Taylor Banks

Current

• founder at kaos.theory/security.research
• PoC / Organizer at DC404
• Owner at KnowThreat

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Past

• Chief Security Architect and Director of Sales Engineering at InfoWeapons, Inc.
• SE Manager at Caymas Systems
• Board Member at Metro Atlanta ISSA

• Owner at REDvolution Technologies
• Practice Manager, Information Assurance and Forensic Services at Vigilar, Inc.
• Senior Security Engineer at VeriSign, Inc.
• Independent Consultant (Self-employed)

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Recommended

56 people have recommended Taylor

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

• My Company
• My Personal Site and Blog
• My Security Research Team

Taylor Banks’s Summary

Extensive background in all aspects of the computer networking and information security industries. Over 10 years designing, implementing, teaching and selling secure information systems to Federal Government, US Military, private universities and public companies, from start-ups to Fortune 100.

Currently focusing on virtualization and its impact on information security, specifically VMware and Xen implementations.

Through KnowThreat, I provide contract training for "VMware: Installation and Configuration," "VMware: Deploy, Secure and Analyze," and "VMware: FastTrack" courses and am actively developing vendor-neutral courseware on effective security for enterprise virtualization infrastructure.

Taylor Banks’s Specialties:

Background in IS and IT security consulting, education, and courseware development; focus on and specialize in virtualization, virtualization security, and VMware and Xen in the enterprise. I also have significant experience in business development and partnerships, security sales, technology research and development, and sales engineering management.

Taylor Banks’s Experience

• founder

  kaos.theory/security.research

  (Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Research industry)

  February 2005 — Present (3 years 9 months)

  k.t/s.r was formed to bring together the brightest minds in the information technology and security communities, willing to contribute their ideas and dedicate their free time and energy, to create and innovate in an effort to organically and holistically improve the state of information and network security worldwide.

• PoC / Organizer

  DC404

  (Computer & Network Security industry)

  August 2003 — Present (5 years 3 months)

  The DEF CON Groups (DCGs or DC-Groups) are a gathering point for folks interested in the alternate applications of modern technology. DCG meetings are open to anyone, regardless of skill, age, job, gender, etc.

• Owner

  KnowThreat

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  March 2002 — Present (6 years 8 months)

  KnowThreat is the product of extensive collaborative experience providing network and information security architecture, design, research, development, implementation, consultation, and training to individuals, businesses and governments, large and small.
  
  KnowThreat provides VMware Certified Training as well as virtualization infrastructure design, architecture, implementation, performance and business continuity consulting.

• Chief Security Architect and Director of Sales Engineering

  InfoWeapons, Inc.

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  September 2006 — June 2007 (10 months)

  As Chief Security Architect and Chief Security Officer, my responsibilities included defining, managing and enforcing information and network security processes and procedures (to exceed the requirements of ISO 27001) as well as analyzing and architecting our own network infrastructure and network security products to meet stringent guidelines and requirements (including but not limited to those of the JITC PKI, JITC IPv6 and FIPS 140 test suites).
  
  Simultaneously, as acting Director of Sales Engineering, I established and defined a Sales Engineering Practice and provided day-to-day management of all Technical Pre-Sales processes including product demonstrations, customer evaluations, network integration assistance, and ongoing customer relationship management. As a result of these efforts, I was further enlisted to take a lead role in Product Management by defining road maps, creating PRDs and working with Engineering to streamline and structure software development.

• SE Manager

  Caymas Systems

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Computer & Network Security industry)

  October 2004 — September 2006 (2 years)

  Caymas Systems was founded to help organizations control access to critical information and applications, and in so doing control their business.
  
  As Southeast Sales Systems Engineering Manager, I was responsible for all Technical Pre-Sales processes, including warm introductions, product demonstrations, customer evaluations, and relationship management. Working with Regional RSMs and the Channel Management Team, I was instrumental in recruiting all of Caymas' channel partners across the Southeastern US, and took a lead role in providing both Sales and Sales Engineering training to new partners.

• Board Member

  Metro Atlanta ISSA

  (Non-Profit; 10,001 or more employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  2005 — 2006 (1 year)

  The Metro Atlanta Information Systems Security Association (GAISSA) is a non-profit group dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities to promote the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and member's growth within the information security profession.
  
  As the Director of Web Operations, I deployed a content management portal to establish the chapter's first interactive member forum, career resource board and membership information portal. I was responsible for all web-facing infrastructure, content, updates and management.

• Owner

  REDvolution Technologies

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Computer & Network Security industry)

  January 2003 — June 2004 (1 year 6 months)

  ReDvolution's team of seasoned professionals focused on developing, implementing and securing solutions that delivered immediate operational impact, while providing the flexibility needed to remain competitive in a fast-paced market.
  
  As ReDvolution's Director of Security Services and acting Co-CEO, I oversaw all aspects of Sales, Marketing, and Professional Services Delivery. I defined and delivered all Security Service offerings, including Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, Security Architecture and Security Integration services, and I authored and delivered all security courseware including "Applied Penetration Testing," "Applied Computer Forensics," and "Advanced Open Source Security" courses.
  
  Our technology partners included ISECOM, (ISC)^2, and TechAssist, and within 6 months of establishment we had over 50 enterprise and federal customers, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, FedEx, VeriSign, and the United States Marine Corps.

• Practice Manager, Information Assurance and Forensic Services

  Vigilar, Inc.

  (Public Company; 51-200 employees; Computer & Network Security industry)

  August 2002 — December 2002 (5 months)

  Vigilar is dedicated to the delivery of security solutions of exceptional quality, design and value that enable customers to mitigate and manage security risks that threaten their competitive advantage or market position.

• Senior Security Engineer

  VeriSign, Inc.

  (Public Company; 201-500 employees; VRSN; Computer & Network Security industry)

  June 1999 — July 2002 (3 years 2 months)

  Designed and Developed Open Source Security course
  Co-developed Applied Hacking and Countermeasures course
  Certified VeriSign PKI Engineer/Instructor
  Certified CheckPoint Engineer/Instructor
  Certified Nokia Engineer/Instructor
  Certified NAI Engineer/Instructor

• Independent Consultant

  Self-employed

  (Self-Employed; Myself Only; Information Technology and Services industry)

  1992 — 1999 (7 years)

  As an independent consultant, provided network and security engineering to organizations including Sodex'ho Marriott, SunTrust Equitable Securities, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Benedict College, and the Gwinnet County Board of Education.

Additional Information

Taylor Banks’s Websites:

• My Company
• My Personal Site and Blog
• My Security Research Team

Taylor Banks’s Interests:

New and Emerging Technologies, Information Security Business Development, Sales Engineering Management, Security Event Management, Security Information Management, Intrusion Detection and Prevention, Intrusion Management, Incident Handling, Forensics, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Event Correlation, VMware and Enterprise Virtualization, ISO 17799, ISO 27001, BS7799, NIST 800

Taylor Banks’s Groups:

Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), International Information Systems Forensics Association (IISFA), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Atlanta Telecom Professionals (ATP), Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), Usenix, the System Administrator's Guild (SAGE), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and the United Professional Sales Association (UPSA), DEFCON, OSSIM, virtualization.info Vanguards, DC Groups, Plaxo, ShmooCon, DC404, Global Security Professionals, ISECOM

•    IASE
•    CSORoundtable
•    Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP)
•    RSA Conference
•    virtualization.info Vanguards
•    OSSEC
•    HomelandSecurity
•    VMwareGuru
•    Defcon Groups
•    SOX Professionals
•    Digital Forensics Association (DFA)
•    Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
•    Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
•    Professional Speakers and Seminar Leaders
•    Black Hat Speakers
•    Black Hat
•    ISECOM
•    IT Governance
•    Information Security Community
•    Foodies
•    Speakers and Panelists
•    Privacy Professionals
•    National Information Security Group
•    Open Source
•    Official VMware Virtualization Group
•    VeriSign Alumni Group
•    DEFCON
•    ISACA Professionals
•    USENIX Association
•    VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
•    VMware Certified Instructor (VCI)
•    SecurityMetrics
•    Instructional Designers
•    Game Developers
•    Security Bloggers Network
•    Payment Card Industry Network
•    ISO 27000 for information security management
•    The Academy
•    FOSS Professionals
•    Information Security Network
•    The Web Application Security Consortium
•    Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds
•    Training Professionals
•    Computer Forensic Professionals
•    Security Leaders Group
•    International Information Systems Forensics Association
•    Security & Privacy Technology Professionals
•    ShmooCon

Taylor Banks’s Honors:

Certified Information System Security Professional ( CISSP )
VMware Certified Professional, Instructor ( VCP / VCI )
OSSTMM Professional Security Testing Trainer ( OPST )
VeriSign Certified Engineer, Instructor ( VCA / VCE )
Checkpoint Certified Engineer, Instructor ( CCSE / CCSI )
NAI Cybercop Certified Engineer, Instructor
ISS Certified RealSecure Engineer

Frequent and requested speaker at:
-> ISSA
-> ISACA
-> InfraGard
-> Defcon
-> ShmooCon
-> LayerOne
-> Interz0ne

Taylor Banks’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch