Cyber Security America

In this episode of the Cyber Security America Podcast, host Joshua R Nicholson sits down with Chris Freedman, CEO of Ondefend, and Ron Frechette, CEO of CyberSurv, for a deep dive into cybersecurity entrepreneurship.
Both guests share their journeys building companies in the cybersecurity space—from early startup challenges to scaling services, building strong company cultures, and navigating the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in security.
Chris discusses how Ondefend identified an opportunity on the preventative side of cybersecurity, focusing on red teaming, vulnerability discovery, and proactive security testing rather than crowded monitoring and incident response markets.
Ron shares his path from executive search into cybersecurity during the early days of HIPAA compliance and how that experience eventually led him to focus on helping small and mid-sized businesses improve cyber hygiene and resilience.
Together, they explore what it really takes to move a cybersecurity company from zero to one—and eventually from one to scale.
In This Episode
Why cybersecurity remains one of the largest and fastest-growing markets
The realities of launching a bootstrapped cybersecurity startup
How partnerships and subcontracting helped scale early services
Why culture, mission, and hiring the right people matter most
How AI is transforming cybersecurity services and advisory work
The growing demand for fractional CIO and fractional CISO leadership
Lessons learned from scaling consulting and cybersecurity service firms
Key Takeaways
The hardest stage of building a company is going from zero to your first customers.
Strong partnerships can accelerate growth when building credibility in cybersecurity.
AI is rapidly changing how cybersecurity assessments and advisory services are delivered.
Many organizations are shifting toward fractional cybersecurity leadership models to gain specialized expertise without full-time executive hires.
Featured Guests
Chris Freedman
CEO of Ondefend
Entrepreneur and cybersecurity innovator focused on proactive defense, red teaming, and security testing technologies.
Ron Frechette
CEO of CyberSurv
Serial entrepreneur helping organizations improve cyber hygiene through AI-driven cybersecurity advisory services.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.
#Cybersecurity #InfoSec #CyberThreats #CyberDefense #RedTeam #PenTesting #IncidentResponse #CyberHygiene #DataSecurity #MDR (Managed Detection & Response).  Thanks to our show sponsor Darkstack7 Cyber Defense services www.darkstack7.com.

Episode 50 — Cybersecurity Leadership Secrets with MK Palmore
In this milestone episode of Cyber Security America, Joshua Nicholson sits down with Malcolm "MK" Palmore — former FBI cybersecurity executive, Naval Academy graduate, U.S. Marine, and former Director of Security at Google Cloud — for a powerful conversation on leadership, risk, and the future of cybersecurity.
MK shares lessons from leading one of the FBI's largest cyber investigative teams in Silicon Valley, helping shape security strategy at Google Cloud, and advising enterprises through complex cyber risk and digital transformation challenges. This episode goes beyond technology and tools to explore what truly drives successful cybersecurity programs: leadership, decision-making, and strategic clarity.
Key topics include:
How top CISOs think about cyber risk and executive leadership

Lessons from FBI cyber investigations and real-world breach response

The evolution of Zero Trust and cloud security strategy

AI, emerging threats, and the future of enterprise defense

Why fractional and strategic cybersecurity leadership is reshaping the industry

Communicating cyber risk effectively to boards and executives


This episode is essential listening for CISOs, executives, board members, security leaders, and anyone responsible for protecting modern enterprises in an era of accelerating cyber threats.
🎧 Listen to the Cyber Security America Podcast — a cybersecurity podcast focused on real-world incident response, threat intelligence, ransomware, and security leadership.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBl5Ef4QLoa3szw4NGDVZCY0aa1tixnsa
🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cyber-security-america/id1668216285
🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3wmyUbe1TY5hNl96Q8UFFI 
🎙️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cybersecurityamericapodcast/ 
🎙️TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cybersecurityamerica 
🎙️X.com: https://x.com/nicholsonj7111
📱 Follow Cyber Security America for short clips and updates:
👤 Host — Joshua R. Nicholson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarnicholson/ 
🎙️Cyber Security America on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyber-security-america-podcast [email protected] for show inquires, guest requests, and sponsorship discussions or collaboration ideas or contact us through our website www.darkstack7.com/contact

In episode 49 of Cyber Security America, we explore how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping cybersecurity, Managed Detection and Response (MDR), and modern security operations. As cyber threats grow more advanced, organizations must evolve from reactive defense to proactive, intelligence-driven protection.  
📱 Follow Cyber Security America on Youtube for short clips and updates
Featuring Woo An (CEO of Zaun.ai) and Tyler Lackey (AI Security Builder), this episode delivers real-world insight into how AI-native security platforms are improving detection, response, and operational scale across enterprise environments.
We discuss:
The future of MDR and AI-driven security operations
How AI agents and automation are transforming incident response
Shadow AI, data leakage, and governance challenges
AI security risks, role-based controls, and detection engineering
Scaling cybersecurity outcomes without replacing security teams
Real-world enterprise lessons from AI-powered security innovation
Whether you're a CISO, security leader, MDR provider, or cybersecurity professional, this episode provides practical insight into how AI is redefining cyber defense and how organizations can stay ahead of evolving threats.
🎧 Listen to the Cyber Security America Podcast — a cybersecurity podcast focused on real-world incident response, threat intelligence, ransomware, and security leadership.
YouTube Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBl5Ef4QLoa3szw4NGDVZCY0aa1tixnsa
🎙️ Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cyber-security-america/id1668216285
🎙️ Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3wmyUbe1TY5hNl96Q8UFFI
🎙️ Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cybersecurityamericapodcast/
🎙️ TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@cybersecurityamerica
🎙️ X (Twitter):
https://x.com/nicholsonj7111
📱 Follow Cyber Security America for short clips and updates
👤 Host — Joshua R. Nicholson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarnicholson/
🎙️ Cyber Security America on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyber-security-america-podcast
📩 For show inquiries, guest requests, sponsorship discussions, or collaboration ideas:
[email protected]
🌐 Contact via website:
www.darkstack7.com/contact
#CyberSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #AIinCybersecurity #MDR #ManagedDetectionAndResponse #CyberDefense #SecurityOperations #SecOps #CyberRisk #CISO #CyberLeadership #ThreatDetection #IncidentResponse #SecurityAutomation #AIsecurity #CyberThreats #EnterpriseSecurity #CyberResilience #CyberSecurityPodcast #CyberSecurityAmerica

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:0cf8a03d-e57a-43f6-9f7c-26bb6994647d-20" data-testid= "conversation-turn-42" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> 🎙 Episode 48: AI and Cybersecurity — How Dune Security Is Reinventing User Risk Management
In this episode of Cyber Security America, we explore how artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity—and why traditional security awareness training is no longer enough.
I'm joined by David DellaPelle, cybersecurity leader and founder of Dune Security, to break down how AI-driven attacks like phishing, vishing, deepfakes, and social engineering are evolving faster than most security programs can handle. We discuss why 90% of breaches still start with human behavior and how Dune Security is redefining the user layer of cybersecurity with AI-powered risk quantification and remediation.
 
🔍 Topics covered in this episode:
Why legacy security awareness training fails in an AI-driven threat landscape

How attackers use GenAI, voice cloning, and deepfakes to bypass MFA

The rise of multi-channel social engineering (email, SMS, voice, collaboration tools)

How AI can identify high-risk users and reduce enterprise attack surface

What CISOs should be doing now to prepare for AI-enabled threats

The future of securing both human and AI workforces

This conversation is essential listening for CISOs, security leaders, GRC teams, cloud and identity professionals, and anyone responsible for protecting modern organizations against advanced cyber threats.
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to learn how AI is reshaping cybersecurity—for defenders and attackers alike.  www.darkstack7.com/podcast
#CyberSecurityAmerica #CybersecurityPodcast #AIandCybersecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #SocialEngineering #Phishing #Deepfake #CISO #SecurityAwareness #UserRisk #CloudSecurity #PodcastSEO

In episode 47 of Cybersecurity America, host Joshua Nicholson is joined by Richa Kaul, CEO and Founder of Complyance, to explore how agentic AI and intelligent automation are reshaping enterprise Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC).
Richa breaks down why traditional, spreadsheet-driven GRC programs are failing at scale—and how organizations are moving toward real-time risk monitoring, automated evidence collection, and continuous audit readiness. Drawing from her experience as a GRC executive and privacy advocate, she shares how modern GRC teams can reduce manual effort, improve visibility, and position compliance as a true business enabler.
In this conversation, we cover:
Why legacy GRC models can't keep up with today's threat landscape

How AI agents streamline audits and compliance operations

Continuous controls monitoring and real-time risk visibility

Privacy-first approaches to enterprise AI adoption

Third-party risk, regulatory change, and AI governance

What CISOs and GRC leaders should expect heading into 2026

Whether you're a CISO, GRC leader, risk professional, or security executive, this episode offers practical insight into the future of enterprise GRC and AI-driven risk management.
About the Show Sponsor: Darkstack7
Darkstack7 is a cybersecurity and IT management firm based in Charlotte, NC, founded by Joshua R. Nicholson, a Marine Corps veteran and seasoned cybersecurity leader with experience at Northrop Grumman, EY, Wells Fargo, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
The company delivers Fortune 500–level expertise to mid-sized and growing organizations—specializing in Security Engineering, Incident Response, vCISO advisory, Insider Threat programs, and IT Management consulting.  Darkstack7 also provides proactive services such as tabletop exercises, cyber readiness assessments, and strategic security architecture, helping organizations build resilient defenses and align technology investments with business objectives.  www.darkstack7.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarnicholson/
 
#Cybersecurity #GRC #RiskManagement #Compliance #AI #AIinSecurity #EnterpriseSecurity #CISO #CyberRisk #Governance #Privacy #DataProtection #InfoSec#ThirdPartyRisk #DigitalRisk #CyberLeadership #Podcast