The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Adam Markowitz, Founder of Drata

Episode notes

In this episode, Dan Desko sits down with Adam Markowitz, Co-Founder of Drata, to discuss the evolution of trust in cybersecurity and how it has become a core driver of business performance. Adam shares his journey from working on the NASA Space Shuttle program to building Portfolium and eventually founding Drata, and how those experiences shaped his perspective on proving trust, not just claiming it. The conversation explores how traditional approaches to security and compliance created friction through manual audits and point-in-time assessments, and how that experience led to a new way of thinking about continuous assurance. The discussion also covers the challenge of driving adoption for new ideas, the balance between innovation and practicality, and why many organizations struggle to move away from systems they know are broken. Adam also shares insights on the role of AI, how it is lowering the barrier to building new products, and why trust will become one of the most important factors in determining which companies succeed. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave review, it helps more people find the show! Want first access to future interviews? ⁠