PrOTect It All

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep123/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

AI is a consensus engine, and consensus on the internet is frequently wrong. So what does that mean for the people defending power plants, water systems, and factories with it?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow welcomes back Jori VanAntwerp, CEO and founder of EmberOT, for a completely unscripted conversation on AI in OT. Two practitioners who use AI aggressively every day make the case for restraint in exactly the places that matter.

Jori explains why human in the loop is non-negotiable: AI shapes a junior's output to look senior without the understanding underneath, so you have to be able to interrogate it. Aaron walks through his own sandbox discipline, where AI gets a folder and not the keys, and nothing goes in that he would not publish on the internet.

The conversation then turns to the OT reality behind AI-found vulnerabilities, why an attacker who can reach your HMI or PLC does not need your unpatched CVE, teaching AI your voice with markdown primers, the build-versus-buy MVP trap, the submarine principle for modular defense, and why an operator flipping to manual is still the save of last resort.

Underneath all of it is the workforce math nobody is doing on air: if one person plus AI does the work of five, nobody is training juniors, and no juniors today means no seniors in ten years. OT's aging-out workforce is the preview.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why AI is a consensus engine, and why that framing predicts where it fails

Why human in the loop is not optional for anything that matters

How to sandbox AI in real workflows: a folder, not the keys

How to rank AI-found vulnerabilities against what an attacker in your OT network can actually do

How primers teach AI your voice, brand, and rules

The build versus buy trap: if a power company builds its own software, it is now a software company

The submarine principle: compartments, modular tooling, and swapping tools without ripping out the estate

Why analog fallbacks and operators keep saving critical infrastructure

The junior pipeline problem: no juniors today means no seniors in ten years

Why the entry-level job for OT cybersecurity is IT

Tune in for the most honest AI conversation the show has had, from the people who actually run it in OT.

About the guest:

Jori VanAntwerp is a two-time cybersecurity founder and CEO who has spent over two decades helping industrial and IT/OT organizations reduce risk, strengthen compliance, and mature the way they defend critical infrastructure. He has held executive and leadership roles at McAfee, FireEye, CrowdStrike, Dragos, and Gravwell before stepping into the founder seat, first at SynSaber and now as the Founder and CEO at EmberOT. The result is a vantage point that runs from the boardroom to the packet capture, from silicon to the cloud. At EmberOT, he is focused on bringing visibility, security, and risk quantification to the critical infrastructure the rest of the world takes for granted.

From EmberOT:

Want to see what is really happening in your OT environment? EmberOT provides flow-first, passive OT visibility and threat detection without requiring proprietary hardware.

Learn more about EmberOT...

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep122/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

Get your tickets for CYBR.SEC.CON., a two-day cybersecurity conference, here: https://www.cybrseccon.com/

What started with 120 people and a homemade Word flyer has grown into a cybersecurity community of more than 3,000. So what does it take to build a community that can scale without losing its personal connection?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Michael Farnum, CEO and co-founder of CYBR.SEC.Community, and Sam Van Ryder, co-founder and an OT sales expert, to explore the story behind the growth of CYBR.SEC.CON and the community surrounding it.

Michael and Sam share how they went from a grassroots cybersecurity gathering to a thriving community while keeping the relationships and sense of connection that made the event special in the first place.

The conversation goes beyond conferences. Aaron, Michael, and Sam discuss the challenges facing people trying to break into cybersecurity and OT, why entry-level opportunities can be difficult to find, and what experienced professionals can do to help develop the next generation of cyber defenders.

They also share their hands-on efforts to introduce young people to cybersecurity, including bringing 75 high school students into the community, with plans to reach 150.

From hiring and firing lessons to career advice, community building, and the future of OT cybersecurity, this episode offers practical insight for anyone looking to grow their career, build meaningful connections, or help strengthen the cybersecurity workforce.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How CYBR.SEC.Community grew from 120 people to more than 3,000

What it takes to scale a cybersecurity community without losing its personal feel

Why conferences can play an important role in cybersecurity careers

How to break into OT and cybersecurity when you're just starting out

The challenges surrounding entry-level cybersecurity jobs

How community and mentorship can help develop the next generation of cyber professionals

What CYBR.SEC.Community is doing to engage high school students in cybersecurity

Coming September 15 and 16, 2026

CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 brings the cybersecurity community together again on September 15 and 16 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

If you're looking to connect with cybersecurity professionals, expand your network, learn from practitioners, discover career opportunities, and be part of a growing cyber community, CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 is an event worth checking out.

Tune in to hear the story behind CYBR.SEC.CON, the people building the community, and why the future of cybersecurity depends on bringing more people into the conversation.

About the guests:

Michael Farnum is the CEO and co-founder of CYBR.SEC.Community and has worked in IT and cybersecurity since 1994. He founded HOU.SEC.CON. in 2010, which evolved into CYBR.SEC.CON., now attracting more than 3,000 cybersecurity professionals annually. Michael is passionate about cybersecurity community building, workforce development, education, and career development, and is a frequent speaker and podcaster on security leadership and industry trends....

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep121/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

AI has made it easier than ever to build a cybersecurity product. But has it also made it harder to build a valuable cybersecurity company?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Ken Elefant, Founding Managing Director of the venture group at Sorenson Capital, for a candid conversation about what really makes cybersecurity startups succeed.

Ken shares a venture investor's perspective on the rapidly changing security market, including why simply wrapping a product around an LLM may not create lasting value, how AI is accelerating commoditization, and what founders need to do to build a meaningful competitive advantage.

The conversation goes beyond technology to explore the often-overlooked role of people, process, market positioning, and execution. Aaron and Ken discuss the importance of finding the right "wedge" into enterprise security, solving real customer problems, differentiating in crowded markets, and building companies that can create lasting value rather than chasing the latest technology trend.

They also draw on lessons from successful cybersecurity exits and the changing threat landscape to examine what investors are looking for as AI reshapes both cybersecurity products and the businesses behind them.

Key Learning: 

What venture investors look for in cybersecurity startups

Why AI-powered security products can quickly become commoditized

How founders can find a strong market wedge

Why solving a real customer problem matters more than adding AI

The role of people and process in building successful security companies

How cybersecurity startups can differentiate in an increasingly crowded market

What founders and operators can learn from successful security exits

Where AI is creating genuine opportunity and where the hype may be ahead of the value

Key Moments: 

03:43 Using AI in podcasting

07:41 Trusting vendors and cybersecurity risks

10:59 Building Connections for Early Investments

15:19 Investing in emerging tech markets

17:45 Supporting AI-based startup growth

20:19 Building simple websites for businesses

26:03 Attracted to boring, overlooked markets

27:21 Building compliance products at Industrial Defender

30:16 Investing in defense tech startups

33:20 Experienced founders leveraging AI for products

38:32 Navigating fast-changing tech landscape

40:09 Importance of Building Trust in Business

Whether you're a cybersecurity founder, investor, security practitioner, technology leader, or entrepreneur, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how experienced investors evaluate innovation in one of the fastest-moving areas of technology.

Tune in to hear what separates a promising cybersecurity idea from a company capable of creating lasting value.

DISCLAIMER : "Any portfolio companies mentioned in this episode are investments of Sorenson Capital funds and do not represent all fund investments. A complete list of investments is available upon request. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation to buy securities."

About the guest : 
...

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep120/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

Offshore oil and gas operations don't have the luxury of simply shutting everything down and starting over.

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Josh Herr and Matt McLendon to explore the real-world challenges of modernizing cybersecurity and technology in offshore operational technology (OT) environments.

From million-dollar equipment and aging control systems to virtualization, containers, and edge computing, this conversation reveals what it actually takes to keep critical industrial operations running when technology fails, hardware is difficult to replace, and downtime can come at an enormous cost.

Aaron, Josh, and Matt share stories from the field, including the creative decisions operators sometimes have to make to keep one rig running when another goes down. They also explore the gradual shift from legacy Windows and Sun workstations toward Linux, containerization, and newer approaches to managing industrial systems.

But this isn't simply a conversation about replacing old technology with new technology. It's about understanding the realities of OT cybersecurity, where reliability, availability, safety, cost, and security all have to work together.

Key Learning: 

Why offshore OT environments present unique cybersecurity challenges

How legacy systems continue to influence modern industrial operations

Why containers and virtualization are gaining ground in OT

How operators balance cybersecurity with uptime and reliability

The surprising realities of maintaining aging industrial hardware

What the shift from Windows to Linux can mean for OT environments

How creative problem-solving can keep critical operations running

Where AI, containers, and modern infrastructure could take OT next

Key Moments:
06:16 Frustrations with vendor costs and delays

09:34 Offshore connectivity and autonomy challenges

13:02 Managing power plants across Texas

16:19 Challenges with industrial HMIs and alarms

19:40 Vendor control and security policies

21:16 Component delays and industry characters

24:08 Final integration testing and safety factors

28:20 Vendor management challenges with outdated tech

34:02 Missing sysadmin skills in industry

35:59 Challenges with ARM architecture

41:09 Managing hardware life cycles

44:23 Concerns about AI and open source

45:43 Future of JavaScript and integration

Whether you work in oil and gas, industrial cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, engineering, or OT operations, this episode offers an honest look at the gap between cybersecurity theory and what actually works in the field.

Listen in for the war stories, lessons learned, and "art of the possible" approaches helping bring modern technology into some of the world's most challenging OT environments.

About the guests: 

Matt is a multidisciplinary team leader and technology practitioner with experience spanning electrical systems, controls, automation, data systems, and IS/IT. His background includes offshore oil and gas electronics, systems administration, and computer hardware, with a strong emphasis on troubleshooting and componen...

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep119/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

AI agents are becoming more autonomous - but are they becoming more secure?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow welcomes David Girvin for a timely discussion about one of the fastest-growing challenges in cybersecurity: AI agent security and governance.

From an unconventional career as a ship captain to building one of the first governance platforms for AI agents, David shares why organizations must begin treating AI agents as powerful digital coworkers with permissions, identities, and risks that require the same level of oversight as human employees.

Together, Aaron and David explore how autonomous AI systems can unintentionally create business risk, why credential starvation, execution-layer security, and human-in-the-loop controls are becoming essential, and how organizations can safely adopt AI without sacrificing security.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why AI agents should be treated like insider threats

The biggest security risks of autonomous AI

How guardrails prevent costly AI mistakes

Why human oversight still matters in an AI-driven world

What credential starvation means and why it's effective

Practical governance strategies for enterprise AI adoption

Key Moments: 

05:31 Career paths and diverse experiences

06:24 Startup experiences and mentoring journey

09:30 Exploring a career shift to marketing

15:30 Building a Successful Career

18:20 Governance and AI risks

19:24 Early AI research and presentation

23:19 Just-in-time tokens discussion

27:52 Balancing work, family, and startup challenges

30:48 Transitioning from Operations to Events

35:18 Industry friendships and shared experiences

36:04 Work stress and job challenges

39:49 Securing AI systems and LLM inputs

43:46 Developing AI observability tools

47:56 Managing session risk and autonomy levels

51:14 Security and file management controls

55:34 Cybersecurity awareness chat

Whether you're building AI applications, leading cybersecurity programs, or simply exploring how AI will change your business, this episode offers practical insights into securing the next generation of intelligent systems.

Tune in to learn how organizations can embrace AI innovation while keeping people, data, and critical systems protected.

About the guest :
David Girvin is a cybersecurity leader, security architect, and Founder & CEO of Assury.ai, where he is building execution-level governance for AI agents. With leadership experience at companies including 1Password, Red Canary, and Sumo Logic, David has spent his career helping organizations strengthen security, architecture, and AI strategy. He specializes in making complex cybersecurity and AI concepts practical and accessible, helping businesses adopt emerging technologies securely and responsibly.

Links to connect David: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-a-girvin/ 

Website: https://assury.ai

Learn more about PrOTect IT All:

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