Why Healthcare Needs Cyber Resilience, Not Just Cybersecurity

In this episode of the Cybersecurity at ViVE series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Chad Alessi, Managing Director of Cybersecurity at CTG, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to protect healthcare organizations in today's threat landscape. With a background spanning chemical engineering, the U.S. Marines, energy sector Operational Technology security, and IT consulting, Chad brings a unique cross-industry perspective to healthcare cybersecurity. From the difference between cybersecurity and cyber resilience to the rise of AI-powered attacks, this episode is packed with practical insights for healthcare leaders who want to stay ahead of what is coming.

In this episode, they talk about how:

• Cyber resilience focuses on operational continuity when an attack happens, not just prevention
• Breaches resolved within 200 days can save organizations over $1 million
• Bad actors often sit idle inside networks for months, collecting data before launching an attack
• Baseline requirements are identity-first security, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and privileged access management
• Human-only Security Operations Center (SOC) models are too slow to keep up with today's automated, AI-powered attacks
• CTG uses Microsoft's Unified Security Operations (SecOps) platform to eliminate tool sprawl and improve response time
• Zero-trust architecture is expanding from department-level to enterprise-wide in healthcare
• New HIPAA regulations now require provable network segmentation for legacy medical devices
• AI-assisted security operations will continue to grow in the next few years

A Little About Chad:

As CTG's Managing Director of Cybersecurity, Chad Alessi leverages decades of experience in technology, cybersecurity, and operational strategy across enterprise and mid-market sectors to meet the evolving cybersecurity needs of clients in the U.S. During his time in IT consulting, Chad was instrumental in driving IT transformation in the company's regulated pipeline and gas processing business units. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering, an MBA from the University of Alabama, an MS in Information Systems with a concentration in Information Security from Syracuse University, and post-graduate certifications in leadership, full stack development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. Chad is known for his strong work ethic, integrity, resourcefulness, and service-based leadership, which he attributes to his time in the U.S. Marine Corps.