November 18, 2025

Beyond Firewalls: The People Behind Cyber Resilience with Nathan Wenzler, Field CISO at Optiv

50 minutes

This episode features Nathan Wenzler, Field Chief Information Security Officer at Optiv.

With nearly 30 years of experience leading cybersecurity programs across government agencies, nonprofits, and Fortune 1000 companies, Nathan has spent his career at the intersection of people, process, and technology. He’s helped organizations redefine what it means to build security cultures that actually work.

In this episode, Nathan explains why communication (not technology) s a CISO’s most important skill, how to create a culture that values security without slowing innovation, and why empathy may be the most underrated tool in cybersecurity.

This is an insightful look at the people-first mindset behind stronger, more resilient security programs.

Guest Bio

Nathan Wenzler is a field chief information security officer at Optiv, where he advises clients on how to strengthen and optimize every aspect of their cybersecurity program. With nearly 30 years of experience, he has built and led security initiatives for government agencies, nonprofits and Fortune 1000 companies.

Wenzler has served as a CISO, executive management consultant and senior analyst, holding leadership roles at Tenable, Moss Adams, AsTech and Thycotic. He also spent more than a decade in public sector IT and security roles with Monterey County, California, and supported state and federal agencies.

He is known for helping security leaders better communicate the measurable value and benefit of a mature, effective cybersecurity program to executives, technical stakeholders and nontechnical business partners. His approach emphasizes not only technical excellence but also the human and organizational factors that drive long-term security success.

Wenzler has spoken at more than 400 events worldwide, educating security leaders and professionals on how to excel in their role as an organization's risk expert. He has also served on advisory boards, including the Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College, and is a former member of the Forbes Technology Council. His areas of expertise include vulnerability and exposure management, privileged access management and identity governance, cyber risk management, incident response, and executive-level communications and program management

Guest Quote

“If you can win the people over in your organization, you can make those big changes for better identity governance.”

Time stamps

01:22 Meet Nathan Wenzler: Veteran CISO and Security Strategist

02:16 Redefining Identity in a World of Infinite Accounts

05:15 How Culture Can Make or Break Your Security Program

13:34 Winning Over the Business: Aligning Security and Culture

24:45 From “Department of No” to Trusted Partner: Fixing Cyber Communication

40:25 The Human Side of Incident Response

46:23 Leading with Empathy: Nathan’s Advice for Security Leaders

Sponsor

The HIP Podcast is brought to you by Semperis, the leader in identity-driven cyber resilience for the hybrid enterprise. Trusted by the world’s leading businesses, Semperis protects critical Active Directory environments from cyberattacks, ensuring rapid recovery and business continuity when every second counts. Visit semperis.com to learn more.

Links

Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn

Learn more about Optiv

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