As a member of the LegalSec Council with the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), Mark Sangster is a cybersecurity evangelist who has spent significant time researching and speaking to peripheral factors influencing the way that legal firms integrate cybersecurity into their day-to-day operations. In addition to his passion for cybersecurity, Mark’s 20-year sales and marketing career was established with industry giants like Intel Corporation, BlackBerry, and Cisco Systems.
Mark’s experience unites a strong technical aptitude and an intuitive understanding of regulatory agencies. During his time at BlackBerry, Mark worked on the first secure devices for government agencies. Since then, he has continued to build mutually beneficial relationships with regulatory agencies in key sectors.
Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a Business Diploma from Humber College.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
I’ve worked in IT and security for over 25 years, with BlackBerry, Cisco, Intel and other security firms. I worked on the first encrypted and secure devices with BlackBerry, and have spent the last 10 years bringing cyber awareness to the boardrooms of businesses, and working with industry associations to provide resources for their constituents to protect themselves. As I talk about in the opening of the book, I realized that moving from boardroom to boardroom was a slow rinse-and-repeat approach to spreading the gospel. And company after company was falling victim to cybercrime. I wanted to tell the stories, not to cast blame, but to provide a foundation by which I could bring awareness of cyber risks and offer simplified strategies to protect their business.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Cybersecurity is not an IT problem to solve, it’s a business risk to manage. The majority of business leaders labor under the misconception that their company is not a target of cybercriminals. The reality is that most cyberattacks victimize smaller and medium sized businesses. Leaders need to build their cyber awareness and align with security experts to ensure they don’t become the next headline.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
I worked with a publishing firm to write, edit and produce my book. I used Instagram and LinkedIn to promote the book, along with a platform of regular lectures, speaking slots, and conference appearances. I also ran a fireside chat program giving away 100 books. Now I am transitioning to promotion programs through Amazon and Good Reads to push sales and collect reviews.
What were the top three mistakes you made publishing your book what did you learn from them?
The first issue was thinking I couldn’t write a long-form document like a book, having only focused on papers and blogs. Writing a book is the same.
Second, I left too much time between production and sales. Launch when you can.
Third, I canceled two major launch events because of Covid-19. I should have deferred and will do so in the second half of 2021.
When will you consider your book a success?
When a reader contacts me and says, “I read your book. And then we were attacked by cybercriminals. Because of what I learned in your book, were prepared, and our business is safe.”
On Gray Crime and Punishment
We measure human progress in terms of anthropological or historical ages. Stone Age, Bronze Age, Middle Ages, and so on. We measure technical progress in terms of industrial revolutions: mechanization with steam and water, mass production, and more. So, what will we call this age in which you are the product and the consumer?
The consumer is the product. That’s not a drug-fueled quote from the likes of Hunter S. Thompson or Lewis Carroll. It’s the house of mirrors in which we live now. We give away our identity with a click of “I agree,” and then buy it back in the form of products aligned to our searches, preferences, and social media brags. Marshall McLuhan, you were right: The medium is the message. Now the medium and message are us.
There is no line by which we delineate. And let’s not forget that cyber service providers are pushing more responsibility for security onto users. By that, I don’t mean your customers alone. I mean your business: the entity using third-party software, online stores, and web tools of all kinds. What happens, as well, when the “user” is a device itself, like an RFID device? All we know is that security tensions can multiply and increase the complexity of an already complex user environment, leading to massive security risks.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was the pandemic in 2020. Two major conferences and launch events (worth thousands of books) were cancelled. I pivoted to virtual (Zoom) events which were more difficult because it became 50 events with 50 attendees each, rather than one event with 2,500 attendees. It’s taken longer to get to the same result, but the book is now selling on word of mouth.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
Where you need help and where you can do it yourself. I used a ghostwriter to help with some chapters. I wound not do it again. I did it to get the book to market more quickly. Editing is critical. But I didn’t need the writing support.
#1 You need a platform for a book. It’s an instrument, not an intrinsic goal. Your book should be a part of a product platform, like training programs, certification, etc. Courses can leverage content in your book, but it should align to these sorts of services.
#2 Understand how to promote your book through the retailers and build a personal website to promote your book beyond retailers. You can include outlines, snippets, and even a free chapter to demonstrate value to your reader.
#3 Get the word out on traditional media with print and radio interviews. They reach a broader audience than you can.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
I focus on the future, not the past. In fact, we live in the present. Be aware. Observe. And bring a voice that helps people interpret their present from a different perspective.
- Breaking down complex elements into their core elements: Sidney Dekker’s Field Guide to Understanding Human Error
- Bringing complex ideas to non-experts: Kip Thorne’s The Science of Interstellar
- Storytelling and perseverance: Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October (Naval Press edition)
If you only had $1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Using a social media content expert to push my message through my channels. Effective communication that resonates is critical to success.
Write your book. You are good enough. You have something to say, and people will read your book. Stop procrastinating.
What is your favorite quote?
“Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.”
– Bernard Meltzer
Who should we interview next and why?
I would interview Bob Darling, who wrote his memoirs “9/11: 24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker”. He was an unwitting advisor the country’s leadership on that day. He captures the inside view and brings lessons beyond the historical events. He’s captured the essence of the event, and used it to create a foundation that business executives can use to lead their business, employees, and investors through a crisis. He’s well spoken, and sincere. He’s worth speaking to.
How can we get in touch with you?
No Safe Harbor is available through leading online print, digital and audio retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you’d like to continue the cybersecurity conversation, you can reach me through my website mbsangster.com, or at mark@mbsangster.com.
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