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• I was enjoying myself at The Red Sea, having fun teaching a SANS Class
• Next was Holiday in Jordan, seeing Petra and The Dead Sea etc.
• Instead, I took a frenzied flight back to the USA on Friday the 13th
• 90% of my work disappeared on the flight home
• Travel, a love of my life, ceased
• My Life and The World became a very different place
• Lots of uncertainty going forwards
(Infosec) Consultant for 30+ years◦ Wide variety of clients from
startups to Fortune 500 togovernment entities worldwide
SANS Instructor for 17 years!
Author of Class “Successful Infosec Consulting”
Recent Books:
“Infosec Rock Star: How to Accelerate Your Career Because Geek Will Only Get You So Far”and the forthcoming
“Infosec Consulting 101”
Copyright © Ted Demopoulos SuccessfulInfosecConsulting.com 3
Of course there are serious problems we are confronting now
Luck certainly does play a role◦ BUT what can we do to maximize the probability of
coming out of this better than before?
This talk covers concrete things you can do to weather the pandemic and thrive, both during and afterwards
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What can we do to maximize the probability?
Obviously preparation is helpful◦ But we are looking at going forward primarily
Chance for a fresh start (in some ways)
Even people and companies in some hard hit areas/industries are doing well◦ Not all, my gym closed forever in late March
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In the airline business, or furniture business, or a gym owner, or in the restaurant business, or …
We may not be uniquely poised to do somewhere between OK <-> Great but we are in better shape than most◦ Still, some of us are unemployed◦ Friday the 13th in March I lost 90%+ of my work◦ People including loved ones are dying◦ We cannot downplay the seriousness of the situation
◦ “Much of the world is now coping with a coronavirus resurgence.”-New York Times 7/28
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We are not all in the same boat◦ But we are all in the same storm
We have two choices now (just like always):
◦“I Can”
◦“I Can’t”
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Do you want to “come out of this better than before?”◦ Not going to organically happen◦ Need to do some “good things”
Requires planning
Takes FOCUSED effort◦ What’s important to you?
Expecting (partial) failuresalong the way
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Running a sub 4 minute mile◦ Until Roger Bannister did 6 May 1954◦ Record only lasted 46 days◦ Now been done by over 1400
◦ “It always seems impossible until it’s done” -Nelson Mandela
I’m sure you’ve done things others thought you couldn’t before? What are they. You’ve probably forgotten.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right”- Henry Ford
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These alone are not “Good Things” (just) Dreaming◦ Vague plans with no action◦ I’m guilty sometimes for sure!
I’m going to play the piano I’m going to get in shape I’m going to set up a home lab and …
Complaining◦ Times are tough you know
Yet still some are doing incredible things
Platitudes ◦ "take care of yourself, stay healthy" etc.
Yeah, of course you should!
Positive thinking (alone)
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Take a class (many great paid and free options)◦ SANS, Coursera, MIT OpenCourseware, Udemy
Write a Crypto Class Build/Enhance a Home Lab◦ Webcast: How to Build a Home Lab (BHIS)
Learn a Foreign Language◦ Duolingo is one free option
Learn to Cook or Study Mixology◦ I’m studying Tiki Drinks
Play the Piano semi-seriously Write a Book Read a Book Get in Better Physical Shape
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Spreading yourself too thin leads to lotsof failures or at bestpartial success and lots of frustration
A little of this and a little of that might work a buffet but – might lead to nothing significant getting done
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You should have a “Not To Do List” – this is mine:
Write Crypto Class◦ Probably by doing 3-5 crypto webcasts as base material
Build/Enhance a Home Lab◦ Although I did get very excited by the BHIS Webcast
Play Piano at least a few minutes a day (basically relearn to play)
Get in better shape◦ I am “maintaining” my last two years weight loss (I hope) of approximately
2.5 stones
Running a Short Class/Challenge based on this Webcast◦ It’s a serious thought with some people nudging me forwards
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(Quickly) jot down a few things you would love to do but are not going to do
◦ At least not now!
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(and still does to an extent certainly)
Sprints: Very focused effort over the short term
For example I business group I’m in had a series of 17 day sprints
Get something seriously good done by focusing on it for a shortish period of time◦ I did a significant update to my Successful Infosec
Consulting class◦ I read 2 books a week the first 3 weeks home◦ A friend enhanced his home lab and played with it every
night for two weeks
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Some friends from my former gym started a “Get Fit in August” challenge
James Altucher has a 30 day write a book challenge◦ Google his podcast – last Fridays episode
Russell Brunson (marketing guy) started a 30 day “Funnel Hacking Challenge” this week
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Marathons require more planning You can certainly get more significant things
accomplished in a 6-18 months than a few weeks◦ Working at Sprint pace you will burn out!
Working Definitions:◦ Short Term: now to a few months out◦ Long Term: 6 months-decades
Your definitions may vary somewhat
(For me long term is 18 months+)
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“Plans are worthless. Planning is priceless”
-flexibility is essential
MY PLAN will help me:
Come out of GREAT REBOOT strong -better than before -I think this yours should too
Which requires having a plan!
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Historically I have been a horrific planner◦ Just a “go with the flow” dude!
Doing Strategic Security Planning for others has helped me become a very solid planner◦ And having children and an ex wife has made me
do it in my personal and professional life as well
Planning CREATES FREEDOM◦ (Some) Structure creates freedom◦ And as things change/evolve you “go with the flow”◦ Helps to let you see possibilities
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Copyright © Ted Demopoulos
Vision
Where youare now
Past
Vision: Where you want to go, your big picture goalCompanies have visions, their big picture/long term goal: Where they want to go, what they want to be when they grow upYou should have visions or big picture/longer term goals also
The further out you go the less certain the future is and hence thelarger the cone of plausibility
Alternate Future 1Alternate Future 2
Alternate Future 3
21
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Vision
Where youare now
Past
The Past is Fuzzy too!The further back you go the less certain the past isThe past absolutely affects the present & future
Our understanding of what happened is rarely “Perfect”The further back we go the less sure we are• I might know what I had for lunch yesterday but are we sure George
Washington really had wooden teeth?• Our understanding of the present is rarely “Perfect” also
Alternate Future 1Alternate Future 2
Alternate Future 3
Assessing where we were pre-COVID
Assessing (as accurately as possible) where we are now◦ There is LOTS of uncertainty now
Big Picture/Longer Term Goals◦ Just a very few, this is not a “bucket list”
Smaller Supporting Goals◦ Remember the “Not To Do List”
Planning Tips for Success
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The P
lannin
g P
rocess
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Where youare now
12 March
Really good stable incomeGreat lifestyleTeaching & Consulting a lotSpending time in my favorite places• Amsterdam, Brussels, GreeceSeeing family a lot• More would have been betterLots of Flexibility/Freedom
3 August
Lots of uncertaintyIncome recovered. Stable?Very different lifestyle99% Remote WorkSpending time in New Hampshire and MaineLess Flexibility/FreedomBoth more time as I’m not traveling and less time as I have 3 teenagers at home
This is me – what about you?
Copyright © Ted Demopoulos
Teaching primarily my own classes
Heavy emphasis on consulting and entrepreneurial classes
Because I feel I am providing the most value doing this
Definitely continuing security consulting/other classes however
Alternate Future 1Alternate Future 2
Alternate Future 3
Big Picture Goal
This is me – what about you?
Redesigning Website and a new one going up for videos (happening now)
Running full Consulting Class soon
Working on Consulting Book(s)◦ Worked on it during the past 24 hours
Conference (virtual) on consulting this fall◦ Free to attend, small fee for recordings of sessions
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Running Consulting Classes with The SANS Institute◦ Once things settle down
Submitting Consulting Classes to Conferences◦ Brucon, Blackhat, WWHF, ISC2 Security Congress, etc.
Lots of free resources to help people (and me with marketing)◦ Webinars etc.
Possible Coaching/Mentoring/Mastermind groups◦ Not in the immediate future
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Spend more time with family◦ Especially my kids and mother
◦ Supporting goals include:
Getting my kids involved in my consulting business
Taking classes with kids
Teaching my son to fly fish
Running with my two daughters
Doing the shopping for my mother
Cooking with my middle daughter
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◦ (this one is perhaps a bit weird to you?)
Have a More “Peaceful” Life◦ I seem to thrive in chaos but have tired of it!
◦ Supporting goals include:
I’ve started (trying to meditate)
Getting work done ahead of time instead of last minute
Not trying to do too much
Reading “Peaceful” books
Having my youngest primarily live with me instead of her mother
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1)
2)
3)
Add potential supporting goals remembering you can’t do everything
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Get in Shape
Learn Digital Forensics
Prepare to become an infosec consultant
“Consolidate Life”
(remember you need a plan not just goals & metrics are good!)
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Have a SMALL number of Big Picture Goals and write them down ◦ 3 to 5 absolute max
◦ Review and possibly change regularly (quarterly for me)
◦ Look at them regularly!
Have smaller picture supporting goals◦ They are important mainly as support to the Big
Picture Goals
◦ Partial success or even failure here doesn’t matter
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Expect some failures/difficulties along the way◦ It’s normal, don’t give up
Expect most significant Big Picture Goals to be harder and/or take longer to achieve!◦ And success can possibly take a different form than
expected (“Cone of Plausibility”)
Fall in love with the F-word
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Expect some failures/difficulties along the way◦ It’s normal, don’t give up
Expect most significant Big Picture Goals to be harder and/or take longer to achieve!◦ And success can possibly take a different form than
expected (“Cone of Plausibility”)
Fall in love with the F-word
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Not a business life and personal life◦ I strongly believe this
Your long term goals can (should?) be both personal and business◦ Not in our example for the sake of time
We often greatly overestimate what we can get done in the short term and greatly underestimate what we can get done in the long term
What would you do if you thought you couldn’t fail??
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