Danny Jenkins — Founder of ThreatLocker and the Zero-Trust Revolution

Danny Jenkins is the CEO of ThreatLocker, the leading cybersecurity company that he built alongside his wife. Hosts Jack Clabby of Carlton Fields, P.A., and Kayley Melton of the Cognitive Security Institute follow Danny’s journey from a scrappy IT consultant to leading one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies in the world.

Danny shares the moment everything changed: watching a small business nearly collapse after a catastrophic ransomware attack. That experience reshaped his mission and ultimately sparked the creation of ThreatLocker. He also reflects on the gritty early days—cold-calling from his living room, coding through the night, and taking on debt before finally landing their first $5,000 customer.

Danny explains the origins of Zero Trust World, his passion for educating IT teams, and why adopting a hacker mindset is essential for modern defenders.

In the Lifestyle Polygraph, Danny relates his early “revenge tech” against school bullies, the place he escapes to when celebrating big wins, and the movie franchise he insists is absolutely a Christmas classic.

Follow Danny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyjenkins/

00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity and ThreatLocker

02:26 The Birth of ThreatLocker: A Personal Journey

05:42 The Evolution of Zero Trust Security

08:35 Real-World Impact of Cyber Attacks

11:25 The Importance of a Hacker Mindset

14:46 The Role of SOC Teams in Cybersecurity

17:34 Building a Culture of Security

20:23 Hiring for Passion and Skill in Cybersecurity

23:44 Understanding Zero Trust: Trust No One

26:32 Lifestyle Polygraph: Personal Insights and Fun

29:41 Conclusion and Future of ThreatLocker