Episode 2

James Azar - CEO at CyberHub; CISO; Espresso Lovin’ Non-Stop, Doesn’t Stop!

Published on: 26th August, 2021

This week captures the one and only, James Azar, CISO – CISSP, Host of CISO Talk Podcast and CyberHub Podcast. Hopped up on his daily espressos he brings passion, energy and opinions to share about his journey into cybersecurity and views on leadership. As much as he challenges all of us, not just on cybersecurity, but on geopolitical issues, he is an avid supporter in the veteran community, helping them break into cyber careers. Make sure you’re not tired for this one, or else you’ll miss a beat keeping up as James keeps us on our toes! 

CONNECT WITH JAMES AZAR:

HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 – Intros & Background

  • To Espresso or not to Espresso
  • Value of 8-12 minute “Espresso Meetings”
  • Significance of the Paisley Shirt and the fundraising for the Wounded Warrior Project
  • Donate and Learn about Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
  • Importance of helping Veterans to get into Cybersecurity

10:00 – What does James Azar actually do?      

  • James isn’t just a podcaster, he’s also a CISO at a FinTech company.
  • Started a podcast 3 years ago for practitioners and not the “standard” pitch from vendors
  • Check out James’ podcasts: Cyber Hub Podcast, CISO
  • Talk, Goodbye Privacy, Tech Town Square, The Other Side of Cyber
  • Having the discipline of adhering to the Sabbath to “get away from it all”
  • Finding passion for cybersecurity and purpose

20:27 – Benefits of Working with a Significant Other

  • Initially working together was purely professional for years, romance came later and naturally
  • James unabashedly loves and supports his wife: She’s a trailblazer!

24:42 – Finding Your “Me” Time       

  • Initially it was free flow to do nothing, but Georgia is beautiful, so itching to get out is appealing
  • Consider doing day trips to random cities in towns to “get out”
  • Take time away and find a hobby and get balance is so important!

28:28 – Words of Encouragement and Suggestions on Getting into Cybersecurity     

  • Fallacy – Cybersecurity is “special and complex”
  • Gatekeepers are doing a disservice to get less experienced access to experience
  • Putting in 80 hours is not a badge of honor
  • James doesn’t care for Certs and Degrees – It’s about experience and skills   
  • Universities do not necessarily have the best or correct curriculum for cybersecurity, but they are coming around 
  • Tips for jobseekers:
  • Do a ONE MINUTE VIDEO on LinkedIn! You WILL stand out.  
  • Document PROJECTS, Volunteering, Event Attendance, ie. DEFCON      
  • Suggestion to change:
  • Take away ATF System  
  • HR systems don’t know cybersecurity as well as the hiring managers
  • “Plank Meetings” – Gets together Bi-Weekly and teams get together to review candidates for each of their positions to determine best fits      
  • Comments on “Coded Bias” on Netflix – James’ opinion: Alienated groups, but science was true.

43:25 – Thoughts on Getting Employees on Board with Security

  • Should employees have some repercussion for poor security awareness? 
  • The challenge of keeping a company productive and security’s role   
  • James suggests to look at technology differently. Solve his problem. Not a layer to do business. 
  • Security should be transparent to users, however if you are looking for it, you’ll see. Ex. Look for plain clothes security at airports. Once you know what to look for, they are easier to identify.

Cheers to Espresso (or maybe Bourbon at the end of the day!)

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About the Podcast

The CISO Diaries
The path to cybersecurity leadership is not a direct route and it's those divergent routes that create the amazing stories and histories of leaders who are driving security to keep businesses and people safe.

We’re Leah McLean and Syya Yasotornrat and we intend to give CISOs and cybersecurity professionals a place to be their authentic selves. These are the unedited stories told of how they got into cybersecurity, the real struggles they’ve persevered through, personal anecdotes that make them tick, and leadership advice based on experiences.

We aren't the kind of cybersecurity podcasts that focuses on the technologies, or recent incidents. We are the podcast that focuses on the people behind the headlines and the incredible diversity of experiences and backgrounds. (And it's not lost on us that we're two awesome female hosts)!

Let's face it: we are a cybersecurity tribe and we need all hands on deck!

We hope you enjoy our CISO diary entries.

After all, we're only human, right?

Special thanks to our sponsor, Cyber Future Foundation, a non-profit global cybersecurity executive leadership community, where leaders, thinkers, and futurists discuss and develop actionable guidance and frameworks for a trusted and safer world.

About your hosts

Syya Yasotornrat

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Syya is a tenured tech sales professional with her time at SonicWALL and Hewlett Packard (HPE) with some hospitality at the Walt Disney Company and IT recruitment experience in the mix. She is currently a podcast strategist and consultant, helping others to bring out their voice and legacy through podcasting. She loves to learn and talk about anything, so feel free to reach out!

Leah McLean

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Leah is Vice President, Cybersecurity Specialist at Mastercard. She is focused on implementing strategy and programs to evolve cybersecurity risk management approaches and cybersecurity awareness and training. She actively contributes in community working groups to advance cybersecurity risk management and third-party risk. Leah is also a mentor to candidates breaking into cybersecurity careers, and collaborates with employers to rethink their workforce and hiring strategies.
Leah is a co-founder at Whole Cyber Human Initiative, a non-profit focused on redefining how we identify, train, equip, advance knowledge, and build workforce development within IT and Cybersecurity. She also volunteers for Cyber Future Foundation, a non-profit driving workforce development initiatives and private and public sector collaboration.
Previously Leah held senior level roles as a cybersecurity practitioner at Armor, a cloud security company protecting data for SMB and mid-market customers, Apstra (acquired by Juniper Networks), A10 Networks and Cisco Systems. Leah serves on the Board of Advisors for Cloud Defense, Inc., a breach visibility cloud security startup and is on the board for the Cloud Security Alliance North Texas Chapter.
Leah holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis in International Relations from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is an active outdoor junkie always chasing adventure.