Cybersecurity is now not a technical afterthought, because of in the present day’s interconnected world. It’s a boardroom crucial. As on-line threats change into extra subtle and breaches develop costlier, companies are realising that digital safety should be embedded into company governance. However what does it imply for cybersecurity to be a board-level precedence, and why are many firms nonetheless lagging?
Cybersecurity skilled Serhii Mikhalap believes the reply lies in mindset. With over 9 years of frontline expertise, together with main nationwide cyber defence operations and co-founding a cybersecurity startup, Mikhalap has witnessed firsthand the implications of treating cybersecurity as a checkbox train quite than a strategic pillar.
A Profession Solid in Vital Response
Mikhalap started his profession in 2016 as an analyst in Ukraine’s nationwide Safety Operations Middle (SOC). Tasked with responding to superior persistent threats (APTs) in opposition to authorities and personal infrastructure, he developed a nuanced understanding of how risk actors behave.
“We weren’t simply figuring out malware,” Mikhalap recollects. “We had been tracing the motives behind it, mapping out adversaries’ long-term targets and the way they infiltrated provide chains.”
By 2020, he transitioned to the industrial sector, initially working as an incident responder and later main SOC groups at a world cybersecurity supplier. His work concerned constructing two SOCs from the bottom up, integrating automation, playbook triage, and 24/7 monitoring. Purchasers included fintech and fee tech firms beneath tight regulatory scrutiny.
In 2024, Mikhalap co-founded a security-as-a-service startup catering to startups and SMBs in crypto, banking, and transactional tech. His group gives penetration testing, DFIR (digital forensics and incident response), danger assessments, and safety audits.
“Cybersecurity is not only about prevention. It’s about response, restoration, and belief. And that belief begins with management,” he says.
Recognizing Excellence
Mikhalap’s affect hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2022, he was awarded Ukraine’s nationwide “Znak Yakosti” (Signal of High quality) for his distinctive professionalism in cybersecurity. The award committee highlighted his work in incident response, strategic defence planning, consumer coaching, and digital forensics.
In 2023, he was named a Laureate of the nationwide “Award for Excessive Repute,” honouring his dedication to moral enterprise practices, accountability, and high quality. These recognitions underscore his credibility as a pacesetter who blends technical rigour with integrity.
Why the Board Should Personal Cyber Threat
In line with Mikhalap, inserting cybersecurity on the board agenda is just not non-obligatory; it’s important. “Boards oversee strategic danger. And in 2025, cyber danger is strategic danger,” he states.
But many boards lack the experience to grasp technical vulnerabilities, not to mention align safety with enterprise aims. This creates a harmful hole.
“The absence of cyber literacy on the high results in misallocated budgets, underprepared response plans, and overreliance on distributors,” he warns. “Cybersecurity must be handled like finance or authorized, a website with its personal metrics, language, and accountability.”
He advocates for normal board-level briefings from CISOs or exterior specialists, with a give attention to:
- Compliance obligations
- Incident response readiness
- Funding priorities for resilience
- Present risk panorama and traits
- Enterprise-critical property and their publicity
Mikhalap believes that by framing cybersecurity when it comes to enterprise continuity and reputational danger, boards can higher perceive its worth.
The Value of Inaction
A recurring theme in Mikhalap’s work is the hidden value of inaction. “A breach doesn’t simply value cash. It erodes belief. It exposes negligence. It will probably derail an IPO or M&A deal.”
In regulated industries, the implications are much more extreme. Fines, lawsuits, and regulatory bans are all on the desk. “However the larger subject is aggressive drawback. In case your rivals are investing in resilience and also you’re not, you’re enjoying catch-up after the harm is completed.”
Constructing a Tradition of Shared Accountability
Mikhalap emphasises that board involvement ought to go hand-in-hand with cultural change. Safety can’t achieve isolation.
“We have to break down the parable that cybersecurity is IT’s downside. It’s everybody’s accountability. From HR to finance to product groups, each perform wants to grasp its position in managing cyber danger.”
To help this, his firm gives customized coaching modules that align safety practices with job roles. In addition they assist companies simulate assaults to check government decision-making beneath stress.
“When leaders undergo a simulated breach situation, they perceive the stakes. They realise it’s not nearly firewalls. It’s about reputational harm, authorized publicity, and enterprise survival.”
What Progressive Boards Are Doing Proper
Mikhalap highlights just a few practices that forward-thinking boards are embracing:
- Cyber danger as a part of enterprise danger administration (ERM): Integrating safety into broader danger dashboards.
- Board training: Internet hosting workshops or onboarding periods for brand new members.
- Impartial assessments: Hiring third-party specialists to conduct maturity evaluations.
- State of affairs planning: Operating tabletop workouts for government groups and administrators.
- Funds alignment: Making certain safety investments match the corporate’s digital footprint and risk publicity.
He notes that boards don’t must change into cybersecurity specialists. However they have to ask the best questions and anticipate clear, actionable solutions.
Anticipating Tomorrow’s Threats
Waiting for 2025 and past, Mikhalap sees rising urgency for firms to include cyber technique into long-term planning. As ransomware, AI-driven assaults, and provide chain breaches improve in scale and complexity, he argues that boardroom priorities should evolve accordingly.
“Cybersecurity is now not about defending the community perimeter. It’s about managing digital danger throughout the enterprise. It’s about resilience. And it begins with management that understands what’s really at stake.”
The Backside Line
For Serhii Mikhalap, the message is easy that cybersecurity belongs within the boardroom. Not simply throughout a disaster, however as a part of routine oversight.
“In the event you’re not discussing cyber on the board degree, you’re leaving your organisation weak, technically and reputationally,” he says. “Cybersecurity is now a enterprise enabler. Boards that get this proper will lead with confidence. People who don’t will fall behind.”
