It's not every day that one of the best-known independent cybersecurity individuals joins a cybersecurity company. The two are generally on opposite sides of the coin, with little crossover.

After all, they're usually concerned with different parts of the cybersecurity puzzle – one providing platforms and tools to defend organizations, the other keeping them accountable and looking for blind spots in even the best security tools.

That seems to be changing, however, with a recent appointment.

Cynet, an Autonomous XDR provider that recently closed a Series C funding round worth $40 million, announced that it has hired Chris Roberts as their Chief Security Strategist.

Roberts is world-renowned in counter-threat intelligence, as well as in vulnerability and threat research fields, thanks to decades of experience. As part of his efforts at Cynet, Roberts will be focusing his work on helping empower and connect security professionals from organizations outside of the Fortune 2000 to the insights, strategies, and best practices they need to defend their organizations.

First up, a Cynet Live Webinar to talk about what's happened in cyber security lately, where the industry is, and where it might be going.

One of the first opportunities cybersecurity professionals and practitioners will have to interact with Roberts in his new role will be at the upcoming webinar: 'Oy Vey, We Hired a Large Hairy Hacker' (register here).

During the chat, Roberts will discuss a variety of topics, ranging from his decision to join Cynet to broader thoughts about the industry.

This includes:

• The need for greater accountability. The cybersecurity industry needs to come to terms with itself and focus on how it can become more accountable to its customers and users. It's not enough to simply sell software and move on to the next customer. We need to build greater transparency to improve trust.
• Why accessibility is crucial to better defense. Today, the organizations that can afford the best cybersecurity stacks are usually those in the Fortune 2000. The rest? Not so lucky. Better cybersecurity starts with making the right technologies accessible to every organization, regardless of size or purchasing power.
• Visibility is becoming essential to cybersecurity. As we move beyond the endpoint as the main source of focus, we see how little visibility we actually had. It's not just enough to know what you have; you need to understand where it is, and more importantly, what it's doing.
• Why risk reduction and mitigation are becoming focal points. The truth is, breaches are going to happen. The question is, what can we do to mitigate the blow, and how can we actually reduce risks without resorting to empty promises.
• Why the company is leading from the front. As the number of vendors expands and the number of solutions multiplies, it's time for cybersecurity firms to lead the charge. Chris will discuss why Cynet is taking this new stance and becoming more customer-centric.

An open conversation

Cynet's live webinar is an open conversation on the changing role of cybersecurity and how we can all take steps to be better prepared for what's coming in the next few years as attackers become more sophisticated and the landscape continues to shift.

It's also an excellent opportunity to hang out with your peers, network in the virtual realm, and share a glass of whisky or a cuppa tea with Chris.

Register to the live webinar here