National Oilwell Varco (NOV) is undergoing a sweeping cybersecurity transformation under CIO Alex Philips, embracing a Zero Trust architecture, strengthening identity defenses and infusing AI into security operations. While the journey is not complete, the results, by all accounts, are dramatic – a 35-fold drop in security events, the elimination of malware-related PC reimaging and millions saved by scrapping legacy “appliance hell” hardware.

VentureBeat recently sat down (virtually) for this in-depth interview where Philips details how NOV achieved these outcomes with Zscaler’s Zero Trust platform, aggressive identity protections and a generative AI “co-worker” for its security team.

He also shares how he keeps NOV’s board engaged on cyber risk amid a global threat landscape where 79% of attacks to gain initial access are malware-free, and adversaries can move from breach to break out in as little as 51 seconds.

Below are excerpts of Philips’ recent interview with VentureBeat:

VentureBeat: Alex, NOV went “all in” on Zero Trust a number of years ago – what were the standout gains?

Alex Philips: