Why a "whitelist" approach to data protection is critical, with Protegrity's James Rice

In this episode, Christina and Rory highlight alarming news regarding cybersecurity professionals who pleaded guilty to participating in ransomware-as-a-service schemes. They also examine shifts in cyber insurance, noting a rise in phishing-related claims even as third-party outage risks appear to decline. AI security remains a primary focus, and a discussion around analyzing the potential for autonomous agents to act as a new form of insider threat rounds out the news section. Guest James Rice, VP of Product Marketing & Strategy at Protegrity joins the conversation to advocate for a "whitelist" approach to data protection that enables business growth rather than obstructing it. Ultimately, he emphasizes the necessity of merging data observability with security to protect organizations in an increasingly automated landscape. NEWS Two US Cybersecurity Pros Plead Guilty Over Ransomware Attacks New Tech Deployments That Cyber Insurers Recommend for 2026 Palo Alto Networks security-intel boss calls AI agents 2026's biggest insider threat Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella becomes AI influencer, asks us all to move beyond slop LINKS 2025 Cybersecurity Market Recap Part #1: More M&A as Deal Sizes Increase! 2025 Cybersecurity Market Re-cap Part #2: Cyber Offense, Platform Wars, and the "boring bits" Stealth AI, Defensive Agents & Quantum Resilience: The 2026 Cybersecurity Battle Lines are Drawn   Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – [email protected] Rory Duncan – [email protected] Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise" Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand