What a Cruise Show Taught Me About Cybersecurity
Recently, I was on a cruise through the Mediterranean. Great weather. Beautiful ports. And one evening, an entertainer took the stage, not just any entertainer, but a juggler with some magic tricks up their sleeves and a great wit. This particular juggler, Jay Rawlins, for his final act, balanced bottles of champagne on his chin. On top of that Champagne bottle was a tray with four full wine glasses and THEN another bottle. Okay easy you think… well just for fun, Jay started juggling three pins. And he kept talking to the audience the whole time.
It was impressive. But more than that, it felt familiar.
Not the four glasses of wine and chatting with the audience, but the juggling and balancing act. Because that’s exactly what cybersecurity professionals are doing every day.
The Cybersecurity Juggling Act
If you work in security, you know the drill:
- Keep the business running, by reducing risk.
- Monitor logs and alerts.
- Patch vulnerabilities and ASAP!
- Communicate risk to leadership.
- Manage vendors.
- Train employees.
- Respond to incidents.
And do it all at once. Without dropping anything. Sound familiar?
Multitasking Is the Norm—But at What Cost?
The juggler made it look easy. So do many security teams. But behind the scenes, there’s pressure. Fatigue. Risk. You’re balancing too much, and sometimes it’s unclear which “bottle” matters most until it crashes to the ground.
What we often forget is that in juggling, and in cybersecurity, not everything can be caught if you don’t plan ahead. That’s why prioritization matters. So does automation. So does support from the top.
What Can Security Pros Learn from the Juggler?
Here are three takeaways I had with Jay, the Juggler and cybersecurity:
- Master the Basics Before Adding More.
The juggler didn’t start with champagne. He started with pins. In security, get patching, backups, and endpoint protection right before launching into AI or zero trust. #Basics - It’s Not Just About the Juggling, more importantly, it’s Communication.
This juggler kept talking the whole time. He engaged the audience. Same goes for you. If your security team is doing great work but no one knows about it, you lose their buy-in. Communicate your wins. Share your challenges. Tell your story. #RadicalTransparency - Sometimes You Need a Reset.
At the end of the act, the juggler paused… took a breath, bowed, waved to the audience and left the stage. In cybersecurity, we often skip that pause. Make time to reflect. Debrief after incidents. Review what’s working and what’s not. #LessonsLearned
The Act Continues—But You’re Not Alone
Cybersecurity professionals don’t get standing ovations often. But we should. Every alert you catch, every incident you prevent, every teammate you educate, that is impact. That’s value. That’s helping and empowering people to make smarter security decisions everyday!
So the next time you feel like you’re juggling too much, think back to that juggler onstage on a cruise ship. The trick isn’t doing everything perfectly. It’s doing what matters well, and making sure your audience and in this case, your business understands the act.
Want to share your own cybersecurity juggling act story? Reach out. I’d love to hear how you’re managing the balance.
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