Skills I Needed to be a First-Time CISO – Richard Kaufmann – CSP #45

It is now safe to turn off your computer. For most of us, this simple message in the late 90’s was a reminder that the operating system processes had stopped and that the circuits carrying all of the ‘1’s and ‘0’s were ready to be powered off. For me, it was my first foothold into the information security arena. Starting at defacing that iconic .JPEG and advancing into running information security teams across finance, healthcare, and manufacturing organizations, I’ve tried to remove a little bit of entropy in the world through a passion of simple solutions to complex problems. A problem well defined is a problem half solved. In an environment where threat landscapes, frameworks, and shareholder value are constantly changing, being able to fall back to the fundamentals of logic and computing have become a rare commodity. I like to work with those who have a similar appetite for challenging the norms and thinking creatively. This methodology has manifested itself by creating a dialogue between executive non-technical leaders and the boots on the ground engineers that keep enterprises safe from cyber threats. Currently, I’m focused on transforming the approach to cybersecurity within healthcare. By disrupting the cult of security, we can increase the quality of patient care, protect the privacy of the data those individuals entrust us with, and innovate for a more effective future. My daughter is my biggest fan, I enjoy long walks with heavy backpacks, and that inner voice inside my head sounds just like David Goggins.