Kevin Harbauer
Transformation & Growth Executive
I have spent more than 20 years leading product, engineering, and security teams in environments where delivering results was not optional. CTO, CISO, and board advisor across PE-backed software, healthcare, and legal services. I write here about the work that is actually hard — technology leadership, AI adoption, security, and building organizations that execute.
Recent Articles
Not Every Decision Needs a Human... But Some Do
Most AI agents run at whatever autonomy level was easiest to implement, not the one that reflects actual risk. Here's how to tell the difference.
The Agent Can Think. It Just Can't Get to the Data.
The biggest barrier to real AI automation isn't the model. It's connectivity. And the protocol solving it is creating your next governance problem.
Your Digital Workforce Has a Landlord
Thousands of AI agent workflows disrupted overnight — not because agents broke, but because a vendor changed its billing. That's a governance failure.
Every Agent Needs a Badge
Most organizations badge their contractors, track their access, and revoke it when they leave. They don't do any of it for AI agents. That gap is closing fast.
Your AI Strategy Is Only as Strong as Your Inventory
You can't govern, defend, or prove value from AI systems you can't account for. Why inventory is the first place enterprise AI governance gets real.
Who Owns the Outcome? Governing the Age of AI Sprawl
AI agent sprawl is outpacing enterprise governance. Here's why that's a leadership problem — and what the governance stack actually needs to look like.