Picture this: You’re a tech professional in the early 2000s, and your IT department won’t give you the 100 IP addresses you need for your security cameras. What do you do? If you’re like most people, you might complain or find a workaround. But if you’re Antoinette King, founder of Credo Cyber Consulting, you accidentally help create an entire industry phenomenon.
True innovators don’t just solve problems; they identify gaps that no one else sees. In our latest podcast episode, we sat down with King to explore her journey from a physical security technician to a leading voice in cybersecurity. Her story isn’t just about technology, it’s about seeing the connections between things and, most importantly, the people behind them.
The Accidental Birth of “Shadow IT”
Long before cybersecurity was a household term, King was already at the intersection of two worlds that didn’t play nicely together: physical security and IT. When security systems moved from analog to network-based in the early 2000s, a major friction point emerged. IT departments were reluctant to allocate IP addresses, so security professionals did what they had to do.
“We built our own networks,” King explained. “So I like to say that we kind of founded Shadow IT as an industry because we had to do what we had to do.”
What started as a practical necessity became the foundation of her career. She saw a fundamental gap between two critical areas that desperately needed to work together. This realization eventually led her to found Credo Cyber Consulting, a company dedicated to bridging the divide between physical and cybersecurity to create a single, unified security posture.
But here’s the kicker: King now works to solve the very problem she helped create. “I feel terrible because I was one of those people who participated in that,” she admits, “but it’s something that I now try to work towards the opposite of.”
The Surprising Truth About Security Breaches
If you think security is just about firewalls and software updates, prepare to have your mind changed. According to King, the biggest vulnerability isn’t a technical one at all.
“The fact that 99% of the time, the security breach happens because of some sort of human element, not because we didn’t have enough technology controls around something,” she revealed.
Let that sink in for a moment. We’re spending millions on sophisticated security tools, but the real weak link is us, the humans using these systems.
This insight led to one of the most compelling parts of our conversation: how to build a culture of security where everyone understands their role. King argues that security awareness needs to become “a thread within the culture of the organization,” involving everyone from “the custodian to the kindergarten student.”
It’s a wake-up call for all of us to stop being “tone deaf” to those constant breach notifications and to take real ownership of our digital safety.
Schools: The Unexpected Cybersecurity Frontier
Here’s something that might surprise you: schools are cybersecurity goldmines for bad actors. Why? Because student data is often “untouched”, it hasn’t been breached yet, making it incredibly valuable.
King shared a sobering example from her work: a student’s photo was taken from social media, manipulated using AI to create inappropriate content, and then posted throughout their high school. “The impact that this has on her now psychologically,” King noted, shows how the stakes have fundamentally changed.
But here’s what’s fascinating: schools face the same cybersecurity challenges as Fortune 500 companies, but with a fraction of the resources and expertise. King emphasized the critical need for governance teams and proper vendor management, concepts that most educational institutions are just beginning to understand.
AI: The Double-Edged Innovation
The conversation took an intriguing turn when we discussed AI. While it presents new, sophisticated threats like deepfakes and advanced social engineering attacks, it also offers incredible opportunities for efficiency and personalized learning.
King’s approach? “We’re not going to prevent people from using Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, things like that. So what do we do? We have to create a policy around it.”
This pragmatic stance reflects a broader truth about innovation: you can’t stop technological progress, but you can learn to harness it responsibly.
Rethinking Education and Career Paths
Perhaps the most provocative part of our discussion centered on education and career preparation. King doesn’t mince words about higher education: “I think that higher education institutions right now are just a big business as any other big business.”
Instead, she’s a passionate advocate for technical and career-focused schools. Her reasoning? Students can gain specific, job-relevant skills without the crushing debt or outdated curricula that often plague traditional four-year programs.
“If someone’s a culture fit to an organization, we can teach the skills later,” she argues. It’s a refreshing perspective in a world obsessed with credentials over capabilities.
The Innovation Mindset: What We Can All Learn
King’s journey offers several key lessons for anyone looking to think more innovatively:
- Focus on culture, not just technology: The most sophisticated tools are useless if people don’t understand how to use them properly.
- Identify the real problem: Often, the technical challenge isn’t the real issue; it’s the human or organizational challenge behind it.
- Bridge unexpected worlds: Innovation often happens at the intersection of seemingly unrelated fields.
- Don’t be intimidated by complexity: King demystified cybersecurity by recognizing that its principles are identical to physical security: detect, protect, deter.
Ready to Innovate?
Antoinette King’s insights are a masterclass in seeing the world differently. Her journey is a reminder that innovation often starts with a single person who isn’t afraid to ask, “What if?” and then build a solution. If you want to learn more about how to protect yourself, your organization, and your community from evolving cyber threats, listen to the full episode of the Innovator Insights podcast.
