Intelligent CIO North America Issue 05 | Page 79

On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

. . . GET TO KNOW . . .

Brigadier General ( Ret ) Gregory Touhill , President of Appgate

wWhat would you describe as your most how memorable achievement ?

On a personal level , it definitely has to be being married for over 33 years to my best friend and our two wonderful and successful children . From a career perspective , the day I was nominated by President Bush for promotion to Brigadier General was really special .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
As a child of the 1960s , I was inspired by NASA and the space program . While my eyesight wasn ’ t good enough to become an astronaut , I knew that I wanted to be a technologist .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
Throughout my career , I ’ ve found it best to lead-byexample . I like to surround myself with a diverse team of really talented people and give them direction and the resources to do some amazingly great things . I haven ’ t deviated from that approach as I pivoted from my military career to civilian federal service and ( now ) to the private sector .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
Zero Trust is no longer a buzz phrase , it is a business imperative . I ’ m constantly asked to comment on
to apply Zero Trust to a wide range of operating environments such as Information Technology , operational technology , industrial control systems and Internet of Things .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
Despite a 2018 car accident that forced my retirement from my morning jogging , I invest time in exercise every morning . During my workouts I am catching up on all those television shows that I missed while deployed overseas in the military . Game of Thrones was terrific . Star Wars Clone Wars is surprisingly good !
If you could go back and change one career decision what would it be ?
I ’ m very satisfied with how my career has progressed yet wish that I had added a Master of Business Administration to my repertoire of tools .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
In 2021 , I forecast the following four areas of investment in the Information Technology and cybersecurity sector :
• Secure Remote Access : As ‘ Work From Anywhere ’ is institutionalized across society , we ’ re already seeing investments in more modern , effective and secure capabilities such as Software-Defined
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