AI agents don’t just answer questions, they take actions. That’s the shift that keeps a lot of security leaders up at night, because when software can move fast enough to outrun review, trust becomes the real control plane. We sit down with Jaz Lin, founder and CEO of Skyrelis, to talk about what it looks like to build AI agent security when speed is the default and quality is too often optional.

Jaz’s path is the kind that only makes sense in the rearview mirror: aspiring journalist and chief editor, then network engineer, CCIE, security leader across major vendors, and finally someone who has lived on both sides of the table. We dig into why journalism and cybersecurity share the same muscle: working the facts, challenging assumptions, separating false positives from true positives, and staying honest about what you can’t prove yet. That outsider perspective shows up again and again as we talk about identity, belonging, and how to keep your own voice in an AI era that rewards the most predictable pattern.

Then we get concrete about AI governance and AI runtime security. Engineering teams can ship agentic workflows at a pace security teams can’t always see, creating a growing visibility gap. Jaz explains why prompts and instructions aren’t enough, what “black and white” runtime controls could look like, and why she believes policy should be decoupled from applications so it can be enforced consistently across cloud environments and SaaS products.

If you care about AI security, agent visibility, policy enforcement, and keeping humans accountable for decisions, this one will sharpen your thinking. Subscribe, share this with a security friend, and leave a review so more builders and buyers can find the conversation.

This episode is brought to you by Onyxia Cyber — the Operational Cyber Resilience Platform that turns security data and asset intelligence into action. Onyxia helps security teams spot risk early, sharpen their strategy, and tie day-to-day operations to measurable business outcomes. Trusted by Fortune 500 leaders. Book a demo and mention Voices of the Vigilant to get your first month free → https://www.onyxia.io/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=vigilant_violet

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When data “walks out the door,” the hardest part isn’t always the malware, it’s the human story behind the keyboard. We sit down with Ankara Managing Director Alyssa Lisiewski, a cyber forensics and intelligence practitioner who has worked across the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, and enterprise security, and who has testified as an expert witness in federal and military courts. Together, we unpack what it really takes to follow a digital trail when the threat actor is unknown, evidence is messy, and the stakes are high.

Alyssa shares how early curiosity with computers, a criminology foundation, and years of hands-on digital forensics shaped her investigative approach. We talk about the pivot from classic crime scene fascination into computer forensics, the value of mentors who take a chance on you, and the grind of working full time while earning a graduate degree. From there we get into “preventive forensics” and thinking like an adversary, how threat intelligence connects to forensic analysis, and why insider threat and insider risk are rarely just technical problems.

We also go where security conversations often avoid: the psychological weight of major crimes work, what it means to see people at their worst, and why boundaries matter when compartmentalization starts to fail, especially after becoming a parent or working from home. Alyssa explains how she now blends threat actor attribution, deep forensic investigations, and post-breach litigation support, and why building flexible, sustainable roles is the future of cyber investigations.

Subscribe for more practical security conversations, share this with someone building a career in digital forensics or insider threat, and leave a review so more listeners can find Voices of the Vigilant.

This episode is brought to you by Onyxia Cyber — the Operational Cyber Resilience Platform that turns security data and asset intelligence into action. Onyxia helps security teams spot risk early, sharpen their strategy, and tie day-to-day operations to measurable business outcomes. Trusted by Fortune 500 leaders. Book a demo and mention Voices of the Vigilant to get your first month free → https://www.onyxia.io/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=vigilant_violet

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A lot of people think cybersecurity has one “right” entry point: computer science degree, IT help desk, then a straight climb into security. Courtney Hans is living proof that the best security leaders often come from the roads nobody expects. She’s led adventure travelers through remote terrain, earned an MBA, built security programs as a first security hire inside a fast moving SaaS startup, and now serves as VP of Cyber Services at ANV Cyber helping policyholders use cyber insurance as a relationship that reduces risk, not just a payout after a bad day.

We get into how confidence is built, not gifted. Courtney shares the real experiences that taught her “I can do hard things,” and why that matters when you’re laid off, starting over, or walking into a board level conversation. From there, we unpack the day to day reality of security leadership: influence without ownership, trust as your main lever, and why curiosity beats fear based messaging when you’re trying to build a security first culture.

You’ll also hear a grounded take on modern cyber risk management, including how insurance questionnaires miss nuance, how to avoid wasting budget on the wrong security tools, and why hardening what you already own in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 can deliver fast wins. We touch AI security, changing best practices, and the leadership skill of saying “I don’t know yet” while still staying accountable and helpful.

If you’re planning a cybersecurity career pivot, hiring security talent, or trying to make security work for the business instead of against it, this conversation will give you language, frameworks, and a mindset you can use immediately. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s considering a pivot, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

This episode is brought to you by Onyxia Cyber — the Operational Cyber Resilience Platform that turns security data and asset intelligence into action. Onyxia helps security teams spot risk early, sharpen their strategy, and tie day-to-day operations to measurable business outcomes. Trusted by Fortune 500 leaders. Book a demo and mention Voices of the Vigilant to get your first month free → https://www.onyxia.io/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=vigilant_violet

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