--- title: "The Cybersecurity Status Quo Needs to Change" description: "Discover how simplifying cybersecurity efforts from hundreds of tasks to a focused few, like patching and configuration, can drastically reduce data breaches." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#person", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "image": "https://christianespinosa.com/__l5e/assets-v1/de07e44b-a8e0-4bcc-bcb0-13aec15421f1/headshot-front.jpg", "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official", "https://x.com/Ironracer", "https://www.instagram.com/christian.espinosa.official/", "https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/" ], "jobTitle": "Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur", "worksFor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Blue Goat Cyber", "url": "https://bluegoatcyber.com/" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#website", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#organization", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/logo.svg" }, "founder": { "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#person" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official", "https://x.com/Ironracer", "https://www.instagram.com/christian.espinosa.official/", "https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "The Cybersecurity Status Quo Needs to Change - Christian Espinosa", "description": "Discover how simplifying cybersecurity efforts from hundreds of tasks to a focused few, like patching and configuration, can drastically reduce data breaches.", "image": "https://christianespinosa.com/__l5e/assets-v1/df044a1b-bb90-4461-be60-7f80a547c289/the-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change-card.png", "datePublished": "2020-07-21T12:55:40+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-06-26T05:37:34.420Z", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/blog/the-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/about" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/logo.svg" } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the core idea behind \"The Cybersecurity Status Quo Needs to Change - Christian Espinosa\"?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "With cybersecurity, there is a status quo, this movement that we just keep following, but it's not helping. It's time to challenge the cybersecurity status quo." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who is this post for?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Honestly, security leaders, medical device teams, and technical operators who want the honest version, not the vendor version. If you want a listicle, this is not that. If you want the honest version of what I have actually lived and worked through, keep reading." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I actually apply this, not just nod along?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Pick the single line in the post that made you flinch or look away, and change one thing in your week because of it. One choice this week beats a whole framework you never touch." } } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main) [](/) [About](/about)[Speaking](/speaking)[Cybersecurity](/cybersecurity)[Programs](/programs)[Books](/books)[Media](/media) Writing Search Ctrl K[Connect](/connect) [Cybersecurity](/blog/category/cybersecurity) # The Cybersecurity Status Quo Needs to Change July 21, 2020 2 min read 527 words In 1997, I saw Apple's 'Here's to the Crazy Ones' commercial. It still resonates with me. Steve Jobs created much of that material from his own life. He didn't fit in. ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/5637ec7a-bc83-42ca-99dc-0d301108ac11/the-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change-hero.webp) The takeaways 1. 01 Steve Jobs created much of that material from his own life. What to do next Pause for five minutes today, then name the one place in your week where steve is playing out and you have been avoiding naming it. 2. 02 People called him crazy for dreaming too big, but he embraced his uniqueness and changed the world. What to do next Run a 20-minute tabletop with your team this month using people as the scenario. 3. 03 People call me crazy for wanting to challenge it, but the status quo is not working. What to do next Open your current people plan today and identify the one gap you would not want an auditor to find. 4. 04 His boss told him they’re both an equal priority. What to do next Ask your security lead this week for the one-page view of boss in your environment, and read it end to end. This is a transcript of the video at the bottom of the post. In 1997, I saw Apple's 'Here's to the Crazy Ones' commercial. It still resonates with me. Steve Jobs created much of that material from his own life. He didn't fit in. He was a misfit. He challenged the status quo. People called him crazy for dreaming too big, but he embraced his uniqueness and changed the world. I feel the same way about cybersecurity. There's a status quo, a movement we keep following, but it's not working. People call me crazy for wanting to challenge it, but the status quo is not working. I know this. There's plenty of evidence in the data breaches every day. The status quo is failing. I believe the primary reason is that we've overly complicated cybersecurity. Instead of focusing on a few things and doing those few things very well, the few things that reduce the most risk, we try to get everyone to do hundreds of things. We can't do hundreds of things very well. We end up doing them all half-assed, really. I used to work with this guy and I always think of this scenario. I used to work with him and he was working these two projects once, and he was having a little bit of trouble figuring out which one took priority or which one took precedence. So he went and asked his boss, which one of these two projects takes priority? His boss told him they’re both an equal priority. His response was, “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll do both of them half-assed.” It’s the same concept as cybersecurity. If we try to do too many things, we ended up doing them half-assed. We should focus on just a few things and do them very well. Most data breaches are caused by a misconfiguration or an unpatched system. These are two simple things to fix, but you can’t focus on those things if you’re focusing on the other 98 stuff, 98 items that don’t really matter. This time, we challenge the cybersecurity status quo. What we’re doing is not working. We need to think different, as Apple would say. Here’s to the crazy ones. Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Frequently asked ### What is the core idea behind "The Cybersecurity Status Quo Needs to Change - Christian Espinosa"? ### Who is this post for? ### How do I actually apply this, not just nod along? ### Work with me I help founders and cybersecurity leaders build teams that ship, not teams that stall. If that's the problem you're trying to solve, let's talk. [Start a conversation](/contact) Share this essay [X ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change&text=The%20Cybersecurity%20Status%20Quo%20Needs%20to%20Change) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change) [Email](mailto:?subject=The%20Cybersecurity%20Status%20Quo%20Needs%20to%20Change&body=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-cybersecurity-status-quo-needs-to-change)Copy link ![Christian Espinosa, headshot](/__l5e/assets-v1/de07e44b-a8e0-4bcc-bcb0-13aec15421f1/headshot-front.jpg) About the author [Christian Espinosa](/about) · Founder & CEO, Blue Goat Cyber Christian is the founder and CEO of Blue Goat Cyber, a medical device cybersecurity firm. He's an Air Force Academy graduate, 24x Ironman, climber of two of the Seven Summits, and the author of The Smartest Person in the Room and The In-Between: Life in the Micro. Keep reading - [ ### Cybersecurity Risk Needs to be Simplified - Christian Espinosa Same thread: cybersecurity. Read essay → ](/blog/cybersecurity-risk-needs-to-be-simplified) - [ ### What the Latest Cybersecurity Breaches Can Teach Us - Christian Espinosa Same thread: cybersecurity. Read essay → ](/blog/what-the-latest-cybersecurity-breaches-can-teach-us) - [ ### The Cyber Threat No One Talks About, the Absence of a Cybersecurity Culture - Christian Espinosa Same thread: cybersecurity. Read essay → ](/blog/the-cyber-threat-no-one-talks-about-the-absence-of-a-cybersecurity-culture) [← Previous essay Ransomware – Should You Pay? - Christian Espinosa ](/blog/ransomware-should-you-pay)[Next essay → Your Cybersecurity Methods Are Failing - Here’s Why - Christian Espinosa ](/blog/your-cybersecurity-methods-are-failing-heres-why) Related, Cybersecurity ### Need medical-device or offensive security expertise? Blue Goat Cyber, Christian's firm, runs FDA-aligned premarket submissions, penetration testing, and SBOM/SOUP analysis for medtech and high-stakes industries. [Explore Blue Goat Cyber](/cybersecurity) Christian Espinosa Bestselling author, keynote speaker, and Founding CEO of [Blue Goat Cyber](https://bluegoatcyber.com/). Helping technical leaders develop the soft skills that turn brilliance into impact. [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/)[](https://x.com/Ironracer)[](https://www.instagram.com/christian.espinosa.official/)[](https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial)[](https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official) Explore - [About](/about) - [Timeline](/timeline) - [Speaking](/speaking) - [Cybersecurity](/cybersecurity) - [Programs](/programs) Read - [Books](/books) - [Guides](/guides) - [Blog](/blog) - [Media](/media) - [Podcast Interviews](/podcasts) - [Success Stories](/success-stories) Connect - [Contact Christian](/connect) - [LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/) - [Blue Goat Cyber ↗](https://bluegoatcyber.com/) - [Resources](/resources) © 2026 Christian Espinosa. All rights reserved. [Privacy](/privacy-policy)[Terms](/terms-of-use)