Defense in Depth: Does a CISO Need Tech Skills?

Does a CISO need technical skills to be an effective cybersecurity leader? Many CISOs don’t have them. Are they still effective and does it affect their ability to lead?

Check out this post for the basis for our conversation on this week’s episode which features me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series, and guest co-host Ben Sapiro (@ironfog), CISO, Great-West LifeCo, and our guest, Zach Powers, CISO, Benchling.

Thanks to this week’s podcast sponsor, IT Asset Management Group

IT Asset Management Group
Poorly managed IT asset disposal, lack of due diligence, and a disposal program without clearly defined responsible parties has now resulted in millions of dollars in regulatory penalties.  Is it clear who is responsible for the performance of your data disposition practice?   IT Asset Management Group’s free program guide includes tips for establishing stakeholders at your organization and expectations for all practitioners.      
Download the program guide today at 
itamg.com/CISO

Got feedback? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.

In this episode

  • Why having the skills helps with realistic expectations
  • Being able to see through the nonsense
  • The value of staying passionate about the profession

Defense in Depth

David Spark
David Spark is the founder of CISO Series where he produces and co-hosts many of the shows. Spark is a veteran tech journalist having appeared in dozens of media outlets for almost three decades.