Introduction
Lisa Hayashi, CMO of Safeguard Cyber, brings her extensive expertise in business communication security and compliance to this insightful episode.
Safeguard Cyber, established in 2016, specializes in protecting organizations across various communication channels, from email to messaging apps. In this episode, Lisa discusses how their platform helps companies navigate the complex landscape of digital security, particularly in highly regulated industries. She shares valuable insights on preventing business email compromise, managing insider risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance while enabling organizations to maintain effective communication channels.
Learn how Safeguard Cyber’s innovative approach to security helps businesses stay protected in an increasingly connected world.
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Lisa: Hey there, good to see you.
Ernesto: It’s great to have you. On today’s episode, we were discussing a little bit about Safeguard, but let’s get to what the listeners are tuning in for. In your own words, can you tell us a little bit more about what Safeguard Cyber is all about, Lisa?
Lisa: Of course, yeah. Thanks for having me on today. Safeguard Cyber is a business communication security and compliance platform. So what we do is empower organizations to ingest, capture, and archive messages across email, collaboration channels like Slack and Microsoft Teams, and mobile messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal, as well as social media. This provides security and compliance teams with a unified dashboard to gain visibility into all compliance and security risks.
We help companies understand risks like business email compromise, business communication compromise, insider risks, phishing, fraud, and regulatory compliance risks. We work with industries like financial services and pharmaceuticals, and we’ve been doing this since 2016.
Ernesto: It’s great to hear that from Safeguard. So then, if we could sum it up here, Lisa, what would you say is a key problem that you solve for clients?
Lisa: Companies today want to use communication channels to meet their customers on their journey. They want to use two-way messaging—like WhatsApp—to talk to their customers or Slack for internal collaboration. Many companies are already doing this, but they lack proper visibility to protect their organization’s data and brand reputation, not to mention financial risks.
Cybersecurity tools exist to protect email, but until now, there hasn’t been a solution to correlate risks across communication channels. For example, your CEO might be impersonated, and bad actors could target multiple employees to gain data, access, or drive clicks on malicious links. Without visibility, understanding what’s happening is incredibly challenging.
Our platform provides direct API integrations to capture and analyze messages, helping security teams make sense of what’s happening across these channels.
Ernesto: That’s awesome. Thank you so much for that. So then, who would you say is your ideal ICP?
Lisa: Certainly. We target highly regulated industries. These organizations need their communication channels to be compliant. Once you allow people to use these tools, whether on personal or company-issued devices, risks emerge.
Bad actors are always looking for an entry point—just like how a single open window can lead to a burglary. Similarly, security messaging teams and IT professionals managing platforms like Slack, Teams, or email are ideal customers for us.
For example, if someone is stealing company data and transferring it from Slack to personal email, we can detect it. Or let’s say, Ernesto, you get an urgent email supposedly from the CFO asking for gift cards during a board meeting. Our platform uses natural language processing to flag urgent or unusual requests. We analyze conversations to help security teams prioritize and mitigate risks.
Ernesto: That’s crucial. Like you mentioned, bad timing and urgency can lead to mistakes. Great stuff from Safeguard. How do people usually find out about you?
Lisa: We use an integrated marketing program. Education is key, so we ungate almost everything on our website to position ourselves as subject matter experts in business communication risk.
We do webinars, events, and contribute articles through PR. We also create guides, blogs, and white papers—all ungated. Additionally, we use self-guided product tours on our site, weekly demo days, and more to cater to different learning preferences.
Ernesto: That’s excellent. And for listeners, check them out at safeguardcyber.com. Lisa, what role does your website play in client acquisition?
Lisa: Oh, it’s my home. Like inviting someone to your house—it needs to feel welcoming. We make sure it’s easy to find information, explore content, and see value in what we offer.
We constantly publish content, like blogs, and track how visitors move through their journey. It’s an ongoing process of improvement—kind of like the Winchester Mystery House.
Ernesto: Amazing. Let’s switch gears. As a CMO, what are your key tasks day-to-day?
Lisa: Being in a startup means wearing many hats. I work with agencies, collaborate with sales teams, and stay close to the product team. I want to deeply understand our offerings and support sales with creative campaigns and enablement.
Ernesto: Great insight, Lisa. Now for our rapid-fire round. Ready?
Lisa: Ready.
O ChatGPT disse:
Ernesto: First off, what is the last book that you read?
Lisa: Okay, this one’s a good one. It’s called The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan. He writes historical period pieces. This one was about the invasion of Ukraine—historical, not current—and it was fascinating. He also wrote Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which is a World War II story about helping Jewish people escape Italy. My mom lived through World War II in Italy, so it felt very personal to me. Both are fantastic reads.
Ernesto: Sounds like meaningful reads that hit close to home. What would you say is the one thing your company is focusing on most at the moment?
Lisa: Building pipeline around our security platform and helping IT and security leaders understand the importance of business communication security. We’re focused on evangelizing what we do and ensuring our product stands out in the market.
Ernesto: Great. Now, if there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d want fixed in your role as a marketer?
Lisa: Campaign efficacy across all channels! There are tools out there, but they require a lot of work and bandwidth, which is tough for a small team. I’d love a way to easily track how people move through the pipeline from awareness to decision-making without all the manual setup.
Ernesto: Totally understandable. Is there one repetitive task you’d love to automate?
Lisa: Absolutely—building better knowledge bases. AI tools are helping us create resources that speed up processes like building cadences and handling objections. We’re focusing on tools that help sales teams find the right content for the right conversation quickly.
Ernesto: That’s great. Finally, with all your experience in marketing, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were starting over?
Lisa: Dive deep into the product and ICP before making decisions. Understand where the company stands on product-market fit and what playbooks exist to shorten learning curves. Also, find and engage with a community of peers. Joining a CMO community during COVID was a game-changer for me. It’s helped me learn so much and build amazing connections.
Ernesto: Such valuable advice, Lisa. Now, before we wrap up, if someone forgets everything from today’s interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about your company?
Lisa: Every company needs to meet customers and partners on a digital journey, but they must do it securely. Business communication risk is real, and Safeguard Cyber’s platform is here to mitigate those risks.
Ernesto: You heard it, folks! Visit safeguardcyber.com for more. Lisa, thank you so much for being on the podcast today. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Looking forward to our next episode on Pathmonk Presents.
Lisa: Thank you so much, Ernesto. Take care!