Automation is everywhere—but is it helping us, or quietly introducing new risks?
This week on Feds At The Edge we share a special three-part series that explores the evolving role of automation in cybersecurity- from its promise to its pitfalls.
In session one, we lay the groundwork with a high-level view of automation’s true purpose and challenges. We follow up with session two- digging into application security and the critical role of cloud telemetry. And we wrap up this hour with insights into threat intelligence, risk visibility and how to stay ahead of evolving threats.
Featuring experts from the Department of Labor, DOD, Peraton, Checkmarx and Team Cymru, tune in on your favorite podcasting platform to hear our grounded, real-world look at what automation means today- and where its headed.
To view this webinar: Emerging Technology Series: Cybersecurity.
Featured Speakers:
Jason Ralph
Director, Security Operations Center (SOC)
Jason Ralph brings more than 30 years of experience in information technology, specializing predominantly in cybersecurity. He has spent more than 15 years in supervisory leadership roles across various cybersecurity functions.
Currently, Jason serves as the Director of the Security Operations Center (SOC) at the U.S. Department of Labor. In this capacity, he oversees staff who manage critical functions such as 24/7 Incident Detection Response, Threat Management, Threat Intelligence, Vulnerability Management, and Security Architecture / Engineering for the enterprise. He plays a pivotal role within the Office of the Chief Information Officer senior management team, contributing to annual and long-term planning, program development, policy formulation, advanced technology research, organizational enhancement, and internal/external coordination. Jason’s team provides comprehensive support and engineering for all cybersecurity tools used by the Department of Labor. Additionally, he leads the department’s relationship with the Department of Homeland Security / CISA, overseeing cybersecurity program initiatives and services, including Continuous Diagnostic and Mitigation (CDM) tools.
Previously, Jason held roles as the Deputy Information Security Officer and Cybersecurity Enterprise Architect for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) within the Department of Labor. In these positions, he served as the principal technical authority responsible for planning, designing, developing, testing, and implementing security solutions to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of BLS information systems and data.
Before joining the Department of Labor, Jason proudly served in the United States Air Force (USAF).
Director of Security Operations,
Department of Labor
Eric Werner
Greater Asia Pacific Branch Chief
Mr. Werner serves as the Greater Asia Pacific Branch Chief for the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Crime Center’s (DC3) Operations Enablement Directorate (OED), located in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. In this role, he manages a small, dynamic team of analysts and technical experts tasked with integrating, enriching, and operationalizing a full range of data sources and capabilities through all-source analytics to support law enforcement, cybersecurity, and national security partners across the U.S. government and globally. During his tenure, Mr. Werner has strengthened existing alliances and built new partnerships, resulting in increased collaboration, insight, and action throughout the DoD and U.S. government.
Prior to joining DC3, Mr. Werner held a variety of national security roles in the Intelligence and Law Enforcement communities. He holds a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from American University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona. Mr. Werner lives in Maryland with his wife, his two-year-old daughter, and another one on the way in early 2025.
Greater Asia Pacific Branch Chief, Operations
Enablement Directorate, DOD Cyber Crime Center
Peter Chestna
Chief Information Security Officer of North America
Pete Chestna serves as the CISO of North America at Checkmarx, where he provides customers and prospects with practical advice for building successful application security programs. Bringing more than 15 years of direct AppSec practitioner experience, Pete has held roles ranging from developer and development leader to his most recent position as the Global Head of AppSec for the Bank of Montreal where he was responsible for the security of thousands of applications.
Over his years as a software engineer and engineering leader, Pete has led organizational transformations from Waterfall to Agile to DevOps and from monolith to microservice architectures. He is certified as both a scrum master and product owner. Stemming from his experience as both an avid practitioner and consultant, Pete has spoken internationally at numerous prominent security and developer conferences including DevOpsDays, All Day DevOps, OWASP AppSec, and DevSecCon.
Pete has been granted 3 patents. He enjoys whiskey tourism, astronomy, model rocketry and listening to Rush in his spare time.
CISO for North America,
Checkmarx
Nick Vinson
Senior Director, Product Security
Nick Vinson is a cybersecurity leader and innovator, currently leading the Product Security function at Snyk. Nick has over 15+ years helping organizations to drive a DevSecOps transformation with the dual goals of designing security into products and enabling development teams to become responsible for their own security.
Senior Director, Product
Security, Snyk
Rob Davies
Vice President & General Manager, Financial & Regulatory Business
Rob Davies is the vice president and general manager of Peraton’s financial and regulatory business. Rob brings more than 33 years of experience supporting federal IT to his current role providing federal customers with a managed service inclusive of the hardware, software, people, and integrated enterprise IT environment.
Rob was previously the CEO of Base Technologies and ViON’s Corporation’s chief operating officer. Rob joined Peraton with the acquisition of ViON’s as-a-Service business. Today, Peraton’s managed service programs totals nearly $10B and drives about $400M/year in revenue.
Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in international economics and law from the American University. He is a ITIL v3 Foundation certified, a PMP, Agile Scrum Master, and holds a Top-Secret clearance.
VP & GM, Financial & Regulatory
Agencies, CSPS Sector, Peraton
David Monnier
CIO, Chief Evangelist
David Monnier is the Chief Information Officer, Chief Evangelist, and a Team Cymru Fellow at Team Cymru, Inc., a specialized Internet security research firm based in Lake Mary, Florida, USA. Team Cymru specializes in using data-driven intelligence to assist in understanding the real impact of cyber-crime. David excels at describing the complex nature of the cyber underground and its players, to both executives and technologists alike. Understanding that real-world security involves both technology and business considerations, David helps organizations to fully consider their security and policy decisions in real-world terms. As a result, David has traveled the world presenting security ideas and solving organizations hardest problems.
With over twenty years of experience in a wide-range of technologies, David brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to every situation. David began his career performing UNIX and Linux administration in academic and high-performance computing environments where he helped build some of the most powerful computational systems of their day. Subsequent to systems administration David moved into Internet security, having served as a Lead Security Engineer for a Big ten University and later helped to launch the Research and Education Networking ISAC, part of the formal U.S. ISAC community.
David was invited to join Team Cymru in 2007 where he has served as their Senior Engineer and later as a Security Evangelist. In 2010, David was granted the title of Team Cymru Fellow, a highest honor of Team Cymru. David has lead multiple teams as part of Team Cymru ranging from Engineering, Outreach, Threat Intelligence, Sales, Marketing, and Client Success.
Chief Evangelist & Team Cymru
Fellow, Team Cymru
John Breeden II
Moderator & Contributing Editor
FedInsider Contributing Editor John Breeden II is an award winning journalist and reviewer who has spent 20 years working in the federal, technology and government space. Articles and reviews written by him have appeared in numerous national publications including Chief Security Officer, Stars and Stripes, The Washington Post, NextGov Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Technology, Network World, The Sacramento Bee, The Boston Globe, Government Computer News, Up Front New Mexico and many others.
For FedInsider, he has written many articles and white papers and acted as the moderator for over 20 interviews featuring federal, state and local officials discussing technology, policy and governmental issues.
In addition to his normal writing, Breeden has authored two technical how-to type computer books published by Prompt Publications. Those titles, Exploring Microsoft Office and Guide to Webcams enjoyed both commercial success and reviewer acclaim. He is also the founding publisher and chief editor of Gameindustry.com, one of the longest running publications covering the video game industry. He is the CEO of the Tech Writers Bureau, a group of professional journalists who craft thought leadership projects for government and private organizations.
He has twice been awarded Jessie H. Neal gold medals for excellence in business journalism as well as numerous national awards for journalism by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Contributing Editor,
FedInsider
Claudia Hosky
Publisher
Claudia Hosky manages the company’s media property, FedInsider.com and sets the tone for its editorial and business focus. Her prowess in social media extends the publication’s reach far beyond the Washington DC Beltway, and she is the driver behind the worldwide circulation boost to over 80,000 readers. She holds an MBA from Marymount University.
Publisher,
FedInsider
