47 is in Today... Does That Mean We Can Make CrunchAtlas Great Again?

Told you my dad jokes are gems. Got you to click, didn’t I? That’s a win in my book. But stick with me. I promise I’ll get your blood going. Here, I'll mention: Trump. 

See that worked right? Told ya....

So it’s presidential inauguration day here in the United States, and I couldn’t let this historic moment pass without saying a few words. What kind of newbie blogger would I be if I stayed silent on this one? My (gloriously clever?) subject line aside, today - January 20th, 2025 - is undoubtedly a monumental moment in our nation’s history.

Let me just say this upfront. I’m not necessarily a fan of President Trump or everything he says and does. But I am a passionate believer in my country and the values it’s meant to stand for. Over the past few years, I’ve been disheartened and disappointed by the cultural shift I’ve seen brewing. Lawlessness, division, and a growing disconnect between younger generations and their sense of pride in this nation. It’s just been hard to watch as our values seem to weaken, and our strength as a nation feels like it’s eroding. Just pure division, fueled by hate and hardship, spreading among the masses. And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, and senseless to point fingers on why this cultural shift has happened to our country. I've done MY fair share of finger pointing these past few years, that's for sure.

But today? Today felt different. It felt like the start of something new. Or maybe something old, but certainly reawakened. Felt like a hard shift back to common sense. Watching the events of the inauguration, I felt a spark of pride, the kind I haven’t felt in a while. And as much as I might not align with everything (mostly nothing) about politicians on the hill, I have to admit the President's words today about making things happen felt real. What he said about Americans being good at making the impossible happen. Yep, he's spot on we do that stuff better than anybody. And honestly? I believe he’ll do just that, just to show us that he can. Fine with me.

Beyond the feel-good vibes and political theater, today also struck a chord for me because of what it could mean for national security. I’m not just talking about increased defense budgets coming. Though that’s certainly part of it. I’m talking about the bigger picture: restoring order in geopolitics, strengthening our nation’s defenses, and addressing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.

This hits close to home for me because it’s the very reason I started CrunchAtlas in the first place. I’m a CEO today because I wanted to build something meaningful, something that I can truly make a difference on leveraging my hard (nerd?) skills. As a recently retired veteran, I’ve asked myself how I can continue to serve my country outside of the military. For me, the answer is clear. I can focus my energy on helping secure our most valuable and vulnerable tech and infrastructure assets, and today's inauguration felt like sweet validation of my decision to go down this path.

Without climbing too far onto my soapbox (don’t worry, that rant’s for another time), I’ll just say that under this new administration, I believe the next four years could be pivotal. We have an opportunity to drive innovation, implement real solutions, and secure the systems that matter most to our nation’s future, potentially without the usual government bureaucracy that can slow down the progress.

Will we solve all these issues in four years? Not a chance. But today’s inauguration feels like the start of something big. Almost 200 executive orders signed on day one? This guy’s not messing around.

I can’t shake the feeling that CrunchAtlas is stepping into the arena at exactly the right time. The threats we’re facing are ramping up exponentially, and we’ve got the technology to make a real difference. So no, we’re not exactly “making CrunchAtlas great again”, we’re just getting started. (Yeah, these quips are getting worse, but I promised unfiltered blogging.)

Heading to bed tonight with a lot of thoughts, ideas, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for what’s ahead. A wave of possibilities to ride along with this year, especially for those of us that are focused on nat sec. I hope you share the same enthusiasm, and can benefit from this ride as well, whatever your passion is.

Cheers, Ben