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Steve Martino

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer

Information Security (InfoSec)

Steve Martino leads Cisco’s Information Security (InfoSec) organization to innovate and adopt the most effective security technologies and policies, reflect them in Cisco’s people, products and services, and share them with customers. He has more than 30 years of high-technology experience in security, IT operations, product development and operations, marketing and sales.

Under Martino’s leadership, Cisco’s Information Security organization equips the company to defend itself, its partners and customers from information security threats 7x24. His team creates and adopts risk-based data governance and technology policies and capabilities that enable and secure Cisco’s IT infrastructure, and the data and privacy of our employees, customers and partners. They influence Cisco and its ecosystems to secure information assets by making information security services transparent, and easy to engage and adopt through streamlined and consistent processes. Martino strives to create a world-class culture of agility, innovation, business and technical leadership that helps to make Cisco a trusted and leading security partner in the industry.

Martino has gained industrywide recognition and many accolades for his expertise, leadership and willingness to help others be more secure. In March 2018, Martino won Silver for Security/ Information Technology Executive of the Year in the 2018 Info Security Products Guide’s Global Excellence Awards. In 2017, he was profiled in The Wall St. Journal’s “A Day in the Life of a CISO” and Forbes Magazine’s “Profiles In Cybersecurity.” He was recognized as a finalist for the Global CISO Breakaway Leadership Award, honored as an integral part of the S&TO team that won Gold for Management Team of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards, and was named one of the Top 100 CISOs by Hot Topics Magazine. In March 2016, the Info Security Products Guide Global Excellence Awards awarded Martino the Gold award for People Influencing Information Security for Cisco’s outstanding Information Security program.

His investment in people development is vast, as he mentors numerous people in and outside of Cisco, helped start the Men for Inclusion and Diversity program at Cisco, and has hired and developed a tremendous leadership bench. Martino has been an advocate and active participant in various Cisco Community activities. A long-time Habitat for Humanity supporter, Steve currently serves on the Habitat Silicon Valley/East Bay Foundation Board. He shares his passion for the organization by leading regular Habitat Build Days and was named Cisco Habitat for Humanity Executive Champion. He hosts March of Dimes fundraising events, Family Giving Tree Backpack Drives and Second Harvest Food Drive events. An avid cyclist, Steve has ridden the Tour de Cure to benefit the American Diabetes Association.

In addition to his Information Security leadership role, Martino participates in various Cisco IT, risk management and business transformation initiatives. Prior to joining Cisco in August 2007, Martino spent six years at Digeo, Inc., as Vice President of Business Operations. Prior to Digeo, he spent six years with Click2learn, ending his tenure as Chief Operating Officer. Overall, Martino has more than 30 years of high-tech experience in security, IT operations, product development and operations, marketing and sales, having also held management consulting roles at Sun Microsystems/SunSoft, Inc., Pricewaterhouse, and Xerox Corporation.

Find out more about Steve on The Network, Cisco's Technology News site.

Articles

February 24, 2020

SECURITY

A 20/20 Vision for Cybersecurity

As a CISO, where do you see your organization going this year? Perhaps some 20/20 vision could help? If you can forgive the pun, I’m delighted to announce Cisco’s 2020 CISO Benchmark Report. This year we have combined our current standing in the Gregorian calendar with the notion of perfect eyesight…

October 7, 2019

SECURITY

Bringing Cybersecurity Home

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, reminding us that cyber-attacks know no boundaries between work and home, so we need to be diligent about cyber hygiene across all environments. With the abundance of connected devices we all depend on, protecting your digital footprint is no longer optional…

September 25, 2019

SECURITY

DevSecOps: Blending Critical Operations and Cultures to Increase Data Security

Two major shifts are affecting organizational cybersecurity posture: digital product and service offerings are increasingly powered by mobile, cloud and data analytics; while developers of those products and services are migrating to Development Operations (DevOps) processes for greater agility and…

June 7, 2019

SECURITY

The Endless Scourge of Malicious Email

There is no question that unwanted email is a source of annoyance. It is also the biggest source of cyber threats. In fact, just last month, spam accounted for 85 percent of all email sent. Plus, according to Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, email is the number one vector for both m…

February 28, 2019

SECURITY

Anticipating the Unknowns: 2019 Cisco CISO Benchmark Study

Today, we released our CISO Benchmark Study, an annual global survey of information security leaders working at organizations of all sizes and in all industries all over the world. With over 3200 respondents across 18 countries, the study offers a solid view of what’s on the minds and to-do lists of…

October 15, 2018

SECURITY

Employees: Your Greatest Security Asset

As a CISO, I’m focused on the security of Cisco’s entire enterprise, not just our IT systems and infrastructure or the data our customers entrust in us. Because Cisco is a leading security technology provider, my team and I are fortunate to have the best tools to help prevent, detect and remediate c…

September 11, 2018

SECURITY

Cracking the Code – How to Measure the Real Value of Information Security Management

Measuring the success and value of an information security organization is a perennial challenge across all industries. Consistently tracking the effectiveness of Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) is hard enough. Add to that C-level expectations for accurate metrics that equate to value…

December 13, 2017

SECURITY

Shaping a Diverse and Stronger Cybersecurity Industry

Aside from scuba diving and working with Cisco customers to improve cyber resiliency, cooking is one of my greatest passions.  My favorite dishes are a fusion of the best ingredients, each complementing the other and accentuating the right flavors to achieve culinary heaven.  You see, if you stick w…

October 9, 2017

SECURITY

Working Wherever: Digital Safety Beyond the Company Walls

Imagine you’re a business traveler at the airport with a little time to spare before your flight. You fire up your laptop, access the airport’s free wi-fi, log on to your bank account, and pay your credit card bill to free up credit for your trip. Efficient use of time, right? Well, also imagine tha…