May 10Cybersecurity and the Australian Federal Budget 2023I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the budget so you don’t have to. Initial thoughts The budget documents deliberately call out that the government will be spending $101.6 million over the next five years (and $11.8 million per year ongoing) to support and uplift cybersecurity in Australia. As I said…Cybersecurity4 min readCybersecurity4 min read
Oct 25, 2022Cybersecurity and the Australian Federal Budget: October 2022 EditionAs with the past few budgets, I looked for the cybersecurity line items so you don’t have to. Initial Thoughts Not much to see this time around. This was very light in the way of additional cybersecurity spend, with most of the funding already outlined in the coalition’s budget earlier this year…Cybersecurity2 min readCybersecurity2 min read
Jun 19, 2022RSA Conference 2022 RecapKey takeaways from the world’s largest cybersecurity conference This wasn’t my first RSA Conference in San Francisco. Given the state of the world however, it was the first time I’d been able to attend for a number of years. It was a privilege to be back. Thank you Investment NSW…Rsac20225 min readRsac20225 min read
Mar 29, 2022Cybersecurity and the Australian Federal Budget 2022I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the budget so you don’t have to. Initial Thoughts I commented in my corresponding post when last year’s budget was released that: “This (2021) budget continues the historical trend of spending a significant amount on national security, which includes cybersecurity, but having most of…Cybersecurity4 min readCybersecurity4 min read
Sep 21, 2021Behind the scenes of year two at a venture-backed cybersecurity startupAvertro just turned two. These are some of the real moments from our second year. If you’re wondering what happened in year one, I wrote about it last year. 5th September 2020 “Oh s***, we’re a year old,” I thought to myself. “It’s a Saturday, so we can’t really have a team meeting…Startup14 min readStartup14 min read
Sep 9, 2021Founder mental healthToday is R U OK Day, so I’m asking myself if I’m really ok. Team member: Ian, are you ok? I feel like you ask everyone else if they’re ok. But I don’t know if they ever ask you back. So, I’m asking. Me: You know there’s always something bothering…Mental Health4 min readMental Health4 min read
Aug 15, 2021How to get an entry-level cybersecurity job in 2021There is no shortage of people wanting to break into the industry, so how do you stand out? The unicorn A few years ago, I hired someone into our team at one of my previous employers. Despite having zero commercial cybersecurity experience yet wanting to break into the industry, they weren’t sure…Cybersecurity8 min readCybersecurity8 min read
Jun 22, 2021Cybersecurity and the NSW Budget 2021-22I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the NSW budget so you don’t have to Initial thoughts Despite the recent release of the NSW Government’s updated Cyber Security Strategy, very little cyber has actually made it into the budget. While the budget includes $500 million of additional funding allocated to the…Cybersecurity2 min readCybersecurity2 min read
May 19, 2021How I write presentationsI’ve been asked by a number of people how I do this, so here’s a few tips. I’ve delivered more than a thousand presentations over the years. Some for small audiences, and occasionally for thousands of people. This article isn’t about the act of doing a presentation. That is a…Tips5 min readTips5 min read
May 11, 2021Cybersecurity and the Australian Federal Budget 2021I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the budget so you don’t have to Initial thoughts This budget continues the historical trend of spending a significant amount on national security, which includes cybersecurity, but having most of the money directed towards the government’s own departments. We cannot be cyber resilient as…3 min read3 min read
