Matt Walker: How to Get an IT Project Approved (Without Getting Thrown Out of the Room)

Matt Walker is a US Air Force veteran with 20 years of experience as an IT leader, specializing in enterprise security program management, incident response, compliance, and security architecture. He is currently teaching courses at Troy University and assisting the Computer Science Department in building out a cybersecurity program, as well as writing a new edition of his CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) book for O’Reilly Publishing.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-walker-6bb2041

Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Matt Walker

Summary

Richard Lowe interviews veteran tech executive Matt Walker about why so many IT and cybersecurity proposals fail and how to fix it. Drawing on decades of experience from cybersecurity to desktop support, including work at NASA and Kennedy Space Center, Matt covers the psychological and strategic steps to win executive buy-in.

They discuss why “speaking IT” gets you thrown out of the boardroom, how to build long-term trust with decision-makers, why security training needs to become personal, the power of “pre-suasion” and how to use it, and why deepfakes and AI have changed the security game. Matt shares his favorite books for mastering influence, including Pre-Suasion and Influence by Robert Cialdini, and explains how emotional intelligence beats technical brilliance when it comes to getting results. The episode also includes a true story about a multi-million dollar deepfake scam in Hong Kong.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.

📝 Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of Richard Lowe and are based on personal experience and research. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional legal, financial, accounting, or business advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making important business or legal decisions. Richard Lowe is not a lawyer, accountant, or licensed professional advisor, and this content does not establish any professional relationship.