Back to Basics! Understanding Your Digital Crown Jewels with Evgeniy Kharam | Part 2

04/22/25 • 22 min

In this episode of the Cyber Savvy podcast, host Mike Shelah continues his conversation with Evgeniy Kharam, discussing Evgeniy's new book "Architecting Success" (released August 2024). Evgeniy shares the inspiration behind writing the book, drawing from his 17 years of experience at Horjavek Group where he observed countless vendor pitches.

Key topics include:

The importance of asking customers what they need rather than following rigid presentation formats
How remote work during the pandemic changed customer engagement dynamics
The evolution of sales engineering roles in the tech industry
Effective communication techniques, including the power of open-ended questions
The distinction between hard skills (predictable outcomes) and soft skills (dynamic interactions)
Strategies for qualifying prospects and determining decision-makers
Managing burnout in high-pressure sales environments

Evgeniy emphasizes the value of emotional intelligence in professional interactions and shares practical examples of how to engage customers authentically. The conversation bridges technical expertise with effective communication skills that are essential for success in cybersecurity and sales.

The episode concludes with information about where to find Evgeniy's book, available in audio, print and Kindle formats on Amazon, and on his website softskillstack.ca or softskillstack.com.

Want to hear more? Past episodes are all posted, including on YouTube! Follow and subscribe on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don’t miss out on the conversation!

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Key topics include:

The importance of asking customers what they need rather than following rigid presentation formats
How remote work during the pandemic changed customer engagement dynamics
The evolution of sales engineering roles in the tech industry
Effective communication techniques, including the power of open-ended questions
The distinction between hard skills (predictable outcomes) and soft skills (dynamic interactions)
Strategies for qualifying prospects and determining decision-makers
Managing burnout in high-pressure sales environments

The episode concludes with information about where to find Evgeniy's book, available in audio, print and Kindle formats on Amazon, and on his website softskillstack.ca or softskillstack.com.

Want to hear more? Past episodes are all posted, including on YouTube! Follow and subscribe on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don’t miss out on the conversation!

Previous Episode

Back to Basics! Understanding Your Digital Crown Jewels with Evgeniy Kharam | Part 1

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In this episode of the Cyber Savvy Podcast, host Mike Shelah interviews cybersecurity expert Evgeniy Kharam about the fundamentals of effective cybersecurity. Evgeniy shares insights from his journey from firewall engineer to security leader, emphasizing that the biggest challenge in cybersecurity isn't technical knowledge but communicating complex ideas effectively.

They discuss the importance of understanding a business's "crown jewels" - the critical assets that need protection - and how these vary across different industries. Through real-world examples, they explore why basic security practices often get overlooked and how businesses can better protect themselves by partnering with security professionals who understand their specific needs.

This conversation highlights the intersection of technical expertise and soft skills in building effective security strategies.

Want to hear more? Past episodes are all posted, including on YouTube! Follow and subscribe on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don’t miss out on the conversation!

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Tech Acceleration and the Future of Security with James Stanger | Part One

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In this episode of the Cyber Savvy Podcast, host Mike Shelah chats with James Stanger, Chief Technology Evangelist at CompTIA. James shares his unique journey from a PhD in British Romantic Literature to becoming a cybersecurity expert.

The conversation explores the revolution in cybersecurity, the critical importance of backups in fighting ransomware, and the evolution of technology that's making both our lives easier and more complex. Tune in for valuable insights on digital literacy and the fundamentals that keep our connected world secure.

Want to hear more? Past episodes are all posted, including on YouTube! Follow and subscribe on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don’t miss out on the conversation!

Cyber Savvy - Back to Basics! Understanding Your Digital Crown Jewels with Evgeniy Kharam | Part 2

Transcript

Mike Shelah (00:00)
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Cyber Savvy podcast. I am your host Mike Shelah and today we are continuing our conversation with Evgeniy Kharam Evgeniy thanks for coming back with us. And I am very excited to talk about this book "Architecting Success." I am a book nerd for those listening.
Evgeniy Kharam (00:13)
Thank you, thank you, definitely happy to come back.
Mike Shelah (00:24)
I have read somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 books in th