In this episode, host Evgeniy Kharam speaks with Omar Romero, CEO of Rose IT Services, a Trinidad-based MSP serving the Caribbean and North America. Omar shares his story of launching the company post-2008 crash, scaling without VC or franchising, building a team from scratch, and adapting to evolving tech, from cybersecurity to automation. He also explores cultural differences in client communication and how COVID shaped his documentation-first mindset.

Key Topics:

• MSP growth lessons from New York to Trinidad
• How culture impacts IT service delivery
• Scaling a business without losing the personal touch
• Why cybersecurity became central to Rose IT
• Real work-life balance while running a global MSP
• Automating, documenting, and preparing for the unexpected

🔗 Learn more: https://www.rose-it.com/

🔗 Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-romero-roseitservices

🎧 Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evgeniykharam

Mentioned in this episode:

Cyber Innovation Showcase

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst is excited to invite you to the Cyber Innovation Showcase – a Brampton-based event uniting business leaders, cyber experts, and innovators to spotlight the cutting-edge technologies that can help protect and future-proof your business. Join us for an evening highlighting made-in-Canada solutions from this year’s Cyber Challenge companies, each driving the future of cybersecurity across Ontario’s most critical sectors. 📅 Thursday, December 11, 2025 ⏰ 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM 📍 The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton, ON L6V 0A3 At the Showcase, you’ll be able to: ● Get early access to innovative Canadian cyber technologies ● Watch live demos featuring real-world industry applications ● Gain insights to strengthen your organization’s digital resilience ● Network with experts, tech providers, and business professionals Register today: https://luma.com/xxl336v2

Ross Young joins Evgeniy Kharam to talk about his new book Cybersecurity Secret: Why Most Budgets Go to Waste — and how the industry can do better. From optimizing spend and retiring underperforming tools, to writing a book using AI and creating onboarding frameworks for developers, Ross shares insights every cybersecurity leader can use.

Topics Covered:

• Why cybersecurity spending often fails
• Who the book is for (CISOs, CFOs, vendors, and tech writers)
• The “Murder Board” framework to evaluate tool usage
• Total Cost of Ownership in cyber planning
• AI and ChatGPT for authorship + productivity
• Developer onboarding as a security risk
• Why Ross self-published and what’s next

Buy your copy

Guest: Ross Young

Host: Evgeniy Kharam

Resources:

https://www.cisotradecraft.com/freetemplates

https://www.cisotradecraft.com/course-master-the-budget-game-in-cybersecurity

In this episode, Evgeniy Kharam interviews Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, to unpack how she turned a practitioner’s insight into a powerful cybersecurity platform. With no outside funding and a relentless focus on relationships, Saryu’s leadership helped Gurucul land in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant while continuing to innovate through AI, data optimization, and trust-first culture.

What We Cover:

• From Oracle to entrepreneurship
• Bootstrapping instead of raising VC
• Why product-market fit takes time
• Prioritizing when everything feels urgent
• How soft skills and team trust built Gurucul’s foundation

Resources:

Website: https://www.gurucul.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saryunayyar

Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evgeniykharam

🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more!