Cybersecurity, Straight Talk, and the Occasional Cattle Reference
A blog from the mind of a security engineer on the ins and outs of a long career in the industry, and the lessons learned along the way.
What You’ll Find Here
No fluff, no vendor marketing speak, no ‘synergistic security paradigms.’ Just practical content from someone who’s been in the trenches long enough to have strong opinions about all of it.
Microsoft Identity & Access
Entra ID, Conditional Access, PIM – the identity layer that holds everything together, and what happens when it doesn’t.
Threat Detection & Response
Defender XDR, Sentinel – building detection capabilities that actually catch things instead of just generating alerts nobody reads.
Cloud Security Posture
Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud, and the ongoing battle against misconfiguration. Todd left a storage account open. We talk about that.
Vulnerability Management
Risk isn’t just a number from a scanner. Building a TVM program that actually reduces exposure instead of just reporting on it.
GRC & Compliance
NIST, audit readiness, and making security and compliance coexist without driving each other completely insane. It can happen.
Occasional Cattle Reference
Exactly what it sounds like. Sometimes the best security metaphors come from a pasture. Or from a cast of characters.
Two Ways to Work With Me
Whether you’re here to learn, talk, or maybe even get something fixed, there’s a place for you.
The Blog
- Practical security content, published regularly.
- Deep dives on Microsoft’s security products, including Defender.
- Real perspectives – no vendor spin, no documentation rewrites, and I can show you where the warts are.
Let’s Talk Shop
- Security architecture and Microsoft-centric environments
- Specialized experience in regulated industries, including pharma, biotech, healthcare, and insurance.
- Honest assessments, practical solutions, no template strategies.
“Security that looks good in a report and security that actually reduces risk are not always the same thing. I’ve spent 25 years learning the difference.”
Scott P. Perry
Xenodyne Technologies
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