Category: security
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From Fan to Guest: My Experience on Life of a CISO with Dr. Eric Cole
For the past four years, I’ve been a dedicated listener of Life of a CISO, hosted by none other than Dr. Eric Cole—a legend in the cybersecurity world and author of one of my all-time favorite cybersecurity books, Cyber Crisis. His practical insights, blunt wisdom, and real-world experiences have helped shape how I approach leadership…
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Announcing My New Book: Locked Up
I’m excited to announce that my book, Locked Up, is officially complete and will be published by Wiley on January 22, 2026. This project has been a long time in the making. Locked Up is not a theoretical exercise in cybersecurity. It’s a firsthand, behind-the-scenes account of what happened when our university experienced a ransomware…
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Engaging with the Cybersecurity Community: Conference and Podcast Highlights
Over the past two weeks, I had the opportunity to contribute to the cybersecurity community through both a live conference appearance and a podcast discussion. At FutureCon St. Louis, I moderated the CISO leadership panel titled “Securing the Future: CISO Insights and Industry Leaders Discussing Current Cyber Threats and Strategic Defense Practices.” The session featured…
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The Start of 2025
As we dive into 2025, I’m reflecting on what has already been an incredible start to the year. It’s shaping up to be one for the books, and I’m excited about the opportunities ahead. First, I’m honored to share that I’ve been named one of the St. Louis Titan 100. This recognition highlights top leaders…
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Is the “Chief” Title Still Relevant for vCISOs?
The rise of virtual CISOs (vCISOs) has introduced a flexible, cost-effective solution for organizations needing cybersecurity leadership without the expense of a full-time CISO. However, it raises an important question: does the “Chief” title still hold weight when applied to a part-time or external role? What Does the “Chief” Title Really Mean? Traditionally, a “Chief”…
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And Security For All Podcast
I recently had the pleasure of joining Kim Hakim on her podcast, And Security For All, for a second time. Our conversation focused on Strengthening Security Through Data Classification and Governance. At the university, our journey in still in its infancy, but rapidly moving along. A data breach scare served as a wake-up call, pushing…
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STLCyberCon – UMSL
This past Friday, I had the opportunity to present at the 10th Annual STLCyberCon at UMSL. The room was filled with students from nearby universities and local security practitioners. Dr. Dinesh Mirchandani, Chair of the IST Department at UMSL connected with me about this presentation. There were other fantastic presentations by Dr. Ning Zhang from…
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Discover Credit Card Woes
My wife and I are Discover Financial Services credit card owners. She’s been, what they call, an “Authorized User” of my credit card for a couple of years. Discover advertises that authorized users can perform key functions like viewing account balance, rewards, payment info, transactions, and even making payments, all without accessing sensitive details like…
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More Conferences…
It’s been a minute since my last post. I’ve been running around to a few of the last conferences I’ll be attending this year. I was offered the opportunity to sit on a panel in Cincinnati at CDO Magazine’s Cybersecurity Summit. Our topic was Securing the Future: AI-Driven Data Governance and Protection. While more than…
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Higher Education Partnership Network – Miami
Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Miami for the HEPN Conference. This was their first time in the US. They normally keep to the UK. HEPN did mention this conference was a success and they would be returning next year. I was fortunate enough to speak to a room of around 250…