Randy Marchany
CISO
Virginia Tech
Randy Marchany is the CISO at Virginia Tech. He has 30 years of cybersecurity experience, has been a Senior SANS Institute instructor (instructor #2) since 1992, is a member of the Center for Internet Security Security Controls V8 working group, and is a co-holder of three cybersecurity patents.
Learn more about the Washington, DC CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I was a system administrator for 20 years, and then one of my servers got hacked. It took months to rebuild it, and I didn't want to repeat that experience, so I looked for computer security resources. I found a startup company in 1992 called the SANS Institute, joined them and that's how I got into cybersecurity.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Hire good people, give them a goal and let them figure out the best way to get there. Give them as much training as you can.
With disruption being a key theme of the past few years, where do you see your role as a CISO going in the next 1-2 years?
I see my role focused on refining the data protection strategy.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CISO?
Network with as many peers as possible, and speak at a conference or seminar.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I played in a band for 38 years (www.enessay.com), touring the US/UK/Europe. We released 9 albums, 6 of which were nominated for awards and 1 of them won, and I wrote the original theme song for the NPR program "World Cafe."
- I was a graduate assistant volleyball coach for a division 1 university.
- I love to ride bicycles and motorcycles.
What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?
I enjoy the networking opportunities with my peers from other sectors of industry.
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