Why Dewayne Hart says cybersecurity is the key to modern life

Dewayne Hart is among the foremost Cyber Security Speakers pushing the boundaries of how we think about digital risk and personal responsibility.

With a rich background of military discipline, certification credentials and public speaking, he combines technical insight with real-world clarity.

He didn’t set out to be in cybersecurity. From spotting a CISSP book left by a friend to building a career of helping organisations see what they don’t yet see – blind spots, vulnerabilities, culture gaps – Hart invites us to reimagine security not as an afterthought but as the backbone of modern living.

In this exclusive interview with The AI Speakers Agency, Dewayne shares his journey into cybersecurity, what businesses often overlook, and why cyber protection needs to become everyone’s priority.

Q1. Your professional journey began in the military – how did that path ultimately lead you into cybersecurity?

Dewayne Hart: “When I retired from the military about 15 years ago, I was supposed to be a leadership coach. And then, during the times I was studying for my master’s degree programme, I walked into the office and I noticed that a friend of mine was studying for his CISSP certification. 

“I picked up the book, browsed through it a couple of times and said, “You know what? I think that I want to branch into the cybersecurity industry.”

“And so after that I started to study the CISSP certification, passed it, and then from there I became one of the persons that were interested in cybersecurity.

“But later on I started to do some other things such as write, start the podcast, and here I am today working in the cybersecurity industry. 

“It has been very rewarding, but I thank my friend for leaving that book on the desk, because if he had not left that book there, I would probably have been a leadership coach today.

“Now, there’s nothing wrong about being a leadership coach, but I think that the cybersecurity industry is much more rewarding.”

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Q2. In your view, what practical steps should organisations prioritise to strengthen their defences against cyber-attacks?

Dewayne Hart: “As I have walked through the industry and met a great number of people that work from all walks of life, the number one question they always ask me is, how can we become proactive?

“My answer is always standard and it’s always the same. You need to understand your security capabilities. Your security capabilities make a determination on whether you know what’s on your enterprise or whether you do not know what’s on your enterprise.

“It can also branch into cyber visibility. Do you have visible indication of where your weaknesses are?

“There are some intricate programmes that must work in tandem in order for leaders to understand their security capabilities. One is your asset management programmes. Two is your configuration management programme. Three is your vulnerability management programme.

“If you can take those three programmes and have them to work in tandem, you can understand your security capabilities.

“But also adding in your cyber tools and your cyber threat intelligence programmes, those are going to help you out as well. So if you add those into your asset management, configuration management and vulnerability management programme, you will have an accurate indication of your security capabilities. 

“Because if you don’t have an accurate indication of your security capabilities, then this is how you create those blind spots. Blind spots are those areas of your enterprise that are sneaking under the radar. They only become active when hackers find out where they are.

“So if you understand your security capabilities, then you can beat hackers to the finish line.

Q3. Many say people are the weakest link in security. From your experience, what is the true vulnerability within organisations?

Dewayne Hart: “We often have a conversation saying that humans are the weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity. I like to take it to the next level and state that a dysfunctional cybersecurity culture is the weakest link for cybersecurity.

“Think about culture as people, but also looking at the way that people operate. Look at the enterprise and see that you have silos. Silos are people that work into their own programmes and their own ways.

“When we can remove those silos, then we have people that work as a group and we have people that buy into the cybersecurity culture.

“So when you have a functional cybersecurity culture, then you can always beat hackers to the finish line. This is one of the strongest aspects I think that great leaders have. They are able to polish up a cybersecurity environment and build a functional cybersecurity culture.”

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Q4. As a cybersecurity speaker, what is the core message you want audiences to remember after hearing you?

Dewayne Hart: “As I begin to look into my past speaking events and as I travel to future speaking events, I’ve always said that I want my audience to look at cybersecurity as a quality of life issue.

“Here’s why. We live in a state now where cybersecurity is part of our lives. We cannot survive without cybersecurity and technology. So humans have to take it very seriously because it’s a quality-of-life issue. Let’s just imagine if, per se, Facebook goes offline. 

“Imagine how people’s lives change. Imagine how many of the other social media platforms go offline. Imagine if the internet was to just shut down for 24 hours. It seizes business operations. Our quality of life is diminished. We can’t go to the bank and get money now. We can’t go online, we can’t use our cell phones.

“So I always tell my audiences that you have to look at cybersecurity as a quality of life issue, and everyone is held responsible. This is where individual responsibility comes to the surface.

“Think about it. What is it that you are responsible for when it comes to cybersecurity? Because it’s your quality of life.

“And this is what I always like to preach to my audiences too, because if we were in a race and we are in lane A and hackers are in lane B, the one that makes it to the finish line wins. So if you want to keep your quality of life at a high level, you’ve got to find ways to beat them to the finish line.”

This exclusive interview with Dewayne Hart was conducted by Mark Matthews of The Motivational Speakers Agency.

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