Tony Cusato, a Security Consultant with Enterprise Cyber Security/Strategy, Risk and Compliance with IBM, was one of two IT professionals to discuss the Cybersecurity field during a pair of Cybersecurity Month events at Mount Saint Mary College.
In celebration of October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Mount Saint Mary College’s Center for Cybersecurity recently hosted two public talks by local leaders in the field.
Russ Gritzo, a Cybersecurity Program Manager with Strategic Management Solutions LLC., presented “How to Excel in an Information Security Career Beyond Your Technical Skills” on Thursday, October 10.
While technical skills are what employers are looking for in cybersecurity professionals, there are other “soft” skills one needs to succeed in the field, Gritzo noted. For example, narcissistic and ego-driven people “are impossible to work with,” he said. “They don’t share. They keep everything to themselves. They won’t express anything. They grab all the glory. And it creates a toxic environment. Don’t be the person who creates a toxic environment.”
Another soft skill is self-care. Whether it’s physical or mental, keeping yourself in good condition will lead to increased productivity, creativity, and teamwork. In fact, good mental and physical health are critical to the success of one’s entire team, he said.
Gritzo has long been immersed in technology, having soldered his first computer together on his mother’s kitchen table in the 1970s. After a sojourn in the nuclear sciences, he spent the last 20 years focusing on cybersecurity, from developing cybersecurity programs to penetration testing government networks. Gritzo is currently a cybersecurity consultant, focusing on the federal government.
Tony Cusato, a Security Consultant with Enterprise Cyber Security/Strategy, Risk and Compliance with IBM, presented “Managing Cybersecurity Risks” on Thursday, October 17.
He noted that as the world becomes more and more reliant on technology, the need for cybersecurity professionals will only increase. But with more technology comes more threats, and more need for risk management.
“Look at the whole landscape of your attack surface, and be able to realize how you’re going to manage all of those things,” he explained. “IT systems grow. There’s an explosion of IT infrastructure. There are cloud services that are growing…don’t ever think the attack surface of where the threat actors are looking is going to stay static. It’s constantly changing, which means we have to be constantly learning.”
Cusato is a blend of technologist, leader, and mentor with more than 40 years at IBM. From providing cybersecurity solutions within IBM’s CISO execution arm to acting as the technical backbone for globally renowned events like the 1998 Winter and 2000 Summer Olympic games, his journey underscores a dedication to both meticulous technical implementation and fostering sustainable human relations. Cusato also helped launch PS27 Ventures and is their Senior Technology and Security Advisor.
The theme of Cybersecurity Awareness Month this year is “Secure Our World,” revolving around four key cybersecurity best practices: Understanding the benefits of using strong passwords and a password manager; turning on multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks; recognizing and reporting phishing; and installing updates on a regular basis.
“Cybersecurity is everyone’s business,” noted Sagar Raina, associate professor of Information Technology. “As an institute of higher education in the Hudson Valley, the Mount has a critical role to play in educating people about cybersecurity.”
The Mount’s Center for Cybersecurity provides program guidance and oversight to the college’s Cybersecurity major and concentration; brings expert speakers to campus; provides cyber defense resources to the campus and the community; and more. The initiative is maintained by the college’s Division of Mathematics and Information Technology and is supported by an external advisory board of local and national industry professionals, as well as faculty from the Mount and other institutions.