In Episode S7E8, Steven welcomes Arvind Parthasarathi, founder and CEO of CYGNVS, to discuss reinventing cyber incident readiness and response collaboration. Arvind shares his background in analytics and cybersecurity, explaining how CYGNVS was created to address the chaos organizations face during major cyber incidents. The conversation covers the importance of comprehensive preparation for cyber incidents, the benefits of CYGNVS’s incident response platform, and the company’s approach to preparing, practicing, responding to, and reporting on cyber crises.
Summary
Arvind Parthasarathi’s Journey into Cybersecurity
In this episode, Arvind shares how his background in analytics and graph technologies led him into the world of cybersecurity. His early work in graph analytics unexpectedly attracted cybersecurity clients, prompting a deeper focus on the field. He recounts his time at Cyence, where he develops cyber risk modeling tools for the insurance industry, and his pro bono work with Cyber Crossroads, which explores board-level cybersecurity responsibilities. Arvind highlights the contrast between academic research and real-world application, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
CYGNVS: Bringing Order to Cyber Incident Chaos
Arvind introduces CYGNVS as a platform purpose-built to reduce the confusion and disarray that often follows a major cyber incident. Launched in January 2023, CYGNVS quickly grows to support 2,500 customer organizations. The platform provides a secure, out-of-band environment for incident response, allowing IT, business teams, and external providers to collaborate effectively even when core systems are compromised. CYGNVS also helps protect legal privilege and offers a centralized hub for orchestrating response activities.
Building Cross-Functional Cyber Incident Playbooks
Arvind stresses the importance of preparing comprehensive, cross-functional playbooks that address not only IT and security concerns, but also HR, public relations, and regulatory compliance. He explains that these plans must be regularly updated and tested through tabletop exercises. He shares examples of organizations that develop dozens of playbooks and simulate diverse scenarios—ranging from malicious insider threats to board-level involvement—to build true organizational resilience.
Responding and Reporting with Speed and Precision
Arvind details how CYGNVS enables rapid response—often within 60 minutes—by mobilizing internal and external teams, even across different time zones. He illustrates the platform’s agility with a real-world story of a customer managing a cyber incident while standing in line at a theme park. He also explains how CYGNVS supports regulatory reporting by tracking evolving global regulations and helping teams generate and submit compliance reports tailored to each jurisdiction’s requirements.
A Platform Built for Preparation and Resilience
Arvind closes by discussing CYGNVS’s core philosophy: prepare, practice, respond, and report. He emphasizes that the platform sits at the intersection of cybersecurity, governance, and regulation, helping organizations both above and below the “cyber poverty line” navigate complex challenges. The company’s name—CYGNVS—is inspired by the Latin word for swan, reflecting the unpredictable “black swan” nature of cyber crises. The unique spelling, he notes, comes down to domain name availability.
About our Guest
Arvind Parthasarathi is a seasoned entrepreneur and thought leader in cybersecurity and data innovation. He’s the Founder and CEO of CYGNVS, a platform designed to help organizations respond to cyber incidents by securely connecting IT, security, business teams, and external providers in a truly out-of-band environment. Arvind has a long track record of founding and leading impactful companies, most notably Cyence, a cyber risk analytics platform, and Cyber Crossroads, a global nonprofit initiative that brings together academic researchers to define a cybersecurity standard of care. Arvind holds a Master’s in Computer Science from MIT. He also serves on the technical advisory council of the Allen Institute for Brain Sciences and the board of trustees at the Center for Excellence in Education.
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Steven Bowcut is an award-winning journalist covering cyber and physical security. He is an editor and writer for Brilliance Security Magazine as well as other security and non-security online publications. Follow and connect with Steve on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.