How Useful Tools Create Brand Identity and Community with Loris Degioanni

Loris Degioanni is the CEO and Founder of Sysdig, an open-source company working to make cloud deployment more secure through the use of runtime insights. Loris and I sit down to discuss the bet Sysdig is making to position itself as a leader in cloud security, how Loris leverages the power of a useful tool to create a brand, and the framework he uses to decide what should be open source and what should be paid for. Loris also shares an in-depth history of his previous company, Wireshark, and his excitement for building open source projects that outlast their business and creators.

Highlights:

  • Intro (00:00)

  • I introduce Loris Degioanni who is the CEO and Founder of Sysdig, and he provides a little bit of context about himself and his company (01:00)

  • Loris gives an overview of his previous company, Wireshark (01:57)

  • Ways in which Loris was able to commercialize Wireshark as a tool for open-source end-users (04:30)

  • How Loris used open-source as a marketing tool to create a profitable business model (07:28)

  • The difference between Sysdig and Wireshark in their relationship to open-source (08:57)

  • The bet that Sysdig is making and how that positions the company to become a leader in cloud security (12:36)

  • Loris and I discuss Wireshark’s continued longevity (15:14)

  • Where the inspiration for Sysdig came from and its journey from open-source project to commercial product (19:41)

  • How building something useful replaces the need for a sales and marketing team (24:22)

  • Closing the gap between the Sysdig project and the Sysdig platform (27:52)

  • The framework for deciding what is offered open-source and what needs to be paid for (30:21)

  • Loris’s most interesting mistakes in entrepreneurship and building Sysdig (33:20)

  • How listeners can connect with Loris and learn more about Falco and Sysdig (36:31)

Links:

Loris

Chris Hill