Mike Arrowsmith: Facing adversity in the workplace. [CTrO] [Career Notes]

Summary

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CyberWire Daily – Mike Arrowsmith: Facing Adversity in the Workplace

Podcast: CyberWire Daily
Host: N2K Networks
Guest: Mike Arrowsmith, Chief Trust Officer, NinjaOne
Date: February 15, 2026

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Overview

This episode features an in-depth career note with Mike Arrowsmith, Chief Trust Officer at NinjaOne. Arrowsmith shares his personal journey into cybersecurity, the unique challenges and rapid evolution the industry faces, and leadership philosophies that have guided his path. The discussion emphasizes the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and collaborative leadership in both individual and organizational success in cybersecurity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mike Arrowsmith’s Career Path and Early Inspirations

Timestamp: 01:35 – 03:30

• Early Fascination with Engineering:

  • Mike initially aspired to be an architect, drawn to the engineering feats of large buildings and skyscrapers.
  • “Even today I still look at large buildings, skyscrapers, and just kind of marvel at the engineering and construction that goes into that.” (01:55)

• Technology Revolution Influence:

  • Growing up during the tech boom (Atari, Nintendo, .com era), Mike recognized technology as the future.
  • Transitioned from FedEx to a tech startup, Reserve Interactive, in the hospitality industry.

2. Entering Cybersecurity: A Shift with Lasting Impact

Timestamp: 03:30 – 04:10

• Entry Point:

  • First exposure to security emerged from necessity—Reserve Interactive needed PCI compliance for processing credit cards.
  • This experience led to cybersecurity roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, supporting major federal science initiatives.

• Federal Impact:

  • Managed cybersecurity for the National Ignition Facility, a $5 billion laser for the National Nuclear Scientific Administration.

3. Today’s Leadership Role at NinjaOne

Timestamp: 04:10 – 05:10

• Responsibilities:

  • Leads the Cybersecurity program, IT, and cloud operations at NinjaOne.
  • Balances day-to-day operations with anticipating customer and organizational needs 1–2 years ahead.

• Vision:

  • Focus on both tactical operations and long-term strategy—“trying to understand what is our customers needs look like today, but also try to project where they will be a year or two years from now.” (04:30)

4. Leadership Style & Team Building

Timestamp: 05:10 – 06:10

• Collaborative & Supportive Leadership:

  • Believes leaders must avoid isolation from other departments, especially in support organizations.
  • Prioritizes close interaction with engineering, marketing, and sales teams to better craft solutions.

• Empowering Teams:

  • “Let them run away with the programs. I’m looking for them to take ownership, accountability and really support them in any way or possible that I can in and try to remove roadblocks.” (05:55)

• Greenfield Opportunity:

  • Describes NinjaOne as offering leaders a rare “greenfield” where fresh ideas and rapid growth allow individuals to leave their unique mark.

5. Advice to Future Cybersecurity Professionals

Timestamp: 06:10 – 07:44

• Embracing Change:

  • “The biggest advice I can give… is the adaptation or the acceptance that change is part of every day… it’s a constant learning.” (06:15)
  • What was true two years ago may be obsolete today; the field demands ongoing evolution.

• Networking is Key:

  • Emphasizes learning from peers and industry connections—“I find myself learning a lot through experiences of peers, friends that are in this space.” (06:50)

• Continuous Personal Growth:

  • Urges newcomers to embrace change and network as much as possible to stay ahead and become resilient professionals.

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Notable Quotes

• On the pace of cybersecurity:
  “With cybersecurity we are working against adversaries that are always typically one step ahead, figuratively. If you can imagine you’re trying to chase a bull, but you never can quite get your hands on it.” — Mike Arrowsmith (01:48)

• On leadership dynamics:
  “For my roles, you really can’t be [isolated]… we’re in a support organization. It really behooves us to interact with [other teams] very closely to try to understand their world.” — Mike Arrowsmith (04:55)

• On stewardship and growth:
  “It is really providing a lot of opportunity for these leaders to be able to kind of put their stamp on their individual programs and what they foresee the needs of Ninja and our customer base.” — Mike Arrowsmith (06:00)

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Memorable Moments

• Personal Transformation:
  Mike’s transition from aspiring architect to cybersecurity leader highlights the unpredictable but opportunity-filled nature of career paths in tech.

• Building a Security Program:
  The story about managing federal cybersecurity for scientific facilities conveys both the scale and responsibility of such roles.

• Greenfield Leadership:
  The episode conveys the excitement and challenge of leading within rapidly growing technology environments, where contribution and creativity are valued.

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Key Timestamps

• 01:35: Mike introduces himself and recalls childhood ambitions.
• 02:30: Technology’s influence on his career trajectory.
• 03:30: First cybersecurity experience and shift to federal government roles.
• 04:30: Description of current responsibilities at NinjaOne.
• 05:10: Leadership approach and team dynamics.
• 06:10: Advice for future professionals and the necessity of adapting to change.

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Summary prepared for listeners interested in dynamic cybersecurity leadership, career growth, and the importance of adaptability and collaboration in the industry.

Transcript

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[Mike Arrowsmith]

I am Mike Arrowsmith. I'm the Chief trust officer at NinjaOne. One of the most exciting things about cybersecurity is the level of change. I often have mentored students in college, kind of with a simple metaphor. With cybersecurity we are working against adversaries that are always typically one step ahead, figuratively. If you can imagine you're trying to chase a bull, but you never can quite get your hands on it. I think it's the change that is probably the most fascinating piece for me. It's something that I really thrive. I thought I was going to be an architect of all things. I used to be fascinated with buildings. Even today I still look at large buildings, skyscrapers, and just kind of marvel at the engineering and construction that goes into that. That is what I thought. Probably as early as 7, 8 years old I thought I was going to be an architect of the future. And lo and behold I ended up being this lowly security gu. I kind of grew up during the technology revolution. So video games were introduced. I remember Atari coming out, Nintendo. So technology was kind of building. And then when the big.com boom hit, I think that was the first signal to me that technology was probably the wave of the future. At that time I was working for FedEx, really excited to think about the career and possibilities and kind of from there jumped into a small startup called Reserve Interactive that was working in the hospitality industry. And that kind of set me off down the path of kind of a technology based career. So it was actually at that Reserve interactive organization that I got my first taste of cybersecurity. We had to process credit cards, we needed to go down the whole route of pci. And it's through that that really opened up the opportunity for me to join my next career which was Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. So really exciting opportunity to work for the federal government. We're supportive of the National Nuclear Scientific Administration. Really exciting opportunity to work on the national ignition facility at the time was a $5 billion laser. And I was responsible for running a lot of the cybersecurity initiatives that were part of that. So that was really where everything began to shift towards really predominant cybersecurity. And from then on it was 100%. Today I'm responsible for the CyberSecurity program, our IT organization as well as our cloud operations or how we deliver products to our customers. So my day is really responsible for all three of those areas. Primarily trying to understand what is our customers needs look like today, but also try to project where they will be a year or two years from now. In addition to all the tactical operation things that happen as part of running a large organization. So you know, a lot of times from peers, it's always conversational. Try to be as helpful and as inquisitive as I can. I think a lot of times from a leadership perspective we tend to get isolated into kind of our silo of responsibilities. And for my roles, you really can't be that we're in a support organization. We're looking to be able to support our engineering team or marketing team or sales team. So it really behooves us to interact with them very closely to try to understand their world. So as we try to craft solutions that we want to deliver to help them, we have a foresight of where they are today, but kind of an idea of where they're going. It's trying to put the right building blocks down at certain places. So when we finally get back to that specific area, we've already got kind of a leg up within my own teams again, kind of let them run away with the programs. I'm looking for them to take ownership, accountability and really support them in any way or possible that I can in and try to remove roadblocks. I think that level of management with my own teams has really been reciprocated well by the leaders that I have. I look at this as an opportunity for what we call in the business a greenfield opportunity. A lot of what we're doing is fresh. It is growing at a very rapid rate and so it is really providing a lot of opportunity for these leaders to be able to kind of put their stamp on their individual programs and what they foresee the needs of NINJA and and our customer base. So it's a very exciting opportunity for all of us and I think it's a great working dynamic that we have in place. I think the biggest advice I can give to individuals is the adaptation or the acceptance that change is part of every day of our lives and it's a constant learning. I always tell folks what we knew about two years ago is different than we know today and it's a constant evolution of learning. And that to me is the exciting piece. I find myself learning a lot through experiences of peers, friends that are in this space. So I think that is probably one or two things that I would say is really imperative for the future generations. Coming up with cybersecurity is to embrace change and to network as much as you can.

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