_Glenn Starkman

There are companies that focus on technologies and companies that focus on the people who secure those technologies. Our company believes there must be a focus on both. Tools alone, that are configured improperly lacking the ability on how to secure it all, is part of why companies are breached. Understanding and implementing secure configurations of the tools that have been procured is critical to the security of any entity. Often, companies have spent their budgets on tools and have a difficult time ensuring configs are done properly. We recommend both, often with a tilt towards the people who can create proper configurations with the technology in place. One without the other is a clear path to a breach. C-suites need to understand this.

When curators lead the witness with words like "change can be unsettling", those who are learning, simply learn it wrong! Change is inevitable and part of life, as well as business. Nothing remains static in the world. Embrace change because it is normalcy. Change has also accelerated given the rate of adoption at which technologies have impacted the world. We should not only embrace change, each of us can use our status as leaders to guide others to run towards it. This creates new opportunities for us, our teams and our businesses. This guidance is one for the workplace and extends into each person's life, their careers, not to mention future personal happiness.

when taking vc money you have to be savvy enough to understand that in certain cycles, when rates are high and money is tight, you better spend in a prudent manner and what worked during zirp (zero interest rate policy) will not work w rates at 5%. Ensuring you can grow and show free cash flows and positive ebitda takes a ton of hard work, great understanding of your business, clients budgets and your payroll and variable costs. Build while also understanding if you run out of capital, in a high rate scenario, you may not get any more. Be prudent, spend less, grow a little slower until the time comes when rates come down and the economy kicks in again. You want to be long time and keep the runway extended.

Other considerations when sharing financials with Investors... First, it really truly helps to have been an investor to understand how to share financials with investors. As an Operator, we are expected to wear our "Operator Hat" and when we speak with investors, they are looking at financials with a slightly different point of view than the Operator. Seeking guidance and understanding the needs and desires of an audience is always key in communication, even more so with investors. Take the time to get coached on what most investors want and need. Take the time to review your financials and bullet point or tag those items that stand out or are outliers, so as to not force Investors to find them on their own, which can create a red flag.

Executive communications and understanding "enough" about security and IT in order to truly comprehend vs. "communications breakdown" (hat tip Led Zeppelin). IT-Security language is not necessarily Business language. Whereas the CEO-CFO are adept at business risks and liability concerns, often times their knowledge of security risks and how they may play out across their business is less well understood. As well, IT and Security practitioners, often have not honed their skills in order to raise concerns or needs to their C-suite partners in words they can understand and visualize. This communications issue is one we have seen while working with partners and clients. Both sides of the coin should work towards a better middle ground.

Within our cybersecurity advisory, DFIR (proactive IR), and MDR businesses, as a service provider, our leadership team has worked with our IT leads to ensure that our team can match whatever technologies are utilized by our clients. We request all use some type of background that is not a closet with their clothes but other than that, we also prefer all are on video but allow for those either not inclined or who are having a bad hair day, to remain off camera. Flexibility is the key and we provide that both internally and externally. As always, our team is trusted and we allow them to decide on the technologies (as long as it passes SOC2 and 3rd party provider vetting by our internal IT team) we use or need to use for ease of use.