Episode Summary

After writing a cover story on cyberthreats, Bruce Kelly invites Nick Harness on the pod to discuss the recent SolarWinds security breach and cybersecurity for IBDs. Jeff Benjamin and Bruce also discuss political campaign donations being cut off in the wake of the Capitol insurrection.

Cover Story: Broker-dealer cybersecurity experts are bracing for attacks

Episode Notes

Interview with Nick Harness, CIO at Kestra Financial — :50-12:30

• The role of chief information officer
• Interaction with financial advisers
• Breaking down the SolarWinds hack
• What can independent broker-dealers do to stay safe?
• Any recourse for firms when something like this happens?

Interview with Mark Schoeff — 12:45-28:00

• The Capitol riot from the perspective of a former congressional staffer
• Charles Schwab's political spending decision, and financial services political spending at large
• How much does this spending matter, and how wide does a policy like this stretch?
• The outlook for financial corporations and associations' future political spending

Guest Bio: Nick Harness: Optimizing the customer experience through forward-thinking IT leadership and innovative product and platform development is my passion. My specialty is driving positive change in fast-paced and highly regulated business environments. Fusing deep expertise in both the sell-side and buy-side of the banking industry, with broad leadership experience in a variety of business lines and technology platforms, delivering groundbreaking technology products on a global scale by leveraging vendor platforms and bespoke builds that maximize proprietary capabilities. A true collaborator and innovator, I build trusted relationships that positively transforms organizations and products.