Melanie Teplinsky on the value of cybersecurity policy, a zero trust model for small businesses and her start at the NSA

Melanie Teplinsky fell in love with cryptography at an early age, which led her to landing her first job at the National Security Agency at 16. From there, she found her niche in cybersecurity at the intersection of technology and the law.

As a senior fellow at American University in the Law Tech, Law, and Security Program, Melanie helps craft cybersecurity policies that scale and attempt to solve big, societal problems. First, she has to understand how cybersecurity technology and models, such as zero trust, are implemented at companies and organizations of all sizes. Then, she applies those principles to existing laws and government mandates to understand the pitfalls and gaps.

Between her early start in cyber and national policy-making, Melanie has a unique perspective to share with the infosec community. Listen to the episode to hear more about:

• How cybersecurity policy can transform small- and medium-size businesses’ approach to zero trust
• Why protecting innovation efforts at universities and small companies is paramount for the cybersecurity industry
• The positive outcomes from collaboration between the public and private sectors