Deviance Normalization & Risk Management with Marco Ayala

Technological change is inevitable and often one of the aspects that attracts people toward careers in information and operational technology. Although risk management is a part of navigating advancement in any area, the fundamental flaw in any management system is our human tendencies. This episode explores how organizations can make slow, steady migration from first principles to risky undertakings without noticing. Marco Ayala, an operational technology cybersecurity expert and current Houston InfraGard president, joins this episode to further explore the reasons behind this normalization of deviance, a concept first introduced to OT cyber specialists at S4 in 2024. Mr. Ayala is also CCE proponent and facilitator leading to a discussion on possible options for course correction back off the normalization path.  Although solutions must always be tailored to work within organizational constraints, the early contributors to catastrophic outcomes associated with the Challenger space shuttle and Boeing 737 Max warrant exploration or we will inevitably repeat.