In episode 130 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by John Gilligan, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Set against the backdrop of the 2025 CIS Annual Full Staff Meeting, they celebrate 25 years of CIS, including the "serendipity" by which the company became a global cybersecurity thought leader. They also discuss how this thought leadership may evolve over the next 25 years. Here are some highlights from our episode:

• 01:30. How CIS started along with how John and Tony initially got involved
• 07:12. How CIS thought leadership changed with the absorption of the "SANS Top 20," the precursor of the CIS Critical Security Controls
• 11:04. The "serendipity" through which CIS grew and formalized its sales, funding, support, and other operations in the 2010s
• 15:18. How mission and culture advanced CIS to its 25th anniversary in 2025
• 22:52. What the future might hold for "CIS 2.0"

Resources

• 25 Years of Creating Confidence in the Connected World
• Episode 97: How Far We've Come preceding CIS's 25th Birthday
• Episode 114: 3 Board Chairs Reflect on 25 Years of Community
• Episode 76: The Role of Thought Leadership in Cybersecurity
• Episode 125: How Leadership Principles Influence CIS Culture
• Episode 120: How Contextual Awareness Drives AI Governance
• Episode 119: Multidimensional Threat Defense at Large Events

If you have some feedback or an idea for an upcoming episode of Cybersecurity Where You Are, let us know by emailing [email protected].