How do you modernize security in a 180-year-old company that operates critical national infrastructure? What does it look like when you discover tens or even hundreds of thousands of credentials hidden across your estate?
In this episode, we sit down with Christian Schwarz, Security Director for Network Services at BT Group , recorded at HashiDays London. Christian shares the immense challenge and strategic approach to standardizing secret management across one of the world's oldest telecommunication companies.
He details BT's journey away from the "moat and a castle" security model towards a future with no passwords for developers , reducing friction and enhancing security by design.
Guest Socials - Christian's Linkedin
Podcast Twitter - @CloudSecPod
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Questions asked:
(00:00) - Why Standardizing Secrets is a Challenge
(02:24) - Introducing Christian Schwarz & His Role at BT
(05:50) - Beyond the "Castle & Moat": A New Approach to Security
(07:59) - The Challenge of Securing a 180-Year-Old Company
(10:04) - The Power of Storytelling and Discovering Hidden Credentials
(11:59) - The Starting Point: Threat Modeling Your Critical Infrastructure
(13:48) - The Upside of Standardization: Reducing Cognitive Load for Teams
(16:08) - Fun Questions: Cycling, Innovation, and Favorite Cuisines
Thank you to our episode sponsor HashiCorp