10 Questions to Cyber Resilience – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we sit down with François Guay, Founder of the Canadian Cybersecurity Network and a leader in cybersecurity talent search, to talk about the future of cybersecurity in Canada. But this conversation goes beyond just cyber threats. François dives deep into operational resilience—how businesses can not only defend against cyber risks but also ensure their entire operations stay strong in the face of disruption.

We cover:

✅ The biggest cybersecurity challenges for Canadian SMBs

✅ Key trends shaping the cybersecurity landscape

✅ The growing talent gap and how to bridge it

✅ Why operational resilience is just as critical as cyber resilience

✅ How businesses can future-proof themselves against cyber and operational threats

✅ Predictions for 2025—what’s next for cybersecurity in Canada and beyond

If you’re a business leader, cybersecurity professional, or looking to break into the field, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!

Resources:

François Guay's LinkedIn:  

 / francoisguay  

CCN Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cana...

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn:  

 / luigitiano  

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.co/

About the guest:

François Guay is the founder of Canada’s largest cybersecurity network, the Canadian Cybersecurity Network (CCN), which...

In this episode, we’re joined by Andria Delia, a Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert and a nominee for the Cellebrite Digital Justice Rising Star Award at the C2 Summit. Andria dives into her extensive experience in cybersecurity, sharing valuable insights on the psychology of cyber attackers and how she handles ransomware without paying ransoms. She discusses the real-world application of threat intelligence, the role of law enforcement, and the often-overlooked behaviors of threat hunters.

Andria takes us through the evolution of ransomware attacks, the key steps in responding to a breach, and how attackers adapt in the ever-changing landscape of digital threats. We also explore the role of AI in both facilitating and combating cyber threats, and Andria shares her thoughts on how predictive analytics and behavior analysis can help thwart attacks before they even happen.

She gives an eye-opening perspective on digital forensics, particularly in relation to mobile devices, and highlights the lingering threats in the mobile world. To wrap up, Andria offers practical advice for the general public on staying safe in the digital world.

If you’re interested in learning how threat intelligence works, the psychology behind attacks, or what you can do to protect yourself online, this episode is a must-watch!

Resources:

Andria Delia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andriadelia/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.co/

About the guest: 

Andria Delia is a leading expert in cyber threat intelligence, specializing in ransomware mitigation, incident response, penetration testing, and forensics. She is a Certified Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert and has led high-profile engagements, developed response plans, and contributed to digital forensics. With a background in public interest law, Andria has successfully led cases that have shaped case law. Notably, she is one of the few women globally to have mitigated ransomware attacks on major organizations. Additionally, she has expertise in Bitcoin, Blockchain, AI, and machine learning, with research focused on AI’s impact on financial markets. A sought-after speaker and mentor, Andria is dedicated to advancing the field of cybersecurity.

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.co) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

Assurance IT invited our favorite ethical hacker, Laurent Desaulniers. In this episode, Laurent Desaulniers, Security Cloud Manager, and co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, discuss:

1. What does ethical hacking really mean?

2. Should pentests be done multiple times per year?

3. Who was Mafia Boy?

4. How did he give ethical hacking a bad name?

5. What will the lack of IT talent result in?

6. The truth behind the ethical hacking community

7. What are some ways to get started in ethical hacking?

8. How do you identify great hacking talent?

9. The #1 question to ask ethical hackers in interviews.

10. How much money you can make as an ethical hacker.

BONUS TOPICS

What schools should really be teaching about tech?

Resources for learning cyber security.

Resources:

Laurent Desaulniers’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurentdesaulniers/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Laurent Desaulniers:

Laurent Desaulniers combines a strong technical experience with creative thinking to achieve elegant solutions with a passion for security, especially forensic, web and penetration testing.

Laurent Desaulniers is knowledgeable in the following technologies :

- Operating systems: Linux (Ubuntu/Debian) , Windows (2008, 2003 Server, Windows 2000 Server), Cisco IOS

- Programming languages: PHP, Javascript, Python, Java (J2EE, EJB3, Servlet, Swing), JSP, Struts

- Framework: PCI-DSS, ISO-27001, ISO27034, ISO17799, ISO13335, ITIL, COBIT.

- Methodology: OSSTM, OWASP, OCTAVE

- Security: IDS systems, Honeypots, Penetration Testing

Specialties: Forensic, Web application intrusion, Vulnerability Analysis

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience:

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security.

About Assurance IT:

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializing in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

Assurance IT invited Insurity's CISO, Jay Wilson to discuss SaaS platform, cloud security and data privacy.

In this episode, Jay Wilson from Insurity and co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, discuss: 

1. Pros and cons of SaaS platforms
2. Should hardware be back on-prem?
3. Cloud security: Is it where it needs to be?
4. Are security risks between cloud and on-prem similar?
5. How to backup SaaS applications
6. Difficulty of complying with data privacy regulations from around the world
7. Are the Data privacy regulations make us better?

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/a8YWmt-QcVU

Jay Wilson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaywwilson/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Jay Wilson: 

As an experienced technology executive across multiple disciplines and sectors, Jay leads operations, delivery and strategy across global cross-discipline teams to produce and protect innovative products, growth strategies and measurable results.

In his role of Chief Information Security Officer at Mercury Healthcare, he is responsible for advancing the information security and compliance program, ensuring our business operations and client-facing product technologies are safe from attack, exceed regulatory standards and protect the critically important protected health data assets that Mercury Healthcare manages for over 1000 hospitals. Additionally he lead our efforts to align to industry leading compliance and security frameworks, including HITRUST certification of the Mercury Patient Engagement Solution / CRM. Further, he also leads and directs the IT function at Mercury Healthcare to improve the efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness of IT/Helpdesk functions within the organization.

He is CISM, CHP and CSCS certified and has over 20 years of experience in various technology development and leadership roles. Also a graduate of SapientNitro's CMTO University program, with a background as a professional marketing technologist and a consummate student of innovation and psychology, he focuses additional effort on the potential of people in the world of business+technology convergence. He has previously led (at Healthgrades) the Learning Academy program, part of HG's previous leadership development program, to help grow our people in communication, leadership and creating impact.

His experiences in technologies are broad and diverse, but he has had the privilege of working in: Security Infrastructure, Network Engineering, Automation Engineering, Advertising Technologies, Data Engineering, Distributed Computing, Professional Video, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Containers, Front End Web Technologies, Server-side Technologies, Microservices & API Development.

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data...

Franco Perrotta is a cyber security consultant at Bell. Over his decade of experience helping businesses with cyber security, he noticed trends he shares in this episode - specifically for small businesses.

In this episode, Franco Perrotta and co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, discuss: 

1. How much budget should you have for cyber security?
2. How small companies should get started in cyber security
3. Benefits of being small when attracting IT talent
4. First step to identifying weal spots in a small business
5. Can you grow a business and do it prudently?
6. Cyber insurance for small companies
7. Use case: helping small business with low budget and one IT person with cyber security

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/mPUy-RoUkrw

Franco Perrotta’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoperrotta/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Franco Perrotta: 

"10+ years experience in IT; this includes hardware, software and client relations. Through my attention to detail and always providing over the top service, I present an excellent addition to any team looking to strengthen their IT security posture."

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

Vanessa Henri has been working in data privacy for 10 years. As a lawyer, she approaches data differently than most of us. So on today's episode of 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience, we wanted to pick her brain about her perspective of data privacy as a lawyer and where Canada is headed in terms of laws and compliance.

In this episode, Vanessa Henri from Henri and Wolf, and co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, discuss: 

1. Using due diligence to grow an organization
2. The relationship between legal and IT
3. One strategy to get more cyber security budget
4. Is Canada behind on data privacy laws?
5. Defining C27 and what it could mean for Canada
6. Will C26 and C27 be passed as laws?
7. How AI fits into new legislation
8. Why consumers are scared of AI
9. How to start implementing AI in your business

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/ng2SQk2OBi8

Vanessa Henri’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessahenri/

Henri & Wolf website: https://henriwolf.law/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Vanessa Henri: 

"I work with emerging growth organizations to help them articulate a data governance strategy taking into consideration data privacy, information security, intellectual property, and ethics. I bring value and a competitive edge to data-driven organizations by helping them to manage their legal risks, enhance consumers trust and fast-forward the adoption of disruptive technologies through trust-by-design. I have an extensive experience negotiating and drafting tech agreements with data governance implications (including data acquisition, derivative data management and contracts involving data analytics and anonymization requirements), and enjoy working with entrepreneurs to build contractual structures that reflect their business strategies. I am fascinated by ethical innovation, the economic value of trust, and nurturing purpose-driven organizations.

Organizations reach out to me to understand the legal impacts of their strategy for managing and securing their information assets, which may include trade secrets, intellectual property and personal information, and for advices on how to improve governance, risk management and decision making regarding such informational assets. I also work with organizations on issues of economic cyber-espionage and national security impacts. The organizations I work with are principally in the field of emerging technologies, cybersecurity and data-driven industries, including IIoT.

I am a member of the Quebec Bar Association, a Certified Data Protection Officer ("CDPO") and a Senior Lead Implementor for ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management System), with a proven track record of helping organizations of all sizes and industries implementing compliance measures for their informational assets, including through privacy-by-design in emerging technologies. I have experience deploying information management systems for organizations of all sizes by drafting policies, procedures and establishing risk management methodologies. I perform risk assessments and audits to prepare organizations for certification or for new compliance obligations, or for pre-market validation...

Assurance IT invited Security Engineer Manager, Mark Salinas, to chat about the evolution of cyber security.

In this episode, Mark Salinas and co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, discuss: 

1. Evolution of networking
2. Cyber security in 2000 vs 2022
3. End-users in 2000 vs 2022
4. The reality of buying cyber security tools
5. Cyber security vs cyber resilience
6. Cyber attacks on critical infrastructure
7. Getting hacked through a clock
8. What the Googles of the world are doing to mitigate the skillset shortage in IT

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/TUA01zTVbw0

Mark Salinas' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-salinas-75b9363/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Mark Salinas: 

Over 20 years industry experience as a security & network architect and engineer, including: design & installation of: networking, Cloud, Network Security, Firewalls, IDS/IPS, Application Security /Firewall, Application Acceleration, WAN Optimization. WAF and DAM. Cloud Services. PCI & NERC Compliance and GRC. CISSP. Pre-Sales as well as Post Sales Support. Network & Security Architecture designs. Security Audits & reviews. US citizen. Mentor.

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

Jahn Karsybaev is the CIO at myBasePay - a small startup that raised $60 million in funding and are on their way to closing the year at $50 million in revenue. In today's episode, Assurance IT's co-founder Luigi Tiano asks Jahn about the following topics:

1. The difficulty attracting IT talent as a startup & how Jahn works around that
2. Defining cyber resilience
3. Tips on implementing digital transformation & debunking myths around it
4. Jahn's best tip to staying up-to-date with the tech industry (we're stealing this one)
5. What keep's Jahn up at night
6. What Jahn looks for in a company that potentially acquires myBasePay

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/2wlSQeXbPHQ

Jahn Karsybaev’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahnibek/

myBasePay: https://www.mybasepay.com/

The book about Business experiments Jahn referred to: https://amzn.to/3dyyHN4

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Jahn Karsybaev: 

Jahn Karsybaev is a Technology Executive who has led IT teams for Fortune 500 companies. He is currently a Co-Founder and CIO at myBasePay.

Jahn has co-founded, launched, successfully sold as well as successfully failed several start-ups. He is an Angel Investor and sits on Boards of several tech startups. He loves teaching angel investing, growth hacking & fundraising for startups.

Fund-raising is one of Jahn's strengths and passions. Cumulatively, he has successfully raised close to $70MM for the startups he has launched or advised on.

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

Cyber criminals are getting smarter. Protecting your enterprise is getting expense.

Where do you start in your cyber security journey?

The co-founders of Assurance IT discuss the top 5 cyber security tools every enterprise should start with. 

In this episode, Luigi Tiano, and Ernesto Pellegrino also discuss: 

1. 13 Cyber Secure Measures
2. Incident Response Plans
3. Reason to increase cyber security awareness among executives
4. How the workspace changed over the last two years and how it's affecting IT
5. #1 cause of cyber attacks
6. Feedback from cyber security insurance companies
7. Top 5 things you need to protect against ransomware

Resources: 

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/FejMyQmT9hA

Blog: www.assuranceit.ca/blog/13-parts-of-an-effective-business-continuity-plan-to-protect-against-ransomware

CyberSecure Canada: https://cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/baseline-cyber-security-controls-small-and-medium-organizations

Ernesto Pellegrino’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernestopellegrino/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how IT leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.

There's a lot going on in the tech world. A huge skill gap, Log4j vulnerabilities, how your cloud strategy is making your security strategy more difficult. It's a lot.

In this episode, we invited Chief Information Officer of Insurity, Jonathan Victor, to discuss the most pressing questions in the field.

Co-founder of Assurance IT, Luigi Tiano, and Jonathan Victor discuss: 

1. How Jonathan became CIO
2. What happened when John needed surgery during an important project 
3. How a cloud strategy makes a security strategy more difficult
4. What is cyber resilience mean?
5. How Log4j affected Insurity
6. Why companies are still being affected by Log4j
7. Why enterprises should try security by design
8. how to improve your cyber resilience with this one thing
9. How to overcome the skillset gap
10. Discussion about how we are becoming desensitized to online security

Resources:  

Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/5XIN-VttSdk

Jonathan Victor's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-victor-65b2b5a/

Insurity website: https://insurity.com/

Luigi Tiano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigitiano/

Assurance IT Website: http://www.assuranceit.ca/

About Jonathan Victor: 

Jonathan Victor is the Chief Information Officer of Insurity. He oversees all of Insurity’s SaaS implementations and manages the build, run, and evolution of the company’s cloud platforms. He came to Insurity as part of the company’s acquisition of Oceanwide, where he began in 2005, and assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2014. Before Oceanwide, Jonathan worked as a consultant at Accenture. Jonathan is a graduate of McGill Desautels Faculty of Management with a major in Management Information Systems and Finance.

About 10 Questions to Cyber Resilience: 

Twice per month, learn about how Tech leaders are strengthening their cyber security practices. Every episode comprises of 10 questions that get you one step closer to cyber resilience. Subscribe to stay up-to-date with hot topics in cyber security. 

About Assurance IT: 

Assurance IT (www.assuranceit.ca) specializes in data protection and data privacy for the mid-market in Canada, since 2011. The Montreal-based company’s unique approach to helping customers become cyber resilient is called the PPR Methodology which stands for Prepare, Protect and Recover. Based on industry best practices, the PPR Methodology is an easier way to achieve cyber security and compliance objectives.