Tim Layton is the creator of CyberVaR 360™, a cyber risk decision-support platform built to help executives, CISOs, and boards turn cyber signals into clear action. With more than 25 years in cybersecurity and risk management in the financial industry, Tim combines technical depth with business-focused judgment to help leaders understand what matters now, what to prioritize next, and how to support those decisions with credible data.
Through CyberVaR 360™, Tim delivers focused, executive-ready briefings on exploited vulnerabilities, active threats, and cyber risk priorities. His work is designed for organizations that need more than raw threat data or generic dashboards. He helps leadership teams cut through noise, focus on the issues most relevant to their environment, and make faster, more defensible decisions.
Tim’s broader expertise includes quantitative cyber risk modeling, Bayesian statistics, Python-based analysis, and NIST CSF-aligned decision support. He is especially focused on helping organizations move beyond vague scoring and toward clearer, evidence-based cyber decisions that improve accountability, support investment planning, and strengthen executive oversight.
Education/Certifications/Accreditations/Training:
- MBA, BA Lindenwood University
- CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional # 28180
- CCSK – Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CSA) Certification # LtuXWB2QCFFE9vdRPrdTsubZ [verification]
- CCZT – Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CSA)
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01)
- AWS Solutions Architect (SAA-C02)
- AWS Technical Professional
- AWS Business Professional
- AWS Security Fundamentals
- AWS Well-Architected Technical Best Practices
- AWS Cloud Economics
- AWS Security Governance at Scale
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Credential ID: 96EE3C12EC3DD90D Certification Number: 725603-7195FF [verification]
- Microsoft Azure Security, Compliance, and Identity (SC-900) Credential ID: FA028AE6047DE8A4 Certification Number: 8DV076-5596F2 [verification]
- SANS GSEC – Global Information Assurance Security Expert # 1972
- SANS GCIH – Global Information Assurance Certified Incident Handler # 312
- SANS GCFW – Global Information Assurance Certified Firewall Expert # 265
- ECNE – Novell Enterprise CNE #605
- SCO ACE – SCO Unix Engineer #1979
- FAIR – Factor Analysis of Information Risk
- Python Institute PCEP (Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer)
- Python Institute PCAP (Certified Associate Python Programmer)
- Python Institute PCED (Certified Entry-Level Data Analyst with Python)
- Python Institute PCAD (Certified Associate Data Analyst with Python)
- Python Instutite PCPP (Python Certified Professional Programmer)
I share weekly insights on quantifying cyber risk in dollars, not colors — including Monte Carlo simulation, loss exceedance modeling, Cyber Value at Risk (VaR), and NIST CSF quantification. If you’re an executive, CISO, or security leader looking for practical, data-driven approaches to cyber risk, let’s connect on LinkedIn.
Testimonials/Recommendations
“Tim is an amazing thought leader, grasping all the nuances of impact, likelihood, and risks in the cloud!
Truly a professional security practitioner who understands business impact and technology in depth, he is valuable to every team with the privilege of working with him.
Tim drives impact and changes to make the world a safer place! He comes highly recommended.” -Frans van Ireland, Cloud Security Advisor, Wiz.io
“I’ve worked with Tim at a number of different companies and organizations where he was a strategic advisor transforming and advancing their cybersecurity capabilities.
Tim has the very rare ability to traverse and address cybersecurity challenges that span board level engagement, building robust information security programs, designing complex security architectures, to being able to personally conduct advance cyber threat hunting using the latest capabilities in security intelligence, data analytics, and visibility tools. Yet he is able to do all of this, with a very mature and consistent focus on ensuring that cybersecurity remains about enabling strategic business outcomes through effective risk management. He is a unique and rare talent in the field of cybersecurity.” -Mark Brooks, CISO PPL Corporation
“Tim Layton is easily one of the most talented, strategic, and impactful cybersecurity leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He understands cybersecurity with a depth of “up and down the stack” knowledge and insight into what matters most to protect the business. And he does this with the savvy to easily translate those insights across organizational levels so that strategies are understood by senior leadership with a clear path to delivering on the strategy.” -Sally Dovitz, CISO, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors.
“Tim Layton is an exceptionally talented CISO, with an outstanding depth and breadth of knowledge in all of the technical areas required for that complex and challenging position. Tim regularly exceeded all of my expectations as a vendor to him.
Tim was always eager to accept increased responsibility and provide direction to move a project forward. During our engagement, Tim handled difficult projects involving documenting applications that needed pen testing which were long past due.
His coordination with multiple individuals across many different corporate areas in such a short time helped move the project forward when traction could not be achieved in over a year. I am certain that he will be a success in any position in which he has the opportunity to serve.” -Rob Sherman, Dell EMC
“I had the opportunity to work with Tim Layton over the past year. He’s extremely knowledgeable, experienced, and organized. Tim can put structure around difficult situations and lead his team and those around him to success. I’d highly recommend Tim for any leadership position within Information Security or Risk.” -Matthew Pascucci, Director Security Operations, Evercore
“The words that come to mind when I think about Tim are professional, entrepreneur, leader, technologist, and innovator. He possesses an uncommon ability to deliver business solutions while understanding the complex underpinnings of the technology. I had the pleasure of working for Mr. Layton and benefited greatly from his guidance.” -John Roosa, CIO, Stupp Brothers Corp.
“During my time with Cisco, I worked with Tim on the same team to consult other CSO, CISOs, CIOs, etc. Tim had a distinct approach how to engage with clients to garner their trust and build relationships. We shared insights and observations and Tim has proven to be a great resource – he is ahead of the game and on top of that has strong technology skills that he knows to leverage when needed.
Aside from Cisco I consider Tim a strong cyber security expert that has delivered value to the industry via his services to companies, blogs, and books. I can recommend Tim to any client or organization” -Michael Oberlander, CISO
“Tim is one of the most well-rounded, technically grounded executives I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with. I worked with Tim as a peer advising senior executives on cyber security matters spanning multiple industry verticals.
The majority of engagements were with large Fortune listed global organizations that were seeking professional advisory services at the highest levels in the organization. I enjoy working with Tim and I respect his deep technical knowledge and business acumen. I would recommend Tim as a strategic cyber security leader and advisor to any organization seeking these types of services.” -Cathy Pitt, CISO, Pearson North America
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tim over the last year and found Tim to be one of the most insightful experts in the field of Cyber Risk. Tim understands the technical domains and the business implications of cyber risk. This comprehensive insight has provided Dynetics an essential contribution to our Cyber Risk management solutions and the marketing and delivery of those solutions.” -Robert Dowling, Auburn University.