Mike Blake

There’s a question every CIO and IT leader is getting asked right now: “Are we using AI and what is our strategy?" These questions are coming from boards, peers and the market. These pressures aren't about technology, it’s about fear of being left behind. The reality is, most organizations don’t need an AI strategy yet. What they do need however is clarity on where decisions are slow, where data is fragmented, and where automation could remove friction. That's where AI might be the answer. Starting with the solution before identifying the business challenges means we'll end up with another sunk cost....

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In our upcoming fireside chat, Michael Francess, Director of Cybersecurity Advanced Threat of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts joins Geoff Brown, CEO of Silobreaker to discuss how Wyndham’s Cyber Security Advanced Threat team evolved its intelligence operations to support a highly distributed organization. By connecting intelligence production and standardizing reporting, the team delivers more relevant insights across stakeholders while freeing analysts to focus on deeper investigation and proactive threat detection. Sign up for the webinar and learn how to: ▪️ Scale threat intelligence without increasing analyst workload ▪️Deliver relevant intelligence to the right stakeholders at the right time ▪️Connect intelligence production to increase team impact Save your place: https://hubs.ly/Q047hD_s0 #FiresideChat #ThreatIntelligence #Wyndham #Silobreaker

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Succession planning is important for knowledge transfer during management development and during crisis management and disaster recovery. This important process is sometimes overlooked. There is a lot of value to be gained from this strategic documentation. Whenever I am leading the implementation of a Cybersecurity program I always ask about the succession plan.

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Continuing Small Business Thursdays: Watch the Cloud Cloud applications have transformed how small and medium-sized businesses operate. They provide flexibility, scalability, and cost savings. But they also introduce risks that are often overlooked: misconfigurations. A single overly broad permission or a file shared too widely can open the door to data loss or compromise. Here are two practical steps every small business can take today: 1. Review third-party app permissions - Over time, teams connect cloud accounts to external apps for convenience. Many of these apps request broad permissions and remain connected long after they are no longer used. Regularly audit your cloud services, identify which apps have access, and remove those that are unnecessary. This reduces the attack surface and closes hidden backdoors. 2. Restrict cloud file sharing settings - Default sharing settings should be “internal only.” Too often, files are inadvertently shared externally or made public with a link. Establish clear policies, enforce least-privilege access, and conduct periodic audits to identify external shares. This ensures sensitive data remains within your organization. Misconfigurations, stale accounts, and overprovisioning are some of the most common causes of cloud-related breaches. They are also among the easiest to prevent. By reviewing app permissions and locking down file sharing, small businesses can leverage the benefits of the cloud without inheriting unnecessary risk. Cloud convenience should never come at the expense of security. A few simple controls go a long way toward protecting your business and your customers. If you need help configuring your environment, please DM me. #SmallBusinessCyber #CyberSecure #CyberSecurity #OpenToWork #vCISO #vCIO

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So true, IT is a critical business system and should be contracted as such. No SMB can properly staff for all the levels of support in one person, those days were gone more than a decade ago. You need help desk, network engineers, cloud engineers, security specialists - as well as vcio and vciso guidance. Fully Managed gives you all of this at a fraction of the cost.

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Is your IT strategy actually driving business growth, or just keeping the lights on? Many SMBs in Columbus spend thousands each year on tech but still face slow systems, security gaps, and wasted budgets. The issue isn’t the tools, it’s the lack of the right consulting partner. In our latest blog, we break down how the right IT consulting in Columbus can align your technology with business goals, strengthen cybersecurity, and future-proof your operations. Learn how to choose a partner who’s more than a vendor, one who helps your business scale confidently. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ghpw9UVM

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Speaking at #GraylogGO 2025: Sept 16–17 (virtual) Talk: Less Pain, More Gain: Smarter Data, Stronger Defenses with Graylog Security teams don’t need more logs. We need more detection. In this session I’ll show how we use Graylog, Inc. to: - Turn high-volume telemetry into actionable signals with Pipelines, Lookup Tables, and Correlation. - Cut hot-tier noise without blinding ourselves (route, don’t drop). - Track fraud operators and standardize the approach across multiple sectors. - Measure what matters. If your goal is fewer false positives, faster triage, and lower ingest costs with evidence, you’ll get working flows, dashboards styles, and a 10-day rollout plan you can test. #GraylogGO #Graylog #SIEM #DetectionEngineering #SOC #Fraud #HigherEd #Cybersecurity #LogManagement

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Most boards approve cybersecurity budgets to prevent hypothetical breaches, then wonder why they cannot measure returns on preventing things that did not happen. I have spent over two decades watching this pattern waste board time and capital. Security investments justified through abstract risk reduction get minimum budgets and maximum skepticism. Boards approve because they have to, not because they see value. At Waste Management, I led an initiative that strengthened security posture while creating long-term cost efficiencies. I am continuing that work at Brinks Home. Modernizing systems eliminated downtime, costing revenue. Reduced maintenance expenses consuming IT budgets. Enabled capabilities improving operations. Real dollars, real results. True integration with the core business. Boards could finally evaluate investment using financial metrics instead of risk arguments that they could not verify. This changed how they thought about security. Not a cost center requiring approval, but a strategic capability creating enterprise value. Security leaders translate technical complexity into business strategy that boards can act on. We align investments with measurable outcomes boards already track. We reframe security from "insurance expense" to strategic capability. Forward-thinking boards stack the deck with people who have walked the walk. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gcC65peH

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