For those of you who don’t know Jason Loomis, here’s a quick rundown. Jason has been in the information security industry for 20 years in a wide range of industries including TechStyle Fashion Group, ProKarma, and Mellon Capital Management. For the last three years, he has been mindbody’s CISO, a SaaS technology platform for the wellness industry. He’s a senior executive who drives organizational change by building, leading, and mentoring high-performing IS/IT teams.
We recently sat down with Jason to see what has been top of mind in the world of cybersecurity:
On cyber threats with mergers and acquisitions
In referencing the 2018 M&A of Marriott Starwood data breach, he knows that there is a real risk with any M&A. You need to understand your risk from the outset, and while it may impact the valuation of the company, it doesn’t need to derail the M&A.
On who has the tightest security
In his experience, banking and finance have the tightest security – they also have the tightest regulation. But in terms of ‘cutting-edge’ cybersecurity technology – SaaS companies lead the way. It is also interesting to note that while most SaaS companies are cloud-based, banking and finance are likely still accessing the mainframe.
On social media
Yes Jason is on social media and he has gotten questions from peers and friends about sharing information on social channels, but Jason doesn’t have an issue with how the platforms are using his data. He knows that if the product is free, he is the product. He is aware of the risks and because of this, is hyper-aware of what content he does share.
On sensitive information and SaaS
Saas companies should not be in the business of storing sensitive information like credit card info. Some companies can tokenize this data for you and will reduce your overall risk portfolio. His other tip is to hire developers who have experience and knowledge in cybersecurity at the start to ensure it is built into your product.
On preventing future SolarWinds
This is where our panel on April 7 is going to get interesting. The panel will discuss how to prevent a future SolarWinds hack, but Jason will be our devil’s advocate who believes that if someone wants into your data or information, then they’re going to get in. The best thing to do is to prepare for what comes after.
You can join Jason along with Jimmy Mesta, Tyler Young, and Samantha Schwartz for our SolarWinds Deep Dive at Spotlight on Cybersecurity on April 7th at 4:00 PM EST.