How to Effectively Communicate Value

I worked for Michael on a large scale security design project. Michael is energetic and passionate about technology. He is also a very supportive manager who helped me to achieve success on our project.

I invited Michael to present as a featured speaker for the BrightTALK™ Cloud Security Summit. I was very impressed by the amount of preparation he put into the presentation, as well as the emphasis he put on making sure that the audience are able to walk away with actionable insights after watching his webinar. Michael was an energetic and engaging presenter, and his webinar was well-structured and well-received. I’m very excited about having him involved again next month!

Michael is a great listener and mentor who is full of patience and delivers constructive criticism with great finesse. He's always helpful and attentive, and has an eye for detail that lends itself well to creating engaging, educational content in a variety of media.

He has definitely earned his title of "catalyst", as he always seems able to start and encourage meaningful conversation and ideas across a variety of security topics both business and consumer oriented.

Michael is a highly motivated, experienced IT Security consultant who was an integral part of our success developing this region for GTP. His professionalism and expertise gave him instant credibility with clients and coworkers alike. Michael was responsible for assessing our clients requirements, developing a plan, proposing a solution, and delivering it. He has the highest level of integrity and professionalism making him an extremely valuable asset to any organization.

Michael's a great voice for the security community. After seeing him in action as an instructor for my CISSP class we worked together on a number of efforts including the founding of the Security Catalyst Community. He has a great perspective on how individuals and organizations should view security. Additionally, Michael has a passion as a communicator and is a terrific facilitator (just check out the podcast =) and I continue to seek him out in communicating trends in the security industry to institutional investors. All that and he’s a great person, making for an easy decision in choosing to write this recommendation.

Michael had asked me to write a recommendation awhile back, and I delayed. Not because I have any hesitation in recommending Michael. He is one of the most intelligent people I know in the security field. That intelligence is coupled with an inspiring positive attitude, great ability to explain complicated task in simple enough terms that people outside of IT could easily understand, a depth and breadth of security knowledge rarely encountered, and an energy level that makes me wonder if he ever has time to sleep. I delayed only because I think so well of Michael, it is difficult to adequately express how highly I would recommend him. Pull down his podcasts, join the Security Catalyst community, Google his name, and you will begin to understand why he is so highly thought of in the security field. I would recommend without reservation Michael for any security position, consulting, or speaking engagement. Your organization will greatly benefit.

Michael was an outstanding instructor. Not only did he have deep knowledge of the subject matter, but he had examples and life experiences that made all the information he was presenting extremely relevant. I have also had the pleasure to see Michael speak and present to InfoSec professionals. Again, his life experiences and knowledge provided for a memorable presentation. Truly a “Professional”! I would welcome to opportunity to work with Michael anytime in the future.

I have worked with Michael on numerous occasions within the Security Catalyst Community. I have found him to be very adept at organizing and orchestrating distributed and diverse groups. He has, on more than one occasion, made time for me professionally and personal. I often look to him when I need inspiration or guidance. I would most definitely jump at the chance to work with him on any project.

I met Michael in late 2006 when he contacted Reflexion about a press release. I wasn't prepared for the passion and excitement Michael exhibited about all things Security. Michael is a professional in every way and grown to be a valued friend. Michael relentlessly strives to become the best in the Security field, which is evident through the creation, interaction and contribution to the Security Catalyst Community. I recommend everyone have a conversation with Michael, you will leave inspired!

I worked with Michael at Accenture for multiple customers, and focused on security consulting back "in the early days" of the industry. Back then, I witnessed his balance of technical, business, high personal integrity, and people skills.. and therefore I'm not surprised by the success of his current endeavor. Top notch!