What Soft Skills Do You Need in Cyber?

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post by Evgeniy Kharam for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining them is Ryan Dunn, Leader of Product and Supply Chain Technology, Specialized Bicycle Components.  And check out "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales: Connect to Sell More" by Evgeniy Kharam we referenced in this episode. In this episode: Beyond the technical playbook Influencing without authority Partnering, not just selling The deliberate work of connection Thanks to our sponsor, HackerOne Discover how AI innovators like Adobe, Anthropic, and Snap are using AI to find and fix vulnerabilities across the software development lifecycle. HackerOne, the global leader in offensive security solutions, reveals all in the CISOs’ guide to securing the future of AI. Download it now to see how AI can strengthen your security posture. https://www.hackerone.com/report/future-of-ai?utm_medium=Paid-Newsletter&utm_source=cisoseries&utm_campaign=Parent-FY25-AIAwarenessCampaign-GL

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Bil Harmer, security advisor, Craft Ventures. Joining them is James Bruce, business security services director, WPP. In this episode: Turning visibility into actionable intelligence Pure visibility still provides an essential security foundation Finding strategic value The risk of gaps in identity management Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Human error remains one of the top cybersecurity threats. Just one wrong click can open the door to ransomware or data loss. With ThreatLocker, unauthorized apps, scripts, and devices are blocked before they can ever run. See how ThreatLocker can help you gain more control over your environment.  Threatlocker.com/CISO  

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Dan Walsh, CISO, Datavant. Joining them is their sponsored guest, Ash Hunt, vp, strategy, EMEA, Cyera. In this episode: The access creep challenge Bridging intent and execution Looking for integrity Racing against exponential complexity Huge thanks to our sponsor, Cyera     AI is moving fast - can your security keep up? Join the leaders shaping the future of data and AI security at DataSecAI Conference 2025, hosted by Cyera, Nov 12–13 in Dallas. Register now at https://www.cyera.com/?utm_source=cisoseries        

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post by David Mundy of Tuskira for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining them is Jason Taule, CISO, Luminis Health. In this episode: ROI challenges  Venture capital saturation Risk aversion and organizational politics A GTM transformation Huge thanks to our sponsor, Doppel Doppel is the first social engineering defense platform built to dismantle deception at the source. It uses AI and infrastructure correlation to detect, link, and disrupt impersonation campaigns before they spread - protecting brands, executives, and employees while turning every threat into action that strengthens defenses across a shared intelligence network. Learn more at https://www.doppel.com/platform

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Geoff Belknap. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Kara Sprague, CEO, HackerOne. In this episode: Shadow AI as a control problem Rethinking identity for autonomous agents When process meets momentum Beyond blocking: channeling AI usage Huge thanks to our sponsor, HackerOne  Discover how AI innovators like Adobe, Anthropic, and Snap are using AI to find and fix vulnerabilities across the software development lifecycle. HackerOne, the global leader in offensive security solutions, reveals all in the CISOs’ guide to securing the future of AI. Download it now to see how AI can strengthen your security posture. Learn more at https://www.hackerone.com/  

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is CISO Series reporter and CISO herself, Hadas Cassorla. In this episode: Security poverty line excludes SMBs  Skills gap and channel dynamics slow SMB security adoption The startup disadvantage cycle Technology adoption flows from enterprise complexity to market simplification Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker® is a global leader in Zero Trust endpoint security, offering cybersecurity controls to protect businesses from zero-day attacks and ransomware. ThreatLocker operates with a default deny approach to reduce the attack surface and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities. To learn more and start your free trial, visit ThreatLocker.com.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Geoff Belknap. Joining us is our sponsored guest Mokhtar Bacha, founder and CEO, Formal. In this episode: Access management faces transformation  AI agents demand new authentication paradigms AI complexity demands simplified governance approaches Data-centric identity management replaces role-based approaches Huge thanks to our sponsor, Formal Formal secures humans, AI agent’s access to MCP servers, infrastructure, and data stores by monitoring and controlling data flows in real time. Using a protocol-aware reverse proxy, Formal enforces least-privilege access to sensitive data and APIs, ensuring AI behavior stays predictable and secure. Visit joinformal.com to learn more or schedule a demo.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post by Geoff Belknap, co-host of Defense in Depth, for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and John Overbaugh, CISO, Alpine Investors. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Pukar Hamal, founder and CEO at SecurityPal. In this episode:  When business moves faster than security Turning obstacles into opportunities The art of saying "not like that" Know your regulatory landscape Huge thanks to our sponsor, SecurityPal AI SecurityPal is the leader in Customer Assurance, helping companies accelerate security assurance without compromising accuracy. Their AI + human expertise approach, dynamic Trust Center, and modern TPRM solution eliminate manual work and streamline vendor security at scale. To learn more, visit securitypal.ai.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is Justin Berman, formerly vp of platform engineering and CISO at Thirty Madison Health. In this episode:  Maps without transportation The untouchable employee problem Attestation theater The lightbulb moment Huge thanks to our sponsor, SecurityPal SecurityPal is the leader in Customer Assurance, helping companies accelerate security assurance without compromising accuracy. Their AI + human expertise approach, dynamic Trust Center, and modern TPRM solution eliminate manual work and streamline vendor security at scale. To learn more, visit securitypal.ai.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week’s episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker. In this episode:  Legacy infrastructure creates the biggest hurdles More marketing than methodology Implementation complexity makes zero trust a Sisyphean task Don't ignore human factors Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker® is a global leader in Zero Trust endpoint security, offering cybersecurity controls to protect businesses from zero-day attacks and ransomware. ThreatLocker operates with a default deny approach to reduce the attack surface and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities. To learn more and start your free trial, visit Threatlocker.com/CISO