Risk Never Sleeps Podcast – Episode #186: “Extreme Visibility, Zero-Day Defense, and the Future of Critical Infrastructure”
Guest: Tony Scott, CEO, Intrusion
Host: Ed Gaudet, CEO and Founder, Censinet
Date: January 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features an insightful discussion with Tony Scott, CEO of Intrusion, a cybersecurity company focused on deep network visibility and zero-day threat prevention. Host Ed Gaudet explores Tony’s career journey, technical philosophies, and perspectives on protecting critical infrastructure—particularly in healthcare and other high-stakes environments. The conversation delves into the technical, operational, and personal elements of leading cybersecurity in an ever-evolving landscape, with Scott sharing candid career reflections and practical advice for future professionals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Intrusion’s Mission and Core Technology

[00:48–06:49]

• Transformation at Intrusion: Tony joined amid a challenging transition, motivated by the company’s innovative IP and dedicated team.

  “At first ... I thought, well, maybe I could hire away some of the key people ... But when I saw the combination of the IP and the people ... I quickly switched to a whole different point of view.” – Tony Scott [01:38]

• Problem Solved by Intrusion:

  • Extreme Network Visibility: Continuous, packet-level monitoring—not just periodic sampling—even for traffic that bypasses traditional firewalls.

    “You need extreme network visibility all the time. And it's not just conversations, it's packet by packet by packet in real time.” – Tony Scott [03:10]

  • Institutional Memory: Retain historical records of bad actors for pattern recognition and detection of re-emerging threats.

    “...the bad guys are resurrecting things that people haven't seen in four or five years ... we never forget.” – Tony Scott [04:10]

  • Blocking Unauthorized Communications: Focused on blocking both inbound, outbound, and lateral traffic (east-west), preventing malicious code or compromised devices from communicating.

    “If you can block the communication, you can block the harm.” – Tony Scott [04:35]

  • Strength in Zero-Day Defense: The blend of these approaches is proven against never-before-seen attacks, as well as known threats.

• Modern Threats:

  • Tony highlighted the sophistication of seemingly innocuous surveillance and reconnaissance activities, amplified by AI-enabled attacks.

    “There's a lot of what looks like harmless activity, but it's actually surveillance ... With AI, you know, you can craft a very clever multipronged attack very easily.” – Tony Scott [06:02]

• Industry Reach:

  • Intrusion’s solutions serve a broad set of industries, reflecting the universal nature of cyber threats.

    “These problems are pretty universal. As it turns out. Nobody's immune.” – Tony Scott [06:53]

Top Initiatives: Critical Infrastructure Protection

[07:07–08:44]

• Focus on OT (Operational Technology):

  • Expansion beyond IT into OT—including utilities, manufacturing, water, and telecom—which supports daily life but often relies on old, vulnerable equipment.

    “We have a critical infrastructure product that's really good at sort of protecting these OT environments from all the bad stuff that can come in from the Internet or other places.” – Tony Scott [08:22]

• Challenges in OT Security:

  • Much of the infrastructure was never designed for Internet connectivity or modern hostile threats but remains critical and difficult to update.

    “A lot of the protocols and equipment ... are still working ... built to last, it doesn't break. But ... it was never designed to be hooked up to the Internet.” – Tony Scott [07:48]

Tony Scott’s Origin Story in Technology

[08:44–13:14]

• Unlikely Beginnings:

  • Tony considered a career in Parks and Recreation Administration before joining Marriott’s Great America theme parks.
  • His hands-on experience with Apple II computers to improve scheduling and operations ignited a love of technology.

    “I realized as a result of that experience that software was going to change the world.” – Tony Scott [12:28]

• Early Success:

  • Tony’s data-driven work using Apple IIs outperformed established mainframe systems—landing him in the first Apple Computer magazine.

    “We ended up being on the [cover] of the first magazine devoted to Apple Computer. That's how early it was…” – Tony Scott [11:49]

• Key Realization:

  “Software was going to change the world … This is a way better path for me than this Parks and Recreation Administration.” – Tony Scott [12:38]

Transforming Manufacturing at GM

[13:14–16:58]

• Digitization at General Motors:
  • Led and witnessed the unification of design, engineering, and manufacturing processes—cutting the “design to rollout” car timeline from ~5.5 years to 18 months.

    “We set a goal of 18 months ... by 2002 ... we achieved that goal. It was a huge game changer in the business.” – Tony Scott [16:23]

Personal Interests & Reflections

[17:03–18:44]

• Hobbies:

  • Tony is a pilot, motorcyclist, boater, and guitar collector.

    “I have a pretty extensive guitar collection ... I think I have 40 or so at this particular point.” – Tony Scott [17:33]

  • Favorite guitar: Martin Acoustic; Favorite guitarist: Keith Richards (Rolling Stones). Also an admirer of Jerry Garcia, Bonnie Raitt, and Santana.

    “Keith Richards, number one … Just the best, you know?” – Tony Scott [17:48]

Music, Memories, and Culture

[19:32–23:12]

• Desert Island Albums (Top Five):

  • Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones)
  • A Bonnie Raitt album
  • A Dixie Chicks album
  • Santana
  • Grateful Dead (“Probably one of the earlier ones. American Beauty...” – Tony Scott [20:03])

• Concert Memories:

  • Seen Rolling Stones every U.S. tour; most recent LA show was “the best of the tour” per fellow fans.

    “This is the best tour they've ever done. And that concert in LA was the best of the tour.” – Tony Scott, via Stones fan [22:41]

Life Lessons and Leadership Reflection

[18:49–19:23]

• Advice to Younger Self:

  “Don't be so hesitant ... I would have encouraged myself to be a little more experimental or assertive in terms of going after things.” – Tony Scott [18:49]

• Regrets:

  • Mostly hiring decisions where instinct was ignored for expedience or pressure.

    “Where I ... got succumbed to pressure or whatever and made a bad hiring decision that I tried to make work ... Should have followed your instinct.” – Tony Scott [25:58]

Advice for New Graduates in Technology & Security

[27:00–28:21]

• Core Message:

  “Be open to the possibilities ... things come along that weren't in your field of vision. Maybe initially, but if you think about it ... maybe this is the right thing for me to consider doing.” – Tony Scott [27:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Intrusion’s focus:

  “If you can block the communication, you can block the harm.” – Tony Scott [04:35]

• On the reality of OT environments:

  “Stuff ... built to last, it doesn't break. But ... it was never designed to be hooked up to the Internet.” – Tony Scott [07:52]

• Career turning point:

  “Software was going to change the world.” – Tony Scott [12:28]

• Personal musical icons:

  “Keith Richards, number one ... just the best, you know ... I love Jerry Garcia.” – Tony Scott [17:48, 18:11]

• On hiring:

  “There's a couple instances ... not because they're bad people. It was just the wrong ... person in the wrong ... role.” – Tony Scott [25:58]

• Guidance to the next generation:

  “Explore, be open to possibilities and don't be too narrowly focused.” – Tony Scott [27:10]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 00:48 | Tony describes his entry and mission at Intrusion | | 02:53 | Core problem(s) solved by Intrusion | | 07:07 | Critical infrastructure focus | | 08:44 | Tony’s origin story in technology | | 13:14 | Digitization at General Motors | | 17:03 | Personal interests (guitar, music, flying) | | 19:32 | Desert island albums & favorite concerts | | 25:58 | Reflection on leadership/hiring mistakes | | 27:10 | Advice for new graduates in security & technology |

Conclusion

This episode paints a comprehensive picture of Tony Scott’s approach to cybersecurity leadership—rooted in relentless visibility, institutional memory, and decisive threat blocking. Through stories ranging from theme park analytics to manufacturing revolutions, Scott underscores the importance of adaptability, learning from missteps, and staying open to new opportunities. The blend of technical rigor and personal candor, layered with a passion for music and adventure, makes for a lively and inspiring listen for anyone passionate about risk, technology, and leadership in the digital age.