I’m Erich Horst, aka CISOGrit, EricWithAnH. A battle-tested cybersecurity leader with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in technology and security.

My journey began on a help desk in the early 1990's. From there, I worked through desktop support, servers, networks, infrastructure engineering, and architecting resilient systems. That deep foundation in building and running real infrastructure gave me a practical understanding of how systems actually work under pressure.

This experience let me transition naturally into cybersecurity. I’ve carried the same tenacity and operational mindset into security, helping organizations assess and improve their Infosec maturity and strategy. I’ve led security initiatives across complex environments, including healthcare, and now operate as a fractional vCISO, providing strategic security leadership to organizations in South Central Kentucky and the Nashville Metro area.

I hold the following certifications:

CISSP, CISM, SSCP, AAISM

I also earned a Master’s in Business Management & Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity & Information Assurance from Western Governors University.

I am affiliated with:

I am deeply committed to continuous learning; the cybersecurity landscape evolves too quickly to ever stop growing. I stay current through ongoing education, research, and real-world application, and I actively seek opportunities to mentor the next generation of security professionals, sharing hard-earned lessons from the trenches.

If you’re a CISO, security director, or practitioner who values experience over theory, welcome. This is a space for honest conversation about what actually works in the field.

Opinions expressed here are my own and do not constitute formal consulting advice.

I’d welcome your thoughts — feel free to leave comments on the posts or reach out directly.

Erich Horst

CISOGrit

Bowling Green, Kentucky