Explore every episode of the podcast Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

Episode Summary: When David Politis sits down with Gianna and Charles on CyberCMO Confidential, you’re getting something rare: A CEO who loves marketing telling you exactly what he thinks when he watches CMOs operate. Why the CRO wins if you let them, why he stops listening the moment someone says they have a playbook, why the best CMOs he ever wanted to hire became CEOs. And what one engineer just built for 2,000 accounts that made him realize most companies are nowhere near what is now possible. About David: David Politis is the Multi-time Founder, Current CEO Coach, Founder, Not Another CEO Podcast. He founded and led BetterCloud, sold it to Vista Equity Partners for about $750 million, and was part of the early team at Cloud Sherpas, which Accenture acquired. He now advises founders and executives on go-to-market, fundraising, and company building. Links & Resources: David Politis on LinkedIn Not Another CEO Podcast Not Another CEO Substack BetterCloud Clay: go-to-market automation tool mentioned Lovable: AI app builder mentioned Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Yael Grauer won a Pulitzer and got laid off in the same year. She is a freelance investigative reporter covering cybersecurity, privacy, and surveillance. She sat down with Gianna to talk about what companies get wrong when journalists come knocking, why lying in that moment makes everything worse, and what it looks like from the other side of every pitch, every breach response, and every "no comment" that ends up in a story anyway. About Yael: Yael Grauer is a freelance investigative reporter covering cybersecurity, privacy, surveillance, and tech accountability. She has written for Wired, Ars Technica, The Atlantic, The Intercept, The Verge, and others. She previously worked at Consumer Reports as Program Manager for Cybersecurity Research, where she managed Security Planner, a free digital safety guide. She is part of the team behind a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into global surveillance technology conducted with The Associated Press. Links & Resources: Yael Grauer on LinkedIn YaelWrites Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation - AP global surveillance investigation Yael contributed to Consumer Reports Security Planner This Week in Security - Yael's favorite weekly newsletter 404 Media Privacy Guides Tate's Online Safety Substack Law Dork Discernible EFF Blog ProPublica MIT Technology Review No Starch Press - publisher of the investigative skills book Yael is writing Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Brian Reed has been a CMO six times. He's also watched AI flatten marketing for the past two years and has said so out loud, including in a manifesto he published called AI is Flattening Marketing: Cue the Return of Mad Men. On this CyberCMO Confidential episode, Brian, Gianna, and Charles Gold get into why storytelling and community are the two things AI cannot commoditize. Brian also talks about how he built a “crusty OT guy” persona to validate messaging authenticity, and what community-driven marketing looks like when your buyers wear steel-toe boots and aren’t online very often. About Brian: Brian Reed is the Chief Marketing Officer at Corsha, an early-stage OT security company focused on securing machine-to-machine communications in industrial environments. He is a six-time CMO and CPO with over 30 years of experience in enterprise software and cybersecurity, with a background spanning mobile security, DevSecOps, and now operational technology. Before Corsha, Brian served as CMO at Appdome and NowSecure. Links & Resources: Brian Reed on LinkedIn Brian’s LinkedIn article: AI is Flattening Marketing. Cue the Return of Mad Men. Corsha Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Gemma Goldstein had a quiet Thursday in the office, a domain someone spotted for sale, and an idea. A few short weeks later, Check Point's Exposure Management team had a browser-based arcade game live at exposuremanagement.ai with 11,000 players and a leaderboard. The game launched as part of a broader campaign, and MQLs went up 100% that month. Gemma is careful not to credit the game alone. She and Gianna cover how the campaign came together across multiple channels, what she would do differently now, and how vibe coding an ROI calculator in an hour replaced a project quoted as taking weeks. About Gemma: Gemma Goldstein is Head of Growth for Exposure Management at Check Point, a role she carried over from Cyberint after they were acquired in 2024. Before Cyberint, she spent three years at Envy, a B2B digital marketing agency focused on cybersecurity. Her background spans SEO, paid media, content, and creative strategy. Links & Resources: Gemma Goldstein on LinkedIn Check Point Exposure Management exposuremanagement.ai - the game Sprout Social -  employee advocacy tool mentioned Tom Orbach on LinkedIn - mentioned as an inspiration for fun B2B marketing Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Patrick Gorman started making YouTube videos during COVID to study for a certification with friends. He now has over 100,000 subscribers and runs a pentesting firm called ISP Security. This is a replay of our Behind the Cyber Creator AMA series. Patrick and Gianna talk about how he built his audience, why having followers doesn’t automatically mean having clients, and what he learned the hard way about being a public figure in cybersecurity. About Patrick: Patrick Gorman is the founder of ISP Security and the creator behind Infosec Pat, a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers. He has over 15 years of experience in IT and offensive security, with a background in penetration testing, network security, and digital forensics. Links & Resources: Patrick Gorman on LinkedIn ISP Security Infosec Pat Infosec Pat on YouTube Hack The Box Keith Barker on YouTube - mentioned by Patrick as a big influence CBT Nuggets - where Patrick first found Keith Barker Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Kelly O'Dwyer Manuel has been building analyst relations (AR) programs for a long time, and her first question is always the same when starting from scratch: what are you actually trying to accomplish? She joins Gianna and Andy T to talk through what AR looks like for a small team with a small budget, why most companies pay for analyst relationships before they are ready, and what a first year program should realistically look like.  About Kelly: Kelly O'Dwyer Manuel is a communications and analyst relations leader with experience across cybersecurity, semiconductors, and enterprise software. She currently leads AR at NXP Semiconductors and has built programs at companies of all sizes, from startups to large public companies. Her background spans PR, AR, and corporate communications, with deep expertise in identity and access management and security. Links & Resources: Kelly O'Dwyer Manuel on LinkedIn NXP Semiconductors The Futurum Group Moor Insights & Strategy The Knowledge Capital Group Venture in Security by Ross Haleliuk Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Jake Milstein ran newsrooms at CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC affiliates for 25 years. He has five Emmys and strong feelings about the phrase "in today's evolving threat landscape." It turns out 25 years of writing for people with a remote in their hand is excellent training for cybersecurity marketing. He sits down with Gianna and Charles on CyberCMO Confidential to talk about why "learn more" is a moron tease, what writing a broadcast tease has to do with your website copy, and why he now writes two versions of every press release. One for journalists. One for the LLMs that are doing the reading anyway. Gianna finally presents Jake with his very own handmade Cybersecurity Marketing Society award, which he has been lobbying for throughout the episode. About Jake: Jake Milstein is the VP of Growth and Corporate Marketing at Contrast Security. Before cybersecurity, he spent 25 years running newsrooms and newscasts at CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC affiliates across the US. He previously served as CMO and Chief Revenue Officer at Critical Insight, an MDR and cybersecurity services company. Links & Resources: Jake Milstein on LinkedIn Contrast Security Latio: the analyst firm whose Runtime Innovator award Jake mentioned Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review; it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Jason Rebholz read a blog post about MCPs and saw the whole trajectory of AI security play out in front of him. Twenty years of incident response experience told him we were about to make the same mistakes…just faster. He started Evoke Security the same way he has approached every problem since: get ahead of the issues before the damage is done! He joins Gianna to talk about what a real CISO and marketing partnership looks like, how he built a threat research publication program at Corvus Insurance that helped brokers sell policies and kept policyholders safer, and what he has carried over from that into building Evoke Security. About Jason: Jason Rebholz is the founder and CEO of Evoke Security. Before starting Evoke, he spent over 20 years in cybersecurity, including time as CISO at Corvus Insurance, where he built a threat research and marketing program to help brokers and policyholders stay ahead of attacks. His background is in incident response. Links & Resources: Jason Rebholz on LinkedIn Evoke Security Evoke Security Blog Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Shahar Bahat is the CEO and co-founder of Pluto Security. With every employee now building things using tools like Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, and n8n, security teams have no visibility into any of those layers. That is the problem Pluto is solving. She sat down with Gianna to talk about what she saw at RSAC 2026, the shift from shadow AI to mandated AI, and how to build a security product when the tools your customers use change every four months. About Shahar: Shahar Bahat is the CEO and co-founder of Pluto Security, a company focused on securing the new ways employees build and create using AI tools. Before Pluto, she built experience across startups and enterprise security, and Pluto Security was part of the AWS-CrowdStrike-NVIDIA Cyber Accelerator program. Links & Resources: Shahar Bahat on LinkedIn Pluto Security Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Most CMOs come up through marketing. Ash Parikh came up through engineering and sales, and he thinks that is exactly why he does the job differently. He joins Gianna and Charles on CyberCMO Confidential as the CMO of Absolute Security to talk about what 25 years of carrying a bag, presenting to boards, and running marketing at some of the biggest names in cybersecurity taught him. He’s banned MQLs, replaced them with handraisers built on real intent signals, and has strong opinions on why most marketers are not ready for a buying process that is growing harder to see every year. About Ash: Ash Parikh is the Chief Marketing Officer at Absolute Security. He has held CMO roles at Trellix, Druva, and Informatica, where he was part of the company's IPO. He started his career in engineering and sales before moving into marketing, and has spent over 25 years building go-to-market engines across cybersecurity, data, and enterprise software. Links & Resources: Ash Parikh on LinkedIn Absolute Security Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: JP Bourget sold a SOAR company, named his next one after cycling and blue teaming, got Fat Mike from NOFX to show up at his RSAC event, then took him to DEFCON, where he ended up in a DJ booth at Caesars Palace with Steve Aoki. Somewhere in between all of that, he built Blue Cycle into one of roughly 130 security service providers recognized by Microsoft out of 400,000 partners worldwide. He joins Gianna to talk about AI readiness, what happens when companies turn on Copilot before cleaning up years of data permission sprawl, and how he gamed the Microsoft partner ecosystem in under a year. About JP: JP Bourget is the CEO of Blue Cycle, a cybersecurity firm specializing in AI readiness, Microsoft security, security data pipelines, and API integrations. He is also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Lytical Ventures and a mentor at Upstate Venture Connect. Before Blue Cycle, he co-founded Syncurity, an early SOAR company that was acquired by Swimlane. Links & Resources: JP Bourget on⁠ LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Blue Cycle⁠ ⁠Lytical Ventures⁠ ⁠The Punk Rock Museum⁠ ⁠Upstate Venture Connect⁠ ⁠Cribl⁠ ⁠Swimlane Polaris Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: CyberGlobal is the world's first cybersecurity franchise, with Madalina Petrea heading up marketing there. What does it mean to run marketing at a cyber franchise? Supporting 27+ franchise owners across the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia who sell cybersecurity services to small businesses in their local markets. She joins Gianna to talk about what it takes to build that from the ground up. Her team handles everything for new franchisees in the first 90 days, including websites, LinkedIn profiles, content, and templates, so they can focus on learning the business. Her biggest challenge right now? Designing a system at 27 locations that still works at 200. They also get into why paid ads worked in Dubai and Italy but not in Boston, and why SEO has become one of their most important growth channels, including showing up in AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. About Madalina:  Madalina Petrea is the Head of Marketing at CyberGlobal, the world's first cybersecurity franchise. She leads a centralized marketing team that functions as an internal agency for franchise owners across the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Her background spans marketing for SaaS and software development companies, and she has been building CyberGlobal's marketing infrastructure from the ground up since mid-2024.  Links & Resources: Madalina Petrea on LinkedIn CyberGlobal HubSpot Jira Screaming Frog Semrush Subscribe & Review:  👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Content syndication has earned a mixed reputation among cybersecurity marketers. Too often, programs generate large volumes of leads but little measurable pipeline. Sales teams question lead quality, marketing teams question whether the right buyers are being reached, and both sides wonder whether the investment was worth it. Steve Piper has been in cybersecurity marketing for over 30 years and has heard every version of "we tried content syndication and it didn't work." His response is always the same: you need to set clear expectations on what content syndication programs do internally, ask content syndication vendors the right questions and build protections into your contract, and build nurture programs for the leads created from content syndication. On this episode, Steve sat down with Gianna to talk about what content syndication is, what a good program looks like, and what to get into your contract before signing to make sure that you have success! New to CyberEdge? They have a summer promotion running through August 31st. First-time customers get 25% off their first campaign with a minimum of 300 leads, and every campaign gets 10% bonus leads. Visit cyberedgegroup.com to get started. About Steve: Steve Piper is the Founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group, the largest marketing and research firm dedicated to serving cybersecurity marketing teams. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Security Buzz, a leading cybersecurity news website. Steve is a CISSP-certified analyst, author, and speaker with more than 30 years of experience. When he's not helping cybersecurity marketers drive growth, Steve enjoys playing poker and boating along the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale. Links & Resources: Steve Piper on LinkedIn CyberEdge Group Security Buzz CyberEdge Pricing Guide Subscribe & Review:👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Phillip Wylie has been in cybersecurity for over 28 years and is now one of the most recognized names in offensive security as a speaker, podcaster, and evangelist. What most people don't know is that he started as a pro wrestler and powerlifter before finding his way into IT and eventually pentesting. How cool is that? This episode is a replay of our Behind the Cyber Creator webinar series, where Gianna sits down with some of cybersecurity's most influential voices to hear how they built their presence, what it looks like behind the scenes, and what brands should know about working with them.  Phillip's path from shy powerlifter to someone who recorded 89 podcast episodes in a single year is worth hearing in full. He gets into the reps it took (heh, see our weightlifting humor?), how he thinks about working with brands, and why learning to say no was one of the hardest lessons. About Phillip: Phillip Wylie is a penetration tester, keynote speaker, podcast host, and cybersecurity evangelist with over 28 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity. He is the founder of The Pwn School Project, a free ethical hacking education initiative, and the co-author of The Pentester Blueprint: Starting a Career as an Ethical Hacker. He hosts the Phillip Wylie Show and is currently Chief Security Evangelist at Suzu Labs. Links & Resources: Phillip Wylie on LinkedIn The Phillip Wylie Show Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Mary Yang has been a CMO in cybersecurity for 6 years, helped 3 companies exit, and now works on a fractional basis with founders and teams she wants to work with. On this CyberCMO Confidential episode, the three of them get into a discussion on hiring. Mary skips the job description entirely. She puts out feelers, has a dozen conversations, and figures out who she wants before she ever writes the role. What she is really screening for is curiosity and drive, the stuff that is hard to fake and harder to teach.  She also tells the story of the one time she ignored her gut and what it cost her. Chapters: [02:50] Meet Mary Yang: A CMO's Journey [06:05]  Hiring Philosophy: The Importance of Fit [08:34]  Vibe Coding: A Unique Approach to Recruiting [11:13]  Lessons Learned from Hiring Mistakes [13:49]  Interview Techniques: Drawing Out Candidates' Stories [16:35]  Navigating AI in Hiring Practices [19:15]  Curiosity and Continuous Learning in Candidates [21:49]  Fun and Games About Mary: Mary Yang is a fractional CMO with over 20 years of marketing experience, most recently in cybersecurity. She has led marketing at LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, Syxsense, and SquareX, helping each company through strategic exits and acquisitions to ZeroFOX, Absolute Security, and Zscaler, respectively. She now works with high-growth SaaS and cybersecurity startups in a fractional and advisory capacity. Links & Resources: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, recommended by Mary  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is mentioned by Mary as a personal favorite Follow Mary Yang on LinkedIn Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: John Zenick started his cybersecurity journey modding a Nintendo Wii in middle school. He is now an AI Security Researcher at Harmonic Security and a Teaching Fellow at Harvard, and joins our show to discuss everything AI! Even though we're a marketing podcast, of course we love to talk to the people doing the work in AI security today. John explains what shadow AI looks like inside organizations, why blocking it rarely works, and where the real data risk sits. He also brings out a pocket-sized device he built that runs a local LLM with no internet connection, and makes a case for why your process may be just as worth protecting as your data. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction to Cybersecurity Marketing and AI Research [01:10] John Zenick's Journey into Cybersecurity [02:57] From Hacking to Home Networking [04:15] Academic Pursuits and Teaching Cybersecurity [07:09] Current Role at Harmonic Security [09:52] AI Security Research and Its Challenges [11:49] Understanding Shadow AI and Its Implications [13:41] The Future of AI Tools and Data Privacy [15:40] Exploring Open Source AI Models [18:12] Building Private AI Models for Enhanced Privacy [24:50] Innovative AI Devices and Their Applications [31:19] Resources for Building Your Own AI Models [32:46] Personal Insights and Future Aspirations About John: John Zenick is an AI Security Researcher at Harmonic Security and a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, where he has taught Software Engineering with Generative AI and supports applied computation capstone projects. His background spans incident response, security research, and detection engineering. He has also built local AI infrastructure from scratch, including private LLM systems designed to run fully offline. Links & Resources: John Zenick on LinkedIn Harmonic Security Ollama - for getting started with local open source models Hugging Face - open source models and datasets John's Hugging Face profile - quantization scripts and models for edge devices Andrej Karpathy on YouTube - recommended for learning how LLMs work Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Internal comms is one of those marketing functions that doesn't always get its own seat at the table, but probably should. Thereasa Roy, formerly Director of Technical Solutions Marketing at Trail of Bits, now Director of Product Marketing at Oversight joins Gianna to talk through what it looks like in practice.  Trail of Bits is a fully remote cybersecurity services company of about 130 people, and when this episode was recorded, they were in the middle of a brand refresh. Thereasa talks about how to get alignment across leadership before anything gets deployed, why repeating yourself is the job, and how sales and dev teams need to hear very different things. There's also a practical thread on how to track whether any of it is landing. Chapters: [04:18]  Understanding Internal Communications [09:16]  Aligning Marketing with Strategic Goals [12:02]  Enabling Other Teams for Effective Communication [16:22]  Communicating Brand Refresh Across Teams [21:46]  Measuring Success in Internal Communications About Thereasa: Thereasa Roy is the Director of Product Marketing at Oversight and formerly Director of Technical Solutions Marketing at Trail of Bits, a cybersecurity services firm specializing in security audits, blockchain, cryptography, and application security. She has a background in product marketing and has held senior marketing roles at companies including OffSec. Her work focuses on brand, messaging, positioning, and the cross-functional coordination that makes it all stick internally. Links & Resources: Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet: recommended by Gianna during the episode Thereasa Roy on LinkedIn Trail of Bits Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: David Ebner has been building content for security and tech brands for 13 years, and the work has changed significantly with the dawn of the AI content era. He comes back on the show to talk about what AI systems look like inside a marketing team, how they get built, and what steps you can’t skip in the process. A lot of it starts before AI even enters the picture! That said, on this episode, we’ll still talk about: agents, knowledge bases, where automation ends and AI begins, how to decide which content still needs a person, and how to track where your brand shows up in AI search. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:03 The Evolution of AI in Content Creation 04:08 Building AI Systems and Processes 06:59 Real-World Applications of AI in Marketing 11:27 Streamlining Client Processes with Automation 12:17 Integrating AI Agents and Knowledge Bases 18:03 Optimizing Agent Efficiency and Task Management 22:49 Quality Assurance in AI Outputs 25:28 Content Strategy and Human Involvement 26:49 Long-Form Content and Data Reports 29:26 Workflow Platforms and Client Collaboration 34:52 Working with Content Workshop About David: David Ebner is the Founder and President of Content Workshop, a content and AI systems agency for security and technology brands, and the Founder of Chatter, a content intelligence platform. He has been building brand stories for over 13 years and speaks regularly on content, AI, and ethical marketing. Links & Resources: David J. Ebner on LinkedIn Content Workshop Chatter n8n Looker Studio Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: This episode is a little different. We're sharing a session from Behind the Cyber Creator, a live AMA series we run at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, and Tyler Ramsbey was our first guest. Tyler went from pastor to pentester, built a study group into a community of 15,000 people, and walked away from a six-figure job to run his own businesses. He's been doing it all in the open, which makes the conversation worth having. We talk about building an audience without a big budget or a polished setup, why he says no to most brand deals, what it's like to be the bottleneck in your own business, and how he thinks about family alongside all of it. There's also a good thread on AI and pentesting that doesn't require a technical background to follow. About Tyler: Tyler Ramsbey is the founder of Kairos Sec, a boutique pen testing firm, and Hack Smarter, a training platform for people learning ethical hacking. Before cybersecurity, he spent 10 years as a pastor. He has over 66,000 followers on LinkedIn and a Discord community of 15,000 people, and he shares everything publicly, including revenue numbers. Links & Resources: Follow Tyler Ramsbey on LinkedIn Kairos Sec Hack Smarter Hack Smarter Discord Team OSH In partnership with: Mischka Agency Simply Cyber - Gerald Auger, Director of Strategy at Kairos Sec CourseStack -  where Tyler published his community-building blog Recommended book: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Most cybersecurity marketing advice doesn’t apply when you’re selling to small businesses, and Ranbir Bhutani, CEO and vCISO of Cyber Culture, learned that the hard way. After spending on ads that didn’t lead to results, he shifted his approach toward LinkedIn, referrals, and in-person relationships. Instead of leading with solutions, he focuses on helping buyers understand the problem first, especially when they don’t come from a security background. Ranbir also talks about common marketing approaches that don’t land the same with smaller organizations, how trust and word of mouth drive most of his deals, and what it looks like to build a cybersecurity business without a large budget. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Cyber Culture LLC 01:44 Ranbir's Journey into Cybersecurity 04:57 Transitioning from Technical to Sales and Marketing 07:33 Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses 10:04 Building Relationships and Networking 12:49 Quality Assurance in Customer Experience 15:31 The Importance of Community in Cybersecurity 18:23 Advice for Selling to SMBs 21:06 Future Aspirations and Personal Insights About Ranbir: Ranbir Bhutani is the CEO and Founder of CyberCulture, LLC, where he provides vCISO and cybersecurity advisory services to small and mid-sized organizations. His work focuses on helping non-technical leaders understand security risks and make practical decisions, particularly in government contracting, finance, and healthcare. Links & Resources: Ranbir Bhutani on LinkedInCyberCulture, LLC Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Running marketing as a team of one means you’re responsible for everything, from attribution to brand to pipeline. Sara Ceballos, Director of Marketing, joins the show to talk through her time at Inspectiv, where she was brought in to support two new product launches, rethink the company's positioning, and run marketing as a team of one. She shares how she moved MQL tracking out of spreadsheets into HubSpot and Salesforce, worked with sales to define what “qualified” actually meant, and how she determined when simplifying data made more sense than tracking everything. Gianna and Sara also dive into leading a rebrand with a small team, testing messaging with customers before launch, and building an event process that supports sales and ties back to the pipeline. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:19 Sarah's Journey Back to Cybersecurity 03:09 Understanding Inspectiv and Its Market 04:12 Identifying Marketing Challenges 07:21 Collaboration with Sales Team 09:06 The HubSpot and Salesforce Integration Project 10:00 Rebranding and Its Impact on the Company 14:54 The Meaning Behind the Rebrand 16:05 Shifting the Cybersecurity Narrative 17:29 Operational Improvements in Event Management 20:41 Streamlining Sales Support 27:27 Future Vision for Inspectiv About Sara: Sara Ceballos is a Director of Marketing at BreachRx, where she leads marketing strategy and programs to drive pipeline and growth. She previously served as Director of Marketing at Inspectiv, where she ran marketing as a one-person team, leading efforts across attribution, rebranding, website development, and event strategy. Sara has a background in demand generation and B2B marketing, with experience building and scaling programs that align closely with sales and revenue teams. Links & Resources: Sara Ceballos on LinkedIn Inspectiv BreachRx Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Traci Byrne has spent a lot of her time aligning CISOs, startups, and internal teams. In this episode, she breaks down how she does that, starting with listening, understanding what each side is trying to do, and using that to guide decisions without forcing them. That same approach shows up in disagreements. Instead of shutting ideas down, she asks questions that expose gaps and lets people work through them. It shows up most in security, where risk, new tech, and competing priorities all collide. If your role depends on influence and not control, this one will feel very familiar!  Chapters: [00:00] Introduction to Cybersecurity Marketing and Guest Introduction [03:49] Understanding Global Security Strategic Initiatives [06:28] A Week in the Life of Tracy Byrne [08:48] Navigating Startup and Enterprise Relationships [11:34] Operational Resilience and Cybersecurity [14:09] Influencing Without Authority in Cybersecurity [16:25] Building Trust and Understanding Stakeholder Needs [17:42] Healthy Conflict and Disagreement Management [20:17] Company Culture and Collaboration at WWT [22:30] Personal Aspirations and Future Goals About Traci: Traci Byrne was recently Head of Global Security Strategic Initiatives at World Wide Technology at the time of recording. She worked across enterprise teams and partners, supporting large strategic deals and helping organizations navigate complex security challenges. She also advises startups on go-to-market and engaging with large enterprises, and hosts the Meet the Chief podcast. Links & Resources: Traci Byrne on LinkedIn Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Merav Ben Avi, VP of Marketing at YL Ventures, makes a strong case for something most security founders get wrong: marketing should not come later. It should be there from the start. She explains why hiring too late creates messy positioning, weak launches, and marketers stuck fixing confusion instead of shaping the story. The first marketing hire is not there to run campaigns. They are there to define why the company exists while everything is still taking shape. Merav also gets into why product marketing is not always the first hire, what founders miss when evaluating marketers, and why “AI solves everything” messaging is already wearing thin with CISOs. If you're building or joining an early-stage security startup, this will challenge how you think about your first marketing hire! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to YL Ventures and Merav's Role 03:14 The Importance of Early Marketing in Cybersecurity Startups 06:05 Hiring Marketing Talent: Philosophy and Strategy 08:41 Navigating the AI Security Landscape 11:19 Building Trust Between Founders and Marketers 13:36 The Role of Marketing in Early Stage Startups 16:08 Finding the Right Marketing Candidates 18:55 Stealth Mode vs. Building in Public 21:37 Common Mistakes in Hiring Marketing 23:21 Conclusion and Contact Information About Merav: Merav Ben Avi is VP of Marketing at YL Ventures, where she works hands-on with early-stage cybersecurity startups on positioning, messaging, and go-to-market. She partners closely with founders to shape how their companies show up from day one, while also leading marketing for YL Ventures. Links & Resources: Merav Ben Avi on LinkedIn YL Ventures website Building Island’s Brand with Ari Yablok (referenced in this episode) You Don’t Need a Budget—You Need a Hat: Orly Bar-Lev on Lasso’s GTM (referenced in this episode) Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: What changes when you go from a startup to a much bigger company after an acquisition? On today’s episode, Kevin Bobowski, now CMO of Archer, breaks down what that shift looks like based on his experience moving from Aware into Mimecast. At Aware, staying close to the customer was built into the day-to-day. Conversations were constant, and product-market fit came from paying attention to what was working and cutting what wasn’t, even if it looked good on paper. At Mimecast, that same instinct still mattered, but it became harder to maintain. There’s more data, more structure, and more distance from the customer if you’re not careful. Kevin shares how that shift changed the way he thinks about product-market fit across segments, products, and teams, and why it’s something you have to keep reworking as markets evolve. If you’re trying to stay grounded in what your buyers are really saying while everything around you scales, this one will resonate. About Kevin: Kevin Bobowski is Chief Marketing Officer at Archer. He previously led marketing at Aware, where he helped build the go-to-market motion that led to the company’s acquisition by Mimecast. His experience spans startups and larger organizations, with a focus on product-market fit, segmentation, and scaling marketing teams. Links & Resources: Kevin Bobowski on LinkedIn Mimecast Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: Christine Bartlett, SVP of Marketing at Hack The Box, tackles one of the trickiest challenges in marketing leadership: how to come in, make meaningful changes, and still preserve the magic that was there before you arrived. She gets into building a field marketing team, moving past last-touch attribution to create alignment amongst the business, and what it takes to get execs and the board on board. There’s also a good conversation around how Hack The Box balances a community model with enterprise, and why investing in early-career talent still pays off! About Christine: Christine Bartlett is the SVP of Marketing at Hack The Box, where she leads global marketing across both community and enterprise. She’s spent over a decade in cybersecurity marketing, with leadership roles at Cisco and SonicWall, focused on building teams and driving growth. Links & Resources: Hack the Box  Let's Defend CyberMarketingCon 2026  HubSpot  LinkedIn  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary: In this Cyber CMO Confidential episode, Netwrix CMO John Knightly joins Gianna and Charles to talk through the company’s recent rebrand and the thinking behind it. After years of growth through acquisitions, Netwrix needed a clearer story. John shares how the team repositioned the company around data security that starts with identity, simplified its messaging, and rolled the new brand out across a global organization. If you’re navigating brand evolution, product complexity, or internal buy-in, this episode offers a look at what it actually takes to pull off a cybersecurity rebrand. About John: John Knightly is the Chief Marketing Officer at Netwrix, where he leads the company’s global marketing organization. Before joining Netwrix, he held senior marketing leadership roles at Zscaler, BlueJeans by Verizon, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and HP, bringing more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology and cybersecurity marketing. Links & Resources: John Knightly on LinkedIn Netwrix Subscribe & Review:  👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Vanta CMO Scott Holden joins Gianna to talk about how the company is expanding beyond automated SOC 2 compliance and positioning Vanta as an Agentic Trust Platform. Scott shares his path from Salesforce to ThoughtSpot and Brex, why Vanta’s preventive security approach stood out, and how the team is evolving its messaging as it moves further into the enterprise. Tune in to hear how Vanta is thinking about category positioning, CISOs, and the strategy behind its new “Calm-pliance” campaign. About Scott: Scott Holden is the Chief Marketing Officer at Vanta, where he leads marketing as the company expands beyond automated compliance into a broader trust platform.  Before joining Vanta, he was CMO at Brex and spent more than eight years at ThoughtSpot in marketing leadership roles. Earlier in his career, Scott held several marketing roles at Salesforce. Links & Resources: Follow Scott Holden on LinkedIn Vanta Subscribe & Review:  👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Chris Sienko spent six years hosting Cyber Work with Infosec, interviewing more than 300 cybersecurity professionals across every imaginable role. But the show wasn’t built for CISOs or executives. It was built for the people trying to get in. In this conversation, Chris shares why he focused on students and early-career professionals, even though most cybersecurity marketing targets buyers, and how that decision shaped everything from guest research to episode structure to long-term growth. If you’re building content inside a cybersecurity company and wondering who you’re actually serving, this episode will challenge you to think bigger than the buying committee. About Chris: Chris Sienko is a podcast producer and former host of Cyber Work with Infosec, where he interviewed more than 300 cybersecurity professionals from 2019 to 2025. Over six years, he helped grow the show into a central resource for aspiring cybersecurity practitioners. He previously served as Senior Acquisitions Manager for Infosec Resources, overseeing a large network of technical writers and contributing to the editorial direction of one of the industry’s most widely read cybersecurity education platforms. Links & Resources: Connect with Chris on LinkedIn Check out Infosec Subscribe & Review:  👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: In cybersecurity marketing, there’s constant pressure to keep pushing. More campaigns, more content, more pressure to show that something is working. You’re wearing multiple hats, adjusting on the fly, and trying to keep momentum. At a human level, that pace adds up. This conversation slows down to talk about the exhaustion behind it, the cost of always saying yes, and the shift that happens when you finally pause. Rodrigo Leme, Marketing Director at Right-Hand Cybersecurity, joins Gianna to talk about what it’s like to be the only marketer at a growing security company. He reflects on constantly reassessing what’s worth doing, learning the hard way that saying yes to everything doesn’t mean doing good work, and what it’s been like working remotely for years. Along the way, he shares what helped him stay grounded: routines, hobbies, and small shifts in his approach to work. It’s a reflection on what it takes to keep going without letting the job take over everything else in your life. About Rodrigo: Rodrigo Leme is the Marketing Director at Right-Hand Cybersecurity, where he leads the company’s marketing efforts, including content, campaigns, and go-to-market support. He has worked in marketing for more than 20 years and has spent the past several years in cybersecurity. Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: AI is affecting how cybersecurity teams operate and how security vendors build products.  In this episode, Steve Piper, Founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group and author of the Cyber Threat Defense Report, is here to talk about AI-powered spear phishing, deepfake fraud, and how generative and agentic AI are being integrated into security platforms. Data from the 2025 Cyber Threat Defense Report shows: 82% of security professionals prefer tools with AI capabilities. 80% believe AI will reduce workforce needs in the coming years. More respondents say security teams currently have the upper hand over threat actors. For marketers, this clarifies something important: AI is influencing buyer expectations, product positioning, and hiring conversations across the industry. About Steve: Steve Piper is the Founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group, the largest marketing and research firm dedicated to serving cybersecurity marketing teams. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Security Buzz, a leading cybersecurity news website. Steve is a highly regarded author, analyst, instructor, and consultant with more than 30 years of tech industry experience. He holds a CISSP certification from ISC2 and has authored more than a dozen books on information security topics. Links & Resources: Check out CyberEdge Group here.  Security Buzz 2025 Cyberthreat Defense Report Steve Piper on LinkedIn Cyber Threat Defense Report Sponsorship Information: View the Sponsor One-Sheet CDR Sponsor Prospectus Subscribe & Review:  👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Host: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: AI has changed how buyers do their research. By the time they land on your website, most of the education is already done. That is where many cybersecurity sites start to fall apart. Suyog Deshpande, Co-Founder and CEO of Webless.ai, joins us to break down what this shift means for website strategy. He explains why today’s visitors are often deeper in the buying journey, how cybersecurity buying committees complicate the experience, and why education-first sites do not always serve buyers who are ready to act. Gianna and Suyog also get into how on-site search behavior reveals real buyer intent and why more AI-generated content is not the answer. If your website still assumes buyers are at the top of the funnel, this episode is for you! About Suyog: Suyog Deshpande is the Co-Founder and CEO of Webless.ai, where he works on generative search and content discovery for B2B websites. Before starting Webless, he led product and technical marketing teams at Samsara, Salesforce, and Amplitude. His work sits at the intersection of marketing, product, and how buyers actually find and use information. Links & Resources: Follow Suyog on LinkedIn Check out the Webless.ai  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Community gets talked about a lot in cybersecurity; what’s less clear is what it’s supposed to actually look like. In this conversation, Avital Knoller, Head of Ecosystem, Community, and CXO Relationships at Orchid Security, walks through how she thinks about community when it’s tied directly to product and growth.  She breaks down the difference between practitioner-led product communities and broader communities of interest, and why that distinction matters so much in security. Drawing on her experience building communities across nonprofit, startup, and cybersecurity environments, Avital shares how investing in community can create super-users, surface real product feedback, and support go-to-market efforts without feeling salesy or forced. Tune in to hear about practical realities, platform choices, launch timing, engagement expectations, and how to think about ROI while keeping the focus on trust, peer learning, and long-term value. About Avital:Avital (Avi) Knoller is the Head of Ecosystem, Community, and CXO Relationships at Orchid Security, where she leads practitioner community programs and ecosystem engagement for the company’s identity security platform. Avital has experience building and running communities across nonprofit, startup, and cybersecurity environments, with a focus on practitioner engagement and product-focused communities inside security companies. Links & Resources: Avital (Avi) Knoller on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/avital-knoller/ Orchid Security - https://www.orchid.security/ Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Dan Lowden has a pretty incredible track record—12 startups and eight exits to count—so when he talks about building a marketing engine from scratch, people listen. In this CMO Confidential segment, Dan joins Gianna and Charles to talk about his latest challenge at Blackbird.ai: defining the "Narrative Intelligence" category and helping companies fight disinformation. They get into the real-world grit of going from leading a 70-person team back to being a solo marketer. Dan shares his "punch above your weight" playbook, including why he hired a former CBS news reporter to lead content and how he landed NATO as a marquee customer. Listen to this episode if you are looking to make a small startup feel like an industry giant, build deep analyst credibility without a "pay-to-play" budget, or understand the next big CISO blind spot in narrative intelligence. About Dan:  Dan Lowden is the CMO at Blackbird.ai and a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience building brands in the tech and cybersecurity spaces. A veteran of 12 startups and eight successful exits, Dan has led marketing for companies such as HUMAN (formerly White Ops), Digital Shadows, and Invincea. He is known for his "hands-on" approach to leadership, often joining as the first marketing hire to transform complex technology into a clear, compelling story. When he isn't defining new security categories like Narrative Intelligence, Dan is an author; he wrote and published the romance novel The Met Kiss during the pandemic. Follow Dan on LinkedIn. Links & Resources: Blackbird.ai: Learn more about narrative intelligence and disinformation security. The Raven Blog: Where Dan’s team publishes primary research on narrative attacks. The Met Kiss: Dan Lowden’s debut romance novel, written during the pandemic. Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: What happens when a "privacy freak" takes over customer advocacy? You get the DataGrail’s Data Privacy Awards Program, an industry staple that doubles as a masterclass in community building and product research. In this episode, Ian Phippen, Head of Content and Community Marketing at DataGrail, joins Gianna and Maria to pull back the curtain on running a high-impact awards program. Ian shares how they transformed a standard advocacy play into a mission-driven brand engine that attracts hundreds of nominations, of which only 40% are customers. Whether you're launching your first awards ceremony or looking for more human ways to connect with your technical audience, Ian’s insights offer a roadmap for marketing with integrity. About Ian:  Ian Phippen is the Head of Content and Community at DataGrail and the architect of the Data Privacy Hero Awards.  A 2025 Marquee Award winner for Best New-to-Cyber Talent, they moved from a background in education and e-commerce marketing at companies like Recharge and Provi to become a dedicated "privacy freak" in the cybersecurity space.  Ian specializes in building high-trust recognition programs that turn industry advocacy into deep market intelligence. Follow Ian on LinkedIn.  Links and Resources: DataGrail: The data privacy platform leading the shift toward "human-centric" privacy. 2025 Data Privacy Heroes: The official announcement and profiles of the most recent award winners. Sessionize: The event management tool mentioned for handling speaker and award calls. Recharge & Provi: Previous companies where Ian built their marketing and community foundation. Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Cat Allen, Senior Product Marketing Manager at SpyCloud, brings a rare mix of technical grounding and ethical clarity to cybersecurity marketing. Her path into the industry was unconventional, shaped by psychology, hands-on technical training, and a deep interest in privacy, surveillance, and responsible data use. The conversation focuses on what it means to market security products responsibly, especially in an industry where marketers are frequent targets and data collection can quietly introduce risk. Cat shares how her technical background helps her bridge engineering and go-to-market teams while keeping trust, accuracy, and transparency at the center. The episode also explores tougher questions about workplace ethics, the limits of compliance, personal responsibility for data privacy, and the broader implications of AI. About Cat:  Cat Allen is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at SpyCloud, working on product messaging, enablement, and go-to-market support for cybersecurity teams. She has held senior product marketing roles at Cloudflare and Everfox (formerly Forcepoint). She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and brings a technical foundation into her work, partnering closely with product, engineering, and revenue teams. Follow her on LinkedIn.  Links & Resources: SpyCloud Signal (secure messaging)Proton Mail DeleteMe1Password Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Maria and Gianna are joined this week by Tyler Lessard, Chief Marketing Officer at TechnologyAdvice, for a grounded look at how cybersecurity and B2B buying behavior are shifting and what that means for marketers trying to break through the noise. The conversation centers on preference marketing and why buyers are forming vendor shortlists earlier than ever, often before any formal evaluation begins. Tyler shares insights from TechnologyAdvice’s research on how younger buying committees, particularly Millennial and Gen Z decision-makers, rely less on legacy analyst models and more on trusted external channels like creators, newsletters, niche communities, Reddit, and peer-driven influence. The discussion wraps with a takeaway for marketers planning: TechnologyAdvice’s Cybersecurity Marketing Handbook, built to help teams identify where influence actually lives and how to show up there with intent. About Tyler Tyler Lessard is the Chief Marketing Officer at TechnologyAdvice, where he focuses on research-led perspectives on buyer behavior and helping cybersecurity and B2B marketers navigate how influence and trust are formed today.  He works closely with marketing teams across the industry, drawing on TechnologyAdvice’s portfolio of enterprise IT and cybersecurity media brands to identify where buyers research, who they trust, and how preferences are shaped before formal evaluations begin. Follow Tyler on LinkedIn.  Links & Resources: 3 Trends that will Redefine B2B Marketing in 2026 Cybersecurity Marketing Handbook TechnologyAdvice Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: We’re starting 2026 with a topic every marketer claims to love until they’re actually in it: rebrands. Gianna sits down with Alicia Di Vittorio, Head of Brand & Corporate Marketing at Silverfort, to talk through what a real rebrand looks like when you’re doing it inside a fast-moving cybersecurity startup. They get into the actual messy parts: getting execs aligned on positioning, figuring out who’s allowed to give input (and who isn’t), redesigning a logo way later than anyone wants to admit, and trying to keep the team creative while the production backlog is eating everyone alive. It’s honest, funny, and painfully relatable for anyone who’s ever opened a RACI chart in desperation. If you’re planning a rebrand this year, this episode will either make you feel seen… or slightly afraid. Both are useful. About Alicia:  Alicia Di Vittorio is the Head of Brand & Corporate Marketing at Silverfort, where she leads the company’s brand, communications, AR/PR, content, and creative strategy. Before Silverfort, she drove corporate marketing at DataGrail and helped launch Stairwell out of stealth as Interim CMO. She’s led multiple rebrands across fast-moving cybersecurity startups and has the scars (and wisdom) to prove it. Follow Alicia on LinkedIn.  🔗 Links & Resources: Silverfort – Identity Security Platform https://www.silverfort.com Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

As we take a brief end-of-year pause for CyberMarketingCon and holiday chaos, we’re bringing back one of 2025’s most replayed and requested episodes. Consider this your chance to revisit the insights you loved or catch an episode you might’ve missed. Episode Summary: This week, we’ve got an extra special guest, Joe Aurilia, Jr., SVP of Operations at Cyware. Joining Gianna and Maria to talk more about the art of scaling, automating, and just plain getting stuff done. Joe takes us on a ride from being Cyware’s first U.S. hire (aka "the guinea pig") to building and overseeing every corner of operations from legal and IT to rev ops and marketing ops.  We chat about how to spot and fix the messiest processes, why RevOps is the unsung hero of the GTM engine, and what happens when contracts, people, and data collide. Joe also drops gems on internal sales/marketing for change management, and we close out with his dream career as an ice cream shop owner. Plus: purple dashboards, auctioneer aspirations, and a serious stance on free sprinkles. 🔗Links & Resources Mentioned: Cyware Asana Cybersecurity Marketing Society CyberMarketingCon25 🔔 Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps us grow and brings you more awesome guests! 📩 Got feedback or want to be on the show? Email us at podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Be sure also to follow our hosts on LinkedIn: 👉 Gianna Whitver 👉 Maria Velasquez Thanks for tuning in. Remember, every Wednesday, we drop a new episode guaranteed to knock your SOCs off. 😎

As we take a brief end-of-year pause for CyberMarketingCon and holiday chaos, we’re bringing back one of 2025’s most replayed and requested episodes. Consider this your chance to revisit the insights you loved or catch an episode you might’ve missed. Episode Summary: Tom Wentworth, CMO at Incident.io, got tired of doing the same stuff over and over, so he built AI agents to do it for him. Sales call summaries? Automated. Blog posts from discovery calls? Done in minutes. Battle cards? They update themselves. He’s wiring together Slack, Notion, Zapier, Gong, and ChatGPT in ways that help his team move faster without adding headcount or complexity. There are no big declarations, just real systems that save time and don’t annoy people. We talk about what’s working, what’s breaking, and how far you can push things without sounding like a robot. Also: cold plunges, prompt rage, and the Notion doc that’s 90 pages long. 🎧 Press play to hear how Tom stretches modern marketing ops with the right automation setup. Links & Resources Mentioned: ⁠Incident.io⁠ ⁠Gong⁠ ⁠Zapier⁠ ⁠ChatGPT⁠ ⁠Notion⁠ ⁠Slack⁠ ⁠Common Room⁠ ⁠Sanity CMS⁠ ⁠11Labs (Voice AI)⁠ About Tom: Tom is a high-growth SaaS marketing leader with experience across enterprise GTM and product-led models. He writes occasionally about tech marketing at⁠ tomwentworth.com⁠ and previously hosted the Scaleup Marketing podcast. Follow Tom on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: ⁠podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com⁠  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Charles Gold on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on ⁠our website⁠, main ⁠LinkedIn page⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ page, or podcast ⁠LinkedIn⁠ page.  See you in the next episode!

As we take a brief end-of-year pause for CyberMarketingCon and holiday chaos, we’re bringing back one of 2025’s most replayed and requested episodes. Consider this your chance to revisit the insights you loved or catch an episode you might’ve missed. Episode Summary: What do VCs think about your GTM strategy? This week, Gianna and Maria chat with Asad Khaliq and Mark Kraynak, two of Acrew Capital's founding members, about what it takes to build or break a go-to-market motion at an early-stage cyber startup. Asad and Mark share how Acrew was founded, why they’re so focused on cyber and data, and what they’ve learned from backing some of the most well-known names in the industry. From hiring your first salesperson to avoiding “we stop threats” messaging, they’ve seen it all and they’re sharing the good, the bad, and the surprisingly funny. About the guest:  Follow Asad on LinkedIn. Follow Mark on LinkedIn.  Follow Acrew Capital on LinkedIn or the website.  💌 Feedback or Wanna Be on the Show? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow your hosts on LinkedIn: 👉Gianna Whitver👉Maria Velasquez Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, or on our podcast LinkedIn page, and keep up with us on Twitter. See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: We’re back in Las Vegas for Part 2 of our live series from the ManageEngine User Conference, this time shifting from the conference floor to the hallways, lobby couches, and those slightly delirious late-night conversations fueled entirely by hotel coffee. Part 1 focused on how ManageEngine builds trust from the inside. Part 2 flips the perspective outward, bringing in three very different voices: an AI governance advisor, an innovation leader, and a veteran tech journalist, all wrestling with how AI, security, and trust are colliding across the industry. It’s a grounded, candid look at what people are really thinking about AI right now, far beyond the keynote slides and vendor hype. (And yes, all three guests happen to be named Alex. I promise we didn’t plan that.) Have a listen — this one hits a different part of the conversation. About Guests:  Alex Sharpe — Board Advisor & Cyber Governance Expert (Sharpe LLC) Alex works at the intersection of business strategy, cyber governance, and operational resilience. He’s advised Fortune 100 boards, taught resilience at NYU, and helped companies navigate everything from AI risk to major M&A events.  Alex Goryachev — WSJ Bestselling Author & AI Innovation Exec Alex helps companies make sense of AI, build innovation programs that actually work, and navigate the cultural side of transformation. He’s led AI and innovation efforts at Cisco, Dell, Amgen, and the California State University system. In this episode, he breaks down trust, safety, and why employees quietly automate half their jobs. Alex Williams — Founder & Publisher, The New Stack Alex is a veteran tech journalist and the founder of The New Stack, where he covers how modern software gets built and operated at scale. Before that, he wrote about cloud and enterprise tech at ReadWriteWeb and TechCrunch. 🔗 Links & Resources: Attend the ManageEngine User Conference The New Stack — Alex Williams’ publication: https://thenewstack.io Alex Goryachev — AI & innovation keynote site: https://alexgoryachev.com  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: We took the podcast on the road for this one. Gianna spent two days roaming the ManageEngine User Conference in Las Vegas,  mic in hand, slightly over-caffeinated, talking with the people who actually keep this massive IT management ecosystem running. This episode brings together conversations with the CMO, the team leading North America operations and partnerships, and one of ManageEngine’s longtime global channel partners. Different roles, different vantage points, but everyone came back to the same theme: trust. Not the buzzword version, the real kind, where meeting someone face-to-face finally puts a human behind the support ticket. And yes, Part 2 is on the way. We’ve got more interviews from the conference floor, including late-night influencer conversations and a studio-recorded session with the VP of Product. Think of this episode as the first half of the full story. About Guests:  Ajay Kumar — Head of Global Marketing, ManageEngine (a division of Zoho Corp.)Ajay leads global marketing across the entire ManageEngine portfolio. Haja Moideen — Head of North America Business, Operations & Strategic Channel Partnerships; Official Spokesperson for ManageEngineHaja runs the operations and partner ecosystem across the U.S. and Canada. Mohamed Abdelhay — Co-Founder & Business Development Director, SanaTech Global Solutions (ManageEngine Partner)Mohamed has been deploying, integrating, and selling ManageEngine products for well over a decade. He started in Egypt, grew his customer base one implementation at a time, and now runs SanaTech’s business development efforts from Los Angeles. 🔗 Links & Resources: ManageEngine User Conference (Las Vegas)ManageEngine product documents — full list of features, use cases, and technical specs.  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: This week, we’re sharing a special crossover episode originally recorded for ITSP Magazine. Gianna and Maria join hosts Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli for an on-location conversation about how the Cybersecurity Marketing Society got started, why our industry’s buyers behave the way they do, and what makes cybersecurity marketing fundamentally different from every other field. They discuss trust, burnout, AI buzzwords, why buyers dislike being sold to, and how marketing teams can effectively demonstrate value in a saturated, hyper-technical market. You’ll also hear what to expect at CyberMarketingCon 2025, from hands-on AI workshops to a marketer-only CTF, and why the event has become a reunion for practitioners across the ecosystem. If you want a grounded conversation about real marketing challenges (minus the fluffy vendor vibes), this one’s worth your time. About Sean and Marco: Sean Martin, CISSP, is Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at ITSP Magazine, a multimedia platform exploring the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society. He hosts their “On Location” podcast series and several other shows, blending deep cybersecurity insights with human-scale storytelling. Marco Ciappelli is Co-Founder and Creative Director at ITSP Magazine, host of its podcasts, and lead for their “At the Intersection” story platform. He brings branding, media, and societal insight to the conversation about cybersecurity’s broader role. 🔗 Links & Resources: ITSP Magazine  ITSP Magazine On-Location Podcast Series  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Gianna sits down and talks with Adam Vincent, founder and CEO of Bricklayer AI, about selling first and letting the market shape your message. After bootstrapping and shipping an MVP in summer 2023, Adam called (literally phone called) his way into product clarity and pipeline, then watched curiosity turn into urgency in Q2 2025. They get practical on where agents help today, so security teams finally use the tools they already pay for. You’ll hear: The words that make buyers lean in. Agents that handle alert triage, weekly intel briefs, and vulnerability prioritization. Meeting to SQO rising from about 30% (Q1 2025) to about 78% (Q2 2025). If you’re looking for buyer-tested phrasing, three practical agent workflows, and a simple outreach pattern you can run tomorrow, this episode is for you. About Adam: Adam Vincent is the Founder and CEO of Bricklayer AI. He’s spent his career building software that helps security analysts do their jobs better and has worn the hats: QA, engineering, and CTO. Early at Layer 7 Technologies, he built the federal practice across sales, marketing, and tech.  In his last startup, he says the team grew revenue from zero to $30M ARR. He founded Bricklayer AI, bootstrapped for about a year, launched an MVP in summer 2023, and runs founder-led sales while standing up marketing and sales leadership. Follow Adam on LinkedIn 🔗 Links & Resources: Bricklayer AI  ThreatConnect  Layer 7 (now Broadcom Layer7 API Management) Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: We’re back with another round of Cyber CMO Confidential, where Gianna and Charles ask the questions every cybersecurity marketer wishes they could ask their CMO. This time, Karl Van den Bergh, Illumio’s CMO, shares why he dropped the “ing” and became a Chief Market Officer. He unpacks Illumio’s shift from zero trust segmentation to breach containment, the fine line between AI innovation and AI nonsense, and why marketers need to stop selling and start representing the market. 🎧 Listen to the full episode for Karl’s take on authenticity, AI hype, and what it really means to market the market. About Karl:  Karl Van den Bergh is the Chief Market Officer at Illumio, where he leads global marketing for the company’s breach containment and Zero Trust Segmentation platform. With over two decades in enterprise software and cybersecurity, he’s known for transforming complex technology brands into clear, market-driven stories. Before joining Illumio, Karl served as CMO at Gigamon and DataStax, where he helped reposition both companies for modern, security-focused growth. His work centers on connecting product strategy to real market needs and building brands that lead with clarity, not jargon. Follow Karl on LinkedIn.  🔗 Links & Resources: Illumio – Learn more about the company’s breach containment and Zero Trust Segmentation platform. Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Gianna and Maria take a break from guest interviews to share what’s ahead at CyberMarketingCon 2025, coming December 7–10 in Austin, TX, and streaming online. From building your first AI agent or tackling a marketer’s CTF, to designing sharper content in Canva, this year’s workshops go hands-on fast. They walk through new summits for CMOs, founders, and sales teams, introduce fresh AI-driven sponsors, and preview Austin’s most unexpected highlight, a cybersecurity-themed wrestling show. It’s a glimpse at how the community keeps growing, connecting, and having fun. 👉 Listen to the full episode for insider updates, practical tips, and a few behind-the-scenes laughs from the team bringing CyberMarketingCon to life. About the hosts: Gianna Whitver and Maria Velasquez are the co-founders of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society and organizers of CyberMarketingCon, the annual conference for security marketers, founders, and GTM leaders to connect, learn, and grow together. Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Most marketers learn executive communication the hard way. Rob Sobers, CMO at Varonis, joins Gianna and Charles to share what he’s figured out along the way, how to lead with the answer, give data real context, and know when to stop talking. He explains how to tailor communication for CEOs, boards, and peers, and why too much detail can make you sound less senior, not more informed. The conversation also covers the habits that build trust over time: using templates for consistency, setting clear values so teams can move without micromanagement, and preparing for the “most obvious objections” before they’re raised. 👉 Listen to the full episode for practical examples, career lessons, and Rob’s take on the one buzzword he’d retire from cybersecurity marketing for good. About Rob: Rob Sobers is the Chief Marketing Officer at Varonis, a leader in data security. He began his career as a software engineer before moving into marketing, giving him a unique perspective on how technical and business teams communicate. At Varonis, Rob leads global marketing strategy and focuses on helping organizations understand and reduce data risk. He’s also the co-author of Learn Ruby the Hard Way and a longtime advocate for practical, transparent communication inside complex organizations. Follow Rob Sobers on LinkedIn 🔗 Links & Resources: Varonis: varonis.com Dave Kellogg’s Blog (Kellblog): kellblog.com Carilu Dietrich’s Post on Executive Communication: LinkedIn article  Elevate Your Marketing Dashboard: How to Impress the CEO, CRO, and CFO — Carilu Dietrich (Substack) Wes Kao’s “15 Principles for Managing Up”: weskao.com  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: What started as two marketers looking for support has grown into a 4,000-member community and CyberMarketingCon, the go-to conference for anyone driving go-to-market in security. In this replay from Chris Hughes’ Resilient Cyber show, Gianna and Maria share what makes the Society different, why the event feels more like a reunion than a conference, and what’s waiting in Austin this December (or online if that’s easier): hands-on workshops, founder + investor sessions, and this year’s theme — the Marketing Time Machine. Make sure you get your ticket today: https://www.cybermarketingconference.com/  About: Chris Hughes is the host of Resilient Cyber and the President and CEO of Aquia, where he helps organizations securely adopt cloud and modern software practices. His show brings practitioners, builders, and leaders together to talk openly about the challenges and opportunities in cybersecurity. Follow Chris on LinkedIn Gianna Whitver is Co-Founder and CEO of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, and Maria Velasquez is Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer. They started the Society in 2020 to build a community for cyber marketers, now 4,000+ strong. They also run CyberMarketingCon, the go-to industry conference for anyone working in go-to-market. 🔗 Links & Resources: Chris Hughes’ Resilient Cyber show  Get your ticket for CyberMarketingCon 2025  Cybersecurity Marketing Society Resilient Cyber podcast: resilientcyber.io  Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: RSAC has officially expanded its research team with 11 new hires, plus another major research release is dropping this October. Guests Ben Waring and Jessica Porter join us to break down what the expansion means for the industry and how RSAC is stepping into year-round thought leadership. They also take us inside the new RSAC digital community, where AI-powered tools, curated news briefs, and private peer groups keep cybersecurity pros connected long after the conference floor closes. On the startup side, it’s the 20th anniversary of Innovation Sandbox with submissions up nearly 40% and a new $5M investment fueling each finalist’s growth. Plus, for anyone eyeing the RSAC 2026 stage, Ben and Jessica share what makes a Call for Speakers submission stand out and what gets it cut. Listen to this episode before your next submission, pitch, or conference plan; you’ll thank yourself later. About guests: Ben Waring is the Director of Global PR and Communications at RSAC. He leads the global public relations strategy for the conference and its year-round community platform, managing media engagement, high-profile speaker press, and live event communications. Follow Ben on LinkedIn. Jessica Porter is Senior Director of Marketing at RSAC, where she has worked since 2017. She drives go-to-market strategy, targeted attendance, and community engagement, building RSAC into a year-round hub for cybersecurity learning. Previously, Jessica held integrated marketing roles at RSA Security. Follow Jessica on LinkedIn . 🔗 Links & Resources: RSAC Membership overview (launch blog) RSAC Membership platform demo (video) RSAC Cybersecurity Atlas (interactive tool)  RSAC Innovation Sandbox (program) Innovation Sandbox — How it Works (submission details) RSAC Launch Pad (program) RSAC Call for Submissions (Closed)  RSAC Research (report landing example) Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary: Joseph Barringhaus didn’t set out to become a part-time app builder. He was tired of doing budgets in Google Sheets and decided to see if one of those new AI coding tools could do it better. It turned out it could, and that one experiment snowballed into a whole new way of working he calls vibe coding. In this conversation, Joseph and Gianna get into what vibe coding looks like in practice: quick tools that make a sales call easier, event games that buyers actually remember, and rough-and-ready prototypes that speed up work with designers. They also talk honestly about the risks (where AI still breaks), the temptation to chase too many shiny tools, and why Joseph swears by his “three bets” rule to keep marketing focused. 👉 Tune in to the full episode to hear Joseph’s stories firsthand from the budgeting app that started it all to the bold bets shaping how he runs marketing today. About Joseph:  Joseph Barringhaus is the Vice President of Marketing at Maze.Before Maze, he was the Vice President of Marketing at Tamnoon, driving demand generation, product–market fit, messaging, and revenue alignment. With nearly a decade in cybersecurity, IT services, and SaaS, he’s helped generate over $900M in pipeline and raised conversion rates across multiple companies.Joseph also held senior marketing roles at Sonrai Security and Progress, and earlier worked in content and digital marketing across industries from sports to IT. He has a BBA in Marketing with a minor in Communication from Wichita State University, and today, he also serves as an advisor at Warmly. Follow Joseph on LinkedIn  🔗 Links & Resources: Learn more about Tamnoon: tamnoon.io  v0 by Vercel Lovable Base 44 Claude Code (referred to as “Cloud Code” in the episode) Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com  Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want to level up your cybersecurity marketing? Join us Dec 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page.  See you in the next episode!