Recently, we caught up with Frank Kyazze, Privacy Director here at TrustCloud, to chat about his experience at the Data Connectors conference in Dallas last month. Frank had the opportunity to serve on the “Protecting Against Cyber Attacks” discussion panel while in attendance. Frank took part in the panel, discussing how now more than ever, it is imperative for organizations to be vigilant against bad actors. The discussion also included insightful perspectives on the latest threats and most effective security strategies available today.
Overall, the conference was a success for TrustCloud, giving the company a chance to connect with individuals and businesses looking to take their compliance game to the next level. The writing was apparently on the wall, with conference attendees, by and large, clearly fed up with the hassle tethered to their current compliance obligations and desperate for a solution to make their lives easier. Companies dread the drudgery typically associated with traditional compliance adherence. Based on Frank’s accounts, it is evident that the industry yearns for solutions that can help them achieve compliance and maintain it in perpetuity.
Based on the conversations you had on the panel, what is the consensus on the current state of security and compliance solutions?
The consensus I gather is almost everybody still has to do audits and has compliance requirements. Almost everybody I talked to fears the day of the year or the period they must go through audits. It’s still a considerably painful process. It’s pretty subjective, too, because auditors want different things. There are a lot of different tools out there for compliance. I think there’s a bit of indecisiveness for some folks I talked to regarding which ones they should use.
I think people want easier lives, right? I think this field is not easy. Compliance and cybersecurity are stressful because there’s a lot of work and pressure from a legal and liability standpoint. They want to spend less time doing compliance and more time doing other stuff. I think there’s a desire for a simplified way to meet all their objectives and save time.
What were your biggest takeaways from Data Connectors, and how will you leverage that information to inform TrustCloud’s products?
Most of the conversations I had solidified my statement that people don’t like audits because they take too much time, and they’re looking for ways to save time while making fewer errors in their audit management process. Being there talking to people about audits confirmed that statement for me to the point where my main focus, which I work on daily, is automation for controls and testing. It makes it more critical for me to do that work just because I know it will directly impact customers if our customers are a sample set of people at that conference. My work will hopefully save these people time and make their lives more enjoyable. We can make the audit process less painful and help them reach their compliance goals.
What did you like about the conference?
I’ve been to many conferences, especially as an external auditor. If I’m being honest, I don’t typically like conferences because it usually feels like a lot of fruitless work. However, Data Connectors was the exact opposite. It felt more like an event for sharing ideas. There are a lot of great vendors there that I got a chance to look at and see what was on the market—some of the hot new vendors for cybersecurity. For example, I noticed companies like BitLyft Cybersecurity and Cycode making significant waves at the conference. Maybe because of the small nature of it, it felt a little more communal than some of the bigger conferences I’ve been to that feel super commercial, almost artificial in a sense, even gimmicky. Data Connectors didn’t feel like that, which is why I liked it. And so I guess I’m picky, right?
TrustCloud will be hitting the road again, attending some of the industry’s hottest events and spreading the word about their product, connecting with those looking for a comprehensive solution for their most persistent compliance headaches.
TrustCloud will be attending these upcoming events—will we see you there?
Forrester Security Risk (Washington D.C.) – 11/8/22-11/9/22
Data Connectors (Denver, CO) – 11/10/22
TechStars Foundercon (Oakland, CA) – 11/16/22-11/18/22
