Hello and welcome to Get It Started Get It Done, the Banyan Security Podcast covering the security industry and beyond. In this episode, our host and Banyan's Chief Security Officer Den Jones speaks with 25+ year security veteran Aaron Wurthmann. Aaron's work has covered industries from software to grocery, and he shares some important insights for living the life of a security practitioner. We hope you enjoy Den's discussion with Aaron Wurthmann.

About Aaron:

AboutI built my career from the ground up as an operator and implementor to a strategic leader and visionary. These days my hands are rarely on the keyboard because I focus on more high-level concerns. However, I occasionally enjoy working directly with technical subject matter experts to give them the benefit of my hands-on experience. Overall, my job is about relating to people and solving complex challenges using technology and sound leadership. Some people fear disruption; I am unique because I thrive on the opportunities introduced by market and technology challenges. 

A major reason technology programs succeed is they are aligned to business strategy. The CIO must partner with leadership to understand short- and long-term goals and lean into challenges with a product mindset, ensuring technology meets strategic needs. The most effective model is to run IT as a business within a business and intelligently use technology to fulfill business priorities. Proven security and privacy enable sales. Many customers require compliance with regulation and governance standards. Additionally, consumers have become more demanding about security practices to protect their sensitive data and privacy. Breaches will cause customers to look elsewhere. 

People are at the core of IT. Thus, I encourage team members to take ownership of their career paths, so they achieve their goals while maintaining a healthy life outside of the workplace. I regularly support team members so they can achieve their full potential through active coaching, mentoring, and training. 
A major part of my job is to lean into the go-to-market, accounting, and operations functions to make their processes more efficient while focusing on core strategies. We need to be constantly trying to achieve the best bang for the buck while also improving service to customers and associates. 
Providing the best service means engaging groups of diverse talents from within the company and through an extensive network of knowledgeable individuals. I contribute to networking groups, which enables me to increase the resources available to address any issue. I am an active member of several CIO and CISO professional groups as well as social and investment groups. 

One of the proudest moments of my career is when, at Marketo, the CEO invited me to join them on stage to award the team in front of the entire company. This was to reward them after they had successfully completed three major, company-wide, simultaneous projects within a single quarter without disruption to the business.