In a special podcast interview, Matt Godsted, Director – Enterprise Security at 84.51°, speaks with Michael Wilcox, VP of the Office of the CISO at Stratascale, about implementing zero-trust, developing talent, responsible use of data, and prioritizing initiatives.

Godsted says that the organization’s journey toward zero trust is underway. He notes the team is making sure that the “why” is clearly communicated so that the business and the organization can buy into it. Discussing developing security talent, he says that the organization is invested in internal building and hiring fresh talent from local universities.

Godsted describes 84.51° as a company that partners with businesses to understand their priorities and strategic initiatives and builds secure solutions from the start.

Regarding regulatory compliance requirements, he says that it is helping build the framework to ensure things are being done securely from a privacy perspective.

Next, Godsted explains that Kroger and 84.51° have a solid commitment to data minimization, collecting only the minimum amount required to impact customers positively and retaining that information for only as long as necessary. Another key aim is to be transparent with the collected data.

In sharing the security organization’s approach to prioritizing demands, he says it comes down to partnering with businesses and understanding their priorities. Godsted also mentions that the cloud is a crucial part of the technical strategy, and the resources utilized for any given application or initiative must align with the actual need.

He adds that the team tries to let the business help prioritize work so that it stays on track.