Wolf Goerlich Chats about Cybersecurity and the Value of Local Groups and Events

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Inner Circle Podcast Episode 034

Wolf Goerlich joins me for this episode of the Inner Circle podcast to talk about the state of cybersecurity today and his new role on the CISO Advisory Board for Duo Security. Wolf talks about his focus on zero trust–and somehow that segued into a conversation about the disruptive technology that led to the original jersey for the Toronto Raptors and other NBA teams during the mid 90s as we discussed technological tipping points and the impact it can have on entire industries.

The conversation also turns to the role of cybersecurity for a business, and its evolution over time. Security was traditionally seen as a hurdle or road block to productivity by the rest of the company, and cybersecurity professionals were often a bit zealous about enforcing rules for the sake of enforcing rules. Both sides have changed over time. As data breaches and network compromise have become daily events, the company in general has a better appreciation for security, and as cybersecurity has evolved, IT security professionals have a better understanding that their role is to protect the companies ability to generate profit–not get in the way of it.

We also talked about a recent social media post from Wolf where he shared an opinion that those new to cybersecurity or looking to get into cybersecurity should not be launching GoFundMe campaigns or going into debt to get to an event like the Black Hat and DefCon conferences coming up at the beginning of August. Mega events like RSA and Black Hat are awesome–and I try to never miss either–but they play a specific role. It’s not that you can’t meet people and do some very valuable networking at an event like Black Hat, but for the purposes of someone getting into cybersecurity, local groups and events are much more likely to offer the sort of guidance, mentorship, and opportunities necessary to build a successful career. The B-Sides conferences, and the Houston Security Conference, and hundreds of other smaller, regional events are probably a better investment of time and money for someone new to cybersecurity.

Check out this episode of the Inner Circle podcast and please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.