Podcast
CISO Series Podcast
Hosted by David Spark, Mike Johnson, and Andy Ellis · EN
Discussions, tips, and debates from security practitioners and vendors on how to work better together to improve security for themselves and everyone else.
68episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
They're Less "Best Practices" and More "Sounds Good on LinkedIn"
Mar 1700:41:54Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is Rebecca Harness, CISO, Deltek. In this episode: Let it fail The CIO seat is empty. Now what? Design for how people actually work "We found 23 issues. That'll be $15,000." Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.
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It's Okay to Put All Your Eggs in One Basket as Long as You Really Trust the Basket
Mar 1000:48:29Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker. In this episode: Your best employee is your biggest risk Stop guessing the next attack AI is not a feature Stop blaming the user Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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Our Security Team's Love Language is Buying New Tools
Mar 300:41:22Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Tim Leehealey, vp of corporate strategy and operations, Strike48. In this episode: Defensible, not perfect Tools aren't going to save you Logs are wasted on the SOC The myth of the lone wolf Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.
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If We Can't Do Better, at Least Do It Faster
Feb 2400:41:37Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is Vikas Mahajan, vp and CISO, American Red Cross. In this episode: Questionnaires aren't risk management The good old days were worse Buying or building your SOC Start the conversation, not the checklist Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security Sponsored by Adaptive Security—the first cybersecurity company backed by OpenAI. AI impersonation and deepfakes have made trust the new attack surface. Adaptive runs realistic social-engineering simulations and instantly turns threats, policies, and compliance needs into interactive, multilingual training. Trusted by Fortune 500s. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.
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We Gave the CISO Risk and Liability, and Now They Want Authority. The Nerve.
Feb 1700:42:14Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Steve Zalewski. Joining them is Tammy Klotz, CISO, Trinseo. In this episode: Accountability without authority Kill your hacklore Voice is no longer enough Studies that tell us what we already know Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Want real Zero Trust training? Zero Trust World 2026 delivers hands-on labs and workshops that show CISOs exactly how to implement and maintain Zero Trust in real environments. Join us March 4–6 in Orlando, plus a live CISO Series episode on March 6. Get $200 off with ZTWCISO26 at ztw.com.
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When We See White Smoke, We Know We Have a New CISO
Feb 1000:42:32Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is Russ Ayres, CISO, Principal Financial Group. In this episode: Metrics that matter Tool babysitting problem Automating the brokenness Stay connected intentionally Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.
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Take Two-Factor Authentication and Call Me in the Morning
Feb 300:38:43Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is Janet Heins, CISO, ChenMed. In this episode: Inbound gets ignored Independence under constraint Methodology means nothing Lives over logins Huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com.
SummaryI'll Show You Our Resilience Plan Once Our Cloud Storage Is Back Online
Jan 2700:37:47Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining them is Johann Balaguer, Global CISO, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos. In this episode: Understanding the why Own your digital self Invest beyond tenure Prepare for dependencies Thanks to Louis Zhichao Zhang, AIA Australia for contributing this week's "What's Worse?!" scenario. Huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com.
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AI Is Very Efficient at Making Us Forget the Value of Humans
Jan 2000:41:07Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is Sara Madden, CISO, Convera. In this episode: Hold developers accountable Credibility through candor Be strategic with AI deployment Resources don't guarantee security Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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Managing Risk Has Been a Priority Ever Since You Asked About It (LIVE in NYC)
Jan 1300:40:37Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Matthew Southworth, CSO, Priceline. Joining them is sponsored guest, Saket Modi, CEO, Safe Security. This episode was recorded live at FAIRCON25 in NYC. In this episode: AI won't stay broken Identity before intelligence People decide risk appetite Automate with oversight Huge thanks to our sponsor, Safe Security SAFE is the leader in Cyber Risk Quantification and the first company to deliver 100% autonomous Third-Party Risk Management. Powered by Agentic AI and built on FAIRtm, SAFE empowers CISOs, cybersecurity, and TPRM leaders to continuously quantify, prioritize, and mitigate cyber risks across their entire attack surface – enabling digital growth and organizational resilience. Learn more at testdrive.safe.security/
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