
Is your organization an Operator, a Builder, or a Governor? A leading figure in the information security industry shares how this knowledge helps CISOs fine-tune their security teams and tactics.
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Team Leader
Featured Full Team of Information Security Specialists
DevSecOps Engineer and Developer
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Engineering Experience
7+ Years
Enterprise Security Architect
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Engineering Experience
20+ Years
Enterprise Security Architect
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Engineering Experience
15+ Years
TRUSTED BY LEADING BRANDS
CSO & CTO, Technology Services
Ali is an IT leader and strategist with 25+ years of experience at IBM, Verizon, Thomson Reuters, and Cognizant. He has led global teams, building and scaling multibillion-dollar annual growth. As a turnaround and strategic growth expert, he has jump-started innovation, grown revenue, and improved productivity.
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OUR SERVICES
Our information security services support our clients with a wide range of capabilities for protecting assets, responding to potential cyberattacks, and managing security objectives against business risks by coordinating security controls and capabilities across people, processes, and technologies.
CSO & CTO, Technology Services
Ali is an IT leader and strategist with 25+ years of experience at IBM, Verizon, Thomson Reuters, and Cognizant. He has led global teams, building and scaling multibillion-dollar annual growth. As a turnaround and strategic growth expert, he has jump-started innovation, grown revenue, and improved productivity. He has worked across verticals and across a wide range of technologies including AI/ML, cloud, ERP, CRM, ITSM, cybersecurity, and others.
Previously at
Technology Experience
25+ Years
Delivery Manager
Rachael serves as a Delivery Manager at Toptal with a focus on leading diverse global teams in developing innovative solutions for our clients. She works across multiple disciplines, including technology, marketing, and management consulting. Rachael specializes in managing people and client relationships, process optimization, and driving teams toward optimal business outcomes.
Previously Managed Client
Experience
9+ Years
11+ Years
of Experience
Gaya is a cybersecurity expert who loves finding cracks in company security and creating powerful solutions to fill them. With numerous global CTF (capture the flag) competitions under her belt, Gaya excels in vulnerability management, cloud security, incident response, security awareness, and security risk management (PCI/DSS, ISO 27001, CMMC). Gaya is well versed with Qualys, Rapid7, Nessus, Splunk, Carbon Black, SentinelOne, Azure Sentinel, Azure cloud tools, as well as Kali Linux.
Previously at
13+ Years
of Experience
Ike is a senior cloud security engineer with 13+ years of experience and a solid knowledge of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publications, cybersecurity, cloud, and DevSecOps tools.
Previously at
11+ Years
of Experience
Mehmet is a software development and cybersecurity specialist with more than 11 years of experience. His recent tasks are evaluating security requirements, defining security architectures, designing and implementing security controls, and coordinating security activities for embedded and back-end systems. Mehmet is passionate about creating and developing secure software systems, cloud computing, IoT, embedded systems, and automotive cybersecurity.
Previously at
7+ Years
of Experience
Blessed is a senior information security analyst and engineer with 7+ years of experience aligning enterprise security architecture, policies, and processes with security standards and frameworks to meet business goals. He specializes in designing and implementing security solutions for enterprise-grade cyberdefense teams and conducting penetration testing. Blessed has also been in red/blue teams, implemented ISO 27001 ISMS, and operated as a security lead in a DevSecOps environment.
Previously at
17+ Years
of Experience
Don identifies company security risks and creates mitigation strategies using the tools and applications most appropriate for their environment. He implements technologies to address security requirements for existing legacy technologies, merging business concerns and migrations to new strategies such as cloud offerings and their subsequent iterations. Don establishes consensus between departments and business entities based upon solid communication skills and current security risk knowledge.
Previously at
7+ Years
of Experience
Greg is a seasoned and highly qualified cybersecurity and compliance executive. He has built and led cybersecurity and compliance teams in different healthcare, financial services, and pharmaceutical organizations throughout his career. Greg’s proven expertise in technical, administrative, and procedural controls for information protection allows him to help businesses keep their critical information secure, confidential, and intact.
Previously at
10+ Years
of Experience
Vanessa is an energetic and highly competent Certified Information Systems Security and Project Management Professional (CISSP, PMP). She has spent 10+ years successfully directing complex technical programs for companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Boeing. Vanessa also has an excellent track record of demonstrating leadership abilities, executive decision-making, complex problem-solving, detailed project planning, and effective communication.
Previously at
25+ Years
of Experience
Fattis is one of the most talented and seasoned information security executives in the market today. Having worked as a vCISO and a BISO director of business enablement and resilience for a Fortune 500, he brings together solid project management, communication, and documentation skills, specifically leveraging cybersecurity in business settings. Fattis is CAP, CDPSE, CISSP, and CRISC certified, and is highly effective in communicating cybersecurity issues to both technical and nontechnical staff.
Previously at
25+ Years
of Experience
Carl is a senior security architect with more than two decades of experience building security standards, developing security solutions, and ensuring the appropriate security controls are in place and functioning as designed before a project and infrastructure move into production. Principal security solutions and policies he has worked on include ServiceNow ITSM, GRC Archer, MS O365, ERP/billing systems, legal obligations solutions, a damage claim app, and QR mobile applications projects.
Previously at
30+ Years
of Experience
Joe is a seasoned security and infrastructure engineering professional with experience performing application and network assessments, writing and enforcing policies, providing defense for an enterprise environment, and administrating infrastructures.
Previously at
10+ Years
of Experience
Anurag is an experienced security professional with a strong background in incident handling and threat hunting based on different attack frameworks. He has expertise in Active Directory and cloud security (Azure), utilizing offensive security tools such as Bloodhound to identify and mitigate threats. He has played a key role in the development and deployment of SOC infrastructure. Anurag has delivered training to different tiers of the SOC team on security best practices, compliance, and the cyberthreat landscape.
Previously at
8+ Years
of Experience
Demmy is an information security architect with numerous years of experience in systems and security architecture. He has worked with different vendor products and platforms to achieve a cohesive and in-depth defense strategy.
Previously at
16+ Years
of Experience
Joseph is a cybersecurity professional who strives to be well-rounded while maintaining specialties in technical cybersecurity areas where he provides the best return on investment. As a master of many cybersecurity domains and fully qualified for all categories and levels of the IA workforce under Department of Defense (DoD) 8140 and 8570, he advocates team-based approaches and promotes knowledge-transferable, shared, and open-source-based methodologies whenever feasible.
Previously at
21+ Years
of Experience
Montasir is an InfoSec leader with 21+ years of experience managing cybersecurity and enterprise architecture. He has designed and enforced security solutions for complex IT systems, including creating five-year security technical architecture roadmaps. With solid technical expertise and a profound grasp of industry best practices, Montasir develops and executes cybersecurity strategies that effectively mitigate risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Previously at
5+ Years
of Experience
Anas is an IT security engineer with five years of experience helping organizations secure their SaaS platforms from threat actors. He is an expert in application security, cloud security, penetration testing, and information system compliance, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2. With keen attention to detail and the ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment, Anas outperforms clients’ expectations and provides agile and secure solutions to meet their business needs.
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INSIGHTS FROM THOUGHT LEADERS
Explore insights from industry leaders in information security, artificial intelligence, cloud services, marketing, management consulting, innovation, and more.
About the host
Michael Figueroa
Michael is a seasoned information security leader with experience at the Advanced Cyber Security Center and Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University.
AI isn't going to replace our entire workforce and anyone who thinks that is missing the boat. It's going to make us more efficient if we use it correctly.
Steve Orrin
Federal CTO and Senior Principal Engineer
Join Information Security Leader, Michael Figueroa, and Intel’s Federal CTO and Senior Principal Engineer, Steve Orrin, in an engaging chat about adapting to AI in a new era of cybersecurity.
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About the host
Michael Figueroa
Michael is a seasoned information security leader with experience at the Advanced Cyber Security Center and Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University.
About the guest
Steve Orrin
Discover the cutting-edge benefits our clients enjoy from the global Toptal network.
Challenge: Typical legal mediation can incur costs for clients ranging from filing fees to court fees and even travel expenses. While the rise of teleservices has lowered costs in fields such as medicine and finance, the requisite security and documentation needs for the mediation process previously made virtual solutions impossible.
Solution: A team of eight Toptal experts, from blockchain consultants to developers, performed deep research to extract client and user requirements, develop a product resource plan, and formulate a phased project roadmap. To deliver a cohesive mediation solution, the network needed consultation and communication capabilities, as well as complete document management.
Impact: Toptal’s iterative delivery and deployment allowed for constant user and stakeholder feedback, shortening the overall time to market to just 10 months by prioritizing high-impact features. Leveraging Stripe, the firm can seamlessly accept and transfer secure payments. Hosting the platform on Amazon EC2 allows for reliable, secure, cost-effective, and scalable infrastructure.
COLLABORATION THAT WORKS
Toptal matches you directly with global specialists from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
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Get a Free Consultation NowNEED WORLD-CLASS INFORMATION SECURITY SERVICES FAST?
Ali Faraj
CSO & CTO, Technology Services
OUR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Read the latest articles and resources to keep you current on emerging trends in business information security, cybersecurity skills and expertise, and more.
Is your organization an Operator, a Builder, or a Governor? A leading figure in the information security industry shares how this knowledge helps CISOs fine-tune their security teams and tactics.
Read MorePreviously at
Michael is a seasoned information security leader with experience at the Advanced Cyber Security Center and Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University.
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