In-Depth Cybersecurity Talk with Rob Amezcua and Craig Weimer in the Cybertruck

Hello world. All right, so we are back in the Cyber truck with Cyber CR in the Cyber truck. We have two joining us right now: we have Robert Mesa, who is the SVP Global Sales at Forescout, and Craig Wymer, who is the Head of America Sales at Forescout as well. Welcome, gentlemen.

Is this your first time in a Cyber truck? What's your first impressions?

So, Robert, you've been in cybersecurity for a long time. Tell me about your first ever RSA conference that you remember.

Yeah, it keeps on going and going, it's like the Energizer bunny. Even the surrounding environment can't put an end to it. Rob, about you? Craig, when was your first ever?

Gosh, a lot of what Rob said. But I think it goes back to the early days of Blue Coat, when we were also thriving and making plans to do a lot of other things before and after. But again, it's great to see so many different people and partners out here now. It's definitely made a comeback post-COVID, and it's great to see. So happy to be here and working with so many great people.

And this is your first one where you go for a drive with someone at an RSA conference, so it's good to be different, right? Yeah, let me ask you though: this Cyber truck has 175 miles left in the charge. What's going to last longer, my Cyber truck or the SDR function?

Okay, so big topic today: Wiz announced their billion-dollar round, a $12 billion valuation. If you look out five years, who is going to have the higher valuation, Palo Alto or Wiz?

For sure. Yeah, it creates a lot of buzz and excitement around this industry, talking about a bunch of valuation type stuff. But my money's on Palo Alto. They've been able to stand the test of time. They've somehow made the firewall a platform and surrounded it with all kinds of things. I think they probably win in the end. Are you trying to partner with Palo Alto?

Speaking of the platform, let's play Fizzle or Sizzle. So is this thing going to fizzle or is this thing going to sizzle? And my first question for you is: Palo Alto's desire to be the cybersecurity platform out there, is that a fizzle or a sizzle the next few years?

Well, I think there's two things I would say with respect to that. I think ePO was a little bit different. ePO was very self-serving to McAfee at the time, but it was also very value-add to our customers and it was actually value to the ecosystem. ePO actually made a lot of those connected frameworks and that connected ecosystem of tools better as a result of being better managed, better orchestrated, better automated, and all that kind of stuff. I don't see anything inside the center of other people's platforms making anybody else better. There's way too self-serving. That's an interesting point, because there were 12 companies in the SIA, right? This Security Innovation Alliance we called it. Probably 30 or 40 of them were truly well integrated. And to your point, they had their own management tools, but they just perhaps weren't that good, or they didn't have the deployment or the scale. And what ePO gave them was actually a good thing to go and make themselves be more valuable for their prospects. That's right. And what it gave McAfee was a hot bed of companies to acquire, because they already did the work to integrate with ePO. It was a farm league for technology. Yeah, it's fantastic. And the customers that were using those disparate tools got value out of the integration. It made that disparate tool better, it made that disparate tool connected, it allowed data sharing, console integration, data integration, all those different things that they seek and desire. It was a great framework, and it's stood a bit of the test of time. What's a bigger waste of money: the Cyber truck or a booth at Black Hat?

And what's a bigger waste of time: driving around San Francisco in a Cyber truck in the terrible traffic, or reading the sales advice on LinkedIn?

You're just complimenting me on my commentary. I was your commentary? We should go back to that and give that as proper. In the time frame that we have, we should. Your commentary is great and it's so appropriate and spot on. I love that you just call a spade a spade. I love it.

Yeah, there's a lot of crap out there. A lot of noise, not a lot of signal. A lot of grandstanding. It's become a little bit of a Facebook for business. It has. Craig, let me ask you a question: what's a bigger waste of money, this Cyber truck or traditional sales training?

Oh my gosh. Good, give him a good one. Yeah, I mean, well, traditional sales training I think is the core foundation for all of us, right? That kind of got us to where we are today. Would you be here without it? Andrew, no. Okay, so I'll go with Cyber truck on that one, because sales training has paid a lot of bills for me. How's that?

I like that a lot. Big fan of sales training, obviously. Is that the first vote for the Cyber truck? I think it is. You think so? Yeah, I think you're right. What other questions do we have for you guys that are important for today? Would you rather... here's a question for you. Think about planning. You guys must be planning. Think about this year, success of this year and all the rest of it. Would you rather hire more people at less cost and quality to get coverage, or would you rather hire fewer people at higher cost to get focus and quality? That's another good Craig question.

You know, I've done both. I think in today's environment, I'd have to go for the quality and let the business build a scalable organization that you can have confidence in, that'll stand the test of time. I think that's the responsible way to do it, and work with the proper community to generate demand to scale as that demand comes forward. How's that?

Your background is enterprise sales, FRG, right? So that's a more natural answer for you for that question. Yeah, I think I'd love to... Rob, to you.

Yeah, yeah, all right. Well, the most important question of today is my last question for you guys. And that is: do you think that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will make it through the postseason?

I say no, because I think she's going to need another album next year, so that'll give her some breakup songs.

Oh, oh, Craig with a hot sports opinion today. He's thinking that she's going to use Travis Kelce for a breakup album. I don't know, is that what you just said? Like, can we just closet Swifty? Is that what you're telling me?

Yeah, one concert when my daughter was about 12. So you and T think I'm... I don't think I'm in the club.

Oh, you wore the bracelets though, right? Let's see your socks, let's see your socks. Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber? You're a Belieber as well? A Belieber? Oh wow, a Belieber. Well, listen, Rob and Craig, this has been a lot of fun. Hope you guys have a really good, productive RSA this year and for the rest of 2024 as well. Tons of fun. Man, thanks for the opportunity.