Charles Everette - Cissp ✔️ Email and Phone Number

In my role as vCISO, I am dedicated to fortifying the city's cybersecurity posture, ensuring the protection of critical infrastructure and sensitive information against an ever-evolving threat landscape.My responsibilities include developing and implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, conducting risk assessments, and overseeing incident response protocols. I work closely with city officials and IT teams to enhance security awareness, manage compliance with regulatory standards, and safeguard the digital assets that support the city's services and residents. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and best practices, I aim to foster a resilient and secure digital environment for the City of Fort Lauderdale, contributing to its mission of providing exceptional public service and enhancing the quality of life for its community.

Providing consulting services in developing, implementing, and monitoring strategic, comprehensive enterprise information security and IT risk management programs:- Establish and enforce information security policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and systems.- Cyber security operational planning- Build and lead SOC (Security Operations Center) development/transformation,- Strategy to Action planning and execution

Provided cybersecurity services to organizations to establish and maintain effective and comprehensive cybersecurity programs, mitigating risks, and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their information assets.• Conducted risk assessments and implemented risk mitigation strategies, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA. • Developed and implemented a comprehensive security strategy aligned with business objectives, resulting in a 22% reduction in cybersecurity risks. • Led incident response efforts during security breaches, minimizing impact and reducing downtime by over 30%.• Developed and updated security policies, procedures, and guidelines, enhancing security awareness and compliance across the organization.• Designed and delivered security awareness training programs, resulting in a 48% increase in employee adherence to security best practices.• Managed vendor risk by conducting security assessments and implementing controls, reducing third-party security incidents by 34%.• Evaluated, selected, and implemented security technologies, including SIEM and endpoint detection solutions, improving threat detection capabilities by 40% and lowering alert fatigue overall. • Provided governance and oversight of security initiatives, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry best practices using frameworks such as NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS, FFIEC, GDPR, CIS, COBIT, HITRUST (CSF), and QSA.• Produced executive-level reports on security posture, risks, and progress towards security goals, facilitating informed decision-making by leadership and the board.• Monitored security incidents, analyzed security event data, and provided actionable insights to enhance threat detection and response capabilities.

A trusted advisor to clients, offering consultation on cybersecurity strategies, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Additionally, as responsible for providing industry relevant expert guidance to sales teams and clients. This includes designing tailored security solutions, conducting product demonstrations, and leading proof of concept projects.• Provided expert consultation to clients on cybersecurity strategies, risk management, and compliance requirements, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and regulations.• Acted as a trusted advisor to clients, offering guidance on endpoint security architecture, configuration, and optimization to enhance their security postures and mitigate risks.• Assisted clients in achieving and maintaining compliance with relevant regulations and standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, through the implementation of tailored endpoint security solutions.• Provided ongoing technical support to sales teams and clients, addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and ensuring smooth implementation and operation of endpoint security solutions.• Conducted competitive analysis to understand market dynamics, identify key differentiators, and position the vendor's endpoint security offerings effectively in the competitive landscape.• Represented the vendor as a thought leader in endpoint security through participation in industry events, webinars, publications, and engagement with the cybersecurity community.• Equipped sales teams with the necessary technical knowledge, tools, and resources to effectively position and sell endpoint security solutions, resulting in increased sales effectiveness and revenue growth.

Strategic leader responsible for driving advocacy efforts to demonstrate and promote the company’s cybersecurity solutions and thought leadership in the industry. Developed and execute cyber strategies to engage with key stakeholders, including customers, industry associations, regulatory bodies, and policymakers. This involves creating compelling content, such as whitepapers, blog posts, and case studies, to educate and influence target audiences. Additionally, lead initiatives to establish and maintain relationships with industry influencers, participate in speaking engagements, and contribute to relevant industry events and forums.• Created compelling content, including whitepapers, blog posts, and case studies, to educate and influence key stakeholders, driving awareness and interest in the vendor's offerings.• Established and maintained relationships with industry influencers, including analysts, journalists, and subject matter experts, to amplify the vendor's message and enhance credibility within the cybersecurity community.• Secured speaking engagements at industry conferences, webinars, and events to showcase the vendor's expertise and thought leadership, reaching a combined audience of over 10,000 cybersecurity professionals annually.• Authored of 70 plus articles and commentary to industry publications, forums, and social media channels to share insights, perspectives, and best practices on cybersecurity trends and challenges such as Forbes, Dark Reading, SC Media, RSA. • Engaged with customers, industry associations, regulatory bodies, and policymakers to advocate for cybersecurity policies and initiatives that align with the vendor's mission and values.• Collaborated with sales, marketing, and product teams to ensure alignment of advocacy efforts with business goals, messaging consistency, and integration into broader go-to-market strategies.

As Global Director of Customer Success (CS) at Deep Instinct, transformed a technical group into a globally scalable, cohesive organization, integrating Customer Success, Professional Services, Support, Training and Learning, and Operations teams. By establishing a clear mission, strategy, and business outcomes, harmonized CX with the company's vision, securing significant value realization for customers and partners worldwide.Notable achievements include:- Playing a pivotal role in securing Series C and D funding, buoyed by impactful customer testimonials that led to high praise in Gartner Peer Reviews.- Elevating the Dollar Based Net Retention rate consistently above 120%, while achieving a 35% reduction in deployment costs.- Introducing a customer tiering program that optimized Customer Success investments, boosting engagement and feature adoption among premium customers.- Launched customer-centric offerings such as comprehensive training, robust support, and customer success initiatives, which drove high customer satisfaction (CSAT > 85%) and a favorable Net Promoter Score (NPS > 35).- Developing an effective methodology for tracking renewals and cross-sell/upsell opportunities as identified by the Customer Success team.- Implementing Salesforce as the primary operations tool, thereby enhancing visibility into CS performance and enabling a Production Change Management process.+ Navigating the CS team through a major business strategy shift and the launch of a new product line, strategically readjusting investments and methodologies.+ Efficiently managing the annual CS budget, earning praise for operating a lean, cost-effective organization that consistently adhered to budgetary constraints.+ Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making, regular audits, retrospectives, and annual goal planning.+ Consistently prioritized customers, molding a CS team that is deeply committed to delivering exceptional service.

Key technical leader responsible for designing and architecting comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of clients. Collaborate closely with sales teams and clients to understand business requirements, assess cybersecurity risks, and develop customized solutions that address specific use cases and objectives. Additionally, provided technical expertise and guidance throughout the sales process, including solution design, presentations, demonstrations, and proof of concept projects. • Provided technical expertise and guidance throughout the sales process, including solution design, presentations, demonstrations, and proof of concept projects, resulting in successful sales closures and client acquisitions.• Led cross-functional teams to execute complex solution deployments, ensuring seamless integration with existing IT environments and adherence to best practices and industry standards.• Acted as a trusted advisor and technical evangelist, helping clients navigate complex cybersecurity landscapes, evaluate technology options, and make informed decisions to mitigate risks effectively.• Developed and maintained relationships with key stakeholders, including C-level executives, IT leaders, and security professionals, to understand their needs and priorities and align solutions accordingly.• Served as a liaison between customers and internal product development teams, providing feedback, insights, and requirements to drive product innovation and enhancements.• Contributed to the development of sales collateral, technical documentation, and training materials to support sales teams and educate customers on the value proposition and capabilities of cybersecurity solutions.• Stayed abreast of emerging technologies, trends, and industry best practices in cybersecurity to provide thought leadership and ensure solutions remained relevant and effective in addressing evolving threats and challenges.

Serves as a key leader in the organization's cybersecurity program, supporting the CISO in the development, implementation, and management of comprehensive security strategies and initiatives. They oversee various aspects of cybersecurity operations, including risk management, security architecture, incident response, and compliance. Additionally, played a crucial role in stakeholder engagement, representing the cybersecurity function to executive leadership, regulatory bodies, and industry partners. Leads 60 person team of cybersecurity professionals, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure the organization's security objectives are met effectively. Overall, they contribute to safeguarding the institution's assets, data, and reputation from cyber threats while promoting a culture of security and resilience across the organization.• Responsible for global SOC and security monitoring of end point security controls, vulnerability management, incident management and compliance for more than 37,000 IT systems worldwide.• Direct responsibility and ownership of all enterprise network firewall and IPS/IDS security operations. Over 700 firewalls and 2400 network nodes spanning 100 countries. • Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to assess cybersecurity risks, identify vulnerabilities, and develop proactive measures to protect critical assets and data.• Developed and maintained policies, procedures, and controls to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards, such as GDPR, PCI DSS, and FFIEC, reducing compliance-related risks and penalties.• Established and maintained incident response plans and protocols, leading response efforts during security incidents and breaches, minimizing impact and ensuring timely resolution.• Conducted security assessments, audits, and vulnerabilities management to identifying gaps and weaknesses in security controls and recommending remediation actions to strengthen defenses and mitigate risks.

FISERV, Madison, WI 1/08-Present Network/Security Engineering Manager (Director level)Provide leadership for the strategic and day to day compliance and security operations, audits, designs/architecture, networks, infrastructure, and staffing at 4 enterprise class data centers that provide 20% of the United States Federal Reserve banking ACH daily traffic. Currently oversees the staff and IT security systems that provide support and seamless connectivity to various other business units, tens of thousands of client Banking core systems and locations via Internet based protocols, SONET ring services, frame relay circuits (PVCs), MPLS clouds, VPNs, Federal agency connections, and banks of Asynchronous and Bisynchronous modems for legacy clients. • Manage day-to-day IT security operations and compliance through close collaborative relationships with peers, clients, and senior leadership.• Annually commit thirteen weeks of onsite security audits with Federal and industry audit groups.• Oversee all security and network monitoring, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), and Emergency Response Reporting (ERR) and remediation actions.• Ensure high client satisfaction through personal consultation and issue follow-up for comprehensive resolutions.

Lead Sr. Engineer that provided overall design, maintenance, monitoring, and support for the new data and video networks (BCN) for the State of Wisconsin. Provided technical top tier support for over 2100 locations in the State of Wisconsin. Served as head of IT department for local and remote offices. • Oversaw 24/7 on-site technical support to over 2100 LAN/WAN/video networks consisting of State agencies, including DOC, DNR, DWD, local & state law enforcement, and educational sites.• Directly managed outage response and emergency teams during network down situations.