From the banks of the Mississippi River to combat medicine with the Marines in Iraq, to becoming a Lead CCA and Operations Lead at IntelliGRC, Phillip Donald has taken one of the most unconventional paths into the cybersecurity compliance world.
In this episode, Steven Molter sits down with Phillip for an honest, personal conversation about his journey through the military, GameStop, recruiting, and the MSP world before finding his home in GRC. Along the way they dig into the real challenges MSPs face getting into CMMC, why so much misinformation is still floating around the DIB, the power of mentorship and peer networking, and what it actually takes to lead people and build a healthy company culture, especially in a fully remote startup.
Whether you’re trying to break into compliance, run an MSP weighing the CMMC opportunity, or grow as a leader, there’s something here for you.
Topics covered:
- Phillip’s path from the military to cybersecurity compliance
- How IntelliGRC was born out of a real DoD contractor’s need
- The road to Lead CCA — RP, CCP, CCA, and the ISACA changes ahead
- Why some MSPs succeed at CMMC and others backpedal
- The MSP Enablement Program and “teaching MSPs to fish”
- Cutting through persistent CMMC misinformation
- The gaps in guidance for MSPs and external service providers (ESPs)
- Building processes, running EOS, and leading through communication and trust