Welcome to the Vigilant Violet blog!
Here you will find a wealth of information, inspiration, education, and actionable insights to help you take the next step in your information security career.
From Promise to Preparedness: How to Secure AI and Keep Our Edge
GenAI is moving fast—faster than your risk register and definitely faster than your last governance meeting. Securing it isn’t just a tech puzzle; it’s a leadership challenge. In "Securing Generative AI: A Strategic Framework for Security Leaders," Pierre Mouallem lays out a solid foundation—but real-world security leaders know the real struggle isn’t in knowing what to do. It’s doing it at scale, under pressure, and without crushing the innovation we’re trying to protect. Let’s talk feasibility, friction, and what it really takes to get this right.
Noise Reduction: How to make Vulnerability Management a Real Threat Awareness Tool
Drowning in scanner alerts? You're not managing risk—you're babysitting noise.
Vulnerability scanners are just the start. Real security means going beyond alerts to validate what’s actually exploitable. Inspired by a sharp piece from Picus Security, this post dives into why CVSS scores and endless CVEs don’t tell the full story—and how exposure validation can turn chaos into clarity. Ready to shift from noise to nuance? Let’s go.
Why the Sum is Greater: Beyond the Footnote
I am the sum of my experiences. I am a leader, a builder, an adventurer, a mentor, a gardener, a runner, and a lifelong learner. Being transgender? It’s just a footnote.
Diversity: Leadership Lessons from Norwegian Disaster Movies
When I find myself defaulting to my “American” viewpoint and problem-solving, I stop. I ask myself, “How would I approach this problem from a different cultural mindset”? And if I find myself short of an answer, I know to ask those in the region.
Resilience: How to Overcome Marginalization by Reframing Thought
I wondered, “Why do I want others to feel pain?” And at that moment, a realization came to me. The people who voted differently than I did have been feeling like I feel now. They have been living in some state of suffering. They see their vote as a way to feel “better.” I mean, common sense should suggest that 100% of voters who voted the opposite of how I did do NOT want to kill me. Do not want to harm me. They want a government that serves them, just as I do.
Refill Your Tank: How to Avoid Burnout and Create Safe Spaces for Healthy Teams
Many still see empathy as a practice of the weak, but it is a core strength for a leader. Empathy builds trust, and trust builds high-functioning teams.
Lean Forward: How to Navigate Career Changes During an Economic Crisis
Some say we are again in an employment bust cycle. For information technology, at least, the last couple of years have been hell for finding new work. As I look out at my peers and others I’ve worked with, I see two trends...