Sam Curry, Cybereason's Chief Product Officer, on why the mission matters in information security

Sam Curry joined Cybereason this week as our Chief Product Officer. He’ll handle product strategy for Cybereason’s endpoint detection and response platform as well as overall product management and innovation. He holds more than 20 years of IT security experience, including executive positions at Arbor Networks, RSA (the security division of EMC) and McAfee in addition to working at several startups.

In this interview, Sam talks about why information security means more than constructing infrastructure and how being in “a golden age of technology” can help stop the bad guys.

What’s different about Cybereason’s approach to information security?

Most security has been about building the perfect infrastructure, and that’s necessary. But the single biggest risk to organizations is the inherent complexity of IT. There are so many highways in, but not enough people to block them. Cybereason’s mission isn’t about building the perfect infrastructure. It’s to stop bad people.

What excites you about joining Cybereason?

I’m excited by the culture. There are about 155 people working here right now and anyone of them can contribute to the success of the company. It’s not just the three guys at the top. If you critique someone here, it isn’t about pointing out flaws. You’re giving constructive criticism so we all get better. And there’s a spirit of anything is possible. And everybody cares about the mission. I want to be somewhere where the mission matters. And the technology actually works.

How does the technology fit into the mission you mentioned earlier?

We’re in a golden age of technology with the potential for humans to do fantastic things. It would be a shame to not embrace it and let the bad guys win. And you have to answer that by looking at what military-grade means. It isn’t about being more robust or better. Our philosophy is one of pragmatism and fulfilling the mission, no matter how impossible it is.

I accept that mission, which, to me, is more attractive than working at a big company focused on building a large infrastructure. That’s all necessary, but it’s the mission that matters. And to me, and this company, that mission is to stop the bad people. Why does that matter? It reduces the risk for organizations.