Richard Stiennon Talks about Security Yearbook 2021 and Getting Through the Pandemic

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TechSpective Podcast Episode 059

If you have worked in or near cybersecurity in the last 20 years or so, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Richard Stiennon. Richard is a former Gartner analyst who has established himself as a leading independent analyst–as well as an author and speaker in the field. His breadth of knowledge about cybersecurity is challenged only by the size of the Rolodex (Kids–that is like the Contacts app on your smartphone, except that every contact was written on its own physical index card and then…just Google for images of a Rolodex) he has accumulated over the years. Richard seems to know everyone in cybersecurity personally.

I have known Richard for well over a decade myself. As a cybersecurity analyst and author, I frequently reach out to Richard for his expert insight and commentary. Analysts and journalists generally cover similar topics from different perspectives, so we often swim in the same proverbial pool–attending the same conferences and events. As it turns out, we are also both from the Detroit area, so we are also out here representing the 313 (and the 248).

Our discussion on the podcast ranges all over. We talk about the upcoming second iteration of his Security Yearbook–a comprehensive compendium of the history and present state of the cybersecurity industry. Security Yearbook 2021 is available for pre-order now and will be released at the end of this month. Richard talks about the effort that goes into staying on top of a constantly shifting cybersecurity industry–as new startups pop up and old players get acquired or fade out of existence, and the need to follow emerging trends and new technologies that join the field.

Listen to the full episode to find out more about Richard’s process ongoing research for the Security Yearbook and the vision for future iterations of the book. We also talk about cybersecurity in general, and the light at the end of the tunnel for COVID-19 quarantine as the world cautiously begins to open back up and in-person cybersecurity events start to become a thing again.

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