Intelligent CIO North America Issue 21 | Page 79

Bernard Brantley , CISO at Corelight
On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

. . . GET TO KNOW . . .

Bernard Brantley , CISO at Corelight

wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the cybersecurity industry ?

I am really proud of the work I did at Microsoft . I was able to revamp how network security was viewed and executed within some of their most sensitive environments . It was a challenge and a half , but so rewarding upon completion .
What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?
It took me a little while to realise that my passion lies in cybersecurity and that I could have a fulfilling career in that field . But I got there in the end ! The multiple jobs I ’ ve had in sales , finance and construction never truly satisfied my inner curiosity .
I am a problem-solver at heart , so when I started working with Linux operating systems in the late 2000s , it sparked some ideas for my next career steps . My first IT job was at a data centre , then I moved on to roles as an infrastructure engineer , security analyst and security researcher .
Just before joining Corelight , I architected and managed security infrastructure at Microsoft and
also led a threat hunting and threat intelligence team at Amazon .
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position ?
I am a firm believer that leadership is the most important aspect of any job . I was once told that ‘ alone we can go fast , but together we can go far ’ – and there is an unexplainable beauty and privilege in encouraging a great team on collaboration , freedom and flexibility to , later on , see the paths people have taken to reach their dreams .
What do you think is the current hot cybersecurity talking point ?
I am a big fan of graph technology and thinking in graph . I believe it to be the most important effort in improving our ability to defend against the evolving and increasingly complex threat landscape .
John Lambert , said : ‘ Defenders think in lists , attackers think in graph .’ We must get to equal footing with those who intend to do us harm . While not a trend , I feel the worst thing for the industry is the lack of understanding around AI and ML ; everyone thinks they need it while
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