Rapid Fire Black Hat with Evgeniy Kharam

In this episode, Evgeniy Karam joins the No Trust podcast team live at Black Hat in Las Vegas for a quick-fire conversation about AI, cybersecurity hype, emerging vendors and the challenges of cutting through the noise. Evgeniy shares how he evaluates new security technologies, including why vendors should be able to explain in plain English what problem they solve, how they solve it and where they might fail. The conversation also explores why much of the AI security debate ultimately comes back to data protection and understanding the crown jewels organisations actually need to protect. The team also discusses the pressure to adopt AI without clearly defined business outcomes, why AI isn't magic, and the importance of understanding where it genuinely adds value. Evgeniy finishes with advice for people entering cybersecurity, choosing the right conferences and continuing to learn as the industry evolves. Key Takeaways: • Black Hat is packed with new vendors, but don’t judge a company by its booth or its marketing. • Ask vendors to explain in plain English what problem they solve and how they solve it. • A great question for any vendor is: what would make your technology fail in a POC? • AI security gets the headlines, but much of the real challenge still comes back to protecting data. • Organisations need to understand their crown jewels, why they matter and what happens if they become unavailable. • Security should protect business outcomes, not simply deploy more controls. • AI needs a defined business problem, not just a mandate from the board. • AI isn’t magic. Organisations need to understand where it genuinely adds value. • If you’re starting in cybersecurity, smaller events and communities can sometimes offer more value than Black Hat. • Whatever conference you attend, go with a plan or the sheer volume of information can quickly become overwhelming. Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms. What is the Zero Trust Forum about? It’s about empowering zero trust security professionals with strategies, architecture, and real world journeys to secure the digital future, the right way! Follow the Zero Trust Forum on LinkedIn [www.linkedin.com/company/zero-trust-forum/](http://www.linkedin.com/company/zero-trust-forum/). Follow Jaye Tillson on LinkedIn - [www.linkedin.com/in/jaye-tillson/](http://www.linkedin.com/in/jaye-tillson/) Follow John Spiegel on LinkedIn - [www.linkedin.com/in/john-spiegel-2011543/](http://www.linkedin.com/in/john-spiegel-2011543/)