Why Security Is Still a Hard Sell: Ronnie Jaanhold on Cybersecurity's Wild West Years

Before ransomware gangs, before AI, before anyone had heard the word "endpoint" — a teenager in Estonia ran a coax cable from the ISP upstairs into his bedroom, went exploring, and ended up quietly rewriting the news a local radio station read on air. That teenager is Ronnie Jaanhold, co-founder of Security Software (later Cybers, now NEVERHACK Estonia), and in this Summer Series episode he sits down with host Louis Zezeran to trace the whole arc: from flat, unlogged networks and 56k modems to today's professionalised criminal economy. Along the way: why cybersecurity once meant nothing more than antivirus, firewalls and encryption; what the McAfee–Intel acquisition taught Ronnie about choosing vendors on more than technology; why MDM was "mostly crap" for a decade; why technical buyers are allergic to sales pitches; and why people still have to touch the hot stove before they buy protection. Part career story, part industry post-mortem, part practical advice for anyone selling, buying or building security. Listen now, and follow the NEVERHACK Cybercast for new episodes. Got a topic you want covered? Find Louis and Ronnie on LinkedIn.