Security Awareness Advocate
KnowBe4
Why Nominated: Roger Grimes is a 30-year computer security professional and prolific author frequently consults with the world’s largest and smallest companies and militaries.
Profile: In his role as an advocate, Roger Grimes spreads his message on the importance of cybersecurity to the community at conferences such as RSA, Black Hat, Tech Mentor, Tech Ed, SecTOR, AusCERT and Bsides. He has conducted webinars with more than 5,000 cybersecurity professionals in attendance. With more than 5,000 followers on LinkedIn, Grimes advocates for security to a wide audience, helping them understand what does and does not work.
He has said his “professional goal in life is to get more people and companies to use data and the scientific method to improve their computer security, and I do so as the Data-Driven Defense Evangelist at KnowBe4, a security awareness education company,” noting that his specialty is in “general computer security, identity management, PKI, Windows computer security, host security, cloud security, honeypots, APT, and defending against hackers and malware.”
Grimes has penned 10 books, one of which has won an award and also was nominated for RSA's book of the month in June 2018. His "Hacking the Hacker" book has been published in five languages and has also been turned into an audiobook.
What colleagues say: “Roger's expertise and influential reach within our industry is truly impressive; and, more than that, it is important. Roger is an author and thinker who possesses a unique gift: the ability to explain complex IT and cybersecurity topics in a way that even beginners can understand. Roger does so with a personal mission to improve our industry, foster critical discussions, and help people at all levels make sound decisions. His influence is powerful and undeniable; but what I really admire about Roger is that he also invests his time into helping and encouraging others. I’ve personally benefited from Roger’s advice and help as I was planning and writing my first book. And I’ve seen him work to provide others in our field with tools and information to help them be extremely successful. When it comes to career role models and people who are shaping the current and future direction of our industry, Roger is one of the best - - both professionally and personally.” - Perry Carpenter, Chief Evangelist and Strategy Officer, KnowBe4
Teri Robinson
