manager, Mandiant Solutions at FireEye, Inc.

Education

Bachelor of Science - BS from Northwestern University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : Mundelein, Illinois, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director, Field Engineering at Halcyon
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Insights For Selling To Michael

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Don’t focus on process and rules, give the impression of being a ‘gets it done’ person
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Michael is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Michael

  • If they decide not to go ahead, they will say no without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Michael move?

  • They can take decisions very fast if you manage to convince them.
  • Can Michael take some risk or not?

  • The risks don’t matter much to them.

You And Michael

Personality Compatibility


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