Mastodawn

I published a 4-point approach for succeeding as a CISO, based on my experiences building and leading a security program at a high-growth company.

It shows how to focus on the defender's advantage and escape the unending cycle of reacting to vulnerabilities, investigating incidents, and responding to attackers' advances.

https://zeltser.com/ciso-leadership-lessons

#cybersecurity #infosec #CISO #leadership dership

What Being a CISO Taught Me About Security Leadership

A four-point framework to succeeding as a CISO, based on my experiences of building and leading a security program at a high-growth company. It shows how to focus on the defender's advantage and escape the unending cycle of reacting to vulnerabilities, investigating incidents, and responding to attackers' advances.

Lenny Zeltser

brianmzimmer Mar 6

JA Westenberg Mar 6

Nobody on LinkedIn has ever had a bad day. Every setback is a "growth opportunity." Every firing is a "new chapter." Every complete professional disaster is framed as "excited to announce." These people would describe the Titanic as "a bold pivot to submarine operations."

brianmzimmer Dec 10

Really excited about my Friday. I have the following to look forward to:
1 "Check-in"
2 "Syncs"
1 "Touchbase"
1 "Catch up"
and,
1 "connect"

No real agendas. No purpose. All could be substituted for an email.

It's disappointing to see we still haven't evolved our organizational/corporate culture, at large, to accomplish the very minimal basics of preparation, respect, and time management.

Wondering out loud how long it will be before I start hitting folks with "No agenda? No attenda."

brianmzimmer Nov 7

As an avid biker (as well as a husband and father), my wife drove home two points this week that I'll share:

First, I shared my location with my wife when I took long rides - sometimes alone - in Sedona and other parts of AZ. This gave her some peace of mind. When I turned it off during a road ride, she noticed immediately and freaked out. I also had a mechanical issue on the ride, which made matters worse for her. The lesson is that our family and friends really worry about us when we're on the trails and on the roads (more so on the roads). Location sharing and collision detection, and notification features are really important.

Second, given how much people worry, it's a really good idea to STFU about how dangerous riding in general is and, more specifically, how dangerous riding on the road is in the US. Did you have a close call with a 6000 lbs SUV with a texting driver? STFU about it. Did you see multiple people nearly killed? Yep. STFU about it. Our family and friends are already afraid for us. Don't share the details with them and make it worse.

#cycling

brianmzimmer Nov 7

Every now and then, I post some thoughts on music I listen to and enjoy. It's called "Ear Whacks," and you can read it here. https://www.brianzimmer.com/single-post/ear-whacks-volume-5-issue-1

#music #joycemanor #sylosis

Ear Whacks Volume 5, Issue 1

Ear Whacks is a bookmark of all the music I’ve been listening to that I care to comment on. Since the last time I provided an update (which was basically 1976) there are clearly gaps in tunes I've been spinning. I’ll note something really important about me, personally: I’m terrified by complacency in music. I've written about this many times before. The idea of only listening to music from my youth or college years seriously sounds like the saddest thing I can think of. To me, it’s the equivale

BrianZimmerDotCom

brianmzimmer Oct 18

I was out on the trails today and was looking at all of the ridiculous trucks and SUVs flooding the US market. I had this thought:

The next logical step for the American truck manufacturers is to build a truck without a windshield. Instead, the front of the truck will be just a wall of pure metal, chrome, plastic, and glass.

How will the driver see? Who cares. Is any of it necessary? Again, who cares?

brianmzimmer Sep 17, 2025

A post in which: 1) I'm happy to have at least a few minutes to write down some thoughts, 2) I discuss a trend I see with younger people, especially women, where they say "I'm sorry" in situations where they have no reason to be, and 3) I realize I'm going to have to use LinkedIn more as a platform for my career including linking blogposts.... ugh.

https://www.brianzimmer.com/single-post/the-professional-alternatives-to-i-m-sorry

#infosec

The Professional Alternatives to "I'm Sorry."

I was in a pitch meeting a few weeks ago. The purpose of the session was to evaluate a service provider at an organization in which I’m an investor. The service provider in question was proposing three distinct types of services with a focus on one particularly high-value/high-cost service. The session was incredible; one of the best I’ve been to in years. Within minutes, we knew we had found a business partner. However, I noticed when the presenter started diving into details, there was the rep

BrianZimmerDotCom

brianmzimmer Aug 29, 2025