Walmart Revolutionizes Purple Teaming with “Trusted Agent” Approach
In a bold move to shake up traditional cybersecurity practices, Walmart has abandoned the siloed approach of separate red and blue teams, instead embracing a collaborative culture that fosters trust, learning, and mutual growth. By co-locating teams, adopting a “trusted agent” observation model, and prioritizing organizational improvement over individual victories, Walmart’s security operations have become a model for other organizations to follow.
At the heart of this transformation is Jason O’Dell, Global VP of Security Operations at Walmart. Recognizing that the traditional approach to purple teaming – where offensive testers and defensive operators often work in isolation or even develop adversarial relationships – delivers limited value and can damage team morale and organizational learning, O’Dell has created a security operations culture that values collaboration over competition.
By physically bringing teams together, Walmart has established a collaborative environment where both offensive and defensive practitioners continuously elevate their skills. This approach is centered around the “trusted agent” observation model, which ensures that observers are watching campaigns in real-time, providing feedback to both teams on their performance. For example, during full-on adversarial emulation exercises, blue team members sit with the red team as they conduct their attacks, checking telemetry, logs, and detections in place.
This approach has not only improved Walmart’s security posture but also boosted staff retention rates. Both teams feel that they always have something to learn, leading to a culture of continuous improvement and growth. As O’Dell explains, “What does that cause the red team to do? It causes them to pivot… What happens over time is you get this incremental increase in both your red team and blue team that drives value to your organization.”
Walmart’s success with purple teaming highlights the importance of building trust and psychological safety within security operations. By shifting the focus from individual victories to organizational improvement, companies can create a culture where both teams feel valued and motivated to learn. As O’Dell notes, “You have to change that perception… You have to make it a safe environment for them to understand that it’s about ‘Did we drive the best value to the organization in becoming better as a by-product of the campaign and the work we did?'”
The takeaway from Walmart’s innovative approach is clear: collaborative purple teaming, where both red and blue teams work together to drive mutual growth and improvement, can be a game-changer for organizations looking to boost their security posture while also promoting staff retention and engagement. By prioritizing trust, learning, and collaboration over competition, companies can create a culture that values the strengths of all teams, leading to better security outcomes and a more effective cybersecurity ecosystem.
Source: Dark Reading — 2026-08-12