PrOTect It All

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28:20 Vendor management challenges with outdated tech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 component-level repair. Matt has led diverse technical teams in fast-paced, mission-critical environments, where collaboration, clarity, and effective problem-solving are essential.

Contact Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewamclendon/

Josh is a software engineer and technology architect with more than a decade of experience designing and building sys...

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:

Email: info@protectitall.co 

Website: https://protectitallpod.com/ep119

X: https://twitter.com/protectitall 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrOTectITAll 

FaceBook:

AI is changing cybersecurity at an incredible pace. But are organizations prepared for the risks that come with it?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Brian Schleifer, an industry veteran with decades of experience spanning the military, technology, consulting, defense, and critical infrastructure.

Aaron and Brian explore what it really takes to adopt AI responsibly across IT and OT cybersecurity. Beyond the technology itself, they examine the human side of security, including communication, collaboration, accountability, and the skills needed to make new technologies work in the real world.

The conversation also tackles the growing challenges of AI governance, shadow AI, continuous monitoring, and cyber-physical resilience. Rather than treating AI as a magic solution, Brian offers a practical perspective on how organizations can be intentional about where and how they use AI while preparing for the disruptions it may create.

Key Learnings: 

How organizations can approach AI adoption in IT and OT cybersecurity

Why communication and collaboration are critical to successful security programs

The growing risks of shadow AI and AI governance

Why human accountability remains essential as AI becomes more capable

How continuous monitoring can strengthen cyber-physical security

Why organizations need to think beyond prevention and prepare for resilience and business continuity

How people, process, and technology must work together in an AI-driven environment

Key Moments: 

05:22 Working in tech and cybersecurity

07:23 Importance of people skills in business

10:20 Importance of Listening First

14:31 Implementing Machine Learning Thoughtfully

16:44 Importance of Human Oversight in AI

20:21 Discussing security and human accountability

24:24 Publishing a book with AI tools

27:47 Future of computing technology

31:39 Focusing on disaster recovery strategies

35:27 Budgeting Challenges with Emerging Tech

38:00 Focus on proactive security planning

40:40 Evaluating cybersecurity effectiveness

45:49 Challenges in incident response logistics

47:33 Talking about Security Week events

Whether you're a cybersecurity leader, OT professional, technology executive, or simply trying to understand what AI means for the future of security, this episode offers practical perspectives on navigating the change without losing sight of what matters most.

Listen to the latest episode of Protect It All and discover how organizations can embrace AI while building the trust, accountability, and resilience needed to protect what matters.

About the Guest : 

Brian "SchleiF" Schleifer is a retired United States Air Force veteran, cybersecurity professional, content leader, and owner of PAVE Consulting LLC, which provides digital content creation and cybersecurity consulting. Through PAVE Consulting, he currently supports SecurityWeek as Director of Content and Events, helping lead conferences, podcasts, webinars, and executive-level cybersecurity programming. Brian previously served in senior cybersecurity engineering and leadership roles at Modern Technology Solutions Inc. His experience includes cyber-physical and weapon systems security, security control assessment, cyber testing, risk management, and AI governance. He is pursuing a Doctor of Technology at Purdue University, where his research focuses on adaptive cybersecurity policy for AI-enabled systems. He is also the creator of the Adaptive Artificial Intelligence Risk and Assurance Framework, or AAIRAF. With more than 10,000 hours of public speaking, inst...

Effective OT penetration testing isn't just about finding vulnerabilities, it's about building trust.

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow is joined by Oren Niskin and Reynaldo Gonzalez for an engaging discussion on the evolving role of penetration testing in operational technology (OT) environments.

Drawing from years of experience in industrial operations, IT, and OT cybersecurity, Oren and Reynaldo explain why successful OT security assessments require far more than technical expertise. They explore how trust, communication, and collaboration help bridge the gap between security teams and operations, making penetration testing a valuable business tool rather than something to fear.

The conversation also highlights the importance of diverse career paths, hands-on learning, and mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. From network segmentation and risk communication to creating realistic lab environments, this episode offers practical lessons for anyone responsible for securing critical infrastructure.

Key Learnings: 

Why trust is essential for successful OT penetration testing

How IT and operational experience strengthen OT security teams

The value of network segmentation in reducing cyber risk

Why "doing nothing" is no longer an acceptable cybersecurity strategy

How organizations can bridge the gap between safety, operations, and security

Practical ways to develop the next generation of OT cybersecurity professionals

Key Moments: 

07:00 Oren's technology and security approach

15:04 Discussing network security measures

19:16 Building Trust in Business Relationships

26:17 Understanding and planning security architecture

30:16 Network management and rule assessment

33:39 Managing and Assessing Tool Overload

38:39 Analyzing tool overlap and complementarity

48:41 Building a trusting team culture

49:48 Encouraging Open Communication

56:34 Getting into cybersecurity without IT experience

01:04:56 Entry-level ICS training courses

Whether you're an OT engineer, penetration tester, security leader, or just beginning your cybersecurity journey, this episode delivers practical insights into protecting industrial environments while building stronger relationships across teams.

Tune in to discover why the most successful OT penetration tests don't just identify vulnerabilities they build trust, strengthen teams, and improve security for the long term.

About the guests: 

Oren Niskin is Principal OT Security Engineer at GuidePoint Security. His 20-year arc runs from the US Navy as a Nuclear Electrician's Mate, to Electronics Technician on offshore drilling rigs, to office OT/IT management, to OT cybersecurity consulting at EY, and now into OT cyber engineering at GuidePoint. He also runs Packets Or It Didn't Happen, a YouTube livestream where he builds a factory-realistic PLC and HMI training kit on camera (the open-source PLC Trainer Kit), aimed at helping newcomers get hands-on with OT for under $500.

Link to connect Oren Niskin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orenniskin/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PacketsOrItDidntHappen

PLC Trainer Kit (GitHub): https://github.com/oniskin/PLC-Trainer-Kit

LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/17708001/

Reynaldo Gonzalez is a recognized cybersecurity thought leader with 18+ years of experience...

The biggest cybersecurity challenge isn't technology - it's people.

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow welcomes Swapnil Kachave for an insightful conversation about what it really takes to build high-performing cybersecurity teams in an era of AI, automation, and increasing cyber threats.

Having built and led Security Operations Center (SOC) teams across five industries, Swapnil shares why successful cybersecurity programs are driven by leadership, communication, and continuous learning - not just the latest tools.

Together, Aaron and Swapnil explore the growing impact of alert fatigue, burnout, workforce development, and the changing role of AI in modern security operations. They also discuss why "people debt" can become just as dangerous as technical debt and how organizations can create resilient teams prepared for the future.

Key Moments: 

Why cybersecurity leadership is fundamentally about people

How to reduce alert fatigue and improve SOC performance

The importance of mentoring, training, and career development

How AI is changing security operations - and the skills teams need next

Why communication and empathy make better security leaders

How organizations can prepare teams for emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing

Whether you're leading a SOC, managing cybersecurity programs, or just beginning your security career, this episode delivers practical leadership lessons that extend far beyond technology.

Key Moments: 

06:04 Dealing with alert fatigue

07:55 Navigating SOC career growth

13:54 From network admin to new opportunities

14:41 Diverse career path overview

21:02 Translating tech issues for executives

23:41 Importance of Soft Skills in Tech

25:50 Prioritizing practical knowledge over trends

31:03 Prototyping and learning new skills

35:26 Using AI to validate ideas

37:57 Human awareness vs. tech evolution

41:32 Quality assurance in AI responses

42:40 Discussing AI system reliability

46:05 Accelerating processes with AI tools

Tune in to discover why investing in people is still the most effective cybersecurity strategy - only on Protect It All.

About the guest : 

Swapnil Kachave is a cybersecurity operations leader with extensive experience building and leading Security Operations Center (SOC) teams across five industries. Passionate about developing people as much as technology, Swapnil specializes in security operations, incident response, and leadership development. They focus on helping organizations build resilient cybersecurity teams by balancing technical excellence with communication, mentorship, and continuous learning in an increasingly AI-driven world.

How to connect Swapnil: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swapniilkachave/

Website: https://www.optiv.com/=

Learn more about PrOTect IT All:

Email: info@protectitall.co 

Website: https://protectitallpod.com/ep116

X: https://twitter.com/protectitall 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrOTectITAll 

FaceBook:  https://facebook.com/protectitallpodcast

To be a guest or suggest a guest/episode, please email us at...