Episode 155: The Story of CIS 2.0 and Adapting to a New Era
In episode 155 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by John Gilligan, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they reflect on 25 years of progress for CIS and look ahead to the future. They explore the driving forces behind "CIS 2.0," including the shift toward addressing multidimensional threats, expanding CIS’s audience, and leveraging tools driven by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Their discussion highlights how CIS is adapting to a new era while staying true to its mission-driven roots and foundational principles.
Here are some highlights from our episode:
- 01:11. The need for a mission-driven nonprofit to support the role of government
- 04:28. Understanding the primary catalyst behind CIS 2.0
- 05:53. Multidimensional threats, expanded audiences, and revamped tools as adaptive opportunities
- 12:57. The challenge of linking technology risk to operational risk
- 13:45. How attackers tend to be more systems-level thinkers than defenders
- 15:50. Culture as a support system for navigating the evolving skills and processes of CIS 2.0
- 22:24. Collaboration, partnerships, mission focus, and culture as foundational CIS elements
- 31:11. How our engagement with state and local governments, thought leadership, and products and services will change going forward
- 40:47. Parting thoughts and an important reminder
Resources
- 25 Years of Creating Confidence in the Connected World
- Episode 119: Multidimensional Threat Defense at Large Events
- Strengthening Critical Infrastructure: SLTT Progress & Priorities
- Enhanced Cyber Resilience as a Secure Cyber City
- The CIS Security Operations Center (SOC): The Key to Growing Your SLTT's Cyber Maturity
- Episode 115: Continuous Feedback as CIS Employee Culture
- Episode 125: How Leadership Principles Influence CIS Culture
- CIS Culture
- CIS Communities
- Episode 97: How Far We've Come preceding CIS's 25th Birthday
- Why Whole-of-State Cybersecurity Is the Way Forward
- An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Reasonable Cybersecurity
If you have some feedback or an idea for an upcoming episode of Cybersecurity Where You Are, let us know by emailing [email protected].

As of June 23, 2025, the MS-ISAC has introduced a fee-based membership. Any potential reference to no-cost MS-ISAC services no longer applies.