In this comprehensive interview, Brian Wagner, CTO at Revenir and former AWS security executive, shares insights from his new book "Redefining Information Security" and explains why the cybersecurity industry needs a fundamental shift in approach. With over 20 years of experience leading security transformations across enterprise organizations, Wagner presents a practical framework for moving beyond reactive security models.

About the Guest:
Brian Wagner brings extensive C-suite experience from Amazon Web Services, Moody's RMS, Bulletproof, and Defense.com. Based in London, he speaks globally on cloud security, AI-driven solutions, and security transformation. His latest book "Redefining Information Security" introduces a three-level maturity framework that's gaining attention from security leaders worldwide.

Key Discussion Points:
The Security Maturity Framework: Wagner outlines his three-level approach—Reactive, Proactive, and Adaptive security—explaining how organizations can assess their current position and plan strategic improvements. He emphasizes that most companies remain stuck in reactive mode, responding to threats after damage occurs.
From Cybersecurity to Information Safety: The conversation explores Wagner's concept of treating security as "information safety" rather than traditional cybersecurity. This cultural shift makes digital protection everyone's responsibility, transforming potential vulnerabilities into defensive assets.
AI in Security Applications: Drawing from his work at Revenir, where the company handles sensitive financial and personal data across international borders, Wagner discusses practical AI implementations for pattern recognition, fraud detection, and compliance monitoring. He explains why AI excels at identifying normal versus abnormal patterns in security contexts.
Security as Business Enabler: Wagner demonstrates how security can function as a competitive advantage rather than a cost center. He shares strategies for communicating security value to go-to-market teams and integrating security features into product development cycles.
Compliance vs. Security Balance: The discussion addresses the relationship between regulatory compliance and actual security, with Wagner explaining how compliance represents minimum standards while effective security requires ongoing investment and adaptation.
Open Source and Democratic Security: Wagner advocates for open source collaboration in cybersecurity, arguing that community-based approaches provide more transparent and accessible security solutions, especially important given recent changes in vulnerability disclosure programs.

Practical Implementation: 
The conversation includes real-world examples, from detecting sophisticated employment fraud schemes to integrating security practices into agile development workflows. Wagner emphasizes incremental improvements and measurable outcomes.

Book Recommendation:
"Redefining Information Security" offers a strategic approach to security leadership, focusing on cultural transformation and business alignment rather than purely technical solutions. The book provides frameworks for security professionals and business leaders looking to modernize their approach to digital protection.
This interview provides valuable insights for cybersecurity professionals, technology leaders, and anyone interested in understanding how AI and modern approaches are reshaping enterprise security practices.

#Cybersecurity #InformationSecurity #AI #SecurityMaturity #AWS #CloudSecurity #CTO #CISO #ThreatDetection #SecurityCulture #CyberThreats #SecurityLeadership


Can Security be “Agile”? with Brian Wagner

🌙 THE MIDNIGHT SECURITY GUARDIAN: A CISO'S ORIGIN STORY
At 2 AM, most people are dreaming. Satyam Patel is wide awake, sending texts to his security team: "Are we secure? Did we patch that server? Is MFA enabled on that service account?"
This isn't insomnia—it's the origin story of how a "big firewall guy" transformed into one of cybersecurity's most forward-thinking leaders, and why his journey from infrastructure skeptic to AI evangelist mirrors the entire industry's evolution.
📖 THE THREE-ACT TRANSFORMATION:
Act I: The Infrastructure Skeptic's Awakening Watch Satyam's journey from traditional "firewall and load balancer guy" to realizing that employees can't be forced behind VPNs anymore. The moment he discovered that flexibility doesn't mean vulnerability—it means evolution. Learn how this mindset shift led him from protecting perimeters to protecting people.
Act II: The Culture Shock That Changed Everything Picture this: After years of doing "security roadshows" and begging for budget, Satyam walks into Kandji and experiences reverse culture shock. Instead of chasing people for security buy-in, they come to HIM asking, "What does security think?" Witness the CEO moment that flipped his world: "It's not a request—it's a mandate to protect our company at ANY cost."

Act III: The AI Prophet's Dilemma The heated boardroom debate that keeps CISOs awake: Replace human SOC analysts with AI, or keep the human element? Follow Satyam's internal struggle as he weighs 10,000 daily AI-analyzed calls against human intuition, leading to his bold prediction about "Minority Report" style predictive cybersecurity.

🎭 CHARACTER-DRIVEN MOMENTS:
The Paranoid Father: Why Satyam forces his family to use alphanumeric passwords and what Tom Cruise's "Minority Report" taught him about threat prediction.
The Reformed Skeptic: How a career infrastructure guy learned to embrace endpoint security and why he now believes MDM is the new perimeter.
The Reluctant Prophet: His uncomfortable realization that automation will replace thousands of cybersecurity jobs—and why he's helping it happen.

⚡ PLOT TWISTS YOU WON'T SEE COMING:
The university graduate's graduation post that led to complete identity theft
Why 99% security equals 100% vulnerability (and the math that proves it)
The Signal app scandal that changed how he thinks about mobile security

🎬 THE SUPPORTING CAST:
Adam (Kandji CEO): The leader who gave unlimited security budget
The Development Team: Who learned to ask security questions first
The 2 AM Security Team: Who actually appreciate the paranoid texts
The AI SOC Analyst: The non-human teammate changing everything

🚀 MEET THE PROTAGONIST: Satyam Patel isn't your typical CISO. He's the guy who went from customer to C-suite, from skeptic to believer, from infrastructure defender to AI advocate. With 25+ years of plot twists, failed budgets, successful breaches prevented, and one very understanding family who puts up with alphanumeric phone passwords.
#CISOStory #CyberSecurityJourney #AIvsHuman #ZeroTrust #SecurityLeadership #ThreatDetection #Kandji #EndpointSecurity #ParanoidCISO #CyberStory #SecurityCulture #TechTransformation
This isn't just another security interview—it's a cybersecurity thriller with real-world consequences. Subscribe for more stories from the digital frontlines! 🎬🔐



The Security Leader Who Predicted AI Would Replace His Own Team (And Why He's Right) with Satyam Patel

SecureTalk 2025 Security Awareness Training | Complete Compliance Guide
Welcome to SecureTalk's comprehensive 2025 Security Awareness Training video! This annually updated training is designed to help organizations meet their security compliance requirements while building a strong security culture.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
Social Engineering & AI-Enhanced Threats:

Advanced phishing detection in the AI era
Voice and video deepfake attack recognition
Financial verification protocols to prevent fraud
Healthcare data protection against social engineering

Cloud Security & Infrastructure: 

Common cloud misconfigurations and prevention
Secure AI model development and deployment
Financial data protection in cloud environments
Package dependency management and vulnerability scanning

Supply Chain & Third-Party Risk:

Vendor security assessment frameworks
Zero Trust architecture implementation
HIPAA compliance for business associates
AI vendor risk evaluation checklists

Insider Threats & Hybrid Work Security:

Behavioral analytics for threat detection
Environment-adaptive security controls
Data loss prevention in remote work settings
Segregation of duties in digital workflows

Regulatory Compliance & Automation:

2025-2026 regulatory calendar overview
Control-centric compliance approach
Continuous monitoring and automation strategies
Multi-framework compliance alignment

Building Security Culture: 

Security mindset vs. rule-following approach
Positive reinforcement security programs
Organizational security maturity models
Leadership's role in security culture

💼 Compliance Frameworks This Training Addresses:
SOC 2 Type I & II
ISO 27001
HIPAA & Healthcare Security
PCI DSS
CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)
GDPR & EU AI Act
AI Accountability Act
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
State privacy laws (CCPA, CPRA, etc.)
🏆 Perfect For:
Annual security awareness training requirements
Compliance audit preparation
New employee onboarding
Security culture development
Multi-framework compliance programs

🎓 Certification Available: Complete the training and receive a certification of completion for your compliance documentation. Link: https://youtu.be/UaKXpmK03_Q 

📺 About SecureTalk: SecureTalk explores critical information security innovation and compliance topics. Hosted by Justin Beals, founder and CEO of StrikeGraph, featuring expert insights from cybersecurity professionals across finance, healthcare, engineering, and compliance.
🔔 Subscribe for more security insights and compliance guidance!


Special Episode: The Secure Talk Security Awareness Training 2025 Episode (With HIPAA!)

Secure Talk reviews the latest threats, tips, and trends on security, innovation, and compliance. 

Host Justin Beals interviews leading privacy, security and technology executives to discuss best practices related to IT security, data protection and compliance. Based in Seattle, he previously served as the CTO of NextStep and Koru, which won the 2018 Most Impactful Startup award from Wharton People Analytics. He is the creator of the patented Training, Tracking & Placement System and the author of “Aligning curriculum and evidencing learning effectiveness using semantic mapping of learning assets,” published in the International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJet). Justin earned a BA from Fort Lewis College.

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