What does it take to go from the military to leading a cybersecurity company? In this episode of Authentically Cyber, I sit down with Yvonne Rivera — CEO, CISO, and Co-Founder of CyberMyte to learn about her journey.

Yvonne is an Army veteran and cybersecurity leader who has been working in government and national security since 2002. After transitioning out of the military, she found herself drawn to the structure and processes within technology — and quickly realized there was a major gap. Small businesses needed help navigating federal cybersecurity requirements… without the cost and complexity designed for large enterprises.

So she built the solution.

Timestamps

:00 Introduction

1:12 Finding technology in the Army

2:17 Technical responsibilities in the Army

6:00 Building a cyber program within a hospital

9:41 Using learned skills from the military

12:16 How to push through the fear of failure

15:30 Our love for to-do list on paper 17:30 Small businesses being left behind in federal space

17:55 The decision to build a cloud for CyberMyte

20:25 What surprises Yvonne about owing a business

21:32 What it's like to be a CEO

23:20 Hard truths about running a business

25:45 Why Microsoft isn't always safe

28:15 Small businesses are being taken advantage of

30:38 Where small businesses can begin

33:20 Advice if you're considering starting a business