Beyond the AI Hype: A Data-Driven Look at What Actually Protects Your Organization
Tuesday, October 22 from 11:00 - 12:00 P.M. ET
The AI security conversation is loud. It is also, in large part, disconnected from what the data actually shows.
Breach reports do not describe a threat landscape that has been fundamentally reinvented. They describe the same attack categories, exploiting the same gaps, through the same entry points, moving faster and at greater scale than before. AI has not changed what attackers do. It has changed how quickly they can do it.
That distinction matters enormously for defenders, because it changes the question. It's no longer "What new framework do we need?" It shifts to "How do we implement the right fundamentals faster, more consistently, and in a way we can actually measure and defend?"
In this webinar, CIS SVP and Chief Evangelist Tony Sager and Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Brian Calkin cut through the noise with evidence. They will walk through what data reveals about defending in an AI-accelerated environment, how those same principles extend to AI deployments through the new CIS MCP Benchmark, and how CIS SecureSuite gives organizations the tooling to move from prioritized guidance to measurable, repeatable action.
By Attending This Webinar, You'll Learn:
- What real-world breach data reveal about AI-accelerated threats and why strong fundamentals remain the most effective defense
- How the new CIS Controls Active Defense Lifecycle helps defenders prioritize CIS Safeguards by attack stage, not just attack type
- Why CIS Safeguard 4.1 is the single highest-value security investment across all five top attack categories, confirmed by the CIS CDM v3.0 and the 2026 Verizon DBIR
- How the CIS MCP Benchmark extends proven controls to the AI protocol layer, where AI intent becomes action and authorization risks are highest
- What consistent, measurable implementation looks like in practice with a live CIS SecureSuite demo
Who Should Attend
This webinar is for security and IT leaders who are done with AI hype and ready for evidence. If you are responsible for building, measuring, or defending a cybersecurity program, this session gives you data-backed prioritization guidance and practical tooling to act on it.
CISOs and Security Directors who need to cut through vendor noise, make defensible investment decisions, and communicate program maturity to leadership and boards
IT Directors and Security Program Managers responsible for implementing the CIS Controls or evaluating tools to accelerate and measure that work at scale
Security Practitioners who need to prioritize limited resources and want a structured, data-driven framework for deciding where to invest next
Risk and Compliance Professionals seeking to align security investments to recognized standards with documented, auditable rationale
This session is relevant across industries. Organizations in healthcare, financial services, education, critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology will find the CIS CDM's findings and CIS SecureSuite directly applicable to their environments.
About Our Presenters
Tony Sager
Senior Vice President and Chief Evangelist
Tony Sager is a Senior VP & Chief Evangelist for the Center for Internet Security (CIS). He is involved in a wide variety of strategic, partnership, and outreach activities. He led the work which later became known as the CIS Critical Security Controls – an independent, volunteer-developed, cyber defense best practices program which is used throughout the industry. Tony has led numerous other activities to develop, share, scale, and sustain effective defensive cyber practices for worldwide adoption.
In addition to his duties at CIS, Tony is a volunteer in numerous cyber community service activities: an inaugural member of the DHS/CISA Cyber Safety Review Board; Advisor to the Minnesota Cyber Summit; Advisory Boards for several local schools and colleges; formerly a member of the National Academy of Sciences Cyber Resilience Forum and serves on numerous national-level study groups and advisory panels.
Tony retired from the National Security Agency in 2012 after 34 years as a mathematician, computer scientist, and executive manager. As one of the Agency’s first Software Vulnerability Analysts, he helped create and led two premier NSA cyber defense organizations (the System and Network Attack Center, and the Vulnerability Analysis and Operations Group). In 2001, he led the release of NSA security guidance to the public and expanded NSA’s role in the development of open standards for security. Tony’s awards and commendations at NSA include: the Presidential Rank Award at the Meritorious Level (twice) and the NSA Exceptional Civilian Service Award. The groups he led at NSA were recognized inside government and across industry for mission excellence with awards from numerous sources, including: the SANS Institute, SC Magazine, and Government Executive Magazine.
Brian Calkin
Chief Technology & Innovation Officer
Brian Calkin serves as Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at the Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS®), where he leads the organization's AI strategy and innovation initiatives. In this role, he advises CIS leadership on emerging technologies, drives the adoption of artificial intelligence across the organization, and shapes the technical vision for CIS's evolving product and service portfolio.
Brian's history with CIS spans over a decade. He supported the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) while serving at Symantec Corporation before joining CIS in 2011, where he advanced through progressively senior roles including Assistant Director of the Security Operations Center, Senior Director of Security Services, Vice President of Operations, and Chief Technology Officer. As VP of Operations, he oversaw more than 50 cybersecurity professionals across 24x7 SOC, threat intelligence, incident response, and engineering teams serving over 1,800 state, local, territorial, and tribal organizations nationwide. As CTO, he shaped CIS's technology strategy, built internal R&D capabilities, and established strategic partnerships with leading technology providers.
Since 2020, Brian has served as Senior Technical Advisor at CIS while serving as a partner at CyberWA, a boutique cybersecurity firm serving Fortune 100 executives, high-net-worth individuals, and public figures. In his advisory capacity, he spearheaded the creation of CIS's nationwide cybersecurity-focused DNS service, now adopted by over 4,000 SLTT entities, and developed endpoint security and email filtering solutions protecting more than 200,000 users across 100+ organizations.
Brian holds a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University, graduating with honors, and a Bachelor of Science in Network and Systems Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. He maintains his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and is a frequent speaker at national and statewide cybersecurity events and regular media contributor on emerging cyber threats and trends.
David Kalish
Cybersecurity Solutions Engineer
David Kalish is a seasoned Cybersecurity Solutions Engineer at the Center for Internet Security (CIS), bringing over 20 years of diverse experience in the tech industry. He holds multiple cloud certifications, including AWS Solutions Architect and SysOps Administrator, showcasing his expertise in cloud technologies. David's exceptional contributions have been recognized with multiple Team MVP awards at AWS re:Invent, across three different companies.