Suzanne Vautrinot: From the Military to the Corporate Boardroom, with a Focus on Cybersecurity.

Start of Interview [1:33]Suzanne's start in the U.S. Air Force [2:50]Her transition to cyber operations [4:25]Suzanne's take on transitioning from the Military to corporate boardrooms [7:25]Adding former military leaders in the boardroom adds to "diversity of thought": "[Board composition] should seek concinnity, rather than falling into the lowest common denominator which would be consensus" [09:07]At the time of Suzanne's transition to the private sector, "the Government had recognized that [cyber] was an area where there was going to be significant change and significant attention was needed" [11:15]Collaboration in the Cybersecurity field: "The private sector wants to protect who they are, the Government wants to protect how they know" [13:19]How to think about offensive and defensive capabilities in cybersecurity: "On the offensive side of cybersecurity you only have to succeed once, on the defensive side you have to protect everything, all the time." [15:42]General Alexander: "the difference between bolting it in on and baking it in"  [16:00]"In 2020 we are in the half-way point, we still have an architecture that relies on technology that is fundamentally at risk but technology is getting better and more secure" [17:58]How sitting on boards in different industries shapes her cybersecurity approach: Battelle Memorial Institute, Parsons Corporation, Wells Fargo, CSX [19:38]How to think about cybersecurity expertise in the boardroom [22:52]Cybersecurity education for corporate directors [24:39]What is the best way for the board to address cyber risk [28:30]"You want to have good baseline security systems, plus resilience and redundancy" [30:25]Recommended cybersecurity resources  for directors: [33:03]Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)Cyber ScoopSans NewsBitesSecureworks Recommended Frameworks: [36:48]National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)"The people in your organization are the  greatest risk vector because that's the easiest path in" [38:56]How COVID-19 has impacted cybersecurity risks [39:30]The increase in cyber risks, particularly with "work from home" trend. "the vectors have increased for ransomware attacks involving health professionals. Sans "Work from Home" Guide. [42:45] Her take on greatest cyber challenges moving forward: [46:12]Critical shared infrastructure (power, transportation, etc.)Supply chains (praising DARPA doing bug bounty program for hardware)Her recommendations to other directors on cybersecurity matters [51:14]Ask about current tech or framework and what are the risks to such foundations/systemsWhere are you most at risk for litigation (for example: privacy)Her favorite books [53:21]:She's a Malcolm Gladwell fan, most recently read "Talking to Strangers" and "David & Goliath.""Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" by Jon Meacham."First Ladies" by Margaret Truman."Dr Seuss and Philosophy" by Jacob Held.Suzanne's mentors [55:35]:Earlier in her career: Gen. Thomas S. Moorman, Jr., Gen. John Shalikashvili, and Col Adelbert Buz" Carpenter"As a board member: Dan Schulman and Doug Baker.Her favorite quotes: early in life "Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now, bump bump bump..." Later: Colin Powell's "Eternal optimism is a force multiplier." John Schofied: "The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment..." [59:40]The living person she most admires: Condoleeza Rice [01:02:25]___Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License  You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License