The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT.

In this episode, host Aaron Bock interviews Mike Privette, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) of mobility management platform Passport.

Conversation Highlights:

• How Mike got into security on accident (4:25)
• What Mike recommends to people wanting to shift their career into security, and why thoughts on degrees are changing (7:57)
• Mike's thoughts on going deep vs. broad on a topic (10:38)
• Mike's thoughts on the responsibility an organization holds in training their workforce (11:05)
• What it really means to be a CISO, and how Mike's experiences have differed across being in security at tech firm and in the financial sector (12:41)
• Challenges with security being a necessary business component but not having an ROI (17:06)
• Misconceptions people have related to IT and security, and why open communication across business departments is so important (21:13)
• What security basics need to be covered to make sure majority of risks are mitigated (24:47)
• What to do first in instances where you walk into an organization as CISO and everything is a vulnerable mess (hint: it begins with a general maturity assessment and incident response plan) (27:27)
• The value in iterating and assessing an organization's security posture to understand capabilities and gaps (31:05)
• The security mantra you should always say in a job interview (35:31)
• Upcoming IoT technology trends and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and public works that inspire them (35:49)
• Supply chain security as another big trend (39:18)
• Urging companies to use SaaS instead of running software themselves (41:35)
• How impending recession/depression influences cyber attacks (44:44)
• How impending recession/depression influences funding and investor decisions (45:21)
• The #1 piece of advice Mike would give to millions of people in a technology state of the union address (47:02)

Publications and Technologies Mentioned:

• Security, Funded Newsletter of Return on Security, written by Mike himself

About Mike Privette

Mike is a cybersecurity practitioner and entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience growing and leading cybersecurity organizations in the Financial Services and Insurance industries. Mike is currently the CISO of Passport, a Charlotte, NC-based mobile parking, ticketing, and enforcement SaaS platform. Prior to joining Passport, Mike founded and sold his cybersecurity consulting business, Fraction Consulting, and operated as a Divisional CISO for Truist Financial.