Today, Derek Harp is joined by Jim Crowley, the Chief Executer Officer of Industrial Defender. Jim is a well-known sales expert who has held many different sales positions. He started out in the world of technology in the late 1970s, loading data into an IBM system via a punch-card loader to run a statistics program. He got to know the industrial space from the bottom up at an early age, taking machines apart, putting in packing, and being on the plant floor. Jim is an extroverted family man who loves the outdoors and doing competitive saltwater fishing on the weekends.

In today’s episode of the (CS)²AI Podcast, Jim shares his fascinating journey into the world of cyber security. He explains how well his past sales roles in IT fit together with the development of Industrial Defender and talks about the ingredients that contributed to Industrial Defender becoming a leader in the cybersecurity space. Jim also talks about collaboration and mentorship and offers advice about some intangible elements, other than technology, that can make a startup company successful. Stay tuned today to hear Jim’s engaging story, get some great advice, and learn what it takes to become an effective leader in the technology control systems space.

Show highlights:

• Jim shares his backstory. (2:12)
• The early days, when industrial component systems intersected with Jim’s career. (6:25) 
• What it takes to become a leader in the cyber security space. (9:22)
• Jim shares some tips for overcoming challenges. (13:40)
• The intangible elements that can help make a startup company successful. (14:21)
• Jim offers some advice to facilitate collaboration. (16:38)
• Jim talks about how things have changed at Industrial Defender since he returned after leaving and becoming an entrepreneur. (19:12)
• The role that mentorship has played in Jim’s journey. (21:32)
• Becoming more valuable in the cyber security space and knowing when it is time to move on. (24:57)
• Some advice for skilled IT practitioners who want to branch into the technology control systems space. (35:07)
• Jim talks about what it will take to be successful in the OT world in the future. (36:52)

This podcast is brought to you by: Waterfall Security Solutions, Fortinet, Network Perceptions, Industrial Defender, Tripwire and Q-Net Security.