Ping Identity CISO: Passion, structure help prevent burnout

Russ Kirby joined Ping Identity as global chief information security officer in summer 2023. He oversees enterprise security, product security, governance, risk and compliance, and privacy. Kirby credits a long-standing interest in technology and a disciplined approach for preventing burnout and for a career that includes Hewlett Packard, Creditsafe and ForgeRock.

Kirby began working with computers as they became common and moved into security when an employer needed someone for the role. He served as global head of enterprise services information security at Hewlett Packard, was CISO at Creditsafe for two years and at ForgeRock for four years before joining Ping Identity.

He describes his personality as Enneagram Type One and his subtype as a “protector,” and links that profile to a preference for order and problem solving. He favors practical leadership: setting clear priorities, structuring teams and mentoring staff to improve individual performance.

On decision making he cites the maxim “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” and applies it in incidents where quick action is required, giving the example of cutting power to stop an attack rather than waiting for a complex technical fix.

When hiring, Kirby prioritizes enthusiasm. Technical skills and certifications remain important, but he prefers candidates who show personal projects, GitHub repositories or home lab work over those with many credentials who appear disengaged. He advises teams to “keep going and ask questions on the way” and warns against imposing a single playbook from a previous employer.

Kirby describes security as both reactive and proactive. Routine work such as system hardening, penetration testing and vulnerability scanning reveals gaps that the team aims to close before exploitation. He points to an “agility gap” in which attackers adopt new technology faster than defenders and identifies artificial intelligence as a major current pressure, asking, “Do we fully understand the beast that we are unleashing?”

Kirby links his long tenures to enjoying the work and to peer networks of other CISOs for support on boardroom decisions. He says protecting team wellbeing is part of his role and has on occasion instructed staff to take time off, including switching off a team member’s computer to enforce rest. At Ping Identity he balances proactive measures, incident response planning and team education while seeking to maintain staff engagement.