Zero Trust Journey
Zero Trust Journey isn’t about taking sides—it’s about real conversations, sharing research, and learning together. Our goal is to explore Zero Trust from every angle and help cybersecurity practitioners make sense of it in a practical, no-fluff way. And yes, we do love to chat about coffee and listen to the occasional dad joke along the way.
Here’s what we do:
- Conversations with Experts: We chat with subject matter experts who share their opinions, experiences, and Zero Trust journeys.
- Research and Product Insights: We explore Zero Trust products and solutions in the market that may fit into a Zero Trust architecture.
- A Zero Trust Architecture: We’re building and refining an ever-growing architecture focused solely on the needs of cybersecurity practitioners.
- CSA CCZT Study Group: We host a study group for the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT).
If you’re a cybersecurity professional looking for honest discussions, practical insights, and tools that evolve with your Zero Trust strategy (plus the occasional coffee tip), Zero Trust Journey is for you. Join us!
Zero Trust Journey
Episode 17: Zero Trust is a timeless framework for security approaches
00:00 Introduction to Allie Mellen
01:29 Allie's Journey in Cybersecurity
06:29 Understanding Zero Trust
09:30 Zero Trust and Security Operations
12:26 Platform vs. Best in Breed
17:36 The Role of Identity in Zero Trust
30:29 Zero Trust: Buzzword or Necessity?
34:31 The Importance of Compromise in Security
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hackerxbella/
Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorvirtual
Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beingageek
Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-pugh/
In this episode, the hosts and guest Allie Mellen, Principal Analyst at Forrester, dive deep into the realities of Zero Trust from the lens of security operations, threat detection, and real-world implementation. Allie shares her unconventional path into cybersecurity—from building a card skimmer in college to speaking at Black Hat—and how that hands-on experience shapes her perspective today.
Highlights:
--| Why ethical hackers often shift to blue team roles.
--| The SOC’s role in Zero Trust adoption—beyond buzzwords.
--| Platform vs. best-in-breed: what's really best for the analyst?
--| Why identity, cloud, and user experience are the new battlegrounds.
--| The need for community, practical training, and realistic Zero Trust expectations.
--| Why calling it “Zero Trust” can scare executives—and what to say instead.
Tune in to hear why Allie doesn’t like the term “perimeter,” how she thinks about identity and cloud, and why compromise—not control—is the real goal of Zero Trust.
Subscribe to our LinkedIn to never miss news, updates, and quizzes to earn digital badges.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the speakers.
