Welcome to “Smarter CISOs,” the cybersecurity podcast from Aware Force. My name is Richard Warner. I created Aware Force after 30 years in radio and television journalism, the last 20 years of it focused on cybersecurity. Our company’s experience engaging employees in cybersecurity will hopefully make these podcasts interesting and relevant to you.
Our goal with “Smarter CISOs” is to introduce listeners to subject-matter experts in — not just cybersecurity — but also — how to effectively manage up to CEOs and the Board, how to engage the weakest link (that would be your workforce), and even personal matters like managing job-related stress.
“Smarter CISOs” listeners will hear from respected cybersecurity leaders at FORTUNE 500 companies, consultants, law enforcement, and specialists in international cybercrime. Ransomware, phishing, business email compromise, sneaky scams that target us all every day. And it’s interesting to note — those with advanced degrees are more apt to fall victims to cybercrime than those who just finished high school. Millennials are more likely victims than seniors!
We’ll talk with mental health experts about the unrelenting stress facing cybersecurity teams. When success means — nothing happens — the pressure is constant and unforgiving. The typical cyber professional works more than 50 hours a week and doesn’t take their full allotment of time off. Nearly all CISOs say they are highly stressed on the job — many say the non-stop workload has a negative impact on their mental health. One in three say pressures on the job have impacted their romantic relationships and friendships. One in four say they have turned to medication or alcohol. How can cyber professionals learn how to disconnect more often — knowing that they’ll be more effective on the job if they do?
Our Aware Force team has a background in broadcast news, so when a breaking cybersecurity story makes headlines, we’ll produce a topical podcast focused on it.
So, the purpose of “Smarter CISOs” is to make you a better, more informed leader — by presenting guests who have stories to tell, experiences to share. And to make this series a worthwhile investment of your time.
Let us know how we’re doing. If you click to give us a rating after you listen, the podcast platforms will give us more prominence, expanding our audience. And remember, our team at Aware Force can help you engage your workforce with our innovative twice-monthly cybersecurity newsletter for employees — that’s branded for you, includes your content, is easy to distribute and cost-effective, and can speed notification of suspicious behavior to you on the day it occurs. Visit us at awareforce.com to learn how it works.
I’m Richard Warner. Thanks for listening and — don’t sell yourself short.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.