In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Nicolas Chaillan. Nicolas is a security leader who has held several high-profile roles in US federal agencies including Chief Software Officer for the US Air Force and Space Force, Special Advisor for Cloud Security and DevSecOps at the Department of Defense (DOD), and Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Chief Architect for Cyber.gov at the Department of Homeland Security. He is also the founder of no less than 13 companies, including Ask Sage, a GPT-powered platform that brings Generative AI capabilities to government teams.
Nicolas and Thomas discuss:
- Building the US government's first zero trust implementation
- Putting Kubernetes on jets and space systems
- The challenges of bringing new technologies to the federal government
- How the threat landscape will continue to evolve for US federal agencies
- The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make
- How cross-team collaboration helped him create meaningful change at the DOD
- The future of AI in security
- The inspiration behind his AI-powered platform, Ask Sage
The Future of Security Operations is brought to you by Tines, the smart, secure workflow builder that powers some of the world’s most important workflows. https://www.tines.com/solutions/security
Where to find Nicolas Chaillan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaschaillan/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NicolasChaillan
Nic's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7jKHaxWS8W_4rcKGg7X9w
Ask Sage: https://www.asksage.ai/
Where to find Thomas Kinsella:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kinsella/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/thomasksec
Tines: https://www.tines.com/
Resources mentioned:
Making An Impact: Nicolas Chaillan, CEO Magazine: https://www.theceomagazine.com/executive-interviews/government-defence/nicolas-chaillan/
In this episode:
[02:20] Becoming a self-taught coder at 7 and founding his first company at 15
[05:02] Shipping 187+ technology products as a founder, in verticals as varied as healthcare, retail and banking
[07:08] The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make
[08:40] His latest product, generative AI platform Ask Sage
[11:30] The challenges of bringing a new product to the US government
[13:45] Building the first zero trust implementation in the government as Special Advisor for Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security
[15:20] Advocating for new technologies at federal agencies
[19:40] Deploying Kubernetes on 50-year-old hardware on the F16 jet at the Department of Defense
[22:02] Dealing with pushback and internal resistance to change
[24:50] Recruiting internal help to establish force-wide DevSecOps at the DOD
[29:00] Becoming Federal Chief Technology Officer at Qualys
[30:30] Reflecting on the changes he implemented while working for the US government
[33:12] Deciding which companies to work with as an advisory board member
[36:40] How the threat landscape will continue to evolve for US federal agencies
[40:50] TikTok as a channel for misinformation and national security weapon
[44:18] Nicolas' predictions for the future of security
[47: 10] Connect with Nicolas
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.