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This week's episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast

Great Demo! Let's Schedule a Time to Ignore Your Follow Up

On this episode of the CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast

, Mike Johnson and our guest Al Ghous, head of cloud security at GE Digital, discuss:

Your awesome demo just got ghosted.

 This is a phenomenon security vendors know all too well. You knock a demo out of the park and it looks like it's going to move into a proof of concept (PoC). You follow up as requested and you're met with radio silence. It's very possible that the potential customer's situation changed and they're embarrassed to respond. You may need to give them an easy way to say no to you in the hopes of getting them in the future or getting a referral.

CISOs have budgets and they can't always afford the BEST, nor do they necessarily want it.

 There are plenty of excellent security vendors offering top-notch service. If you're a vendor who believes you're priced appropriately given your value, consider a lower-priced alternative. Your target CISO may not want to pay for all the value you're offering.

Startups sans security can't play in the enterprise space.

 Assets, customers, and the potential for fast growth are all possible when a startup aligns with an enterprise. But if that startup hasn't bothered to ingrain security into their offering, it's a non-starter. They have to pass the enterprise's third-party risk assessment.

Don't let the conversation of your AI solution end with "I have an AI solution."

 CISOs want context as to what exactly your AI can provide. If it can provide the output the CISO wants, the coolness of the AI algorithm is negligible. 

Special thanks to this week's CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast sponsor, Carbon Black

Carbon Black (NASDAQ: CBLK) is a leader in endpoint security dedicated to keeping the world safe from cyberattacks. The company’s big data and analytics platform, the CB Predictive Security Cloud (PSC), consolidates endpoint security and IT operations into an extensible cloud platform that prevents advanced threats, provides actionable insight, and enables businesses of all sizes to simplify operations.

CISO Series on the road in JUNE

The CISO Series will be on the road this June. Two opportunities to see and connect with two of your favorite podcasters.Allan Alford and David Spark, co-hosts of Defense in Depth.June 6th, Grand Rapids, MI - 2019 West Michigan IT SummitAllan Alford and I will be recording a live version of the CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast as the closing keynote for the all-day conference on IT and security. The event is free, but you do need to REGISTER.June 14th, Dallas, TX - From Hiring to Buying: What Do CISOs Want?We're proud to be the featured speakers for InfoSecCareer.org's inaugural event. I will lead an open discussion about hiring and selling in cybersecurity, with Allan Alford. Please come to participate, share, and provide your insight on a debate into the mind of a CISO, the apparent gatekeeper for hiring talent and purchasing security solutions. Please REGISTER

Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) are wonderful for customizing and enhancing the cloud experience, but as a common front door, they pose a significant security risk. Regardless how secure a cloud service provider is, their primary role as an interface means APIs will always pose a weakness that can be exploited by hackers.More on CISO Series.

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