Perseverance in Cybersecurity

“If life gives me lemons, I’m making lemonade,” exclaimed my latest Afternoon Cyber Tea guest, Marene Allison, at the start of our episode. This popular phrase perfectly embodies Marene, who has been an eternal optimist for as long as I’ve known her. The phrase – which colloquially describes turning something sour into sweet – is also fitting for cyber. It underscores the importance of positivity and perseverance in an industry which can easily be caught in doom and gloom.?

Marene recently transitioned to advisory roles after an outstanding career at the FBI, A&P, Avaya, and Johnson & Johnson. She most recently served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Johnson & Johnson, so I was excited to hear her reflections after an illustrious operating career, and to discuss some of the less technical, more human aspects of working in cybersecurity. Here are a few highlights from our discussion – the full episode is available here .??

New innovations as a force for good.?

Cyber leaders and defenders are often at the intersection of progress and protection, simultaneously learning new technology and defending against it. With AI becoming more mainstream and quantum computing just on the horizon, I wanted Marene’s perspective on how cyber leaders should think about and approach new innovations. She went on to say, “I have seen technology change all the way from RACF and mainframe computing and no internet to internet. We have to lean into the future, especially as data and AI and ML become the way of the universe…You see the new risk and you move through it to protect, and that's what we do as cyber professionals.”?

Most important CISO quality today? Knowing your business.?

Today’s CISO is so much more than a security expert. They are critical partners, business enablers, and organizational leaders. The demands of the job are vastly different than 20 years ago – when a deep technical foundation was a firm requirement. I asked Marene her perspective on what it takes to be a CISO today, and she replied by emphasizing the importance of being a well-rounded businessperson, and commented, “We grew up being security engineers, and so a lot of us at the senior levels of the CISO ranks – we started out as security engineers. But the ones that have risen into the large company CISOs, it's because they understand the business they're in.”?

Excitement for future cyber leaders.?

The next generation of cybersecurity leaders are digital natives who have grown up with technology and have a natural affinity for it. They are learning about cyber as early as grade school – and some will even complete a full university curriculum on the topic! Whenever I meet students who are studying cybersecurity, I am so amazed by their energy and excitement, and how mission-driven they are from such an early age. They will surely achieve great things. When I asked Marene why she is optimistic about the future of cyber, without missing a beat she commented, “I love the talent that's out there and growing this talent and seeing where they're going to go – I truly believe in it. And, you know, as a gray-hair that is moving on to an advisory role, I'm just excited about this exuberance and intellectual capacity of the next generations coming after us.”?

My conversation with Marene was lively and an amazing reflection on her life of service and leadership. I hope you will give it a listen. For the full episode and more Afternoon Cyber Tea, visit www.afternooncybertea.com . New episodes are released every other Tuesday and are available on the Cyberwire and most major podcast platforms.?