Episode 4

Saepio – Greg Hatch, CEO | Dan Ward, CTO at Saepio – Cyber Superheroes!

Published on: 9th September, 2021

This episode includes quite the pair – Greg Hatch, CEO, and Dan Ward, CTO, of a new cybersecurity startup focused on Continuous Security Improvement™ (CSI).

As serious as cybersecurity is for everyone and businesses, Greg still finds time to keep a sense of humor and have a positive impact on others. Dan is more than the technical brains behind Saepio’s technology - he’s an avid instructor and mentor to many in the industry.

Greg combines exceptional business and sales acumen with technical competency. He has helped organizations deliver on initiatives, revenue and business outcomes. Prior to building Saepio he was Vice President of Business Development at Managed Security Service Provider, Lightstream Technology. He has also held senior positions at Palo Alto Networks, McAfee, and Cisco. When he’s not busy improving organizations’ cybersecurity posture, you can find him flying over the Pacific Northwest mountains and water. 

Dan has been a leader in the information security industry for some time, having participated in the Black Hat NOC by assisting with the implementation and operation of Palo Alto Networks Firewalls that were utilized to secure the event network and protect attendee registration data. He served as Secretary on the Board of Directors for BSides Denver. Prior to Saep.io he held senior technical roles at Palo Alto Networks and Acxiom. He’s humble, so get to know him to find out his technology inventions that have propelled organizations cybersecurity posture forward. 

Guests:

Highlights:

0:00 - Intros & Launching Saepio in a Pandemic

  • The importance of operationalization for Security
  • Saepio mantra: Buy Less and use what you have better.
  • "You can have the best tools and still have terrible security."
  • How the pandemic affected IT and security

8:22 - Connecting with Clients and Prospects

  • Interactions have evolved and people can tell when a vendor makes it about themselves
  • Meet people where they are and walk with them to help their organization move forward
  • Don't be "that vendor" that goes into vendor "pitch mode."
  • Admit that if you don't have the solution, offer a suggestion of someone who can help them
  • Follow the money with attacks like Ransomware. Make yourself Ft. Knox
  • The importance of Outcome based Security. It's about efficacy

15:22 - Building a Culture of Connection

  • Invest time every week to have regular cadence with clients and team
  • Many companies are cutting budgets, so stay top of mind and stay in touch
  • Continued Security Improvement (CSI™)
  • "I wanna hold your hand" - The Beatles
  • Don't shake up sales teams when they have a good rapport with clients

20:10 - Tips and Tricks in Working with Introverts

  • Don't do the "light" conversations. Focus on meaningful conversations
  • Meet folks where they're at and the connections can be stronger

23:10 - Greg and Dan's Cool Hobbies

  • Back country flying and the tie ins with security
  • Managing your risk profile, knowing weather, etc is similar
  • The challenge of landing on water vs land
  • Dan's fly fishing, sitting around with fellow hackers over a whisky
  • Going to places that other people don't go

28:48 - The Future of Saep.io

  • Meet today and see what it brings for tomorrow
  • Focus on customers will always be priority
  • Culture is so important and will remain important
  • Grow in a controlled manner to maintain strong relationships
  • New employees come in and if they leave, leave as better people
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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.