CISOs, boards, and product teams are all racing to embrace AI, but when something goes wrong, who takes responsibility?
In this episode of Securely Speaking: Securing AI, we explore the evolving challenge of AI governance, where accountability, ethics, and innovation collide. As organizations deploy AI faster than they can regulate it, traditional governance models are struggling to keep pace.
From boardroom oversight to engineering decisions, this episode unpacks:
Why AI governance isn’t just a compliance issue , it’s a business risk issue
How ownership of AI risk is shifting across the enterprise
The emerging role of CISOs and cross-functional governance councils
Why accountability must be designed in, not bolted on
AI governance isn’t about slowing innovation, it’s about making sure the systems we build can be trusted.
#CyberSecurity #AI #Governance #RiskManagement #Leadership #SecurelySpeaking
AI systems are only as ethical and secure as the data that trains them. But what happens when that data includes sensitive or regulated information?
In this episode, we unpack the growing tension between innovation and privacy, exploring how organizations can responsibly harness AI without crossing legal or ethical lines.
We’ll cover:
The hidden risks of training data exposure
Why anonymization isn’t always enough
How privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA are evolving for AI
What leaders can do to build transparency and trust into their models
The future of AI trust depends on how we handle data today. Let’s talk about what responsible innovation really looks like.
In SaaS, data was the crown jewel. In AI, the model is the brain. If you can’t secure it, you can’t secure your product.In this episode of Securing AI, we move beyond data security and step directly into the core of AI risk: the model itself. While many teams focus on infrastructure and compliance, most breaches in AI won’t come from the cloud platform, they’ll come from poisoned data, manipulated prompts, stolen model weights, and unseen model behaviour.Listen and learn about: - Model theft, exfiltration, and IP risk : when your competitive edge becomes someone else’s asset- Training data poisoning & prompt manipulation : how adversaries reshape outputs without touching your systems- Shadow experimentation: internal experimentation without governance or guardrails- Why “securing AI” is not the same as securing an applicationThis episode challenges you to treat model security as a direct business risk because if the model can be influenced, every decision it makes can be compromised.#ai #SecuringAI #llm #gemini #chatgpt #compliance #anthropicai
SOC 2 wasn’t written for AI. But customers still demand proof of trust. The question is: are we adapting our frameworks, or just checking boxes that no longer fit?
In this episode of Securing AI, we unpack the tension between legacy compliance frameworks and modern AI-driven products. SOC 2 remains the gold standard for SaaS trust, but when models learn, evolve, and operate autonomously, traditional control criteria start to fall short.
We explore:
- Why SOC 2’s Trust Services Criteria must be reinterpreted for AI systems
- How to map AI risks like model drift, data lineage, and API dependency to existing controls
- The danger of claiming compliance without addressing model transparency, privacy, and third-party AI providers
- What founders, CISOs, and security leaders must do to maintain credibility with enterprise buyers
This isn’t about passing an audit, it’s about proving trust in an era where AI decisions are no longer fully explainable.
Listen in if you're building, deploying, or governing AI products and want to turn compliance from a checkbox into a strategic trust advantage.
#ai #compliance #podcast #foryou #security
The tools your team loves most may also be the ones putting you at greatest risk. Shadow AI isn’t a future problem, it’s already here, expanding your attack surface in ways many leaders don’t yet see.
In this episode, we unpack how unsanctioned AI use creates hidden vulnerabilities and what leaders can do to uncover the invisible before it becomes unmanageable.
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries, but with innovation comes new risks. In this season of The Virtual CISO, we cut through the AI hype and tackle the security, compliance, and governance challenges your organization can’t afford to ignore.From shadow AI to SOC 2 for AI, data privacy to bias, supply chain risks to incident response, each episode dives into the practical realities of building secure and trusted AI systems. This season isn’t just for CISOs. It’s for founders, executives, and security leaders who need to understand not just what AI can do, but what risks it brings.Speed may win the market, but in the age of AI, trust is what lasts.Lets continue the conversation : info@thevirtualciso.ca
When a cyber incident strikes, every second counts.
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we break down the critical steps for effective incident management, from detecting the first signs of trouble to recovering operations with minimal damage.
You’ll learn:
- How to identify and contain threats quickly
- The essential roles in an incident response team
- Common mistakes that make breaches worse
- How to turn an incident into a trust-building opportunity
Whether you’re a CISO, security leader, or founder, this is your playbook for responding with confidence when the unexpected happens.
Listen now and make sure you’re ready before the next attack.
We would like to hear from you: Security@thevirtualciso.ca
#Cybersecurity #IncidentManagement #BreachResponse #CISO #TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking
Your data is the target , attackers know it, do you?
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we unpack the critical importance of data security and why protecting your organization’s most valuable assets (your “crown jewels”) is more than just an IT concern. It’s a business imperative.
In under 10 minutes, we cover:
- What qualifies as "crown jewel" data in today’s SaaS and cloud-native environments
- Common data protection blind spots that put businesses at risk
- Practical steps for identifying, classifying, and securing sensitive data
- How early-stage and scaling teams can build strong foundations for data governance
Whether you’re preparing for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or just tired of treating data security like a checkbox, this episode is for you.
Visit us: https://thevirtualciso.ca
Contact us: security@thevirtualciso.ca
#DataSecurity #CrownJewels #SaaSSecurity #SOC2 #ISO27001 #CloudSecurity #InfoSec #CybersecurityLeadership #TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking #StartupSecurity
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we dive into one of the most overlooked areas of cybersecurity: secure development.
Why does it matter? Because code is shipping faster than ever, and vulnerabilities are too.
Here is what we unpacked this week:
- The real business risks of insecure code
- How early-stage teams can embed security into dev workflows
- What “secure by design” actually looks like in fast-paced environments
- Tools and practices to catch issues before they reach production
Whether you're a founder, CTO, or security leader, this episode will help you shift left without slowing down.
Visit us at https://thevirtualciso.ca
Questions or looking for help? Reach out: security@thevirtualciso.ca
#SecureDevelopment #AppSec #DevSecOps #StartupSecurity #CyberSecurity #SOC2 #SecureCoding #SecurityByDesign #TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking
User Access Management isn’t just an IT task, it’s a frontline security control.In this episode of Securely Speaking, we explore why access creep, over-provisioned accounts, and poor offboarding processes are still the Achilles' heel of most SaaS security programs.
We Covered
Why “least privilege” is more than a policy line
Common mistakes around admin access, shared credentials & dormant accounts
How poor access hygiene shows up during SOC 2 / ISO 27001 audits
Tactics for scaling secure access without friction
What real access governance looks like in fast-growing teams
If you haven’t reviewed who has access lately... this episode is your wakeup call.
Learn more: thevirtualciso.ca
Contact: security@thevirtualciso.ca
#UserAccessManagement #SecurelySpeaking #TheVirtualCISO #Cybersecurity #SaaS #SOC2 #LeastPrivilege #IdentityAndAccess #AccessGovernance #SecurityLeadership
Authentication is your first line of defense, but most teams are still getting it wrong. In this episode of Securely Speaking, we dive deep into what secure authentication really means in today’s threat landscape. From the overreliance on passwords to the false sense of security around MFA, we unpack the common missteps that leave modern startups vulnerable and what you should be doing instead.Whether you're a SaaS founder, engineering leader, or security-conscious startup scaling fast, this episode gives you real-world insights to build trust at the login, not after a breach.
Lets talk compliance: security@thevirtualciso.ca
If you’re not logging it, you’re not securing it.
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we unpack why logging and monitoring are some of the most overlooked but most critical parts of any real security program.
Whether you're chasing SOC 2, ISO 27001, or just trying to stay ahead of potential threats, weak visibility will always be your biggest blind spot.
Lets discuss:
If you're scaling a SaaS platform, handling sensitive data, or getting ready for audits , this is the episode you can’t afford to skip.
Learn more → thevirtualciso.ca
Contact → security@thevirtualciso.ca
#TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking #Logging #Monitoring #SOC2 #CyberSecurity #SaaS #Compliance #ISO27001 #SecurityArchitecture
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we dive into the reality behind vulnerability management, because finding issues is only half the battle. The real challenge is prioritizing, remediating, and communicating risk in fast-moving teams.
We covered
- Why vuln scans alone don’t cut it
- How to actually prioritize what matters
- The missing link between findings and action
- What auditors (and attackers) really care about
Whether you're chasing SOC 2, scaling your security stack, or just tired of noise from your vuln scans, this one’s for you.
Security doesn’t start with control, it starts with visibility. Let’s make sure you can see (and fix) what matters most.
Learn more: thevirtualciso.ca
Contact us: security@thevirtualciso.ca
#TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking #VulnerabilityManagement #CyberSecurity #SaaS #SOC2 #SecurityStrategy #RiskManagement
In this episode of Securely Speaking, we’re talking about change management—what it actually means for modern SaaS teams, and why security and compliance leaders can’t afford to treat it as an afterthought.
Whether you're shipping fast, scaling hard, or managing growing tech debt, poor change control can lead to serious risks—from downtime to data exposure.
We break down:
- Why most change processes fail
- The minimum viable controls every startup needs
- How to align your dev, ops, and security teams without slowing them down
This isn’t about red tape. It’s about protecting what you’re building—before your next deploy turns into your next incident.
🎙️ Tune in, subscribe, and let’s make security make sense.
📩 Contact us: security@thevirtualciso.ca
🌐 Learn more: thevirtualciso.ca
#TheVirtualCISO #SecurelySpeaking #ChangeManagement #DevSecOps #StartupSecurity #CyberSecurity #Compliance #SOC2 #SaaSLeadership #SecurityFirst
Is your biggest security risk hiding in plain sight?In this episode of The Virtual CISO – Securely Speaking, we dive into the often-overlooked world of Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) and why trusting your vendors without verification can quietly erode your security posture.From hidden vulnerabilities to compliance gaps, this episode breaks down how to identify, assess, and manage third-party risks, before they become your next headline.🔐 Perfect for: CISOs, startup teams, security leads, and anyone responsible for vendor due diligence.🎙️ Subscribe for more straight-talking security insights every Friday.📩 Reach us: security@thevirtualciso.ca🌐 Learn more: thevirtualciso.ca#ThirdPartyRisk #CyberSecurity #TPRM #VendorRisk #VirtualCISO #InfoSec #Compliance #SecurelySpeaking #RiskManagement #SaaSsecurity #SecurityLeadership #StartupSecurity #SOC2 #ISO27001
No Governance, No Security.Kicking off Securely Speaking: Season 1 of The Virtual CISO with a truth most teams ignore: real security starts with governance. Whether you're aiming for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or building trust that scales, this is where it begins.▶️ Subscribe for no-fluff security insights that actually work.#Cybersecurity #InfoSec #Governance #SOC2 #ISO27001 #StartupSecurity #SecurityLeadership #VirtualCISO #Compliance #RiskManagement #SecureByDesign
Welcome to The Virtual CISO. Your new source for real, actionable cybersecurity guidance. Whether you're aiming for ISO 27001, SOC 2, or just need scalable security strategy, this channel is for you.We cut the fluff and focus on what matters: helping startups, SaaS teams, and growing orgs build security that actually works.Subscribe and stay tuned because real security starts here.#VirtualCISO #Cybersecurity #SOC2 #ISO27001 #SaaSSecurity #InfoSec
Welcome to the Virtual CISO where we explain different compliance frameworks to enable your business processes.
On today's episode we talked about Third Party and Vendor Risk Management and why your organisation should approach it from a risk management perspective.
Thank you for listening.
Welcome to the Virtual CISO where we explain different compliance framework to enable your business processes.
On today's episode, we talked about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is the strongest global privacy law currently in effect. GDPR was created by the European Union (EU) to regulate how organizations collect, handle, and protect personal data of EU residents.
Thank you for listening.
Welcome to the Virtual CISO where we explain different compliance frameworks to enable your business processes.
On today's episode we talked about NIST 800 -53 as it relates to Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) and Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FEDRAMP).
The NIST 800-53 is a cybersecurity standard and a compliance framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It is designed to provide a foundation of strategies, systems, and controls, that can holistically support any organization’s cybersecurity needs and priorities. It also improves communication among organizations and allows them to speak using a shared language.
NIST 800-53 controls implementation and compliance standard are mostly mandated for federal information systems, agencies, government contractors and departments that work or are willing to work with the government.
Please listen to learn more and thank you in advance for listening.
