Episode 35 - How to Build Cybersecurity That Actually Works with CISO Elliott Franklin

Elliott Franklin, cybersecurity leader and CISO at Fortitude Re, joins host Matt O’Neill to share insights on building effective security programs, avoiding vendor fatigue, and focusing on fundamentals over shiny tools. 

In this episode of Detonation Point presented by Elastio, discover practical advice for CISOs and security teams to prioritize risk management, streamline security stacks, and foster a security culture grounded in discipline.

Takeaways

• Most breaches come from failing the basics, not lacking advanced tools
• Vendor fatigue is real. Frameworks and risk should drive decisions, not hype
• More security spending doesn’t always mean better security
• People and process must come before technology
• True risk prioritization means not securing everything equally
• Strong security culture depends on leadership support and structure
• AI adoption should be enabled thoughtfully, not blocked outright

Chapters

00:00 Elliott Franklin’s Path into Cybersecurity

03:31 Vendor Fatigue & Tool Overload

06:34 Building Security Programs: Basics over Budget

12:59 Risk, Culture & Leadership Realities

20:23 Practical Security Leadership & The Future

About Our Founding Sponsor, Elastio 

This podcast is proudly presented by Elastio, the control point for cyber resiliency—because survival depends on clean recoveries. As our Founding Sponsor, Elastio continuously validates backups, bridging the gap between security tools and immutable storage. With AI-driven detection and zero-day recovery, Elastio ensures data is clean, uncompromised, and always recoverable. Learn more: www.elastio.com