2920: Cisco Live: Exploring Retail Tech With Steve Madden

[00:00:00] Could technology be the new cornerstone of fashion retail?

[00:00:06] Well today I'm going to dive into this fascinating discussion at Cisco Live where I caught up

[00:00:11] with Cameron Anitin from Steve Madden, which is of course a brand synonymous with bold

[00:00:18] style but perhaps less recognised for its technological prowess.

[00:00:23] But we're going to change all that today.

[00:00:26] This is Cameron, he is the Global CISO and Head of Infrastructure at Anitin, Director

[00:00:30] of IT Infrastructure and Operations.

[00:00:33] And together they are at the forefront of integrating cutting edge technology into the

[00:00:38] fashion world.

[00:00:39] And I think this is a crucial topic because we're all guilty of flicking through various

[00:00:45] devices enjoying seamless experiences without thinking about the tech that makes it all

[00:00:51] possible.

[00:00:52] So today I want to learn more about their current project that involves a major upgrade

[00:00:56] of their retail sites that is enhancing both wireless connectivity and security to support

[00:01:01] a new SaaS based POS system that is operated by iPads.

[00:01:06] So join me today where we're going to talk about what excites these tech leaders about

[00:01:11] attending Cisco Live, the innovations that they are integrating into Steve Madden's operations

[00:01:16] and how they balance robust security with seamless user experience in high retail environments.

[00:01:24] And hopefully we'll also delve into the evolving role of CISOs in retail, the impact of AI

[00:01:30] on both security and management and the real world challenges that they face in aligning

[00:01:35] IT with business strategies.

[00:01:38] So buckle up and hold on tight as I beam your ears directly into the show floor of Cisco

[00:01:44] Live here in Vegas.

[00:01:47] We'll talk about all this and much more.

[00:01:51] So a massive warm welcome to the show.

[00:01:54] Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do?

[00:01:58] My name is Kamal Siddique.

[00:01:59] I'm the Global CISO and Head of Infrastructure at Steve Madden.

[00:02:03] My role is to provide business all of the technology and tools so that they can innovate

[00:02:09] and bring the right products to the market.

[00:02:11] I'm about to complete my first year at Steve Madden.

[00:02:15] Prior to that, I have about 25 years of experience building and managing information security

[00:02:21] and infrastructure teams.

[00:02:23] Well, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast.

[00:02:25] And of course, I've met you both on the show floor today here at Cisco Live.

[00:02:29] So Nitin, would you like to tell everyone listening a little about you too?

[00:02:33] Yeah, sure.

[00:02:34] My name is Nitin Sherbastava.

[00:02:36] I am Director of IT Infrastructure and Operations.

[00:02:40] I have been with Steve Madden for about 15 years now.

[00:02:44] So I have kind of grown with the company and seen where we were, where we are now, and

[00:02:50] where we are headed and how technology drives the business at Steve Madden.

[00:02:56] So I've been lucky enough to work in infra and build the data centers, build the systems

[00:03:04] that Steve Madden relies on to become the trendsetter in the fashion industry that they

[00:03:09] are today.

[00:03:10] Well, I'm looking forward to digging a little bit deeper on that with both of you today.

[00:03:14] But before we do, obviously, I've just caught you live on the show floor at Cisco Live.

[00:03:18] So much going on, so much to say and so many big conversations.

[00:03:21] I've got to ask, and I'll start with you Nitin first.

[00:03:24] What excites you and a brand like Steve Madden about attending a tech event like Cisco Live?

[00:03:30] We are embarking on a new phase of technology at Steve Madden.

[00:03:35] So this was a perfect time for me to be here and look at all the different solutions that

[00:03:42] Cisco has in the market today.

[00:03:44] Some we are already delving into and some that I'm here to actually learn about and

[00:03:49] see how it can fit into the Steve Madden business and help us improve our IT delivery to the

[00:03:55] business.

[00:03:56] Incredibly cool.

[00:03:57] And what about yourself?

[00:03:59] So for me, it's really kind of important to meet with the executives, see what the vision

[00:04:03] is, meet with the product teams, look at the roadmap, right?

[00:04:07] Where are the improvements coming, right?

[00:04:10] We have been revamping our suite program.

[00:04:13] We have been revamping our infrastructure.

[00:04:16] So where do we go from here?

[00:04:17] So that's kind of the most important for me to connect and make sure that we are aligning

[00:04:24] our roadmap based on the Cisco innovations that are coming down the road.

[00:04:30] And of course, Vegas is always awesome.

[00:04:33] Incredibly cool.

[00:04:34] And obviously for everybody listening around the world, Steve Madden is a globally recognized

[00:04:38] brand that serves millions of customers, but it's not typically associated with technology.

[00:04:44] And that's something that I always try and do on this Daily Tech Podcast.

[00:04:47] So what is the tech that makes those user experiences that your customers take for granted?

[00:04:52] Can you tell me a little bit about that?

[00:04:53] Some of the tech that makes it all possible?

[00:04:55] Yes.

[00:04:56] So technology is a business enabler, right?

[00:04:58] So end of the day, no matter what business you are in, kind of around this time, it requires

[00:05:04] business to enable the innovation, go to market, access customers.

[00:05:10] So in retail in particular, availability and performance in an omni-channel environment,

[00:05:15] we have brick and mortar stores, we have e-com, we have wholesale, we need to take care of

[00:05:20] distribution.

[00:05:22] So the performance and availability is ultra important.

[00:05:25] And how we connect with our customers, it's easy for them, we are always available and

[00:05:29] their data is secure with us.

[00:05:31] That's what we drive for.

[00:05:34] So when you're implementing a new SaaS-based POS system that runs on iPads and so many

[00:05:38] different devices, what are the key security considerations you must prioritize, especially

[00:05:44] when protecting things like customer data and ensuring transaction integrity?

[00:05:48] It's one of the things we don't hear about when we get excited about cool tech things,

[00:05:53] but it's equally as important, isn't it?

[00:05:55] If not more so.

[00:05:56] So we are...

[00:05:57] The key pieces that we are paying attention to on this new POS system that runs on iPads

[00:06:04] is all the different integration points that helps build the customer experience with Steve

[00:06:09] Madden, whether it's loyalty programs, whether it's integration with third-party social media,

[00:06:18] how we reach out to our customers, how we present to them what Steve Madden has, like

[00:06:25] what are we offering?

[00:06:28] We're expanding as a business into apparel, not just shoes, right?

[00:06:33] Accessories is growing very rapidly in our business today.

[00:06:37] So as you said, protecting customers' data, that data hits many different integration

[00:06:43] points and securing it at each one of those integration points and systems that the data

[00:06:49] actually lives on or wherever it travels to.

[00:06:52] And I would imagine it's a real...

[00:06:55] A huge importance to you because more and more people are using iPads rather than the

[00:06:59] traditional laptops and desktop computers.

[00:07:02] Yeah, so it's kind of defense in depth, right?

[00:07:05] You need to put controls on endpoint and iPad being an endpoint, you need to take care of

[00:07:10] securing that, then kind of the network it connects to, be it...

[00:07:13] It has to be mobile, right?

[00:07:15] That's the experience we want to provide our users.

[00:07:17] So, of course, the Wi-Fi security and overall network security, and then beyond that, other

[00:07:22] additional controls that we are investing in.

[00:07:25] And then it's also a kind of shift in mindset, right?

[00:07:28] Where we had full control of the POS system that was running in our data center and we

[00:07:32] were controlling end-to-end connectivity and kind of securing that connectivity.

[00:07:37] Now we are working very closely with our POS partner.

[00:07:40] We're ensuring that we are connecting to them, integrating with them in a secure manner,

[00:07:47] and as well as we have the right set of controls that are monitored 24-7.

[00:07:53] So it becomes kind of important that third-party risk management becomes kind of more emphasized.

[00:08:01] And I think your journey that you've been on is something that will resonate with retailers

[00:08:06] and other people listening all around the world.

[00:08:08] So how do you balance that need for robust security measures without that demand for

[00:08:14] seamless and efficient user experience in such a high traffic retail environment like Steve Maddy?

[00:08:21] It's a great problem to have, but there's a lot of customers, isn't it?

[00:08:25] Yeah.

[00:08:26] So first thing is we always evaluate what we are implementing.

[00:08:30] We want to make sure that it fits into our retail stack without impacting the user experience.

[00:08:37] So end of the day, right, we are running this business for our customers.

[00:08:42] So if their experience is going to get impacted, then we won't have any business.

[00:08:46] We won't have the customers.

[00:08:47] So we are always very cognizant that any technologies that we choose, we are ensuring that they

[00:08:53] are, first of all, from ecosystem perspective, they're a good match.

[00:08:57] And then they bring the right value to us from security and infrastructure, availability

[00:09:02] and performance perspective without affecting or actually enhancing the user experience.

[00:09:06] Yeah, you covered it well.

[00:09:08] The best security is the one that you really cannot see and experience, but it's all happening

[00:09:13] in the background and giving our customers that satisfaction and that level of confidence

[00:09:18] that shopping with Steve Madden and sharing your personal data with us is going to be

[00:09:23] a good experience.

[00:09:24] And we're going to take every step to secure your data and make sure it doesn't land in

[00:09:29] the wrong hands.

[00:09:31] And a question I've got to ask on behalf of security professionals and techies listening

[00:09:35] is how do you see the role of a CISO evolving in the context of retail, especially with

[00:09:41] the shift towards more digital and more SaaS-based solutions?

[00:09:45] So end of the day, a CISO's job is to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability

[00:09:52] of our systems and our data.

[00:09:54] So I see my job is to secure our business and our customers' data that we have.

[00:10:00] When we are adopting more of SaaS, it kind of puts an onus of managing third parties

[00:10:07] more diligently.

[00:10:09] So ensuring that you can see in depth what those interactions are like.

[00:10:15] And then here's kind of where the additional collecting that data and then having a platform

[00:10:22] which has Gen-A capabilities, for example, right, to sift through that masses of data

[00:10:26] to get, to glean the right outcomes or right findings that detect the right things and

[00:10:32] help automate those responses as well.

[00:10:35] Right, it's kind of that era has gone where you have kind of multiple analysts sitting

[00:10:40] and looking for anomalies.

[00:10:42] I think with all of these integrations with third parties, the focus is going to be more

[00:10:47] on how can you automate this?

[00:10:48] How can you sprinkle the AI dust on it and get the right information out?

[00:10:54] I love that line, sprinkle the AI dust on it.

[00:10:59] So spot on right now.

[00:11:01] With your extensive background in IT and security, how do you ensure that your team stays ahead

[00:11:07] of emerging threats and better adapts to the rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape?

[00:11:12] Because it is continuously moving, isn't it?

[00:11:14] And evolving.

[00:11:15] Exactly.

[00:11:16] I think we need to continuously invest in our people, make sure that they are getting

[00:11:20] trained, they're getting educated, kind of more educated than trained.

[00:11:25] Trained is kind of very specific to tools.

[00:11:28] Education is kind of more of the mindset, right?

[00:11:32] And then the program that we have is that we ensure that every member of the security

[00:11:35] team, they're reading at least a couple of podcasts.

[00:11:38] They're going through the podcasts and articles on dark reading, for example.

[00:11:43] And they share their findings with the team on a weekly basis.

[00:11:47] And then we run exercises, right?

[00:11:49] So you need to keep your tool sharp.

[00:11:51] So basically, we kind of believe in validation.

[00:11:56] So if you're saying that we have these controls in place, continuously validate those.

[00:12:00] And exercising the red team, blue team, purple team come very frequently.

[00:12:05] I think that helps keep the security team sharp.

[00:12:11] And just to bring to life everything that we're talking about here, do you have an example

[00:12:16] you can share of maybe a significant challenge that you faced when aligning IT infrastructure

[00:12:21] with a business strategy and how you overcame it to better drive growth and performance

[00:12:27] at Steve Madden?

[00:12:28] There's so many different business leaders are going to be listening that want, I don't

[00:12:32] know, to bring it to life with a real world example.

[00:12:35] Are you able to share one?

[00:12:37] Yeah, we can share one.

[00:12:39] So at the moment, we're embarking on some significant investments with Cisco based on

[00:12:47] what's happening on the other side, right, with this new POS system.

[00:12:52] So we're learning from our business, what's happening, what's coming.

[00:12:56] We're adjusting for that and we're getting the environment ready so that we can take

[00:13:02] on these new initiatives, these new applications, this new way of doing business and selling

[00:13:07] our shoes.

[00:13:08] So it's a very tight partnership with the business and understanding what's happening

[00:13:13] there and then coordinating and meeting, having synergy with those business drivers from the

[00:13:20] IT side and the IT infrastructure side of the house.

[00:13:24] And as an ex-IT guy, it's been bred in me that you can only improve what you measure.

[00:13:30] So I've got to ask, what kind of metrics or KPIs do you consider most important when

[00:13:35] evaluating the effectiveness of IT security and infrastructure strategies?

[00:13:40] And how do you use these to guide continuous improvement as well?

[00:13:45] Again, I'm an ex-continuous service improvement manager, so apologies to bring this up when

[00:13:50] we're talking about all the ex-IT in tech, but it's so important, isn't it?

[00:13:54] So if you look at it from a business perspective, right, of course for them, right, system uptime,

[00:14:00] availability, performance and scalability, right.

[00:14:03] Business is not static.

[00:14:05] It's not the old ages, right, where you will have months and months to prepare and now

[00:14:10] you're launching something and it's going to market.

[00:14:13] It's kind of immediate, right.

[00:14:15] So getting ready for that and being able to respond.

[00:14:18] So measuring that, right, how ready are we?

[00:14:20] How fast can we respond to business needs?

[00:14:23] Other than that, from security perspective, it's the KPIs that I think are table stakes,

[00:14:29] right.

[00:14:30] Looking at what were the first of all coverage, right.

[00:14:33] Are we providing the right coverage across all of our assets?

[00:14:37] Are we looking at every single asset or not, right?

[00:14:40] Then are we monitoring for the right things?

[00:14:43] And then when we monitor for the right things, are we seeing the right detections?

[00:14:47] And when we see the detections, are we taking appropriate actions either automatically, preferably

[00:14:51] or at least they're getting escalated with the right people, right.

[00:14:54] So kind of the end to end chain, we measure it at every level from 100% coverage from

[00:15:02] assets perspective.

[00:15:04] Do we have the right use cases deployed?

[00:15:06] We continuously improve on that, right.

[00:15:09] And then when the detections come, how fast are we responding with that and how much automation

[00:15:13] have you brought in?

[00:15:14] Now, obviously here at Cisco Live, AI is a huge topic, both on the show floor and off

[00:15:19] the show floor.

[00:15:20] What excites you about AI and everything you're seeing and hearing at the moment?

[00:15:25] I think the ability to bring in a whole lot of data, right.

[00:15:29] And ability to integrate with best of the platforms, right.

[00:15:34] And bring all of their data and kind of a bit of an automated way, getting the insights,

[00:15:41] right, that are actionable.

[00:15:43] And then that actionable, then you can turn into automated playbooks or at least playbooks

[00:15:48] that a security understudy level one can follow.

[00:15:51] Where previously I had to have an engineer kind of deal with that, right.

[00:15:55] So the kind of the journey of AI where we are and where it is going to go, that is really,

[00:16:00] really exciting to me.

[00:16:02] Absolutely.

[00:16:03] I think I can pour over so much more data than a human being can ever do, right.

[00:16:10] Traditionally, you subscribe to a SOC service and they have a bunch of analysts who are

[00:16:15] looking at security alerts coming from your environment.

[00:16:19] And then determining is there a threat?

[00:16:21] Is some action that needs to be taken here?

[00:16:24] AI can just do that.

[00:16:26] And you can be confident because AI has matured because of the investments, right, into this

[00:16:32] technology.

[00:16:33] Where we are now going to trust it to take security actions on our behalf and pouring

[00:16:41] through so much more data and getting precisely to where that threat might be and then mitigating

[00:16:46] that threat.

[00:16:47] Wow.

[00:16:48] And for anybody listening that would be interested in carrying on this conversation or just finding

[00:16:53] out a little bit more information about all the work that you're doing, the journey that

[00:16:57] you're on, where would you like to point everyone listening?

[00:17:00] So I believe that collaboration is the key, right.

[00:17:04] Networking with the peers is very important.

[00:17:06] What worked for them, what's working for them, where they're going with their roadmaps, right?

[00:17:12] Aligning on that is really important.

[00:17:14] So I'm very active on LinkedIn.

[00:17:17] I always network and here to converse and get some wisdom.

[00:17:22] Awesome.

[00:17:23] Well, I'll add a link to everything so people can find you both nice and easily.

[00:17:28] So much I love chatting with you today about aligning IT with the organization and business

[00:17:33] strategy, leveraging technology to drive growth and performance.

[00:17:36] We hear a lot about the AI fairy dust, but as you said, it's about those real business

[00:17:40] results.

[00:17:41] So thank you for sharing that with me today.

[00:17:43] Thank you, Neil.

[00:17:44] Thank you for having us.

[00:17:45] Well today you've learned how a brand like Steve Madden leverages technology not just

[00:17:50] for operational efficiency, but as a transformative tool for market leadership.

[00:17:56] And after listening today, I invite you to share your thoughts on how technology is reshaping

[00:18:01] the fashion industry.

[00:18:03] And also, what are your experiences in technology, in retail and completely different sectors

[00:18:09] too?

[00:18:10] I'd love to hear your story.

[00:18:11] So please email me techblogwriteroutlook.com x linkedin Instagram just at Neil C. Hughes.

[00:18:19] And if you are here at Cisco Live, send me a DM.

[00:18:22] It'd be great to meet up in person.

[00:18:24] But that's it for today.

[00:18:25] So it's time for me to hit the show floor once again.

[00:18:28] Thank you for listening as always.

[00:18:30] And until next time, don't be a stranger.