Troy Wells, Intelligence Officer at FS-ISAC and former U.S. Army intelligence officer, shares insights on financial sector resilience. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration and teamwork in cybersecurity. Troy compares prevention, detection, and response to a fire-safety cycle, highlighting their interdependence. He distinguishes between AI models and agents, explaining the necessary oversight for each. Additionally, he identifies three critical threats facing finance: identity attacks, supply chain vulnerabilities, and AI-enabled adversaries.
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From Army Intel To Financial Defense
Troy Wells described his career shift from Army intelligence to FS-ISAC as a continuation of service with the same core principles.
He emphasized teamwork, trust, and collaboration as central to protecting the financial system.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Treat Defenses As A Cycle
Build prevention, detection, and response as a continuous cycle, not isolated silos.
Test incident response with tabletop exercises and align it to business continuity and communications.
insights INSIGHT
Models Versus Agents Matter
Distinguish AI models (calculators) from AI agents (interns) and apply different oversight.
Agents need clear instructions, guardrails, and frequent review to avoid compounding errors.
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Cyber resilience in financial services is often treated as a checklist of tools and controls, rather than what it truly is: a system of people, intelligence, and collaboration working together.
In this episode of Data Security Decoded, join Caleb Tolin as he sits down with Troy Wells, Intelligence Officer at FS-ISAC and former U.S. Army intelligence officer, to explore how principles like teamwork, trust, and preparation, forged in national security, translate directly into protecting the global financial system. From using fire-safety lessons to explain prevention, detection, and response, to breaking down the difference between AI models and AI agents, Troy shares practical guidance for banks and financial institutions building resilience in the face of evolving threats.
What You’ll Learn:
Why prevention, detection, and response are strongest when treated as a cycle, not silos
How AI models act as “calculators” while AI agents act as “interns,” and what oversight each requires
The guardrails that financial institutions should set before deploying AI tools at scale
How cloud misconfigurations in even major enterprises reveal the need for security-first design
The three threat trends that will shape financial services in the next 12–24 months: identity attacks, supply chain compromises, and AI-enabled adversaries
Episode Highlights:
[00:22] Troy’s path from Army intelligence officer to FS-ISAC[03:20] Fire-safety lessons: framing prevention, detection, and response in cybersecurity[08:15] The difference between AI models and AI agents, and how to guide each[12:22] Four principles for adopting AI securely in financial institutions[17:00] Cloud misconfigurations and why resilience must be built into architecture[21:39] The top three threats to watch in the next 12–24 months: identity, supply chain, and AI-driven attacks[27:35] Why speed and sophistication make resilience and collaboration essential
Data Security Decoded