Michael Farnum Chats about Cloud Security and Acronym Overload

TechSpective Podcast Episode 081

The world of cybersecurity and technology loves acronyms. You have compliance mandates like SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), certifications acronyms like CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), and fun things like ACL (Access Control List), BGP (Border Gateway Protocol, and DNS (Domain Name System). The list is endless.

My guest for this episode is my friend Michael Farnum, CTO of Set Solutions and co-founder of the Houston Security Conference (Hou.Sec.Con). He and I are also former coworkers from our time at Alert Logic. One other thing we have in common is that we are both former military–and if there is anywhere that loves acronyms more than cybersecurity, it’s the military.

The reason we were talking about it at all is that Michael had recently posed a question on LinkedIn, asking if anyone could name what a bunch of acronyms stand for without looking them up.

The discussion about acronyms, and those acronyms specifically, also led to a chat about analysts. We were not anti-analyst, per se, but we have a good conversation about the limitations and human fallibility of analysts and why analyst reports and rankings are subjective to some extent and should be viewed in the proper context.

Check out the full episode for more fun and interesting discussions, including a quick bit at the end about Microsoft’s struggles with cybersecurity and why they shouldn’t be in the business of selling cybersecurity solutions. Also, make sure you mark your calendar for October 20-21, 2022 to attend the next Hou.Sec.Con. Registration will open early, so check the website and make a plan to be there.

The podcast itself is audio only, but the video of our conversation is also available on YouTube if you prefer:

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Tony Bradley

Editor-in-Chief at TechSpective

I have a passion for technology and gadgets--with a focus on Microsoft and security--and a desire to help others understand how technology can affect or improve their lives. I also love spending time with my wife, 7 kids, 4 dogs, 7 cats, a pot-bellied pig, and sulcata tortoise, and I like to think I enjoy reading and golf even though I never find time for either. You can contact me directly at tony@xpective.net. For more from me, you can follow me on Threads, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

TechSpective Podcast Episode 081

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