What makes a good analyst? It's a question I've asked myself repeatedly over the past seven years. Through the pitfalls, the blunders, and more than a few misguided detours. But also through the occasional realization that shifted how I see the work entirely.
So what makes a good analyst? Someone with the penchant to ask the questions others often overlook, the courage to delve into the murky depths most people avoid, and the ability to turn disparate threads into compelling insights that actually move people to act.
I'm a Senior Infosec GRC Analyst at Mercury Technologies and spent 7 years before that as a Senior Security Analyst at Shopify. That time working across security, risk and governance has given me strong opinions about what it looks like when security professionals operate effectively inside businesses and why an analytical mindset is foundational to doing meaningful work in any discipline.
This blog is where I share what I've picked up along the way, along with the occasional rant. All the frameworks that held up, the mental models I had to throw out, and the lessons that came from getting things wrong. If you're working on becoming a sharper and more effective analyst, I hope you find something useful here.
Zachary Miller