Épisodes

  • Nobody Cares About Your Launch (Yet): How to Fix Your PR Game

    Nobody Cares About Your Launch (Yet): How to Fix Your PR Game
    Jul 23 2025
    Episode Summary: Carmen Harris is the person you call when no one wants to cover your product, and she’ll tell you exactly why. Founder and CEO of Signal and Noise, she joins Gianna to break down what’s changed in cybersecurity PR and how to get attention in 2025. We get into why the adage “product news is dead” isn’t totally true, how founders should build their brand before launch, and what makes an editor hit delete on your pitch in two seconds flat. Carmen also shares how to use the summer slowdown to reset your comms strategy, why you need to calendar-stalk your competitors, and how to get real face time with execs (even if you have to bully your way into the room). Listen in for real-world tips you can use on your next launch or media push. 🔗 Links & Resources: Connect with Carmen: Carmen Harris on LinkedIn Signal and Noise Companies we mentioned: Wiz – the standard for comms that lands incident.io – a great example of product-led thought leadership Torq – RSAC monster truck champions Newsletters Carmen swears by: Return on Security by Mike Privette Resilient Cyber Richard Stiennon on Substack Meet us at CyberMarketingCon 2025! Want the insider secrets cybersecurity marketers use? Join us December 7–10 in Austin, TX, for four days of zero-fluff workshops, real-deal networking, and maybe the best BBQ meetup you’ll ever have. 👉 Snag your ticket now! See you in Austin, where the insights and vibes are hotter. About Carmen: Carmen Harris is the founder and CEO of Signal & Noise, a boutique comms firm for cybersecurity and AI companies that want to be understood. She’s built a career helping technical founders translate their work into stories that land with reporters, analysts, and buyers. She’s the one who gets the “can-you-fix-this” call mid-crisis and the “we’re-about-to-launch” call mid-chaos, and she loves both. Carmen’s not about gimmicks. She helps companies understand their market, dig into what matters, and build comms strategies that work in the real world. Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    29 min
  • You Don’t Need a Budget—You Need a Hat: Orly Bar-Lev on Lasso’s GTM

    You Don’t Need a Budget—You Need a Hat: Orly Bar-Lev on Lasso’s GTM
    Jul 16 2025
    Episode summary: “We decided that Lasso is Matthew McConaughey.” That’s how Orly Bar Lev, Head of Marketing at Lasso Security, describes the brand she helped shape—laid back, sharp, and not trying to be like anyone else. In this episode, Orly joins Gianna Whitver to tell the full story: how a GenAI cybersecurity startup launched out of stealth with sheriff-themed swag, a cowboy hat logo, and a Kyrgyzstan-coded website. He tells how it started and how it almost all fell apart when a sheep-centric rebrand crashed just one week before go-live. She walked out of that moment, rewrote the pitch, and sold a new vision: the founders are the sheriffs, the product is the lasso, and the brand is the cowboy. And somehow, it worked. This isn’t a theory-of-branding episode. It’s what happens when you do it for real, with no team, no safety net, and just enough weirdness to make it stick. The sheep died. The hat stayed. Lasso rides. 🔗 Links & Resources: Connect with Orly Bar Lev on LinkedInExplore Lasso Security: Official Website | LinkedIn PageWatch "Sheep Happens": Campaign Video Dive into Lasso's Insights: Blog & Resources About Orly: Orly Bar Lev is the Head of Marketing at Lasso Security, where she helped take the company from stealth mode to standing out, armed with a Kyrgyzstan-coded website, a cowboy hat, and a clear mission: secure GenAI. She’s a sharp strategist with a background in cybersecurity communications, known for turning complex GenAI risks (like prompt injection and hallucinations) into conversations that actually land with both technical teams and marketers. She’s spoken on The Inspired Marketer podcast about balancing innovation and security in enterprise environments, which is why Lasso’s brand is part sheriffs, part swagger, and somehow still totally credible. Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    45 min
  • Metaphors, Missed Signals, and Making Cyber Make Sense with Evgeniy Kharam

    Metaphors, Missed Signals, and Making Cyber Make Sense with Evgeniy Kharam
    Jul 9 2025
    Episode summary: Security architect, podcast host, and author Evgeniy Kharam has seen it again and again: a company buys a shiny new security product, and a year later, it’s still sitting on the shelf. Not because it didn’t work, but because no one knew how to explain it, use it, or get buy-in. That gap between buying and deploying, between knowing and communicating, is what pulled Evgeniy into his next chapter. After years in technical delivery and architecture, he realized that soft skills weren’t nice to have; they were survival tools. In this episode, we talk about what happens when security teams can’t translate what they do, how marketers can meet them in the middle, and why metaphors (tents, dogs, houses, you’ll see) work. We get into RSA booth fatigue, Zoom call awkwardness, and what it takes to connect with someone who’s nodding along but completely lost. Also: hummus etiquette, a three-year campaign to get Evgeniy to CyberMarketingCon, and his dream escape plan involving a shawarma truck. 🔗 Links & Resources: 🎙️ Security Architecture PodcastCo-hosted by Evgeniy Kharam and Dmitry Raidman, this podcast delves into cybersecurity architecture, offering insights into network, application, and cloud security.Listen to the podcast 📘 Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical SalesEvgeniy Kharam's book emphasizes the importance of soft skills in technical sales and provides strategies to enhance communication and build trust. Get the book on Amazon 🧠 Soft Skills TechEvgeniy's platform is dedicated to coaching and resources on soft skills in the tech industry. Explore Soft Skills Tech 🏢 EK Cyber and Media ConsultingA consulting firm founded by Evgeniy Kharam, offering services in cybersecurity and media for vendors and MSSPs. Visit EK Cyber and Media Consulting 📺 Interview with Evgeniy KharamAn in-depth interview exploring Evgeniy's journey and insights into cybersecurity. Watch on YouTube About Evgeniy: Evgeniy Kharam has worn nearly every hat in cybersecurity from firewall deployment engineer to VP of Architecture at the Herjavec Group, where he helped grow the team from 15 to over 300. Over two decades in the industry gave him a front-row seat to a recurring problem: great tech failing because no one knew how to explain it. That realization led him to focus on something most security pros avoid talking about: soft skills. He’s now the author of Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales, host of From Tech to Trust, and co-founder of the Security Architecture Podcast. He also moderates panels, hosts interviews, and advises on the board of the Canadian Cybersecurity Network. Evgeniy blends technical depth with a human-first approach, whether running a ski-slope cybersecurity conference or helping vendors communicate like real people. He now leads his own consulting firm, where he guides cybersecurity companies through both architecture and storytelling. Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    38 min
  • Scrappy Then, Strategic Now: The Evolution of a Cybersecurity CMO

    Scrappy Then, Strategic Now: The Evolution of a Cybersecurity CMO
    Jul 2 2025
    Most first marketers don’t stay long enough to see scale. Thomas LeDuc did. Six years in, he’s still at Semperis, leading a 35-person marketing team and showing it’s possible to evolve from scrappy to strategic. Gianna and Charles explore what makes that kind of longevity possible: the mindset shifts, the habits that stuck, and the moments that nearly broke him. This episode is full of clarity, honesty, and the kind of leadership most people don’t talk about. You’ll hear: Why growing with the company means unlearning just as much as learning. How Tom hires people who want the blank page, not the playbook What it takes to stop micromanaging and still care deeply The difference between culture as words and culture as actions How a team's passion project became a Braille space education initiative This one will land if you’ve ever had to scale yourself while scaling a team. 🔗 Links & Resources: Semperis — ⁠semperis.com⁠ How to build a centaur: Semperis hits $100M ARR milestone: https://www.insightpartners.com/ideas/how-to-build-a-centaur-semperis-hits-100m-arr-milestone/ When Space Camp calls, you go! #ForceForGood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEgz45b-RgA ⁠Webflow⁠ — No-code website builder ⁠Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society⁠: Join our 3,700+ member Slack, find jobs, and get connected. About Tom: Tom LeDuc joined Semperis in 2019 as a scrappy marketer and helped scale the company from a few million ARR to now more than $100M ARR, reaching “centaur status” in 2024. Today, he leads a 35-person team as CMO, overseeing everything from brand and product marketing to demand gen, field programs, and built out the SDR program. Before Semperis, he held leadership roles at Verodin (acquired by FireEye). He got his start in cybersecurity as a BDR at Securonix and played a big role in building several categories you’ve probably seen on Gartner quadrants. Outside work, Tom is a dad of two young kiddos, makes indie films, travels a lot, and is very pro-dog. Thomas LeDuc on ⁠LinkedIn Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: ⁠podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com⁠ Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Charles Gold on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on ⁠our website⁠, main ⁠LinkedIn page⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ page, or podcast ⁠LinkedIn⁠ page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    35 min
  • Founder-Led GTM in Cyber: How Taha Sajid Built Trust Without Selling

    Founder-Led GTM in Cyber: How Taha Sajid Built Trust Without Selling
    Jun 25 2025
    Episode Summary: Let’s talk about telecom infrastructure: complex, overlooked, and still running on outdated tools most vendors were never built to secure. This episode, we’re joined by Taha Sajid, telecom security architect and founder of Xecurity Pulse, who’s on a mission to fix the gaps in enterprise tools. From growing up in Pakistan to leading security efforts at Huawei and Comcast, Taha’s story is all about solving real-world problems, sharing what he’s learned, and pushing back against the copy-paste approach to infrastructure security. He breaks down how an education-first go-to-market (GTM) strategy helped him land his first customers and why understanding the telecom stack is critical to protecting what matters most. We also get into: The human factors that still break security programs Bootcamps that turn into a pipeline Solving problems vs. pushing tools Plus, the school Taha dreams of building for kids who deserve better than the status quo education. 👉 If you’re selling technical solutions, building trust from scratch, or just tired of surface-level cyber talk, this one’s for you. About Taha: Taha Sajid is the founder of Xecurity Pulse, a cybersecurity company focused on solving the unique challenges in telecom security. With a rich background that includes roles at Huawei, Ufone, and Comcast, Taha has been at the forefront of implementing Zero Trust architectures across global networks. He pioneered the first 5G Security Bootcamp, authored "The Ultimate Blockchain Security Handbook," and leads a YouTube channel that delves into the convergence of AI, security, and telecom. His contributions to standards bodies like NIST, 3GPP, and the Linux Foundation underscore his commitment to advancing global cybersecurity practices. Beyond his technical endeavors, Taha is passionate about mentorship. He has guided numerous professionals through the EB1A visa process, drawing from his own successful experience. Through his X-LAB initiative, he continues to innovate, bridging the gap between critical infrastructure and modern security solutions. Follow Taha on LinkedIn. 🔗 Links & Resources: 🌐 Xecurity Pulse – Taha’s company focused on telecom security 📘 The Ultimate Blockchain Security Handbook – Book authored by Taha Buy on Amazon 🧪 5G Security Bootcamp – Technical bootcamp designed and run by Taha Explore the bootcamp 📺 Taha’s YouTube Channel – Deep dives on AI, security, and telecom @XecurityPulse by Taha Sajid 🧠 X-LAB by Xecurity Pulse – Community + mentorship + tooling Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    32 min
  • Free Forever, No BS: Inside Bitwarden’s Growth Playbook with Gary Orenstein

    Free Forever, No BS: Inside Bitwarden’s Growth Playbook with Gary Orenstein
    Jun 18 2025
    Episode Summary: Most cybersecurity vendors lead with fear, gate their best features, and hide behind complexity. Bitwarden did the opposite and still won. In this episode, Gianna and Maria sit down with Gary Orenstein, the Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden, to break down how an open-source password manager with a “free forever” product became a trusted global brand across consumers and enterprises. No gimmicks. No fear-mongering. Just a strategy built on transparency, trust, and a product that actually works. You’ll hear: Why giving your product away can actually drive enterprise growth How open source builds instant credibility and shortens sales cycles The surprising emotional side of password security What marketers should stop doing and what to try instead How Bitwarden quietly created one of the most effective PLG motions in the industry If you’re tired of the usual cybersecurity playbook, this episode is a refreshing—and useful—detour. And yes, Gary’s dream job involves tiny foxes and national parks. Stick around for that. 🔗 Links & Resources: Bitwarden Channel Islands National Park Central Park’s surprisingly excellent Instagram About Gary: Gary Orenstein is the Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden, leading go-to-market across customer success, marketing, and sales. He’s been deep in the infrastructure and data space for years, with leadership roles at companies like Yellowbrick Data, SingleStore, and Fusion-io (which went public during his time there). Earlier, he ran marketing at Compellent, which IPO’d and was later acquired by Dell. Translation: Gary knows what it takes to build and scale trust, from scrappy startups to big exits. He’s also got the academic chops to match: a bachelor’s from Dartmouth and an MBA from Wharton. Follow Gary on LinkedIn Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    30 min
  • Inside Tom Wentworth’s AI Stack: How to Automate the Stuff Marketers Hate

    Inside Tom Wentworth’s AI Stack: How to Automate the Stuff Marketers Hate
    Jun 11 2025
    Episode Summary: Tom Wentworth, CMO at Incident.io, got tired of doing the same stuff over and over, so he built AI agents to do it for him. Sales call summaries? Automated. Blog posts from discovery calls? Done in minutes. Battle cards? They update themselves. He’s wiring together Slack, Notion, Zapier, Gong, and ChatGPT in ways that help his team move faster without adding headcount or complexity. There are no big declarations, just real systems that save time and don’t annoy people. We talk about what’s working, what’s breaking, and how far you can push things without sounding like a robot. Also: cold plunges, prompt rage, and the Notion doc that’s 90 pages long. 🎧 Press play to hear how Tom stretches modern marketing ops with the right automation setup. Links & Resources Mentioned: Incident.io Gong Zapier ChatGPT Notion Slack Common Room Sanity CMS 11Labs (Voice AI) About Tom: Tom is a high-growth SaaS marketing leader with experience across enterprise GTM and product-led models. He writes occasionally about tech marketing at tomwentworth.com and previously hosted the Scaleup Marketing podcast. Follow Tom on LinkedIn Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Charles Gold on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    38 min
  • From Hype to Human: Live from RSAC Conference with Alexandra Charikova

    From Hype to Human: Live from RSAC Conference with Alexandra Charikova
    Jun 4 2025
    Episode Summary: We’re back with a special episode recorded at RSAC 2025. The booths are packed up, and the leftover swag is gathering dust, but the real conversations are just getting started. Gianna and Maria sat down with Alexandra Charikova, Growth Marketing Manager at Escape and host of The Elephant in AppSec, to talk more about what marketing feels like right now with shifting teams, budget curveballs, and more noise than ever. We got into the messy middle: navigating layoffs, budget cuts, and leadership turnover, all while still trying to show up, stand out, and connect with buyers. Alexandra shares why she’s officially anti-swag (and what’s in her expo survival kit instead), and we talk through what still works in 2025: human stories, smart content, and follow-up that doesn’t feel like a chore. Also on the table are burnout, booth chaos, and how to make it through a conference without losing your mind. If you’ve ever been asked to “do more with less” or pitch a rebrand while the leadership team is changing around you… This one’s for you Links & Resources Mentioned: Cybersecurity Marketing Society - Home of this podcast, and the community where cybersecurity marketers share ideas, swap stories, and figure things out together. Escape - Alexandra’s day job. They help folks secure modern apps, and they’re hiring smart marketers too (probably). The Elephant in AppSec - Alexandra’s podcast. Honest convos, strong opinions, and the kind of AppSec talk you want to hear. CyberMarketingCon - The Society’s yearly in-person event, where the vibes are strong, the talks are real, and the hallway convos might just change your career. About Alexandra: Alexandra isn’t just curious, she’s driven by it. That curiosity has taken her across disciplines, from marketing and sales ops to engineering, data, and project management. What ties it all together? A love of solving complex problems, especially alongside smart, collaborative people. Outside of her day-to-day work, Alexandra is all in on making application security more accessible and honest. She’s the host of The Elephant in AppSec, a podcast that asks tough questions and challenges how the industry talks about security. She thrives on connection and is always up for a thoughtful chat or fresh perspective, so don’t be shy about reaching out. Follow her on LinkedIn. Subscribe & Review: Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a ⭐ rating or review, it helps more marketers find the show. 📩 Questions, feedback, or want to be a guest? Email: podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com Follow the Hosts: Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn Maria Velasquez on LinkedIn Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, main LinkedIn page, Instagram page, or podcast LinkedIn page. See you in the next episode!
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    19 min