Illumio’s CTO and Co-founder Shares 5 Zero Trust Tips

Security initiatives are of paramount importance for any organization, especially when they align seamlessly with your business goals, igniting the spark of organizational growth and propelling it towards resounding success – a feat easier said than done. But Zero Trust security principles can help! Illumio CTO and Co-founder PJ Kirner joined me on this week’s episode of The Segment: A Zero Trust Leadership Podcast to unpack how Zero Trust and business transformation go hand-in-hand.  

In this episode, we discussed Illumio’s founding story and the Zero Trust principles that the organization was established on, the need to limit “implicit trust,” how data-driven decision-making drives innovation at Illumio, and what PJ is expecting to see at this year’s RSA Conference (hint: AI is top of mind).  

Together, we delved into the captivating founding story of Illumio and the core Zero Trust principles that laid its very foundation. An essential aspect we touched upon was the pressing need to limit “implicit trust,” a factor that can prove detrimental to any security strategy.

A key takeaway from our engaging conversation was the crucial role that data-driven decision-making plays in driving innovation at Illumio. PJ Kirner's expertise, honed over 20 years in engineering, particularly in navigating the complexities of data centers, brings a unique perspective to the realm of security.

The Segment episode 6: Illumio CTO and Co-founder PJ Kirner  

As Illumio's CTO and Co-founder, PJ is responsible for Illumio’s technology vision and platform architecture. PJ has 20 years of experience in engineering, with a focus on addressing the complexities of data centers.

Prior to Illumio, PJ Kirner's journey included a distinguished tenure as CTO at Cymtec, as well as various impactful roles at Juniper Networks, where he focused on advancing network security and layer 4-7 services plane. Such experiences have contributed to his holistic vision as the CTO of Illumio, shaping the technology vision and platform architecture of our organization.

Implementing Zero Trust across the business can mean achieving better outcomes, more trust from customers, and a smoother path towards growth. For PJ, this has been the goal of not only advocating for Zero Trust principles but also applying them within Illumio! Here are my top takeaways from this week’s episode:  

• 0:47 – The Illumio founding story  
• 11:39 – What do submarines and cyber resilience have in common?  
• 14:55 – Overcoming implicit trust  
• 24:40 – Validating ideas with data  
• 36:13 – What a CTO hopes to see at RSA  

Read the full episode transcript.  

Listen to the next episode on May 1

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