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Cybersecurity: Budgets, Bureaucracies and Behaviors

WEBCASTS / 11.08.18 / Brian Contos

As part of the Cybersecurity Effectiveness Podcast, sponsored by Verodin, I recently interviewed a good friend of mine and thought-leader in the cybersecurity industry, Malcolm Harkins, the Chief Security and Trust Officer at Cylance.

You can listen to the podcast through the embedded player below or subscribe to the Cybersecurity Effectiveness Podcast through Spotify or iTunes. You can also read the full podcast transcription HERE (PDF).

One of the reasons I asked Malcolm to join the podcast was that he always has unique, insightful, and often contrarian perspectives on cybersecurity. Part of this is because of Malcolm’s background in economics and finance. He has only worked for two companies in 27 years, which in our industry is at least a dozen lifetimes. Those companies are Intel, where he was the Chief Security & Privacy Officer, and now Cylance.

While the charter for both roles has some overlap, the organizations are vastly different in mission, size, revenue, etc. So, I wanted to get a feel from Malcolm about the dichotomy.

During the podcast, Malcolm and I discussed:

  • What was like leaving Intel after two decades and joining Cylance, which at the time was very much a startup and not the well-known cybersecurity leader it is today
  • How he adapted to moving from Intel, with well over 100k employees and where he led a team of hundreds of employees, to a small company
  • The transfer process of his leadership and management skills

I hope you enjoy the Cybersecurity Effectiveness Podcast.

Brian Contos

About Brian Contos

Strategic Board Advisor at Cylance | CISO & VP of Security Strategy at Verodin, Inc 

Brian Contos is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, author, Distinguished Fellow with the Ponemon Institute and blogger for CSO Magazine. After getting his start in cybersecurity with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and later Bell Labs, Brian began the process of building security startups and taking multiple companies through successful IPOs and acquisitions including: Riptech, ArcSight, Imperva, McAfee and Solera Networks. Brian is also a strategic board advisor for Cylance and Securonix.

Brian has published several books including: Enemy at the Water Cooler—Real-Life Stories of Insider Threats and Physical and Logical Security Convergence,'which he co-authored with former NSA Deputy Director William Crowell. He has written for and been interviewed by industry and business press and presented at industry events worldwide. Brian has worked in over 50 countries across six continents.