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The CUInsight Network

The CUInsight Network podcast: Effective cybersecurity – Synergent

Featuring Steve Torino, Chief Information Security Officer at Synergent

CUIN 130 SYNERGENT

“Cybersecurity really is just another risk. I think where we complicate it sometimes is in the language we use to talk about it.” - Steve Torino

Thank you for tuning in to The CUInsight Network, with your host, Robbie Young, Vice President of Strategic Growth at CUInsight. In The CUInsight Network, we take a deeper dive with the thought leaders who support the credit union community. We discuss issues and challenges facing credit unions and identify best practices to learn and grow together.

My guest on today’s show is Steve Torino, Chief Information Security Officer at Synergent. Steve’s path to cybersecurity was not a straight line, and he didn’t grow up dreaming about credit unions or information security. What stayed constant, though, was a deep curiosity about technology and how systems work, which eventually carried him from community banking to national payment processing and ultimately to Synergent.

In our conversation, we spend a lot of time talking about what effective cybersecurity governance actually looks like for credit unions and why it is so important. Steve breaks down how governance starts at the board level, how expectations flow through management, and why cybersecurity should be treated like any other form of enterprise risk. We also dig into collaboration and information sharing—one of the credit union movement’s biggest strengths, and Steve points to leagues and professional groups as ways that credit unions can learn from one another.

As we wrap up the episode, Steve talks about the mentor that influenced his life, how he loves traveling to Dallas, recommends a cybersecurity book that every can use, and more! Enjoy my conversation with Steve Torino!

Shout-out: ER (TV series)
Shout-out: CUSOs
Shout-out: Maine Credit Union League
Place mentioned: Maine
Shout-out: NIST Cyber Security Framework
Shout-out: NCU-ISAO
Shout-out: HIPAA
Shout-out: CIS
Place mentioned: Dallas, Texas
Place mentioned: Forth Worth, Texas
Shout-out: Dallas Cowboys
Book mentioned: Cybersecurity for Everyone by Cathy Olieslaeger
Shout-out: Orange Theory Fitness
Shout-out: NIST AI Risk Management Framework

[1:04] – Hear about how Steve’s path evolved from medicine dreams to community banking, cybersecurity vendors, and Synergent’s CISO role.
[3:56] – Steve explains what Synergent is and its mission.
[4:57] – Steve argues that effective cybersecurity starts with governance, board engagement, and treating cyber threats as business risk.
[7:52] – Collaboration is often considered one of the industry’s greatest strengths.
[8:11] – Leagues, NCU-ISAO, and cross-industry groups help enable credit unions to share security intelligence.
[10:12] – Steve explains how modern security frameworks help shift cybersecurity from policing toward enabling business innovation.
[13:14] – Learn about Synergent’s focus for the future.
[14:17] – Steve explains why his former mentor Mike was such a great leader.
[15:22] – Steve loves to travel and especially loves Dallas.
[16:32] – Hear why Steve recommends the book Cybersecurity for Everyone by Cathy Olieslaeger.
[17:23] – Steve reveals that exercise helps him maintain balance.
[18:43] – NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework offers a practical starting point as AI begins to outpace regulation.