The Talks That Only Tim Can Give
Tim Brown speaks from experience — not theory. As the CISO who navigated the SolarWinds breach, faced SEC enforcement, and rebuilt trust from the ground up, his talks carry a weight that no case study can replicate.
Four Talks. One Perspective No One Else Has.
Lessons from a Major Security Incident
What every organization must understand about surviving — and learning from — a nation-state attack.
In December 2020, SolarWinds disclosed one of the most sophisticated supply chain attacks in history. As CISO, Tim Brown was at the center of the response — navigating technical triage, government coordination, customer communication, and media scrutiny simultaneously.
This talk goes beyond the headlines. Tim shares the decisions made in real time, the frameworks that held up under pressure, and the hard lessons that only come from living through a crisis of this magnitude.
Key Takeaways
- How to build an incident response capability before you need it
- The role of transparency in rebuilding trust after a breach
- What "good" crisis communication looks like — and what it doesn't
- How to maintain organizational resilience when the pressure is highest
- The long tail of a major incident: legal, regulatory, and reputational recovery
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CISO Accountability & the SEC
The SEC's charges against SolarWinds set a precedent that changed what it means to be a CISO.
In 2023, the SEC charged SolarWinds and its CISO with fraud and internal control failures — a landmark moment that sent shockwaves through the security community. Tim Brown was that CISO.
This talk is a candid, firsthand account of navigating SEC enforcement, the legal and personal implications for security leaders, and what organizations must do now to protect their CISOs and themselves. It is not a legal briefing — it is a leadership conversation about accountability, governance, and the evolving role of the CISO in a regulated world.
Key Takeaways
- What the SEC charges mean for every CISO and board member
- How to structure board-level security reporting to reduce legal exposure
- The difference between disclosure and transparency — and why it matters
- Building a defensible security program in a post-SEC-enforcement world
- Personal liability: what CISOs need to know and do right now
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Innovation & Future Technology
The threat landscape is evolving faster than most organizations can adapt. Tim shows you what's coming — and how to get ahead of it.
As a Distinguished Engineer, former CTO, and Partner at Team8 — one of the world's leading cybersecurity venture groups — Tim Brown has a rare vantage point on where security technology is heading.
This talk combines practitioner experience with investor-level insight into emerging threats, AI-driven security, zero-trust architectures, and the next generation of security tooling. It is designed for organizations that want to move from reactive to proactive — and for leaders who need to make smart technology bets in an uncertain landscape.
Key Takeaways
- How AI is changing both the attack surface and the defense toolkit
- The real state of zero-trust: what works, what doesn't, and what's next
- Emerging threat vectors that most organizations aren't prepared for
- How to evaluate and adopt new security technology without creating new risk
- What the next generation of security platforms will look like
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Cybersecurity Leadership & Resilience
The best security programs aren't built in calm waters. They're built by leaders who know how to operate under pressure.
Drawing on his experience as CISO, CTO, Chief Product Officer, and Distinguished Engineer — and on navigating one of the most scrutinized security incidents in history — Tim Brown speaks to what it actually takes to build and lead a security organization that is resilient by design.
This talk is for security leaders who want to build programs that hold up when it matters most, and for organizations that want to understand what great security leadership looks like from the inside.
Key Takeaways
- How to build a security culture that extends beyond the security team
- The leadership qualities that matter most in a crisis
- Structuring a security organization for resilience, not just compliance
- How to communicate security risk in a way that drives board-level action
- Developing the next generation of security leaders
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The Difference Between a Speaker and a Witness
Tim didn't read about the SolarWinds breach in a report. He lived it — and led the response.
Firsthand experience with the legal and regulatory consequences that every CISO now faces.
From Distinguished Engineer to Dell Fellow to CTO — a career built at the highest levels of the industry.
"The most important thing I can offer isn't a framework or a checklist. It's the truth about what it's actually like — and what you can do about it."
Where Tim Has Spoken
Bring Tim to Your Stage or Boardroom
Tim is available for select keynotes, board briefings, executive roundtables, and company all-hands sessions. Engagements are tailored to your audience and objectives.