Let's Talk About (Secur)IT

Philip de Souza is the host of Secure (IT) and a cybersecurity veteran with over 30 years of experience. He founded Aurora, leading it to a successful acquisition by Plurilock. Today, Philip is a sought-after keynote speaker and advisor, helping organizations leverage AI and innovative go-to-market strategies.Deeply committed to philanthropy, Philip co-founded Ainiti (ainiti.org) to support girls' education globally and serves on multiple business boards including the US Chamber’s Small Business Council. When not dissecting the future of tech, he can be for his Harley near his home in LA.

Let's Talk About (Secur)IT is a business podcast hosted by Philip de Souza, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Philip de Souza hosts Let's Talk About (Secur)IT, a business show with 57 episodes published.

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  Episode #58

  From the White House to the Cyber Front Lines: Why No One Can Defend Alone

  Sep 16, 202643 min

  What if one of cybersecurity’s biggest problems isn’t technology, but the way we’ve chosen to fight? I sat down with Michael Daniel, former White House Cybersecurity Coordinator and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, to discuss a reality every CEO, CISO, and board member needs to understand: Your cyber risk is no longer just your risk. We explore why the old “castle and moat” model is broken, how competitors can collaborate against common threats, what boards still misunderstand about cyber risk, the coming impact of quantum computing, and why fatalism may be one of cybersecurity’s most dangerous mindsets. As Michael puts it: “Your risk is also my risk.” The future of cybersecurity won’t simply be determined by who has the best technology. It will be determined by who can collaborate, adapt, and recover faster than the threat.

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  Let's Talk About (Secur)IT

  Space, Subsea, AI & Quantum Computing — Tom Patterson on the Threat Landscape Defining Our Future

  May 5, 20261h 10m

  The internet runs on cables buried at the bottom of the ocean. Quantum computers will soon break the encryption protecting them. Most leaders don't even know the clock has started. I sat down with one of the most consequential voices in global cybersecurity — Tom Patterson , Managing Director of Emerging Tech Security at Accenture, FormerChief Trust Officer at Unisys, and White House NSTAC Cyber Moonshot Co-Lead. Tom has spent decades advising the world's largest governments and enterprises on the threats they don't see coming. In this conversation, we went deep on the four forces quietly reshaping the security of our entire digital world: 🛰️ Space — satellites are infrastructure, and they're exposed 🌊 Subsea cables — the physical backbone of the internet, increasingly targeted 🤖 AI — a tool for both defenders and adversaries ⚛️ Quantum Computing — not coming. Already here. Tom's message was clear: "This is not Star Wars. This is real life." The enterprises and governments preparing now will define the next decade. The ones waiting will be playing catch-up in a game they can't win. If you lead a team, run an organization, or make decisions about technology and risk — this conversation is not optional.

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  Episode #55

  From the White House to the Boardroom: Cybersecurity Leadership with Joe Sullivan

  Apr 20, 202652 min

  Most companies think cybersecurity is an IT problem. It's not. It's a leadership problem. A culture problem. A boardroom problem. I sat down with Joe Sullivan — former Chief Security Officer at Facebook, Uber, and Cloudflare, federal prosecutor, and member of the Obama Cyber Commission — and what heshared should be required listening for every executive, board member, and founder. We talked about: Why your security tools don't matter if your culture is broken What boards get wrong about cyber risk How to build security programs that actually scale The mindset shift that separates resilient organizations from vulnerable ones If you're a leader responsible for people, data, or decisions — this episode is for you.

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  Episode #54

  AI Adoption & Security: From Threat to Strategic Advantage

  Mar 30, 202645 min

  Is AI your biggest security threat—or your next unfair advantage? In this episode of Secure(It), host Philip de Souza sits down with Craig Nelson, founder of GrowthIQ.ai, to unpack how AI is reshaping cyber defense, data governance, and mission critical operations for security minded organizations. 🧠 Built for security and technology leaders: • Why AI adoption is accelerating now—and what’s structurally changed in the last 12–18 months for enterprise teams. • How to build secure AI knowledge bases without leaking your company DNA or violating client trust. • The gap between “defensive” security and strategic AI implementation that actually moves the revenue and risk needles. • Common data governance mistakes that quietly expand your attack surface. • How to balance innovation with compliance, privacy, and regulatory pressure in sectors like wealth management, real estate, and mortgage. • Why “we’ll secure it later” might be the most dangerous phrase in your AI roadmap. • Practical deployment patterns and guardrails for SMB and mid market environments. 🔍 We also dig into: • A 21 Day AI Challenge for ingesting internal data safely. • Vector databases vs relational databases—what technical leaders really need to consider for secure retrieval. • Who should own AI governance: security, data, product, or a new cross functional group. • Real world AI agent and autonomous workflow examples—productivity breakthrough and new risk category. • How adversaries are already weaponizing AI faster than most defenders expect. 🎙 About the guest: Craig Nelson, co-founder of GrowthIQ.ai, helps organizations go from random and unsecure use of AI into a secure and optimized AI operating capability. Through Navi, GrowthIQ’s AI orchestration platform, he works with companies across multiple verticals to align people, data, various AI systems and agents into repeatable workflows with strong security and governance guardrails. If you’re responsible for both innovation and risk, this conversation is for you.

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  Episode #52

  Cyber Vigilance: A Boardroom Perspective with George Tsantes

  Feb 26, 202641 min

  In this Secur(IT) episode, host Philip de Souza talks with George Tsantes, Partner at Newport LLC, former Accenture partner, EY principal, and co‑author of Cyber Attacks: Managing the Risk and Results . They explore how boardscan turn cybersecurity into business strategy by prioritizing vigilance over pure prevention, protecting the “crown jewels,” and using business metrics instead of vanity dashboards. The conversation also covers AI‑driven threats, third‑party and “meta‑enterprise” exposure, incident readiness, and how CISOs can “prove cybersecurity” in clear board language

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