About Admiral TJ White: Vice Admiral TJ White is a retired 30-plus-year national security practitioner, strategist, and cyber operations expert. He has commanded at all levels within the Navy and on joint service, including as the commander of US Fleet Cyber Command, US Tenth Fleet, and US Navy Space Command, as well as the commander of the US Cyber National Mission Force of US Cyber Command. White is a former intelligence director for US Indo-Pacific Command and has served globally in various combat zones and conflict areas supporting competition dynamics. A nonresident senior fellow in the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, White's consulting practice, OneNetworkConnection, LLC, leverages his technical acumen, operational horizon, and strategic vision to assess and manage current and future risk. He is an expert in talent management, risk assessment, and consequence management concerning cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, supply chain, technology policy, and trust relationships. His mission is to bridge the accelerating divide between a digital information technology ecosystem and the genuine impact on human organizational design and enterprise decision-making.

In this episode, Aaron and Admiral TJ White discuss:

• Exploring solutions to overcome challenges in navigating cybersecurity and critical infrastructure complexities.
• Managing ongoing threats and resources for effective cybersecurity in slow-moving industries.
• The importance of prioritizing OT to protect physical processes, human life, and national defense and sovereignty.
• Assessing the impact of vulnerabilities in an organization through the interplay of cybersecurity and organizational factors.

Key Takeaways:

• The biggest and most challenging step in understanding cyberspace is recognizing it as a strategic imperative, and ensuring that the C-suite and board members are invested in developing a comprehensive understanding of the company's mission, vulnerabilities, and exposure to cyber threats.
• Improving cybersecurity has been an ongoing journey for the US government, industries, and large companies since the Y2K era. This journey involves continuous adaptation to new threats through strong leadership and attention, with the Department of Defense being a successful example through their persistent engagement and defend forward strategies.
• The power industry, in particular, is a prime example of how technology can lead to increased efficiency, dependability, and performance.
• Cyberspace is not just technology, but a business risk that ties into the financials, safety, confidentiality, and overall business process. Understanding the vulnerabilities and their impact on the organization is valuable for making informed decisions on how to protect against them.

"I'm very confident that more and more as a leader, if you just demonstrate and display that you're cognizant that this is a real thing and that there is a place that it is impacting everything that you do. I think the people on your team will want to become knowledgeable about it." — Admiral TJ White 

Connect with Admiral TJ White:  

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjwhite01networkconnection/

Connect with Aaron:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronccrow

Learn more about Industrial Defender:

Website: https://www.industrialdefender.com/podcast 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/industrial-defender-inc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iDefend_ICS

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@industrialdefender7120

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.