DevSec For Scale Podcast – Cybersecurity Advocacy w/ Ashish Rajan, cloudsecuritypodcast.tv

In this episode of the “DevSec for Scale” podcast, host Jeremy Hess welcomes Ashish Rajan, the CISO at PageUp People and host of the Cloud Security Podcast. Ashish discusses his journey in cyber advocacy and highlights the parallels between the rise of DevOps and the current evolution of cyber advocacy. He emphasizes the need for more security professionals to advocate for security within the tech community, similar to how developer advocacy has grown in prominence over the years.

Ashish outlines the current state of cyber advocacy, noting that it is primarily focused on the developer space, often neglecting the specific needs of security professionals. He shares his experience in cloud security advocacy and expresses the importance of building communities around security issues. By drawing on his background and the success of his podcast, Ashish illustrates the potential for greater impact if more security-focused advocacy initiatives were developed.

The conversation then shifts to the relationship between developer advocacy and cyber advocacy. Ashish explains that while developer advocacy has flourished due to the DevOps movement, cyber advocacy has not yet seen the same level of adoption. He believes that a lack of clear definitions and roles for cyber advocates is one of the reasons for this gap. He argues for the creation of more defined roles for cyber advocates to bridge this gap, particularly in areas like cloud security, where the lines between development and security are often blurred.

Finally, Ashish shares insights on how developers can transition into cybersecurity roles. He suggests that developers collaborate with their organization’s cybersecurity teams to gain practical experience and knowledge. He also emphasizes the value of cloud security as a starting point for developers interested in cybersecurity, given the growing importance of cloud services and the relatively low barrier to entry. Ashish concludes by encouraging developers to continuously educate themselves and engage with the security community to stay ahead in their careers.