F-SIDES: The Cyber Humanity Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jason and Paul
Have you ever thought that Cybersecurity focuses on the wrong things?Every two weeks, join two experienced and often comfortably disagreeing CISOs as they focus on moving the elephant (“human psychology”) in Cyber. If you work in Cyber, are affected by it, or have an interest in it, you’ll find that our discussions, debates, and interviews with thought leaders across domains apply to Cyber in surprising ways.
Join us for our last episode of this half-season as we close out the year with some cool Q and A with the hosts. From how to learn as much from horrible bosses as you can from great bosses to CISOs having a MUCH smaller C than people may think...
DEI...and we're bringing the party. Listen in as we speak to our favorite guest, James Warren, recruiter extraordinaire, about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, also known as representation, fair treatment, and allowing people to feel and be safe being their authentic selves. Trying to hire for DEI in Cybersecurity is like expecting an NHL hockey match to end in hugs and puppies - we're not saying it can't be done; it can just be really, REALLY hard. But we're gonna dig in and talk about why, how, who, and...crap, I'm out of interrogatives. Anyways, listen in from a recruiter who knows a thing or two about recruiting, a CISO who doesn't know a thing or two about much, and an experienced human experience consultant and entrepreneur who, well, just knows a lot.
And what about that whole 'party' thing? Per co-host Erika: Diversity is being invited to the party, and equity is having the ability to dance.
Skill Swam Meets. Wisdom Exchanges. More commonly known as mentorship programs have been around since our ancestors realized only having one person knowing how to create fire was a bad idea....
Listen in as we talk pros, cons and all about mentorships.
Cybersecurity conferences. They are packed full of Whitehats - Ethical hackers who typically adhere to ethical guidelines and legal norms and aim to discover and fix security vulnerabilities to improve systems and protect users. They are packed full of Blackhats - hackers who often ignore ethical guidelines and legal norms and often exploit vulnerabilities for personal gain, cause harm, or make a political statement. Then there's a new third category - which may have been coined during this episode. Asshats. These individuals think it's okay to sexually harass women attending the conference, and companies think it's perfectly acceptable to objectify women to sell products... Join host Jason Loomis and guest-host Erika McKellar as they talk to Maria Bique, CEO and co-founder of CyberCoach, about her experience at RSA 2023 - arguably the world's largest Cybersecurity conference and her take on Asshats...
On this episode, our third last of Season 2...or maybe second last, we really don't know yet..are you confused as we are? Ok. Let's try this. On this LAST-ISH episode of Season 2 we talk about Incident Response in the context of a dramatic event that recently occurred Sunday, March 5th, on United Flight 2609 from Boston to Los Angeles.
One of the co-hosts of this podcast was involved in the attempted de-escalation and eventual tackling and subduing of a passenger with a reported history of mental health problems who tried to open a door midflight and attack a flight attendant.
We talk about how Incident Response training and experience played a crucial role in Jason's ability to remain calm, work as part of a team and assist in containing the individual.
No! Non! Nein! Niet! Or in multiple languages, what a lot of people call the Cybersecurity department. If you're tired of hearing podcasts, conference talks, or CISOs prattle (disclaimer: this was written IN London - apologies from the writer who seems to be having a bad case of language osmosis) on about how Cybersecurity must align with the business and how Cybersecurity needs to move away from being the department of no...that's gonna work out great! Because we have Nada of that in this episode. This episode is about how you should use the word NO - but not in the way you might be thinking.
Listen in as we talk about how using NO is just as important as using YES. What Cybersecurity does (you know, the yes part) and what Cybersecurity doesn't do (the NO part) are equally important. And, of course, we have the usual suspects of pop-culture references and pain-in-the-rear acronyms.
Want to know how to get your team to “Fly Like an Eagle?” Listen in on our next episode coming this Tuesday, Feb 7th. We chat with Debbie Wheeler, CISO of Delta Air Lines.
Debbie shows that building a high-flying security team isn’t actually as hard as landing a “Jet Airliner.” We discuss everything leadership, from what “Threshold” you can set for having tough conversations with your team members to how to demystify the “Abracadabra” magic of security to boards. Debbie brings her years of experience to a great talk with us.
One thing we won’t be talking about is the Steve Miller Band or how many of their song titles we can squeeze into a single podcast intro. We’re not “The Joker” here about that…swear.
Can metrics tell stories? They better be! if you want them to be of any value. In this episode, we talk about, there's that word again, storytelling and how metrics can be good at it or bad at it. From bad jokes about the Red Hot Chili peppers, to Legos to 10th graders with I-Pads - if you want to know how to build good metrics - listen in!
Have you ever had a favorite TV Show hit it big in it’s first season - only to see subsequent seasons fall flat? (West World, anyone?). It can also happen to companies when they grow too fast. In this episode, we talk to a CEO who is ensuring that does NOT happen. A CEO of a cybersecurity company that has rocketship growth yet has maintained its culture of customer-centric service and product. We chat with Dean Sysman, CEO of Axonius - a company that helps answer that age-old cybersecurity question that has been really hard to answer until recently - "What the he$$ and who the he$$ is on my network or connected to it?"
Join us as Dean talks about scaling culture, listening to your customers, and not judging cybersecurity professionals because they have a background in bartending (that's me!), or music (that's someone else!)
Ever had a speeding ticket? Or have you ever slowed down as you see a speed limit sign? Or used your brakes? If you answered YES to any of these - great! It means you drive. And it means you've encountered a "control" No, not the awesome seminal work of Janet Jackson, but what cybersecurity (and, oh maybe LIFE) uses to function.
In our 4th episode of Season 2, we talk about controls. Good ones, bad ones. And we even do mention the album - if the song isn't stuck in your head by now...try again.
Join Jason and Paul as they hit up the usual suspects of obscure references, disclaimers and some good debates between the co-hosts!
What’s better than one F-Sides podcast? TWO podcasts. Listen in as we join forces for our first-ever crossover episode with Gene Fay, ThreatX CEO, and host of the “eXecutive Security” podcast. And unlike those pesky DC comic crossovers where you can’t keep track of what multiverse of plots you’re following, ours is easy. We’re talking about careers in security. How to get em, what to do when you got em, how to help others get em, and absolutely no DC comic TV nerd references. This one gets good…
What do Lestat, Dracula, and Morbius have in common? They're all rookies when it comes to the best of the best energy vampires - aka annoying vendors. In this season 2 episode, we bite into why working with vendors can be draining. Are you a vendor and want to know how not to suck? Tune in as we talk all things sales/vendors from a CISO and customer perspective. We also reflect on our not-so-favorite pet peeves of vendors. There's some tasty stuff in this episode, and it's not just the 5 puns we dropped... can you spot em?
Ever wondered how to break into the cybersecurity field? Maybe you're already in and know that retaining talent is a challenge. Or want to know what employees and employers are looking for in Cyber? Or maybe you just like cats... if you thought, "Hey, that's what I'm thinking" to any of these - you're in luck! We have a great episode for you kicking off Season 2 of F-Sides. F-Sides, the annoyingly award-lacking, #1 ranked cybersecurity podcast according to Muscle Car Poetry Magazine...and not coincidentally, the biggest money-losing not for profit venture this side of starting an airline.
Join us as we chat with James Warren; Executive Consultant and recruiter for Stanton House and humble recipient of our "What song from the 80's best describes you?" award of "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito from The Karate Kid - the old school one, not the reboot one that's challenging The Walking Dead for going on for way too many seasons...
If you want to know more about recruiting from someone who does it great (I mean, we covered that with the whole "You're the Best" thing), listen in...”
In this episode, join Paul and Jason as they talk about what is better - being secure, or being compliant. It's the age-old argument that's been around since the dawn of time... or maybe just since PCI.... 2.0.
In this episode, we talk with Ira Winkler. He is considered one of the world’s most influential security professionals and was named “The Awareness Crusader” by CSO magazine in receiving their CSO COMPASS Award. Most recently, he was named 2021 Top Cybersecurity Leader by Security Magazine. He has designed and implemented, and supported security awareness programs at organizations of all sizes, in all industries, around the world.
From stopping stupid, to even people at his level fail… good conversations were had. Give it a listen.
If you ever wondered what the exact opposite of George Clooney might be like, we just chatted with him. Oh, we should clarify, we mean the opposite of Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham. You know, from the movie Up in the Air? The one, where he flies around firing people bringing ruin to their lives... James does the opposite. He gets people jobs. He's an executive recruiter that understands the human side of recruiting. Join us as we talk all things hiring, talent, retention, and why resume's kind of suck...
Oooh. This is a good one. How many times have you heard that you get more done through influence? How important is title in "getting stuff done?" Join Paul and Jason as they debate this very non-binary question that has so many shades of grey it makes Shades of Grey look like MAD magazine. Guess who takes which side? It might surprise you if you know our backgrounds.... oh, and there's a LOT of disclaimers cause we are debating as if there are only two answers to this.
Did you hear the one about the candle who quit his job? He was burned out. Yup, that was a dad joke that we’re certain substantially decreased your MTBFP (mean time between face palms). Check out our next episode coming July 10th, where we dig into how HUMOR can be used in cybersecurity, business, leadership and life. We chat with Elisabeth Cardiello, founder of Brave Conversations Over Coffee about humor, leadership, empathy and coffee. Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and listen in!
Does Cybersecurity hold things a little too close to the chest? Ever wish you could know more about attackers and their methods - besides what we get via CNN or the FBI? How great would it be if your neighbors shared with you how their house was broken into - so you can better protect your house? Or should we not put at risk our reputations and be potentially liable for over-sharing? Join Paul and Jason as they have their biggest constructive debate of the season. From Oscar Wilde to Prince, to the meaning of "F-Sides" - like how we got the name... this episode is all over like an ice cream cone on a four-year-old - good stuff. Oh, and before you listen - just sign our NDA.
Join us as we dive into a discussion centered around storytelling with Joe Vinck. Joe is the host of “The Business of Cyber”, a cyber risk aficionado, and just a cool cat…(channeling my inner Lenny Bruce).
Our conversation takes us from reporting structures for CISO's to who your audience is and how much time you have are critical factors in what your story is and how you tell it. Whether you’re presenting to a board of directors, talking to your peers about the importance of security awareness training, or writing up an email to ask for funding for a new project… this episode provides a lot of insight into that process and things to think about. Oh - and we explain what the heck is up with our podcast logo - so if you ever wondered “ what the heck does this podcast logo mean?” - we answer that mystery….tune in!
Join us as we talk about how trying to achieve perfection can kill any Cybersecurity - and really almost ANY program - in its tracks. From TLC (yeah - that's right - the 90's group) to internal auditors... we're all over the map on this one more than Carmen San Diego...
Have you ever thought that Cybersecurity focuses on the wrong things?
Join Jason and Paul, two experienced and often comfortably disagreeing CISOs, as they discuss "Why Presentation is Everything" with designer and education expert, Krislam Chin.
Listen in as Paul, Jason, and Krislam break out why having great presentations is critical to being successful in Cybersecurity.
From one of the hosts landing a job because of Powerpoint (yes, you read that right, POWERPOINT) to standing back and creating the story you're trying to tell before your hand touches that mouse.
Krislam Chin is a designer and educator based in Los Angeles. She specializes in branding, storytelling, and presentation design and strategy. She is passionate about education, community building, and PowerPoint.
Her educational background includes an Associate of Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from FIDM in Los Angeles. She is currently attending USC to earn her Master's in Integrated Design Business and Technology.
Have you ever thought that Cybersecurity focuses on the wrong things?
Join Jason and Paul, two experienced and often comfortably disagreeing CISOs, as they kick off their very first F-Sides podcast.
In this inaugural episode, we go through why the heck you should listen to this podcast, what to expect from it in the future, and, well, lots and lots of self-deprecation.
Oh. And our topic of discussion for today is "Do you start with Compliance or Risk Reduction" in a Cybersecurity program. Yawn right? Not. We're gonna tackle topics like this and keep em lively and fun... it is F-Sides, after all.
If you work in Cyber, are affected by it, or are interested in it, you'll find that our discussions, debates, and interviews with thought leaders across domains apply to Cyber in surprising ways.