Introduction
Rene Kolga, Product Lead at Nyotron, is a cybersecurity guru and has 20+ years of experience as a product manager in this demanding industry. Everyone starts to pursue their lifelong passions in different ways, and Rene describes how he first became aware of cybersecurity and the impact that cyber attacks can have on everyday life.
Understanding The Impact and Importance of Cybersecurity
My interest in cybersecurity began when I was a teenager, well before I became a security product manager. I personally experienced what can happen when viruses impact systems at a computer club that I had been attending. As a result, I bought a book called “Writing Virus and Anti-Virus” because I was very interested in learning more.
As a product manager, the cyber weapon Stuxnet is the trigger for my interest in cybersecurity. This state-sponsored attack on an Iranian nuclear facility is a significant moment in history. To learn more, I read a 70-page report about the incident. As you can imagine, it read more like a science fiction novel than a report from the real world.
This incident also showed that the digital world could impact the physical world. Hackers had proven what was possible for both good guys and bad guys. Think about the impact of the Equifax data breach. On a massive scale, this cyber attack affected many of us or someone we know.
We spend hundreds of billions of dollars on cybersecurity. When things like this happen, it makes us wonder if we are any more secure than we were 5 or 10 years ago. As a security product manager, the opportunity to find unique solutions to solve these problems is exciting. In the end, I am very passionate about keeping more people secure.
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About the speaker
Rene Kolga is the Head of Product & VP of Strategy at Nyotron, specializing in cybersecurity solutions. Rene has more than 20 years of experience in the software industry across several functions - managing international projects at several Fortune 500 companies and startups in Silicon Valley.