Christian Espinosa offers human solution to the cybersecurity problem

Thanks to modern technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and the 'Internet of Things’, people can communicate faster and more efficiently than ever. However, communication isn't the only facet that has evolved. In just a few decades, technology has become an integral part of our lives, from how we do business, how we travel, and primarily how we socialize. While there's no denying that technology has undoubtedly made our lives easier, this modern way of life has also come with a cost. Today, people and businesses are at a greater risk of falling victim to cybercrime than ever before.

Experts and thought leaders within the cybersecurity industry have offered countless solutions to combating cybercrime, from decentralized cybersecurity solutions to AI that constantly learns how to deal with new threats. Unfortunately, so far, every time cybersecurity technology has gotten more potent, criminals have only gotten smarter. Innocent individuals have always found themselves at the losing end of this never-ending rat race, facing data theft, identity fraud, and even loss of personal finances. To better understand the gravity of the situation, it's essential to look at the data.

Between 2019 and 2020, reports of online identity theft in America doubled to a staggering 1.4 million cases, according to the US Federal Trade Commission. In addition, between 2020 and the beginning of 2021, Google reported over 2 million phishing sites. Experts now estimate that globally, cybercrime will cost $10.5 trillion annually within the next 5 years. Already, the tech industry has a prevalent perception that any business using the internet in any capacity will eventually fall victim to some cybercrime attack.

Christian Espinosa is the founder of Alpine Security and currently a Managing Director with Cerberus Sentinel. During his decades of experience within the cybersecurity industry, Christian began to notice a startling pattern emerge; not one of data and analytics, but a pattern of abject apathy prevalent across the entire industry.

In his new book, 'The Smartest Person in The Room,' Christian Espinosa expresses his belief that the solution to modern cybersecurity problems isn't a technological one but a human one. He believes that to stand a fighting chance in the war against cybercrime, cybersecurity companies need to foster a more emotionally intelligent workforce, one where individuals can work together with a strong focus on compassion and empathy for their fellow teammates, clients, and others around them.

In the book, Christian Espinosa offers business owners and leaders a clear and actionable methodology that they can implement to foster a more emotionally intelligent workforce. What he calls the 'Secure Methodology' is broken into seven steps.

The 7 Steps of Christian Espinosa's Secure Methodology are Awareness, Mindset, Acknowledgement, Communication, Monotasking, Empathy, and Kaizen.

Christian describes 'Awareness' as it pertains to the Secure Methodology, as awareness of ourselves and the world around us. In his book, Christian Espinosa insists that cybersecurity leaders must be aware of themselves and how their actions, choices, and behavior can affect others. Next, he encourages leaders to be mindful of those working with them and effectively communicate with their staff rather than simply assuming how they feel. According to him, this is the first step in fostering empathy amongst teams.

In his book, Christian Espinosa differentiates between two very different kinds of mindsets. He says that there are two kinds of philosophies: a 'growth' mindset and a 'fixed' mindset. According to Espinosa, people with a 'fixed' mindset will find themselves stuck in their ways, always believing they know better than everyone else around them, and unwilling to learn new ways of doing things. In contrast, those with a 'growth' mindset will be open-minded, willing to see different perspectives, and learn new things, which will allow them to come up with new solutions in an industry where innovation is always a hot commodity.

To better understand all seven aspects of the Secure Methodology, those interested should read Christian Espinosa's 'The Smartest Person in The Room' today.

Christian Espinosa has always been an exceptionally driven and forward-thinking person. A natural out-of-the-box thinker, Christian has a unique ability to see problems that others may not and create bold, innovative solutions to these problems.

After establishing and selling his cybersecurity firm, Alpine Security, he is now a Managing Director at Cerberus Sentinel. Christian Espinosa is something of a daredevil when he's not fighting cybercrime, having completed 24 Ironman Triathlons, 300 skydives, 200 scuba dives, and 50-mile ultramarathons—and training with the legendary Bear Grylls in the art of survival.

His next mission is to change the cybersecurity industry as we know it, replacing ego and apathy with a culture that will foster an emotionally intelligent and empathetic industry-wide workforce.

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