CyberWire Daily - Kevin Magee: Focus on the archer. (CSO) [Career Notes]

Episode Date: March 21, 2021

Chief Security Officer of Microsoft Canada Kevin Magee shares his background as a historian and how it applies to his work in cybersecurity. Likening himself to a dashing Indiana Jones, Kevin talks about how he sees history unfolding and the most interesting things right now are happening in security. Spending time tinkering with things in the university's computer room under the stairs gave way to Kevin's love affair with technology. As Chief Security Officer, Kevin says he uses an analogy: "I think we focus on the arrows, not the the archer" meaning there's too much focus on the attacks rather than the ones mounting them. As a historian and witness to our current history, Kevin sees the changes all affecting cybersecurity. We thank Kevin for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to the Cyber Wire Network, powered by N2K. of you, I was concerned about my data being sold by data brokers. So I decided to try Delete.me. I have to say, Delete.me is a game changer. Within days of signing up, they started removing my personal information from hundreds of data brokers. I finally have peace of mind knowing my data privacy is protected. Delete.me's team does all the work for you with detailed reports so you know exactly what's been done. Take control of your data and keep your private life Thank you. JoinDeleteMe.com slash N2K and use promo code N2K at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com slash N2K and enter code N2K at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com slash N2K, code N2K. Hi, I'm Kevin McGee, and I'm the Chief Security Officer of Microsoft Canada.

Well, I'm actually educated as a historian, and that's what my degree is, and that's kind of how I think about myself. And that point of view of my early education has really shaped my life and my career. And I don't look at my work maybe necessarily the way the peers do. I see history unfolding sort of before me. And the most interesting things happening right now in our history, I think, are happening in security. And I think that's what gravitated towards this as a career. This is a career. Like most people my age, I grew up in the 70s and 80s, sort of tinkering with computers. And I went off to university in the early 90s at the dawn of the internet and started spending less and less time in the library and more in the computer room down underneath

the stairs, tinkering with things. And it was that sort of love affair with technology that began at that point in my life that has carried me through. My day-to-day work is really just diving in and supporting my people, supporting our customers. That's really what my job is all about. And it's not necessarily about the technology. I think most people think of a chief security officer as very technology focused um and i think we we spend too much time thinking about the technologies i use an analogy i think we we focus on the arrows not the the archer i spend a lot more time thinking about the adversary thinking about why they do things

what are their motivations and that's informed often by sort of the background of the individual or the threat actor or the nation state that's really mounting these attacks. Far too often I think the media focuses on the attacks that are called a riot attack or a maze attack. They're naming the weapon that's that's what focuses on the arrow. I'm much more interested in the archer and understanding who they are what their motivations are and what what they do. And again, I think that background of a historian's education and thinking about the individual and what their biases are, what their motivations are, has really informed my ability to do my job much better. It's an interesting time to be a leader in technology and in particular in cyber.

And this is one of the things I'm most interested in right now is really defining what that next emerging leader in our industry is going to look like and how we can assist them. Because the current leadership was forged in a different time and a different set of challenges. And I see just the talent coming up out of school and really gaining their foothold in their careers. It's just amazing and excellent. And they require different things than we did. So I spent a lot of time trying to understand what the next generation of leadership will look like,

how I can affect it, how I can shape it, and how I can be there to support those future leaders as well. how I can shape it and how I can be there to support those future leaders as well. If you think of a historian, at least how I like to think of us, you know, we're clever, we're intelligent, we're resourceful, we're, of course, dashing. You know, all the great heroes, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Laura Croft, we're all historians. But Winston Churchill had a quote that I like and said, the farther back you look, the farther forward you're likely to see. And that's been really true for my career. Learning how to propose a hypothesis, test that hypothesis, do research, look at primary sources, look at secondary sources objectively, has made me a much better cybersecurity professional. So I think that level of diversity has really brought a different perspective and a different degree of success to my career. And I was hesitant in my early days to share with my technology friends that I had an arts degree, but now I've embraced it and find

I'm often asked, hey, how did it affect your career? And I really believe in retrospect, it was one of the best decisions I made. So, again, being sort of the historian, I don't want to write the history. I want to be there to witness it. And I think that's the critical thing for me, the chance to be there at the most interesting points in the times in my life. I was there in the 90s.

I was part of the dot-com craze and was able to be part of a startup. I was there at Y2K when nothing happened. I saw the rise of the internet. I'm seeing all the changes that are affecting our world. And most of them, regardless whether it's economics, national security, criminology, leadership, espionage, war, they're all being driven and remade and reshaped by digital transformation and cybersecurity.

And I've had the chance to have a front row seat to these world events, which is fascinating. And also I want to make sure that I've made a difference in some of the folks' lives like many of the mentors did in mine. And at the end of my career, if even a few folks can put up their hand and say, you know, Kevin helped me achieve this in my career or showed me a different path or opened my eyes to a new opportunity, that would be great enough for me. Thank you. that deliver measurable impact. Secure AI agents connect, prepare, and automate your data workflows,

helping you gain insights, receive alerts, and act with ease through guided apps tailored to your role. Data is hard. Domo is easy. Learn more at ai.domo.com. That's ai.domo.com.