Sanjay Mohindroo

Sanjay Mohindroo

Cybersecurity in the supply chain is no longer optional. Learn how top tech leaders are rethinking risk, resilience, and responsibility.

Through the Eye of the Storm

When the SolarWinds breach sent shockwaves through the global tech ecosystem, I wasn’t just watching headlines. I was living them. As a technology leader responsible for digital transformation, I found myself asking—what if the weakest link wasn’t within my organization, but in a supplier I barely vetted?

In today's hyper-connected world, cybersecurity no longer begins and ends at the firewall. It stretches across partners, vendors, software providers, logistics networks, and even third-party contractors with one-time access. Every handshake across your supply chain could be a potential compromise—silent, strategic, and catastrophic.

This isn’t just a technical issue—it’s a boardroom imperative. This post is for fellow CIOs, CTOs, and digital leaders who have stared into the abyss of cyber uncertainty and said: “We can—and must—do better.”

The Supply Chain Is Your Business Backbone

Cyber risk isn’t siloed. If your supplier gets breached, you get breached. And in many cases, you don’t even realize it until the damage is already done.

Why is this a boardroom conversation? Because cybersecurity failures in your supply chain directly hit:

Revenue and reputation: A single breach can wipe out customer trust built over decades.

Compliance: Regulatory frameworks like GDPR, CCPA, and NIS2 don’t care if the data loss was your fault or your vendor’s.

Operations: Attacks on suppliers can shut down manufacturing lines or halt software releases.

Digital leaders are being asked not just to protect systems, but to safeguard the entire value chain. This calls for an evolved IT operating model—one that embeds resilience, visibility, and accountability into every partnership.

#DigitalTransformationLeadership #CIOPriorities

The Changing Risk Landscape

Let’s unpack what’s happening out there—and why you can’t afford to be reactive anymore.

1. Attackers Are Targeting the Ecosystem

According to IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, supply chain-related breaches now account for 19% of all incidents, with average breach costs reaching $4.47 million, higher than any other category.

Cybercriminals know vendors are the soft underbelly of large enterprises. Why attack a giant directly when they can exploit the smaller player with privileged access?

2. Third-Party Tools Are Entry Points

From chatbots to code repositories, everything you integrate carries risk. The 2023 MOVEit breach affected over 2,000 organizations, all because of a vulnerability in a widely used file transfer tool. And yes, most of them had compliance programs. But very few had visibility into how that tool was managed.

3. Visibility Gaps Are Growing

In a Deloitte study, 83% of C-level executives admitted they had limited visibility into their extended supply chain’s cybersecurity practices.

The blind spot isn’t always due to negligence. It’s a byproduct of scale, speed, and complexity. But “we didn’t know” won’t hold up in the court of public opinion—or regulatory scrutiny.

#EmergingTechnologyStrategy #DataDrivenDecisionMaking

What I’ve Learned on the Frontlines

Here’s what experience has taught me—often the hard way.

1. The Chain Is Only as Strong as Its Quietest Link

We once worked with a SaaS vendor whose product was key to our financial ops. They had ISO certifications, impressive presentations, and a two-person DevOps team using outdated Jenkins builds. When we finally ran a deep audit, the vulnerabilities we found chilled us.

Lesson: Never confuse documentation with diligence. Build a security scorecard and validate it regularly.

2. Vendors Respond to Incentives, Not Just Policies

When we made cybersecurity a contractual requirement but failed to follow up, we saw lip service. When we tied renewal bonuses to cybersecurity milestones, we saw real improvement.

Lesson: Influence comes from alignment. Design contracts and vendor relationships with both carrots and sticks.

3. Collaboration Beats Policing

In one transformation initiative, we invited key suppliers to a joint cyber-readiness workshop instead of a compliance audit. Not only did we uncover risks, we co-created solutions that made both parties stronger.

Lesson: Foster ecosystems, not interrogations. The goal is resilience, not blame.

#ITOperatingModelEvolution #LeadershipInTech

Making This Actionable

Complex problems don’t need complex responses—they need clear ones. Here’s a pragmatic model that senior leaders can start using tomorrow.

The VAST Framework for Supply Chain Cybersecurity

V – Visibility
Start with knowing who your vendors are and what access they have. Maintain a real-time asset and access inventory.

A – Assessment
Use standardized assessments (like NIST or SIG-Lite) but tailor them to your threat landscape. Prioritize vendors by risk impact, not just spend.

S – Shared Responsibility:
Build mutual accountability. Define clear RACI models, joint response plans, and shared KPIs.

T – Testing & Trust-Building:
Run tabletop exercises. Simulate breach scenarios. Build trust through transparency and joint resilience plans.

Want a shortcut? Start with:

•   Third-party risk management platforms (e.g., BitSight, SecurityScorecard)

•   Vendor security scoring rubrics

•   Penetration testing of vendor integrations

Lessons from the Field

The Pharmaceutical Giant & the Vendor VPN

A leading pharma company suffered a ransomware attack after a third-party logistics partner left a VPN port open. The breach halted vaccine distribution in three countries.

Takeaway: Never assume your vendor's access methods are secure—always verify. Network segmentation could have saved them.

The Code Repository Debacle

A mid-sized fintech startup used an open-source component from a third-party repo. That repo was compromised with a backdoor, giving attackers access to production systems.

Takeaway: Open source isn't free—it carries a cost of scrutiny. Every dependency is a potential entry point.

Cyber Risk Is a Leadership Test

Supply chain cybersecurity will define digital leadership over the next decade. It’s not just about defense—it’s about foresight, design, and culture.

As artificial intelligence and IoT expand the edge, the number of “unknown unknowns” in our ecosystems will grow. But that’s not an excuse for inertia. It’s a call to action.

We need to:

·      Shift left: Bring security into procurement conversations, not just IT audits.

·      Create culture: Elevate cybersecurity literacy at all levels—from procurement to partnerships.

·      Build coalitions: Work with regulators, partners, and even competitors to define shared guardrails.

#SupplyChainSecurity #CyberLeadership #TechGovernance

What Should You Do Today?

Start the conversation at your next board or exec meeting. Ask: “How many of our top 20 vendors have passed a cybersecurity audit in the last 12 months?”

Map your supply chain access points. You’ll be surprised how many doors are open.

Reach out to your peers. What are others doing? What’s working? What’s not?

Cybersecurity is no longer a behind-the-scenes topic. It’s central to your brand, your trust, and your future.

Let’s navigate this challenge together.

Sanjay Mohindroo

Zero Trust Architecture is the future of secure enterprise IT. Learn how to lead the implementation with this blueprint for CIOs and technology executives.

Rethinking Trust in the Digital Age

"Never trust, always verify" has become more than a security slogan—it is now a guiding principle for the digital enterprise. As hybrid workforces grow, cloud services multiply, and ransomware attacks escalate, organizations can no longer afford to trust by default. Traditional perimeter-based security models are breaking under pressure. In this volatile environment, Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) is emerging not just as a security framework but as a fundamental shift in how enterprises operate and secure their ecosystems.

For CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs, ZTA represents a new frontier in IT leadership—a model that aligns operational security with business agility. This blog draws from real-world experience and deep sector insights to offer a practical, strategic, and forward-thinking approach to implementing Zero Trust at scale.

A Boardroom-Level Concern, Not Just a Security Project

Zero Trust isn’t just a concern for CISOs and IT security heads. It’s a board-level imperative. In an era of constant data breaches, insider threats, and compliance mandates, the cost of inaction is simply too high.

Executives must understand that:

Every user is a potential entry point. Whether malicious or negligent, insiders can compromise systems as easily as external hackers.

The attack surface is infinite. With SaaS tools, mobile devices, third-party contractors, and IoT, the concept of a secure internal network is obsolete.

Trust is contextual, not binary. Trust must be evaluated based on user identity, device posture, location, time, and behavioral norms.

Regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. Compliance with data protection laws like the GDPR, HIPAA, and India’s DPDP Act increasingly demands a Zero Trust-like approach.

By moving ZTA to the top of the strategic agenda, IT leaders help protect not just data but also business continuity, investor confidence, and brand reputation.

The Momentum Behind Zero Trust

The evolution of the workplace and the acceleration of digital transformation have exposed the limits of legacy security. Consider these trends:

Hybrid and Remote Work: A Gartner study reveals 92% of companies now allow remote work, up from just 17% before 2020. This change decentralizes access, making traditional perimeter defences ineffective.

Cloud Sprawl: Enterprises use an average of 110 SaaS apps, often with minimal oversight. With each app comes new APIs, identities, and data silos—increasing vulnerability.

Breach Economics: IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report found the average breach costs $4.45 million, with most breaches undetected for over 200 days. The longer the dwell time, the higher the damage.

Complex Threat Landscape: Ransomware groups operate like agile startups, deploying AI-driven phishing campaigns and exploiting supply chain weaknesses. The response must be equally agile and automated.

Despite this urgency, Forrester research shows only 26% of companies have implemented Zero Trust beyond pilot stages. The gap isn’t technical—it’s cultural and structural.

From the Front Lines of Implementation

Having worked with global firms across manufacturing, government, and financial services, I’ve seen both the pitfalls and promise of Zero Trust. Here are three key takeaways:

Zero Trust is a Philosophy, not a Product. Many vendors brand their offerings as "Zero Trust-ready," but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The essence of ZTA lies in enforcing continuous verification and minimal trust across every layer of the stack. It requires rethinking architecture, processes, and policies—not just layering on more tools.

Expect Friction—And Plan for It. Business leaders often fear ZTA will stifle productivity. Employees resist additional MFA prompts. Developers worry about latency. Success lies in gradual rollout: start with high-risk assets, demonstrate quick wins, and maintain a transparent feedback loop. Frame the transition as a shift from security by control to security by design.

Identity is Your New Perimeter. Forget the firewall. In a Zero Trust world, the access point is the individual, not the device or location. Focus on strengthening IAM systems, enforcing least-privilege access, and monitoring user behavior in real-time. Without robust identity governance, Zero Trust crumbles.

Turning Vision into Execution

Zero Trust can feel overwhelming, especially at enterprise scale. Here’s a simplified model based on five core pillars, each with actionable levers:

Identity & Access Management (IAM):

•       Enforce adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA).

•       Implement just-in-time access and privilege escalation.

•       Centralize user identities and federate across systems.

Device Security:

•       Continuously monitor device compliance and posture.

•       Isolate and quarantine non-compliant endpoints.

•       Use MDM tools to enforce remote wiping, encryption, and patching.

Network Segmentation:

•       Use software-defined perimeters and micro-segmentation.

•       Move from implicit to explicit access rules.

•       Encrypt internal traffic and monitor lateral movement.

Application Layer Controls:

•       Apply Zero Trust principles to APIs and microservices.

•       Use strong authentication for each service call.

•       Log and analyze application behavior for anomalies.

Data Security:

•       Classify and tag data based on sensitivity.

•       Implement DLP and encryption in transit and at rest.

•       Monitor access to high-value data assets using UEBA.

Start with a maturity model assessment to benchmark where you are. Build a roadmap with quarterly milestones, resource allocation, and cross-functional ownership.

Learning from Experience

Global Manufacturing Firm (Asia-Pacific)

After experiencing ransomware-led downtime in two production facilities, the firm overhauled its access policies using a Zero Trust approach. Engineers were granted device-verified access to OT systems through time-bound permissions. Cloud monitoring integrated with threat intelligence. Result: No major incidents in 24 months and a 60% decrease in helpdesk tickets related to access issues.

Government Agency in India

Faced with pressure to modernize its citizen service platforms, this ministry deployed Zero Trust for both internal and vendor-facing applications. IAM was overhauled to support Aadhaar-linked credentials. Real-time analytics helped detect policy violations before they could escalate. Compliance with the DPDP Act became demonstrably stronger. Operational overhead reduced by 30% post-implementation.

Lead the Change Before It Leads You

Zero Trust is not a momentary trend. It’s the operating system of the future. In five years, organizations that haven’t adopted Zero Trust will be seen as high-risk entities by investors, insurers, and regulators.

Here’s what leaders should do today:

Make ZTA a C-suite agenda item. Include it in board updates and risk reviews.

Pilot, don’t boil the ocean. Start with one critical system or department.

Involve business stakeholders. Security isn’t an IT problem—it’s a business enabler.

Educate and upskill. Provide training across the org, not just within security teams.

Report progress. Use dashboards and metrics that show risk reduction, not just tool deployment.

The question isn’t whether Zero Trust is needed. It’s whether you can afford not to adopt it.