Guardians of the Data

What if the biggest threat to your data wasn't a hacker, but your own success at collecting it? On this episode of Guardians of the Data, host Ward Balcerzak sits down with Andy Soodek, a privacy strategist and data governance expert with over three decades in the industry, to make a case that reframes the whole conversation: data protection was never a project with an end date. Andy breaks down w...

AI has changed the conversation around cybersecurity, but according to Anand Thangaraju, the real challenge has not changed at all: protecting what matters most. In this episode, Ward talks to Anand where he explains why proprietary data has become every organization's most valuable asset and why traditional security approaches are struggling to keep pace. From data lineage and insider risk to age...

Most organizations have spent decades classifying data without ever asking the most important question: what are we actually trying to do with that classification? In this episode, David Smith, a cybersecurity leader with 30 years of experience across financial services, biopharma, consulting, and the vendor space, reframes the entire data governance conversation around one deceptively simple idea...

What happens when a ransomware threat actor claims they have 380 gigabytes of your data and you have no idea what is actually in it? That was the reality Zach Lewis faced, and it became the catalyst for one of the most thorough data governance journeys you will hear on this show. In this episode, Ward sits down with Zach Lewis, CIO and CISO in the healthcare and higher education space, author of "...

What would happen if someone asked your team right now who has access to your most sensitive data and why? For most organizations, that question alone exposes just how far they still have to go. In this episode, Jason Torres draws on over 20 years of experience in healthcare cybersecurity to make the case that data security still comes down to two fundamentals that most organizations haven't crack...

What if someone asked you right now where your most sensitive data lives? Most organizations would struggle to give a confident answer. In this episode, Tony Schimizzi draws on years of consulting experience to make a point that cuts to the core of modern data security: this is no longer just a cybersecurity problem. It has become a large-scale business operations and governance challenge. Tony br...

What's your biggest data security blind spot? Today's guest, Cory Zaner, Senior Enterprise Architect for critical infrastructure and trusted advisor to executive leaders, joins Ward to discuss why organizations continue to struggle with data security fundamentals, and what it actually takes to fix them. With over 20 years of experience across energy, manufacturing, and defense industries, Cory dra...

What data do you have, where does it live, and who has access to it? These three questions sit at the heart of every data security challenge and according to Brian Cherry, most organizations still can't answer them.  In this episode, Brian, a Global Director of Information Security with over 20 years in cybersecurity, joins Ward to dig into the sprawling reality of data security: why data never st...

What would happen if your AI searched all your data right now? Today’s guest, Kevin Feck, Director of Data Protection and Security Architect, joins Ward to unpack how AI is reshaping the data security landscape. With over two decades in cybersecurity, Kevin shares why the industry’s long-standing challenges of data classification, access control, and visibility have suddenly become urgent in the a...

How can organizations govern AI responsibly when the technology (and the risks) are evolving faster than ever? In this episode of Guardians of the Data, Ward sits down with Sweeney Williams, Head of Responsible AI, to unpack the biggest challenge facing data security today ... speed. With over 20 years of experience spanning cybersecurity, privacy, and AI governance, Sweeney shares how the rapid a...

Are security teams already behind on AI? And what does it take to catch up? In this episode of Guardians of the Data, Ben Rothke joins the show to break down the biggest data security challenges facing organizations today and why many of them are harder to solve than ever before. With over 30 years in cybersecurity, Ben shares a grounded perspective on how the landscape has evolved from simpler pe...

How much of your company’s data is completely unknown? And what risk is it creating? In this episode, Ward sits down with Brent Bigelow: security consultant, President of the Charlotte ISSA, and a cybersecurity veteran with nearly four decades of experience. They unpack one of the most persistent and overlooked challenges in data security: unstructured data. Brent shares why unstructured data rema...

What if your DLP tool is slowing your business down instead of protecting it? In this episode, Andrew Wilder shares why traditional data loss prevention (DLP) programs have struggled to deliver real value, and what needs to change in an AI-driven world. Drawing from decades of experience leading security programs at global organizations, he breaks down the core challenge most teams still face: rel...

How do you protect sensitive data without becoming the bottleneck in a business that’s moving faster than ever? Today, Ketan Gotmare shares how nearly two decades in cybersecurity have shaped his perspective on modern data protection and why today’s biggest challenge isn’t a lack of tools, but a fundamental imbalance between speed and control. He introduces the concept of the “velocity versus cont...

How can the super technical cybersecurity leaders communicate risk and protection to other business leaders? Today, we unpack a huge topic: how to “speak business” when you’re a technology leader. We take a look back at recent episodes to hear from real cybersecurity experts on how they convey risk and security concerns to people who don't have the technical expertise. This episode brings together...

What is the first step in building an effective data security and data governance strategy? In this re-aired episode, we revisit a powerful conversation with Hans Vargas, Enterprise Data Protection Lead at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Hans shares timeless insights on one of the most persistent challenges in data security: understanding what data actually matters and how to protect it effectivel...

Are organizations focusing on the wrong things when it comes to data security? In this episode of Guardians of the Data, Anand Pallapalayam, an enterprise data protection leader with nearly 30 years of experience, explains why the biggest data security challenge isn’t technology, it’s people. Anand breaks down the classic “three Ps” of security: people, process, and products. He argues that educat...

Are your AI models amplifying bias and exposing your organization to data scraping risks without you realizing it? Today, Ward sits down with Areejit Banerjee, Senior Manager of Data Protection and Product Strategy and published author, to unpack one of the biggest challenges in modern cybersecurity: protecting data in the age of artificial intelligence. With over 20 years of experience across ban...

Why do so many security leaders struggle to build lasting, effective programs, even as technology keeps getting better? In this episode, Ward sits down with retail CISO Mark Alvarado to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in cybersecurity leadership: technical expertise alone isn’t enough anymore. With over 20 years of experience across digital risk, IT infrastructure, and data privacy, Mark...

How do you secure AI when you don’t have data inventory, classification, identity controls, and governance frameworks? You can’t. In this episode of Guardians of the Data, Ward sits down with Jason Elrod, Founder of Limitless Cyber and CISO of a multi-billion-dollar healthcare system, to unpack the real risks and realities of AI in today’s enterprise. Jason makes it clear: AI may be the biggest em...

What happens when your AI system has more access to your data than your employees (and you don’t even know it)? Sanjeev Kumar, Senior Global AI & Data Protection Lead at Amazon Web Services, joins Ward on the podcast today for a deep dive into the real risks organizations face as AI moves from experimentation to production. With more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience and a career that...

Is leadership the real reason data security keeps breaking down? In this episode of Guardians of the Data, host Ward Balcerzak sits down with Joshua Copeland, Director of Cybersecurity at Crescendo. With more than 25 years of experience across IT, cybersecurity, and government, Joshua brings a refreshingly honest perspective: most security failures don’t come from bad tools; they come from misalig...

Are we solving the cybersecurity talent problem the wrong way? The cybersecurity industry has no shortage of open roles, yet thousands of capable candidates still can’t land their first job. In this episode of Guardians of the Data, Ward Balcerzak sits down with Marlene DeHart, cybersecurity executive, advisor, and Air Force Reserve veteran, to explore why the problem isn’t a lack of interest or i...

What happens when the systems that move people and power our world aren’t secure? In this episode of Guardians of the Data, host Ward Balcerzak sits down with Arturo Santos, Director of Cybersecurity Architecture at Amtrak, to explore the growing risks facing operational technology (OT), the realities of protecting critical infrastructure, and why data governance, AI, and industry collaboration ar...

Is your data security strategy still focused on where your data lives, or have you evolved to protect it where it flows? Ward sits down with Frank DePaola, Vice President and CISO at EnPro and recipient of the 2025 Top Global CISO award. With over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, Frank shares a masterclass on navigating the complexities of modern data security, from the "data sprawl" of th...