If I do not continue to cultivate my intellect, what is the point?
Dark data doesn’t just cost organizations money; it also damages their cybersecurity and compliance postures Server rooms filled with digital files may look neater than the paper file rooms of old, but they’re not necessarily more organized, and “dark data” lurks around every corner. Sixty percent of respondents to a survey by big data software… Read More
A new Ponemon report on SMB cyber security reveals the top challenges and threats facing global small and medium-sized businesses If you think your company is too small to be hacked, think again. According to a new report on SMB cyber security by the Ponemon Institute and Keeper Security, 66% of small and medium-sized businesses… Read More
Back to School: Education Cyber Security K-12 school systems, colleges, and universities are being increasingly targeted by hackers, yet education cyber security is as woefully lacking as other industries, as these recent incidents illustrate: In November 2016, Columbia County School District in Georgia admitted to a breach of personal information belonging to its employees and… Read More
“The dreams I have today become my blueprints for tomorrow.” Michael Peters
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Office Pile and being interviewed by the inimitable Francisco X. Aguirre. We had a great time discussing cyber security and the little know origins of the company name Lazarus Alliance. Entrepreneurs ‘N Fuego, a project of The TOP Foundation, a non-profit organization, is the First Multimedia Broadcast… Read More
“The spirit of innovation or the ability to innovate are not attributes a person makes a conscious decision to possess but rather they flow from the intellectual wellspring we are born with.” – Michael Peters
Life should be more about common sense than dollars and cents. – Michael D. Peters
My career has been and adventure along the scenic route speaking conservatively which I rarely do. My number one goal is to be the best example for what I choose to focus my attention on. I rose in the corporate ranks pretty quickly and helped define what it really means to be a Chief Information… Read More
The Proverbial Identity Theft Bus Will Run You Over! Think about a time when you had a single credit card lost or stolen and how much of a pain that experience was. Now imagine if your entire wallet was lost or stolen and the exponential magnitude of pain in the patootie that would be for… Read More
“I’ve always believed that adversity can be a friend to embrace. Just don’t turn your back on it.” – Michael Peters
Around about the time I was wrapping up my tenure as CISO for Colonial Bank back in 2009, I was reflecting on the lessons learned from being part of a company whose corporate soul was ripe with criminal intent. From a historical perspective, Colonial Bank became the largest bank failure of 2009 because of a $2,900,000,000.00 (Yes,… Read More
Congratulations! Felicitaciones! Mazel Tov! Gratulerer! You have been offered a new job! What a relief it’s been since your prospective employer has been putting you through the meat grinder for months. You’ve had a string of interviews that have left you exhausted and nearly breathless given you’ve been nearly holding your breath and sitting ridged… Read More
“The future masters of technology must be light-hearted and intelligent. The machine easily masters the grim and the dumb.” Marshall McLuhan This quote has been a long standing personal favorite because it really illustrates on many levels the need to embrace the “Life Learner” concept; always pushing to enhance your own skill-set and capabilities. It… Read More
I’ve been in the corporate chief information security officer’s (CISO) executive chair long enough to realize that the traditional hierarchical model of information security reporting up through the technology department has a fatal flaw. This hazard is directly associated with the inherent conflict of duties that exists by the very nature of the position. For… Read More
I was presented with a question this week that I thought was worth sharing. The question was “What you think information security executives will need to be focused on in the next 2 to 3 years in order for their organizations to be successful?” I responded with these tasks-concepts that security executives must embrace: Collaboration… Read More
I’m honored to be joining the EC Council Certified CISO (C|CISO) ranks.
In the spirit of the upcoming Halloween season, I thought it a fine time to examine what happens to our digital lives after death. Few of us really consider our digital remains but I’d encourage you to do so for many reasons. Like our physical bodies, our electronic personifications serve no purpose to us once… Read More
As we approach retail’s favorite season, I have the unique perspective of being concerned about information security as both the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for a commerce software company and as a customer to a plethora of retailers — some who are clients and others who are not. In effect, I’m wearing two… Read More
“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” – Samuel Johnson. Put in more redneck terms “Look Y’all! Watch this!”
“One thing I learned along the way is that you must deliver something before you deliver everything in order to be successful.” – Michael D. Peters
My alma mater, Western Governors University, included a very nice alumni profile of yours truly in their spring 2012 newsletter. I have been a huge fan of WGU because of their progressive programming, competency approach to education, accessibility to non-traditional students, and significantly lower cost of education especially when compared to the outrageously ever-increasing costs to… Read More
I had the pleasure of being invited to Macon State College for an information security presentation to a great group of students and professors. We had a lively discussion about the three facets of The Security Trifecta: Governance, Technology, and Vigilance. One of the things I enjoy most are the creative minds that represent the… Read More
“Negativity poisons the intellectual and emotional fountain we all drink from.” – Michael D. Peters
Today is a great day. Those sequential steps, one in front of the other, that have led me to fruition. It is a funny sensation, but not unfamiliar to me, when you complete your mission, or challenge, or extended period of time devoted to anything that, when it is complete, we have a quiet sense… Read More