Episode 53

Firefighting to Foresight: Rethinking Cyber Risk for the Real World

Stanley Li speaks with veteran security executive Steve Maciejewski (aka “Steve Mack”) to unpack the harsh realities and hopeful opportunities of managing cyber risk in today’s complex digital landscape.

Drawing from decades of experience as a CISO across public and private sectors, Steve explains why traditional compliance checklists and siloed toolsets aren’t enough. Together, they explore the cultural and operational shifts needed to move from reactive security to proactive, risk-informed governance.

“Everyone has reports and dashboards, but most can’t explain
how a breach would truly impact operations,” he said. “You need more
than a SOC report or a compliance checklist. You need a business-driven
risk view.”

Listen to Learn:

  • Why running security with spreadsheets and slide decks needs to stop
  • How to bridge the boardroom-to-basement communication gap
  • The role of business impact analysis in building resilience
  • Why SMBs should think in terms of risk avoidance, transfer, or acceptance
  • What to demand from cloud providers - even when budgets are tight

Whether you’re leading security for a fast-growing startup or a nonprofit, this conversation will deliver real-world strategies to shift your organization from cyber risk firefighting to sustainable, data-driven cyber risk governance.

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About the Podcast

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Cybersecurity Chronicles
News, views and stories from the cyber front line.

About your hosts

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Stanley Li

➤WHO I HELP & WHAT I DO: I help organizations with <1000 users to manage the cyber risk to meet compliance & regulatory requirements in IT & Cybersecurity. SecurIA®- the proprietary Managed Detection & Response platform I developed for Netswitch & Securli, has proven to reduce cost, risk, & time for our clients.

➤MY STORY: For the past 20 years I’ve dedicated my life to building Netswitch in order to protect and secure our clients’ data & critical infrastructure from the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks.
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Sean Mahoney

What I Do: I help business leaders achieve cyber-risk compliance and enable business continuity without breaking their budget.

I deliver productive ways of leveraging technology to meet business requirements and drive cost savings. Integrating automated and machine learning systems into operations to improve efficiency utilizing data analytics for improving business visibility allowing for faster reactions to market dynamics. Experienced in translating the technical to non-technical audiences.