Zero Trust voices to follow
Are you sometimes lost or even wrong? Navigate your Zero Trust Journey effectively.
How can you navigate in the jungle of Zero Trust buzzwords without reading to much product marketing?
Follow the “real” Zero Trust leaders and learn from them how to understand and implement Zero Trust.
And if you need a “map” to navigate your Zero Trust Journey, feel free to check out the Podcasts below.
John Kindervag — The Godfather of Zero Trust
Creator of the Zero Trust model while at Forrester Research
Major Accomplishments:
- Created and defined the foundational Zero Trust framework
- Member of the U.S. President’s NSTAC Zero Trust sub-committee
- Chief Evangelist at Illumio, driving Zero Trust awareness
Sources-Examples:
https://www.illumio.com/blog/john-kindervag-shares-zero-trusts-origin-story
https://www.wwt.com/blog/a-ctos-interview-with-the-godfather-of-zero-trust
Podcasts & Co:
Zero Trust, Terrain, and Holding the High Ground (to find your map)
https://www.illumio.com/podcast/zero-trust-mapped-and-matured
https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/16947/649704
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kindervag-40572b1/
Community:
Dr. Chase Cunningham — aka ‘Dr. Zero Trust’
Former Forrester analyst and cybersecurity expert with decades of operational experience in NSA, US Navy, FBI Cyber, and other government mission groups.
Major Accomplishments:
- Continued the Forrester Research on Zero Trust (The Zero Trust eXtended ZTX)
- Author and host of the “Dr. Zero Trust” podcast series
- Frequent keynote speaker and podcast guest
Sources-Examples:
https://www.illumio.com/podcast/practicing-zero-trust-and-adopting-assume-breach
Lessons learned from 2025 (spotify):
https://open.spotify.com/episode/62cJysCAWSHtMVOz64I8Sf
Books:
(check out https://www.drzerotrust.com/#books for all):
- “gAbrIel” - A Novel in the gAbrIel Series (2021)
- “How NOT to Lead” (2024)
- “BuytheBreach” (2025)
- “Think like an Attacker” (2025)
- “vARIable” - The Latest Installment In The gAbrIel Series (2025)
- “THE NO BULLSH*T MARKETING GUIDE FOR ZERO TRUST” (2025)
Podcasts and “the Zero Trust Workshop” in Zurich:
https://www.illumio.com/podcast/zero-trust-mapped-and-matured
From the Battlefield to the Boardroom
Zero Trust Implementation Workshop on Dec, 1, 2025
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-chase-cunningham/
Website and Community:
https://www.patreon.com/drzerotrust
George Finney — Bestselling Author, CISO, Educator
Award-winning author, cybersecurity leader, and storytelling evangelist
Major Accomplishments:
- “Project Zero Trust: A Story about a Strategy for Aligning Security and the Business” (with foreword by John Kindervag)
- CISO@ Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
- Frequent keynote speaker and podcast guest
Sources-Examples:
https://wellawaresecurity.com/
https://www.illumio.com/podcast/unpacking-zero-trust-in-higher-education
Books:
- “No More Magic Wands” (2016)
- “Rise of the Machines” (2025)
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgefinney/
Jaye Tillson — Technologist, Evangelist and Strategist
Cybersecurity leader, podcaster and keynote speaker
Major Accomplishments:
- Co-Founder of Zero Trust Forum
- Technologist and CTO Security @ HPE
- Frequent keynote speaker and well-known Zero Trust podcaster
Sources-Examples:
- No Trust Podcast: Zero Trust Myths, Wins, and the Road Ahead
- 2025-year-everything-came-together
Book:
- pssst! - coming up soon
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaye-tillson/
There are some further great Zero Trust voices to follow on LinkedIn:
What are your thoughts on Zero Trust and a the current state of cybersecurity resilience in your organization?