
Is your organization an Operator, a Builder, or a Governor? Toptal's Information Security Practice Lead, Michael Figueroa, reveals how this knowledge helps CISOs fine-tune their security teams and tactics.
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Information Security Practice Lead
Michael, as the former President of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and a past chief information security officer (CISO), brings a depth of industry expertise to his leadership of Toptal's Information Security Services. Michael's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT.
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Michael is dedicated to helping Toptal clients and talent more effectively navigate the industrywide skills gap with a security-centric application of the world’s largest distributed network of highly skilled talent. As the former president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and a past chief information security officer, he brings a depth of industry expertise to his leadership of Toptal’s Information Security Services. Michael’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT.Michael is dedicated to helping Toptal clients and talent more effectively navigate the industrywide skills gap with a security-centric application of the world’s largest distributed network of highly skilled talent. As the former president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and a past chief information security officer, he brings a depth of industry expertise to his leadership of Toptal’s Information Security Services. Michael’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT.
Former President Of
Information Security Practice Lead
Michael has more than 20 years of experience as a security consultant, principal investigator, and trusted advisor to startups, nonprofits, and government officials. He is dedicated to helping Toptal clients navigate the industrywide skills gap with a security-centric application of the world’s largest distributed network of top talent. As the former president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and a past chief information security officer, Michael brings a depth of industry expertise to his leadership of Toptal’s Information Security Services.
Previously at
Technology Experience
20+ 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
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. He has in-depth knowledge of information security, information technology, and information warfare. Joe is a competent Python programmer, adding automation and integration that reduces workloads.
Previously at
13+ Years
of Experience
Mohammad is a seasoned cybersecurity professional who excels in translating cybersecurity into practical business language. He is well versed in cybersecurity risk management and compliance and experienced with standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 22301, GDPR, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Previously at
21+ Years
of Experience
Montasir is an InfoSec leader with more than 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
10+ Years
of Experience
Peter is a security professional with more than 10 years of experience helping major multinational companies secure their infrastructures and customers.
Previously at
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 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). She is well versed in Qualys, Rapid7, Nessus, Splunk, Carbon Black, SentinelOne, Microsoft Sentinel, Azure cloud tools, and Kali Linux.
Previously at
12+ Years
of Experience
Arun is a senior DevSecOps architect with more than 12 years of experience and a master’s degree in information technology. He has worked with government departments, banks, telecoms, healthcare companies, and small- to medium-scale enterprises worldwide.
Previously at
20+ 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 to both technical and nontechnical staff.
Previously at
18+ Years
of Experience
Claudio has more than 18 years of software development experience and a cybersecurity degree. He has worked in back-end, front-end, and full-stack development; DevSecOps; application security; penetration testing; and solutions architecture.
Previously at
18+ Years
of Experience
Poliana is an embedded security engineer with more than 18 years of experience integrating embedded systems in the automotive and aerospace products industry. Her expertise includes security requirements, threat modeling, risk analysis, secure architecture, and compliance based on systems engineering fundamentals.
Previously at
10+ Years
of Experience
Gökay is a senior manager and principal advisor specializing in cybersecurity, information security, audit, and standards and regulations.
Previously at
7+ Years
of Experience
Nicaury is a security engineer with more than seven years of experience in information security, cybersecurity, and systems administration. She has worked in fast-paced, remote environments for years, developing excellent communication and leadership skills. Nicaury is a certified professional with proven problem-solving and analytical skills and the ability to adapt to any team.
Previously at
22+ Years
of Experience
Chris is a pioneer in ethical hacking and a Linux systems engineer with multiple certifications and more than 22 years of experience. He is well known in ethical hacking and open-source communities and has been mentioned in books and documentaries.
Previously at
5+ Years
of Experience
Anas is an IT security engineer with more than 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.
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.
Previously at
7+ Years
of Experience
Blessed is a senior information security analyst and engineer with more than seven 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
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About the host
Michael Figueroa
Michael leads a global consulting practice that disrupts traditional hiring by matching top experts from the Toptal network with leading companies. Before joining Toptal, Michael served as president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center, and held other roles in the field, including consultant, principal investigator, advisor to government officials, and chief information security officer.
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 Toptal’s Information Security Practice Lead, 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 leads a global consulting practice that disrupts traditional hiring by matching top experts from the Toptal network with leading companies. Before joining Toptal, Michael served as president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center, and held other roles in the field, including consultant, principal investigator, advisor to government officials, and chief information security officer.
About the guest
Steve Orrin
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Toptal vCISO ensures world-class security for nonprofit children's hospital trust.
Challenge: Nonprofit hospitals often struggle with limited security budgets and bandwidth while processing high volumes of protected healthcare information on a daily basis. In the wake of a breach, a leading US pediatric hospital needed to restructure its security infrastructure. However, budget constraints and inflexible vendors posed major roadblocks.
Solution: Toptal introduced an experienced virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) with decades of experience evaluating and developing security solutions. The Toptal information security team carried out a thorough analysis of the hospital’s current infrastructure, teams, and procedures.
Outcome: Thanks to the roadmap developed by Toptal’s team, the client now has a strong security presence that will help protect patient data and donor information from future cybersecurity threats. The hospital is better prepared than ever to ensure the safety of sensitive information for years to come.
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Is your organization an Operator, a Builder, or a Governor? Toptal's Information Security Practice Lead, Michael Figueroa, reveals how this knowledge helps CISOs fine-tune their security teams and tactics.
Read MorePreviously at
Michael is the Information Security Practice Lead at Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in brain and cognitive sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University. Before joining Toptal, Michael served as executive director of the Advanced Cyber Security Center, and held other roles in the field, including consultant, principal investigator, advisor to government officials, and chief information security officer.
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