Jennifer Leggio has spent most of her career in PR or marketing for various infosec vendors, so she has plenty of views when it comes to how to – and not to – market information security companies and products. These views were all captured in the video interview she did on the Infosecurity stand (this footage will be available shortly).
Now at Flashpoint, she says she was drawn to the company’s human-powered threat analysis and intelligence. “I fell in love with the deeper level of intelligence”, she said. A somewhat ironic statement at a conference full of exhibitors and speakers talking about the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning are obviously needed, but you still need human-powered intelligence. There are limitations to automation, and you really need both.
“Flashpoint is focusing on the deep and dark web, the ‘meat of the intelligence.’ You can never replace human intelligence and get the value that people need. You can’t program a machine to discern the emotion and intent that gives someone what they need to protect themselves,” Leggio explained.
Leggio’s main advice on how to how to market effectively in an industry which she agrees is filled with “a lot of noise”, is to remain true to what you do and focus on your strengths, not jumping on whatever trend the rest of the industry is following. She got this advice from friend and mentor, Mike Rothman.
In collaboration with Alan Shimel and others, Leggio co-manages the security bloggers network, on its twelfth annual RSA meet-up. The security blogger awards that are presented at the meet-up have grown from something that “started as a bit of fun” to something that “is actually really important, and that shows the value of people educating industry. Winning an award has real accolade.”
The awards are community run and sponsored, and Leggio describes the magic of the blogger awards as “an intimate environment where people can talk without being marketed to.”
A full list of the 2017 security blogger awards nominees and winners can be found here.