You're Not the Only One Solving This: Why Community Is the Real Multiplier in Data Risk

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Host: Mike Hamilton, VP, Marketing - Exterro

Guest: Marla Darling, Manager of Customer Success - Exterro

Guest: Ashley Dow, Manager of Customer Success - Exterro

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The hardest part of managing data risk usually isn't the technology; it's the feeling that you are wrestling with your problems alone. You aren't. The professionals who pull ahead tend to be plugged into a community of peers who have already solved the challenges keeping them up at night.

In this episode of Data Xposure, Customer Success leaders Marla Darling and Ashley Dow draw on years of experience working with hundreds of legal, privacy, and forensics teams to unpack what separates organizations that get lasting value from their programs from those that stall. While tools matter, the network around them matters more. This philosophy drives Exterro XChange, the company's global user conference, which will serve as a running thread in this conversation.

Marla and Ashley will discuss where community delivers the most value: hands-on training, onsite certifications, candid peer exchanges, roadmap sessions, and thought leadership. It is a preview of what draws people to Nashville this September at Exterro XChange and a case for why resilient data risk professionals never go it alone.

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Episode Transcript

Mike (00:00:08): Welcome to Data Exposure, the podcast for data risk leaders, brought to you by Exterro. I'm Mike Hamilton. Here's something almost everyone in the field feels but rarely says out loud, the quiet conviction that you're the only one wrestling with your particular problem. The strange preservation collection, the workflow that won't scale, the thing that is manual, just doesn't cover.

You're not the only one. The people who pull ahead in this work tend to share one trait. They're plugged into a community of peers who've already been there. 

My two guests spend their days exactly in that reality. Marla Darling and Ashley Dow are customer success leaders here at Exterro, and between them, they've worked alongside hundreds of legal, privacy, and forensics teams. That's given them a front row seat to what actually separates the teams that thrive from the ones that stall. 

Today, we're getting into why community is the real multiplier in data risk and where that community does its best work. Marla and Ashley, thank you for joining Data Exposure today. How are both of you doing?

Ashley (00:01:17): Excited to be on. Hi, Mike. Thanks for having me.

Mike (00:01:21): You know what? I was really excited to have two people from Exterro, especially two people that have been at Exterro for a long amount of time, that have worked with numerous customers, big and small, and so who could be better for this topic than both of you? So thank you for coming on today's podcast. 

You both spend your days working alongside not just legal, but privacy and forensics teams. What's the problem you hear over and over, and what's the one thing people are quietly convinced only they are dealing with? And I'll start with you, Marla.

Marla (00:01:58): Mike, every team thinks their data silos are uniquely bad. Legal thinks they're the only ones fighting IT for data. Privacy thinks they're alone in hunting down old PII. We all assume that other companies have some magical or seamless process, and having seen how this actually works across the board, I can tell you almost every organization is navigating the exact same fragmentation. Ashley, are you seeing that on your side as well?

Ashley (00:02:28): Yeah, absolutely. I think we all are, especially in this role. And so because of the fragmentation that Marla described, a secondary problem which is related is really the overwhelming sense of professional isolation or specifically working in a silo. So it's easy for all of us, I feel like, no matter what industry you're in, that to kind of buy into the myth that every company has it figured out, right?

They feel like they're failing because of it. So especially being in customer success, we have close relationships with our customers, and I'll often get an email or a call, and they'll come to me in confidence asking, "Is everyone else's data this messy?"

Or, "Am I doing this wrong? How do I do this?" Right? So they feel comfortable to reach out to really ask for kind of a sanity check-

Mike (00:03:26): Sure

Ashley (00:03:26): ... of their reality, looking for validation, that they aren't the only ones struggling really to keep their heads above water.

Mike (00:03:34): So in theory, I could almost say that Ashley, Marla, you're both kind of like therapists almost in a way of validating, empathizing. It's almost like, or it's like having a six-year-old son, which I have right now. You've got to validate, empathize, listen. Were you surprised when you first got into this role and working with different customers that this was the state of things, that people really didn't understand that this was a common challenge that a lot of organizations were facing?

Ashley (00:04:04): Yeah. It was shocking because you think of the industry we're in, it's such a professional industry, right? And so I also personally came into this thinking everyone has everything figured out.

Right? They have to. These are huge companies, right? And you learn quickly that they don't, and that's okay. We have to kind of work together to mitigate and learn from each other of how to solve those problems.

Mike (00:04:36): Marla, as Ashley noted, these aren't just all really small companies or really big companies. These are companies of all shapes and sizes, right?

Marla (00:04:45): Yeah, absolutely. It's actually quite interesting how it affects everyone across the board. We all get so stuck in our own day-to-day and what we're focused on and what we're doing. It's easy to get lost and forget about how this affects the people around us and the other teams around us, and that's universal, regardless of the size of the company. 

And what I think is also interesting is a lot of professionals, I think it's changing, it's evolving, but a lot of professionals that fall into one of these camps might have come into their career or their current job function by accident. So there wasn't this career path of like, "Hey, I'm going to manage e-discovery activities or forensics activities." You get there from either being an attorney or a paralegal or a compliance analyst. The pathway is a little bit murky.

Mike (00:05:37): When you do validate other people are going through this, Ashley, what changes for them? Does anything change at all?

Ashley (00:05:46): I would say it's the confidence. Confidence is immediately boosted, right? When a customer hits a roadblock, the first thought goes to, "Is this a me problem?" I mean, we all kind of do that just in life too, outside of a professional setting. So once you realize that it really is an industry-wide struggle, your mindset is able to shift really from feeling stuck to proactively or actively problem-solving.

Mike (00:06:16): We've established that there's this common denominator that a lot of teams have when they come into managing data risk, the siloed type of feel. Let's move on to how you get out of that silo, and how do you really start to make some gains? So Marla, let's say two teams buy the exact same tools. A year later, one is thriving, and one is stalled. Tell us from your experience what's actually different about the team that pulled ahead.

Marla (00:06:47): Sure. The team that struggles typically expects software to just magically fix a broken process for them, and the team that wins knows that the tool is just a multiplier. They do the actual work, assigning ownership, standardizing their playbooks before hitting automate, and leaning on other users for ideas. So they don't just learn where to click. They completely rethink how they work.

Mike (00:07:16): I want to piggyback on something you said, Marla, about it's more about what's around you than the tools themselves and how you buy in as a culture. So Ashley, we keep saying technology does matter. But I think what Marla was insinuating is the network around them maybe matters a little bit more. What does that network do for someone that the software just can't?

Ashley (00:07:40): Right. So I would say it goes without saying, software gives you the capabilities, right? But the network that you interact with is what can give you the experience, and that's what you're really looking for. So meaning, you can read technical documentation or look at a roadmap all you want, also helpful, but a peer is the one that can really tell you, "We've tried that. Here's what happened. Here's what I'd do differently, or here's what I'd do the same." And honestly, I feel like that could save you weeks of work, time, and possibly expensive mistakes.

Mike (00:08:17): And Marla, where does community quietly turn into ROI? What does that look like?

Marla (00:08:24): Yeah. It really comes down to risk avoidance, and as Ashley mentioned, saving time by not reinventing the wheel.

Let's say you're building a DSAR workflow. Alone, you might spend six months mapping out and stepping on compliance landmines, but in a community, you find a peer who built that exact same workflow in Exterro three months ago, and they literally can hand you their playbook and say, "Here's where I messed up. Don't do this." And that's instant ROI. It's fewer billable hours for outside counsel, it's less regulatory risk, and it's massive time savings for your team.

Mike (00:09:07): And so Ashley, going back to you, what's something people burn weeks trying to figure out alone that they crack in 10 minutes with the right peer in the room?

Ashley (00:09:18): It's just those how do I questions. So it's like the how, right? Hopefully, and usually the technology is well-documented, but what isn't documented is really how another organization actually made it work in the real world, made it work for them. How did they bring their legal team, the IT team, and just how did they get the business aligned, and how they handle the unexpected issues, and what they would do differently... I would say. So a peer who's already been through that really can save you weeks, just by a simple conversation.

Mike (00:10:00): I hear the theme of just that cross-collaboration because with this software, it touches on so many different departments, right? It could be legal, it could be IT, it could be privacy, it could be compliance, could be forensics. Are you seeing that the people, the teams that really try to build those bridges cross-departmentally are seeing more success? Is that an accurate representation?

Ashley (00:10:28): Absolutely.

Mike (00:10:29): This is a great segue into the next topic here, Marla. And I think this is the reason why Exterro came up with XChange, which is Exterro's annual user conference. It happens to be occurring in really a great location, Nashville, Tennessee, in late September. So Marla, for someone who's never been, and I know you've been to multiple of these, what's it actually like to be in that room?

Marla (00:10:55): It's really fun, Mike. I have been to several. I'm excited to go this year to Nashville, and I think the biggest takeaway from me, even years ago, right off the bat, was that it didn't feel like a sterile corporate trade show.

It feels like a giant high-energy working group. You've got digital forensics investigators sitting next to corporate privacy officers and e-discovery paralegals, and the energy's very, "Let's roll up our sleeves. Let's talk about and solve massive and active problems." So you get this great mix of high-level roadmap discussions, but it's also right alongside deep-in-the-weeds tactical sessions.

Mike (00:11:41): One thing that I love at XChange, because I've been to multiple as well, Marla, is the fact that you're really getting to know not only your peers, other like-minded professionals, but you're getting to know Exterro, the staff. I can speak from my experience in looking at customer success managers and leaders like yourselves, how you guys really develop that partnership, and they have a friend that they can lean on to really make them successful and that are invested in their success. Would you agree with that, Marla?

Marla (00:12:12): Yeah, absolutely. I think that there is a high level of sharing and collaboration, and you definitely can have significant growth at these conferences just through your day-to-day interactions, but also through training and certification that we offer.

Mike (00:12:32): That's a great segue to Ashley. On the training and certification side, how does that change what someone can actually do when they're back at their desk on Monday morning?

Ashley (00:12:41): Yeah. So I love our certification day. Highly sought-after day. Training helps eliminate that guesswork. So we all, in some capacity, spend our days knowing what needs to be done, but then we're kind of stumbling through the how is it going to be done. Training helps provide really that muscle memory to eliminate the guesswork of how the software functions. And not just on a basic level. Certification allows our customers really to dive deeper into the platform. And not only product expert teaching, but you're going to be in a room full of other professionals using the exact same tool.

One person can walk into the room only knowing about 20% of the capabilities, and maybe that's just enough to get them by. However, after certification, you get back to your desk on Monday having learned the other 80% of the functionality, which immediately gets you an ROI of the tool you already own, which is really powerful.

Mike (00:13:45): And Ashley, Marla, I want to go a little bit off-script here. I want to talk about the community that gets created there. Like I said, there's a lot of like-minded professionals there, people eager to learn, eager to share ideas. What's that sense of community that you guys get when you're there? 

I've been to some conferences before. There's thousands of people there. You're going from session to session. You don't really know anyone. Maybe you don't feel confident enough to go up to some random stranger and say, "What are you learning?" I think one of the things that stands out for me about XChange is we intentionally keep it a size that it's very easy to interact with your peers. Would you agree with that? And what are some things that you think we do to incite those conversations and create longer-lasting relationships with peers and Exterrites that maybe can't be found at other conferences?

Ashley (00:14:44): I love this question because one of the reasons XChange is so impactful is because we've already just naturally created an environment where you walk into the room, there is not going to be one person there that you walk in the room, and you don't have something in common with them.

Mike (00:15:05): Hmm.

Ashley (00:15:06): You're already walking into the room having so much in common that a conversation is easy and seamless and feels comfortable. Marla, do you have any thoughts on that?

Marla (00:15:19): Yeah, I definitely agree with what Ashley said. I also think another way that we curate that environment is through meals, through lunches, when we're all sitting around large round tables and just having that casual cross-conversation.

Mike (00:15:34): Hmm.

Marla (00:15:35): Our opening night after training, we have a reception where everybody just mingles and kind of gets into the comfort zone of being at the conference and feeling each other out on how they want to interact and what they want to ask. And it just creates that level of comfort and community that sets the tone for the rest of the conference.

Mike (00:15:54): And one thing I want to tease, we can't say who it is, but we have a big musical act that's going to be performing at the Country Music Hall of Fame. And those types of experiences, shared experience, can really bind a group together. We're not talking thousands of people. We don't want thousands of people there. We want hundreds because we want you to be able to know and not feel intimidated by the size of the conference. We want you to build those relationships. So that's something, if you're curious to who that is, go to Exterro's XChange conference website and see for yourself, but it's really exciting. I want to close it out here. Marla, for someone who isn't even sure this community is for them yet, why should you show up anyway?

Marla (00:16:47): If you touch risk, data compliance at your company, you should be there. The threats are out there. Cyber breaches, massive litigation, new privacy laws, and they don't care if you're feeling ready or motivated. They're there regardless. They're evolving way faster than any single organization can handle on its own. And so you need to show up because you can't out-innovate these challenges in isolation. You really need the collaborative intelligence of a pack, of a group of like-minded persons who are facing the same challenges that you are.

Mike (00:17:32): Really well put, Marla. And I want to leave this podcast with just a rapid-fire one line each. Finish this sentence. The one thing you wish every data risk professional understood about not going it alone would be? Ashley, what's it for you?

Ashley (00:17:50): I would say that peer connection is a true antidote to burnout. So it's going to shift from the, "I have to solve this myself," to, "How have we solved this as an industry?" And XChange allows you to do that.

Mike (00:18:08): And Marla, what are your thoughts?

Marla (00:18:10): It's almost identical, Ashley. Data risk management is a team sport. The best defense isn't just about having great technology, it's having a network of professionals that you can text on a Thursday afternoon who will say, "I've seen this before. Here's exactly what you need to do next."

Mike (00:18:32): Awesome. Well, thank you so much to Ashley and Marla for taking time out of their schedules, helping all of our great customers, and we look forward to seeing you all at XChange 2026. Thank you again, Ashley and Marla.

Marla (00:18:46): Thanks, Mike.

Ashley (00:18:47): Thanks, Mike. See you at XChange.

Mike (00:18:49): Marla and Ashley, thank you both. I really thought this was an insightful and special episode. 

If there's a single thread to pull out from this conversation, it's this: the tools matter, but the network around them matters more. Most resilient people in this field never really go into it alone, and that's true whether or not you ever set foot at a conference. That said, if you want to see this community all in one place, that's exactly what Exterro XChange is. It's happening this September in Nashville, and it's as much about the people you meet as the sessions you sit in. Thanks for listening to Data Exposure, brought to you by Exterro. 

If this was useful, follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and pass it along to someone who could use a few more peers in their corner. I'm Mike Hamilton, and we'll see you next time.

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