The Wake UP X Solutions - Securing Tomorrow, Empowering Today with Efren L. Salazar

In this episode of the Wake UP X Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with network engineer Devin Prasad to talk about one of the most humbling and pivotal moments in his career journey. Devin had the skills. He had the passion. He was going home every single night teaching himself. Installing software. Learning the command line. Figuring things out on his own because that is what hunger looks li...

In this episode of the Wake UP X Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with network engineer Devin Prasad to unpack one of the boldest and most strategic career decisions he ever made. Devin Prasad had two job offers on the table. One paid more. One had more room to grow. Every single person in his life told him to take the money. His leads. His peers. Not one person was on his side. But Devin saw...

🎙️ Cathy Stephenson did not set out to work in cybersecurity. She landed in IT almost by accident and then outworked, out-learned, and out-networked her way to Security Engineer at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with Deputy CISO in her sights. In this episode of the WakeUpX Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with Cathy live at the ISACA Sacramento chapter event. Ca...

In this episode of the Wake UP X Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with network engineer and architect Devin for a conversation about one of the most underrated skills in all of tech. The ability to make the complex simple. Devin shares how he helped a desktop team finally understand network authentication not with a textbook or a technical walkthrough but with a nightclub analogy. Your PC acc...

In this episode of the Wake UP X Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with network engineer Devin for one of the most honest and practical conversations about what it actually takes to be great in tech. Spoiler. It's not just technical skill. Devin shares how showing up with empathy, humor, and genuine human connection allowed him to fix problems faster, build trust on the spot, and create la...

In this episode of the Wake UP X Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with network engineer Devin for a candid conversation about what it really takes to grow in the world of networking. From getting blamed for every outage to becoming a BGP expert trusted across teams, Devin's story is one every tech professional needs to hear. What we cover in this episode: 🔹 The "guilty until proven...

Larry Switzer opens this episode with a story about his grandfather, a man born in western Pennsylvania who never left except to fight World War II, and who lived to see humans walk on the moon. Larry's point is simple and powerful: the innovation cycle is only accelerating from here. At RSA 2026 in San Francisco, that acceleration was on full display. Autonomous Waymo vehicles navigating live...

A baseball player who hits .300 is a superstar. That means they fail 7 out of 10 times. In this closing segment of our RSA 2026 conversation, Larry Switzer of Ziggiz. AI shares the mindset that separates the people who make it in cybersecurity from those who burn out or give up: be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Larry breaks down why discomfort is not a problem to fix but a signal that you...

A huge thank you to ISACA Sacramento for hosting an incredible appreciation event and welcoming the WakeUpX team in to capture some amazing conversations. The energy in that room was something else, packed with passionate professionals, emerging talent, and leaders who genuinely invest in this community. We walked away with outstanding interviews and video content that we can't wait to share w...

Why can the biggest companies in cybersecurity see disruption coming and still not stop it? In this episode, Larry Switzer breaks down the innovator's dilemma and why business model is the real battleground for the next generation of cyber companies. When an incumbent is locked into how they charge customers, a startup running pure consumption pricing can win ground they simply cannot defend w...

⚡ 25 times more efficient than any SIEM. 980 times faster threat detection. Petabyte scale data ingestion at a fraction of the cost. In this episode of Wake Up X, Larry Switzer goes deep on the technology behind Ziggiz. AI and why it represents a fundamental rethinking of how cybersecurity platforms are built for the AI era. Most security platforms were designed around search. You collect logs, s...

“Trying is not failing. I don’t care what the outcome is. If you tried — you did not fail. Period.” That is how John Cuellar thinks. And after 30 years of building businesses from the ground up — through dot-com booms, market crashes, a deal that closed one month after September 11th, $130 million raised in a SaaS venture, and now an AI-driven enterprise built to solve the organizational problems...

🔐 Cybersecurity isn't just an IT problem — it's everyone's responsibility. In this episode of The Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, Efren sits down with Jorge Avila of Paleo Tech Group — recorded LIVE at RSA Conference 2025 — to talk about why protecting your data is a community effort, and how one simple LinkedIn message sparked this whole conversation. If you think cybersecurity doesn&#3...

This one is different. No studio. No prep. Just real people, real stories, and a microphone open to anyone willing to share their journey. WakeUpX host Efren Salazar showed up to the ISACA Sacramento Appreciation Day and did what he does best — started conversations that needed to be heard. He opened by sharing his own story. Growing up in West Sacramento in the 1990s surrounded by gangs. Isolated...

💡 What happens when 20 years of experience meets AI? You build a cybersecurity platform from scratch — and change your family's legacy forever. In this powerful episode of The Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, Efren sits down with Jorge Avila of Paleo Tech Group to talk about how Jorge went from working a traditional job to building his own cybersecurity software platform — powered by AI and drive...

Is your organization’s security architecture prepared for the era of AI-driven threats? In this episode of the Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with Larry Switzer, Head of North American Sales at Ziggiz, to dissect the critical flaws in legacy cybersecurity models and explore the future of cyber defense. As the cyber landscape evolves, traditional Security Information and...

🚫 "I don't have the resources." That's not a reason. That's an excuse. Let me say that louder for the people in the back. 👇We're all limited on technology, knowledge, and resources at some point. But guess what? That has NEVER been the real barrier. Right now, TODAY you have:📌 LinkedIn to connect with literally anyone in your industry📌 ChatGPT & AI tools to learn...

What does it really take to go from entry-level help desk to network architect and cybersecurity expert — without a four-year degree? In this episode, we sit down with Devin, a seasoned network architect and CISSP-certified cybersecurity professional, who shares the unfiltered story of how he built a 20-year career in IT from the ground up — starting with a high school electronics and robotics aca...

💪 Entrepreneurs aren't fearless. They're just built different — they feel the fear and do it anyway. In this episode of The Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, Efren sits down with Jorge Avila of Paleo Tech Group to break down one of the biggest questions in business: What separates entrepreneurs from people who stay on the traditional path? The answer? Tenacity. Resilience. And a community that...

🤖 Employers are already expecting 140 hours of work output from a 40 hour week — thanks to AI. Is your business ready? In this episode of The Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, recorded LIVE at RSA Conference 2025, Efren and Jorge Avila of Paleo Tech Group break down why AI is no longer optional for small businesses — and why ignoring it could cost you everything. This isn't just a buzzword. This i...

At RSA Conference 2026 in San Francisco, I sat down with Jorge Avila, co-founder of Paleo Tech Group, to talk about his journey from migrant farm worker roots in Texas to building an AI and cybersecurity startup. Jorge shares how COVID sparked his career change, why he's on a mission to close the digital divide for Latino and underserved communities, and how AI can fast-track anyone into entre...

🤖 AI is the business advisor you never knew you had — and it's FREE. In this episode of The Wake Up X Solutions Podcast, Efren sits down with Jorge Avila of Paleo Tech Group to talk about how AI is completely changing the game for entrepreneurs — especially in the Latino community. If you've ever thought about starting a business but didn't know where to begin, this episode is for YOU. 🚀🔥 What...

🎙️ Just wrapped an amazing conversation at RSA Conference with Ryan Doctor !We talked about:🔐 Breaking into cybersecurity from IT operations🤝 The power of networking (this is HUGE)🤖 How AI continues to dominate the cybersecurity space📍 And whether RSA is worth attending for beginnersOne thing that really stood out:“Networking has opened up so many opportunities, from learning to interviews.”If...

In this episode of the Wake Up X Solutions Podcast , Efren Salazar sits down with Michael Demetrius from P0 Security at RSA Conference 2026 . We dive into how Identity Access Management (IAM) is evolving with AI, cloud environments, and non-human identities . 💡 What you’ll learn: How to manage access across cloud, on-prem, and AI agents Why zero standing privilege is becoming essential How to red...

In this episode of the *Wake Up X Solutions Podcast*, I sit down with **Greg McCord**, CISO at Lightcast and founder of Keystone Advisory, to break down what cybersecurity really looks like for startups and growing businesses. We dive into: Why startups should think about security from the very beginning What a *fractional CISO* is and how it helps companies scale securely The biggest cybersecurit...