These hacking groups are openly recruiting employees and paying for insider access. Their target list spans telecom, retail, tech, cloud, gaming, and BPO companies. The sophistication of their social engineering and the speed at which they exploit access continues to increase.

For many companies, the biggest risk is not just external attackers. It is the combination of human behavior, access sprawl, weak identity governance, and the absence of strong cultural reinforcement around security.

This raises an important question for all of us in the industry:

What steps are you taking inside your organization to reduce the risk of insider threats?

Are you doubling down on identity governance, monitoring privileged access, improving off-boarding processes, building stronger security awareness programs, or investing in tools that help detect unusual behavior across your environment?

Curious to hear how others are approaching this challenge and what is working well in your companies.

You can read the full article here: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/crowdstrike-catches-insider-feeding-information-to-hackers/

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What’s your take: should unmanaged devices ever touch corporate systems?

Read the full story on CSO Online:

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While speaking with the reporter during her research for the article, I was struck by how consistently these priorities surface across industries. I was also quoted in the final piece, adding my perspective on how IT can better align with the business, but the broader insights from leaders across sectors make it well worth the read.

If you’re thinking about how the CIO role is evolving, here are a few ideas the article brings forward:

1. CEOs want IT to lead, not follow
Technology leaders are expected to directly influence revenue, customer experience, and operational excellence — not just support them.

2. AI needs to deliver real value
The shift from experimentation to practical, measurable outcomes is accelerating. CEOs want AI initiatives to solve real problems, not create new ones.

3. Balancing transformation and stability
Modernization efforts must coexist with the realities of legacy environments and day-to-day operational demands. It’s a tightrope every CIO knows well.

4. Security and resilience remain foundational
Economic and geopolitical pressures are pushing cybersecurity, regulatory readiness, and risk management further into the strategic spotlight.

These points mirror what I see in my own work and in discussions with other technology leaders. If you’re interested in how the CIO role is changing — and what’s being asked of us at the executive table — this article provides a clear snapshot of where things are heading.

You can read the full piece here:
https://www.cio.com/article/3982258/ceos-top-priorities-for-it-leaders-today.html

The post Quoted in a Recent CIO.com Article: What CEOs Expect from Today’s IT Leaders appeared first on Joshua Bellendir.

It was an honor to be invited to this gathering and to hear the success stories and journeys of these incredible women. It was also inspiring to learn how the sponsors are empowering and supporting women in technology through various initiatives. The insights I gained were very encouraging and are exactly what is needed to increase the number of women in technology roles today, and into the future. While I was just an attendee this year, I am excited to see how I can contribute and support these efforts in the future.

Are you in Vegas this week for Black Hat? I’m attending several networking and after-party events and would love to connect with my network. Additionally, we are actively recruiting for our IT team, specifically, we have three open roles in our Information Security team. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please DM me. Come join a growing team of technology superstars!

John Varcho Vaishali Gupte Robert Sellinger Giuseppe Greco FC . Dustin Dragotto

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