In this special edition of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with a guest unlike any other: his son, Luca Desko. The conversation covers leadership and entrepreneurship through the eyes of a young leader, from what it takes to run a company, to the importance of rest, to what the ideal office snack situation looks like. Luca also shares his early instincts on entrepreneurship, technology, and what he would build if given the chance.It is a lighter episode, and an honest one. A reminder that behind every security leader is a full life, and that the human side of this work goes well beyond the job.

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In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Adam Markowitz, Co-Founder of Drata, to discuss the evolution of trust in cybersecurity and how it has become a core driver of business performance. Adam shares his journey from working on the NASA Space Shuttle program to building Portfolium and eventually founding Drata, and how those experiences shaped his perspective on proving trust, not just claiming it. The conversation explores how traditional approaches to security and compliance created friction through manual audits and point-in-time assessments, and how that experience led to a new way of thinking about continuous assurance. The discussion also covers the challenge of driving adoption for new ideas, the balance between innovation and practicality, and why many organizations struggle to move away from systems they know are broken. Adam also shares insights on the role of AI, how it is lowering the barrier to building new products, and why trust will become one of the most important factors in determining which companies succeed.

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In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Adam Gunnett, VP of Business Intelligence & Strategy at Busy Beaver Building Centers, to explore how technology, data, and cybersecurity come together to drive real business outcomes. Adam shares his journey from traditional IT into a leadership role that spans analytics, strategy, and innovation, and how that perspective has shaped the way Busy Beaver competes in a highly competitive retail market. The conversation covers how mid-market organizations can move quickly with technology, why data alone doesn’t drive performance without accountability, and how leaders can avoid chasing tools that don’t solve real problems. Adam also shares practical examples of how AI is being used on the front lines to improve customer experience, along with a grounded perspective on what’s overhyped in the current AI landscape. Cybersecurity is also a key theme, with a focus on how cyber risk should be treated as core business risk, not a separate function.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave review, it helps more people find the show!

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Check out the ⁠Echelon Risk + Cyber website