Cybersecurity Isn’t Crowded: Security Engineering and the 5,000 Vendor Problem

Cybersecurity Isn’t Crowded: Security Engineering and the 5,000 Vendor Problem

In this episode our host Ashish Rajan sat down with Ross Haleliuk, author of Cybersecurity for Builders and creator of the Venture in Security blog, to explore the current state and future of the cybersecurity industry. From understanding the challenges of building a cybersecurity startup to the dynamics of security engineering and market trends for 2025. Ross and Ashish explore why the cybersecurity industry isn’t as crowded as it seems and the divide between companies that build in-house security and those that rely on vendors.

Ross also unpacks why sales and marketing aren’t “dirty words” in cybersecurity, why security engineering is “the present,” and how practitioners can balance business needs with technical aspirations.


Guest Socials: ⁠Ross's Linkedin

Podcast Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CloudSecPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you want to watch videos of this LIVE STREAMED episode and past episodes - Check out our other Cloud Security Social Channels:

- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloud Security Podcast- Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloud Security Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloud Security BootCamp

If you are interested in AI Cybersecurity, you can check out our sister podcast - AI Cybersecurity Podcast


Questions asked:

(00:00) Introduction

(05:33) How Venture in Security started?

(09:33) Security Engineering in Cybersecurity

(18:18) Cybersecurity markets that will be top of mind in 2025

(24:15) GTM for Defender Tools

(30:09) Vulnerabilities vs Misconfiguration Tools

(37:56) How should product companies think about GTM?

(44:27) How to decide between different security tools?

(56:36) Cybersecurity for Builders book

(01:05:00) The Fun Section


Resources shared during the episode:

Venture in Security Blog

Cyber for Builders Book

Challenges in Security Engineering Programs - Rami McCarthy

Cybersecurity is not a market for lemons. It is a market for silver bullets

The Market for Silver Bullets

Jaksot(344)

Prioritizing Cloud Security: How to Decide What to Protect First

Prioritizing Cloud Security: How to Decide What to Protect First

When you can't protect everything at once, how do you decide what matters most? This episode tackles the core challenge of security prioritization. Geet Pradhan, Senior Security Engineer at Lime joins...

23 Kesä 202541min

Migrating from “Tick Box" Compliance to Automating GRC in a Multi-Cloud World

Migrating from “Tick Box" Compliance to Automating GRC in a Multi-Cloud World

In many organizations, security exception management is a manual process, often treated as a simple compliance checkbox. While necessary, this approach can lead to unmonitored configurations that drif...

17 Kesä 202528min

Using AI Agents to Solve Cloud Vulnerability Overload

Using AI Agents to Solve Cloud Vulnerability Overload

In this episode, Ashish Rajan talks with Harry Wetherald, Co-Founder & CEO of Maze, about the reality of modern vulnerability management. They explore why current tools like CNAPPs can generate up to ...

17 Kesä 202538min

Adapting to New Threats, Copilot Risks & The Future of Data (Feat. Matthew Radolec, Varonis)

Adapting to New Threats, Copilot Risks & The Future of Data (Feat. Matthew Radolec, Varonis)

AI is reshaping cybersecurity as we know it. From sophisticated AI-driven phishing attacks to the amplified risk of insider threats using tools like Copilot, the landscape is shifting at an unpreceden...

3 Kesä 202539min

Securing AI: Threat Modeling & Detection

Securing AI: Threat Modeling & Detection

Is Artificial Intelligence the ultimate security dragon, we need to slay, or a powerful ally we must train? Recorded LIVE at BSidesSF, this special episode dives headfirst into the most pressing debat...

27 Touko 202537min

CYBERSECURITY for AI: The New Threat Landscape & How Do We Secure It?

CYBERSECURITY for AI: The New Threat Landscape & How Do We Secure It?

As Artificial Intelligence reshapes our world, understanding the new threat landscape and how to secure AI-driven systems is more crucial than ever. We spoke to Ankur Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Strai...

20 Touko 202540min

Cloud Security Evolved: From CNAPP to AI Threats

Cloud Security Evolved: From CNAPP to AI Threats

The world of cloud security is evolving at breakneck speed. Are traditional tools and strategies enough to combat the sophisticated threats of tomorrow? In this episode, we're joined by Elad Koren, Vi...

15 Touko 202519min

RSA Conference 2025 Recap: Top Themes, Actionable Insights & Future Trends

RSA Conference 2025 Recap: Top Themes, Actionable Insights & Future Trends

Dive deep into the key takeaways from RSA Conference 2025 with our expert panel! Join Ashish Rajan, James Berthoty, Chris Hughes, Tanya Janca, and Francis Odum as they dissect the biggest trends, surp...

9 Touko 202553min