Darrin Homer, Senior Enterprise Account Executive of Arctic Wolf, has joined Canadian Cybersecurity Network's growing group of advisors. Along with other executive members, he will help steer our next growth phase to help Canada become a world cybersecurity power.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am very transparent, an open book in my business and personal life. Love helping customers, partners, collaborating and delivering results while staying entrenched with the same company to add value on a long term basis.

I am married, with two children who adore spending family time at our cottage in the summer in the Kawartha’s by being out on the water and wake surfing.

What are your suggestions for those entering cybersecurity?

Having technical skills is obviously very important, but those who can interpret business needs, understand risk, what decisions to make versus not making other, big picture understanding is key to successful cybersecurity careers. It is more than just throwing a technology solution at a problem. It is about what happens after a breach and how it doesn't impact business resilience moving forward.

Do you have a great book, person or other resource you would recommend our community check out in regards to cybersecurity or business?

I am a huge advocate for zero trust. Initially zero trust was seen by many as a fad, but now it is becoming a key framework, like NIST, where it can be used to be understand if an organization is secure, has made the right investments, etc.

Two great zero trust legends to follow and learn from are Doctor Chase Cunningham and John Kindervag. The zero trust approach and framework are a great way to explain to business executives and non-technical resources the in’s and out’s of protecting the digital networks.

What was your path to cybersecurity?

I have spent over 30 years in IT moving up in more and more senior roles. Working in channels to manufacturing and software, while having moved out from hardware as we could see cloud technology evolving.

I am a big believer in bringing a security first approach to organizations, where we can focus on business outcomes primarily how the solutions and the organizations focus on the business goals and less about the label and the product.

What challenges or predictions do you foresee in cybersecurity in the coming years?

I see a lot of consolidation taking place in the coming years. There are currently too many vendors so there will be acquisitions, mergers and divestitures.

Customers are realizing it isn't only about the tools and products, but the effective use of the tools within a framework and/or model. Broad visibility is required to defend the variety of attacks out there. We need to look more broadly, and look to people and vendors who can put it all together and understand the customer better.

Talent shortages are not going away, there will always be a need for individuals and teams who can pull together to see the big picture and pull together a solution set that meets customer requirements in the moment.