Defense in Depth The Pattern of Early Adoption of Security Tools
9 snips
Sep 11, 2025 Edward Contreras, CISO at Frost Bank, and Hadas Cassorla, CISO and reporter for CISO Series, tackle the intricate world of cybersecurity adoption. They highlight how small to medium-sized businesses struggle with security tools while larger companies dominate the landscape. The duo discusses the 'security poverty line' and the challenges startups face in gaining market traction. Strategies for enhancing adoption through simplified solutions and the critical role of managed service providers are also explored, making for a compelling listen.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Enterprise-First Adoption Paradox
- Cybersecurity startups often get first adoption from large enterprises despite those buyers being very risk-averse.
- That dynamic forces startups to design for enterprise complexity first, which can delay down-market fit.
Pick Your Target And Stick To It
- Define your target customer size and vertical before building features.
- Choose whether to design for security early or accept you will exclude some customers.
Design For Low-Skill Operations
- Make integrations, implementation, and operations simple or offer a managed service.
- Design products to reduce the customer's headcount need for security operations.