How do you describe your job?
A good portion of my role is acting as an advocate for our customers and provide them with guidance throughout their cloud journey. I help customers understand the lay of their cloud info-security land and based on the analysis of their IT ecosystem, I help them assess the best solutions and practices for overcoming the security, privacy and residency risks that they face. It's easy for me to provide them guidance given my experience in the corporate world.
Why did you get into IT security?
I was looking to make a transition from Citicorp (now CitiGroup) in 1994 and interviewed with Ernst & Young for a role in a nascent information security consulting practice. It seemed very interesting to me and my background in operating systems and networks was a good foundation to learn about security. I had the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the firm and that was a great foundation for the rest of my security career.
What was one of your biggest challenges?
Learning that the business drives everything and security needs to be aligned with both business and technology strategy.
What keeps you up at night?
Thinking about how much intellectual property is being stolen from private sector companies .
What makes you most proud?
I've had the opportunity to have a significant impact on a large number of companies through both my banking career and the security startups I've been involved in.
How would you use a magic IT security wand?
I would give all technologists and security professionals great communication and business skills.