For decades, technology leaders have focused on building a strong perimeter around their networks. But that approach to cybersecurity is no longer sustainable or effective: Globally distributed teams and supply chains have dramatically changed the way organizations create, store, and share data.

As change continues to accelerate, many enterprise leaders are rethinking their cybersecurity strategies. 

In this discussion,  Virtru’s Co-Founder & CTO, Will Ackerly and SVP, Rob McDonald will join Nexteer Automotive Chief Information Security & Privacy Officer, Arun DeSouza to examine how enterprises can adopt a data-centric approach to cybersecurity that can increase flexibility, collaboration, and cost savings for enterprise teams. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Evaluate typical approaches to cybersecurity and why they are no longer working
  • Illustrate the cybersecurity risks that exist across the entire data life cycle, across a global supply chain
  • Understand how a data-centric strategy empowers employees to securely and confidently use the tools that work best for them
  • Demonstrate how organizations can rethink their cybersecurity stack with data at the core

Meet the Speakers:

Will Ackerly

Co-Founder and CTO, Virtru

Will is the CTO and Co-Founder of Virtru. Prior to founding Virtru, Will spent eight years at the National Security Agency (NSA) where he specialized in cloud analytics and security architecture—specifically protecting the agency’s in-house data transfers. During his tenure at the NSA, Will invented the Trusted Data Format (TDF), an open standard used today by various government agencies for the secure transfer of data and the technical foundation upon which Virtru was founded.

Will graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Robert McDonald

SVP of Platform, Virtru

Rob is the SVP of Platform and an advocate of safeguarding data across new applications and data-sharing workflows. Prior to Virtru, Rob was the CIO for several Acute Care facilities and Denovo Healthcare development teams. His significant expertise in the healthcare industry earned him a spot in Becker’s Review as a 2013 and 2014 Top 100 Healthcare CIOs.

Rob has also consulted with corporations to help them assess their current information security position and develop a plan to not only mitigate the discovered technical shortcomings but more critically to raise security awareness amongst their employees.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a perpetual student of technology, information security, and privacy practices.

Arun DeSouza

Chief Information Security & Privacy Officer, Nexteer Automotive

 Arun DeSouza is a technology evangelist and award winning executive and thought leader. He promotes IAM to securely integrate cloud technology platforms and drives adoption of new security platforms with significant cost savings. He has built security programs, and his background in multiple security disciplines focuses on the integration of people, processes and technology.