By: Hunter Storm
Published:
Hunter Storm is a CISO, Advisory Board Member, SOC Black Ops Team Member, Systems Architect, QED-C TAC Relationship Leader, and Cyber-Physical Hybrid Threat Expert with decades of experience in global Fortune 100 companies. She is the originator of the Hacking Humans: Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering framework and The Storm Project: AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence. She contributes to ANSI X9, FS-ISAC, NIST, and QED-C, analyzing cybersecurity, financial systems, platform governance, and systemic risk across complex socio-technical systems.
Technology Is Critical Infrastructure | IaaS and TaaS
“We can no longer separate technology funding from infrastructure funding. In the days before technological integration into everyday infrastructure and supply chain, it made sense to separate those funding buckets. Today, however, all infrastructure Is completely reliant upon technology. Therefore, technology has become a component of infrastructure, TaaS (Technology as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In a way, the *only* infrastructure is technology.” – Hunter Storm
“The only infrastructure is technology.” – Hunter Storm
Security Architecture and TaaS
I posted this on LinkedIn back in 2021, but first began using the terminology I coined, IaaS and TaaS, in global enterprise information security settings many years before that. This post has stood the test of time, as it drew attention to the growing importance of technology, comparing it to other critical infrastructure, such as public utilities, financial services, public safety, and other core services.
Years ago in cybersecurity, we had multiple points to defend in the form of these various services. it was never easy from a protection perspective. However, it was easier to defend these environments and systems because the technology stack was less complex. The potential attack surface was minimized, and much easier to secure.
Today, vulnerabilities hide in parts of the technology stack that make it easier for malicious actors, but harder for cybersecurity defenders. This is why we need to build true defense-in-depth architecture, not rely upon adding layers of technology that only introduce new, hidden vulnerabilities.
Intelligent Tech Design and Operational Impact
In the average home or business, there is usually only localized impact if a component introduces risk. However, mission critical environments require the application of strenuous security measures, not simply the addition of the latest technology. That is the security architecture sweet spot, the intersection of intelligent design principles with intelligently designed technology products. Elegant, streamlined design translates into better operational security (OpSec). Following best practices means deploying and implementing what is necessary, not what is trendy.
“That is the security architecture sweet spot, the intersection of intelligent design principles with intelligently designed technology products.” – Hunter Storm
Keywords
- Critical Infrastructure
- Global Security
- Hunter Storm Original Quote
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- National Security
- Quantum Computing
- Technology as a Service (TaaS)
- Technology
Discover More from Hunter Storm
- Hunter Storm Official Site
- Hunter Storm | Our Story | One Woman, One Vision, One Site
- Professional Services
- Profile and Career Highlights
- Insider Threats | Subtle Sabotage in Web Hosting
- Navigating the Cloud Conundrum | Lessons from Global Outages and Best Practices for Secure Systems
- Navigating the Storm | Historical Cybersecurity Outage Lessons and Best Practices
- Preventing Website Sabotage | Essential Strategies for Site Security
- Projects
- Résumé | Strategic Operations and Hybrid Threat Expert – High Threat Environments
- Résumé | Wells Fargo Systems Architect
- Silent Sabotage of Cloud Security
- Site Policies | Terms of Service
- Technology Achievements
Reposted from original LinkedIn post Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Technology as a Service (TaaS), 2021.
About the Author | Hunter Storm: Technology Executive, Global Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker
CISO | Advisory Board Member | Strategic Policy & Intelligence Advisor | SOC Black Ops Team | QED-C TAC Relationship Leader | Systems Architect | Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator | Cyber-Physical-Psychological Hybrid Threat Expert | Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage
Background
Hunter Storm is a veteran Fortune 100 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO); Advisory Board Member; Strategic Policy and Intelligence Advisor; SOC Black Ops Team Member; QED-C TAC Relationship Leader; Systems Architect; Risk Assessor; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator; Cyber-Physical-Psychological (Cyber-Phys-Psy) Hybrid Threat Expert; and Keynote Speaker with deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and human behavior. Explore more in her Profile and Career Highlights.
Drawing on decades of experience in global Fortune 100 enterprises, including Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, and American Express; aerospace and high-tech manufacturing leaders such as Alcoa and Special Devices (SDI) / Daicel Safety Systems (DSS); and leading technology services firms such as CompuCom, she guides organizations through complex technical, strategic, and operational challenges.
Global Expert and Subject Matter Expert (SME) | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and Strategic Intelligence
Hunter Storm is a globally recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum technology, intelligence, strategy, and emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) as defined by NATO and other international frameworks.
A recognized SME with top-tier expert networks including GLG (Top 1%), AlphaSights, and Third Bridge, Hunter Storm advises Board Members, CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, Founders, and Senior Executives across technology, finance, and consulting sectors. Her insights have shaped policy, strategy, and high-risk decision-making at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and human-technical threat surfaces.
Bridging Technical Mastery and Operational Agility
Hunter Storm combines technical mastery with real-world operational resilience in high-stakes environments. She builds and protects systems that often align with defense priorities, but serve critical industries and public infrastructure. She combines first-hand; hands-on; real-world cross-domain expertise in risk assessment, security, and ethical governance; and field-tested theoretical research with a proven track record in high-stakes environments that demand both technical acumen and strategic foresight.
Projects | Research and Development (R&D) | Frameworks
Hunter Storm is the creator of The Storm Project | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence, the largest AI research initiative in history.
Hunter Storm pioneered Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering, introducing foundational concepts that have profoundly shaped modern human-centric security disciplines, including behavioral security, cognitive defense, human risk modeling, red teaming, social engineering, psychological operations (PsyOps), and biohacking. It continues to inform the practice and theory of cybersecurity today, adopted by governments, enterprises, and global security communities.
Hunter Storm also pioneered the first global forensic mapping of digital repression architecture, suppression, and censorship through her project Viewpoint Discrimination by Design | The First Global Forensic Mapping of Digital Repression Architecture, monitoring platform accountability and digital suppression worldwide.
Achievements and Awards
Hunter Storm is a Mensa member and recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting her enduring influence on AI, cybersecurity, quantum, technology, strategy, and global security.
She is a distinguished member of the Industry Advisory Board at Texas A&M School of Computer Science, where she advises on curricula and strategic initiatives in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technology.
Hunter Storm is a trusted contributor to ANSI X9, FS-ISAC, NIST, and QED-C, shaping policy, standards, and strategy at the highest levels.
Hunter Storm | The Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage
Hunter Storm is known for solving problems most won’t touch. She combines technical mastery, operational agility, and strategic foresight to protect critical assets and shape the future at the intersection of technology, strategy, and high-risk decision-making.
Hunter Storm reframes human-technical threat surfaces to expose vulnerabilities others miss, delivering the ultimate asymmetric advantage.
Discover Hunter Storm’s full Professional Profile and Career Highlights.
Confidential Contact
Contact Hunter Storm for: Consultations, engagements, board memberships, leadership roles, policy advisory, legal strategy, expert witness, or unconventional problems that require highly unconventional solutions.
Securing the Future | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing, innovation, risk management, hybrid threats, security. Hunter Storm (“The Fourth Option”) is here. Let’s get to work.