Brian Neely
CIO & Chief Information Security Officer, AMERICAN SYSTEMS
Brian Neely’s biggest recent achievement, he said, was ”0.”
“Over the years, my mission has essentially remained the same . . . to support leading-edge business operations while facing ever-advancing cyber threats,” he said.
So, his greatest achievement is always a very binary result, having “zero” breaches of AMERICAN SYSTEMS’ environment. Defending critical infrastructure and complex digital environments against relentless, highly resourced adversaries is paramount to AMERICAN SYSTEMS’ mission to support its national priority programs.
“As a cutting-edge IT and Engineering Services company, it is vital that we stay in front of the ever-changing tech landscape,” said John Steckel, president and CEO of AMERICAN SYSTEMS. “Brian keeps AMERICAN SYSTEMS and our customers two — three steps — ahead through his passion for learning, his dedication to his craft, and his preemptive thinking.”
Why Watch
Looking ahead, Neely and his team are heavily focused on AI as a game changer. They are deploying embedded AI to enhance general, everyday productivity within existing systems and applications, and are developing custom, secure AI bots to significantly improve efficiency and throughput in specialized environments.
The technology space, always changing and adapting, is now undergoing an unprecedented transformation. The rapid scale, pace, and widespread adoption of deep learning, neural networks and generative AI will reshape almost every aspect of our lives, Neely said.
“For security, using AI to analyze, respond to, and defend against threats at ‘machine speed’ will be critical because those same threats will be using AI to spread and exploit at unimaginable speeds,” he added. “However, the biggest challenge is going to come from the potential reckless use and weaponization of AI by advanced threat actors and nation-states. Proper guardrails and regulations for ‘responsible AI’ will be critical.”