Security architecture
& Zero Trust
Translate mission needs into security architectures, implementation plans, and capability roadmaps aligned with NIST Zero Trust principles and CISA’s Zero Trust Maturity Model.
Cybersecurity architect & engineering leader · Maryland
I’m Marcos Saiz, a cybersecurity executive and security architect with CISO experience, combining technical depth with business-focused leadership. I design security architectures, engineer detections, and turn complex telemetry into useful cyber intelligence across Zero Trust, IT/OT monitoring, adversarial validation, and AI/LLM security assessment.
Architecture through execution
Technical depth. Operational judgment.
Enterprise · Federal · Military01 / Perspective
My work spans security architecture, detection engineering, cyber analytics, IT/OT monitoring, and AI/LLM security assessment, supported by executive leadership and governance.
I started in infrastructure and network operations, then moved into security leadership, incident response, and CISO responsibilities. That progression gives me a practical understanding of how strategic decisions affect the people delivering the work.
At Big Impact Technology, I combine hands-on architecture and engineering with technical direction, cyber operations, Zero Trust planning, and AI/LLM security assessment. I also bring experience in managed security services, executive communication, governance, and business development.
Translate mission needs into security architectures, implementation plans, and capability roadmaps aligned with NIST Zero Trust principles and CISA’s Zero Trust Maturity Model.
Author and migrate Elastic correlation searches, map detections to MITRE ATT&CK, and lead purple-team validation with penetration testers to assess alerts and tune detection gaps.
Provide technical direction to a data product team, define cyber analytical requirements, and debug and refine SQL across table selection, array handling, and event-correlation logic to improve asset context and result quality.
Design passive monitoring architectures and implementation plans integrating network detection, OT visibility, and SIEM capabilities. Approved designs have been implemented to extend security into critical operational environments.
Advise on security policy, monitoring, and access safeguards for internal generative AI systems. Assess AI-generated security metrics for measurement validity and NIST CSF alignment, including detection and response performance.
02 / Selected impact
Selected technical work spanning implemented monitoring architectures, validated detections, and analytics designs approved for development.
Authored passive monitoring architectures and implementation plans integrating network detection, OT visibility, and SIEM capabilities. Approved designs were implemented in operational environments.
Led targeted validation of authored Elastic detections with penetration testers, using observed alert behavior to identify and tune detection gaps.
Authored an operational architecture that was approved for development into cyber and intelligence analytics products.
Selected achievements from my work at TBConsulting, where I combined cybersecurity leadership with managed-services product ownership.
Built and led an MSSP portfolio combining product resale with 24/7 managed SIEM, EDR, and cloud-security services.
Modernized hardware-intensive deployments with lower-cost sensors, centralized cloud tooling, and right-sized storage.
Aligned product catalogs, pricing, sales materials, and self-validating cost sheets. The process expanded to other products.
Selected historical portfolio results, not a forecast or a claim of company-wide profit.
03 / Experience
Architecture, engineering, and leadership across commercial services and federal environments.
Program assignment: Senior Cybersecurity Architect. Lead architecture and technical engineering work across Zero Trust, cyber operations, analytics, IT/OT monitoring, and AI/LLM security assessment.
Directed ISSO/ISSM teams across six sites, standardized authorization-evidence workflows, and strengthened internal assessment readiness and security monitoring.
Led cybersecurity strategy and operations while owning a managed security services portfolio, vendor relationships, customer renewals, and product development within a SAFe program.
Led internal readiness across three SOC 2 Type 2 examination cycles, supporting two consecutive zero-exception examinations by an independent external firm.
Valley Metro: Information Security Lead Engineer, 2021. Oversaw outsourced SOC delivery, service measures, and security policy.
Department of the Army: Chief of Data Processing Installation, 2019–2021. Led data-center security, enterprise risk, and continuity planning.
TBConsulting: IT Operations Manager, 2018–2019. Led 24/7 managed-service operations and team development.
Earlier network and infrastructure experience with CenturyLink, the Department of Defense, EMW, and the U.S. Air Force.
U.S. Air Force veteran and current Air National Guard Cyber Systems Operator. My service includes network operations, state-agency cyber assessments, incident response, and joint cyber team leadership.
04 / Published perspectives
I write about cybersecurity leadership, evolving threats, and the gap between frameworks and real-world execution. Read on Medium ↗
Lessons from my path to cybersecurity leadership.
Read article ↗THREAT PERSPECTIVE · NOVEMBER 2024Key insights for CISOs navigating an evolving threat landscape.
Read article ↗GOVERNANCE · OCTOBER 2024A perspective on cybersecurity frameworks and the challenge of execution.
Read article ↗CUSTOMER CASE STUDY · TENABLEFeatured as TBC CISO discussing exposure management, xTDR technology selection, and security-operations efficiency.
Read case study ↗ISC2 · BRIGHTTALK WEBINARAn ISC2 webinar I participated in, hosted on BrightTALK.
Webinar details ↗05 / Credentials & continued learning
Information systems security
Information systems auditing
Information security leadership
B.S., Technical Management, DeVry University.
A.S., Information Systems Technology, Community College of the Air Force.
M.S., Cybersecurity, Grand Canyon University, in progress. Expected June 2027.
I share public security engineering projects and technical labs on GitHub. My OSCP preparation work documents offensive-security study, separate from my professional architecture and leadership experience.
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