Cyber Scenario Planning with Alan Iny, Sanjay Khanna, and Michael Coden

PodcastJuly 05, 2021

A computer entangled by a tentacle wrench labeled "Oops, wrong click!" is approached by a flying character in a cape labeled "I.T. Cybersecurity" saying "Don't worry, I CAPTCHA!"

“

It’s the truly farsighted strategic thinking executives who say, “I need to make sure that my team has a plan and they know how to execute that plan. I know the plan is not going to be exactly right for the calamity, or that it’s going to occur, but it’s always easier to change a plan than to make a plan.”

Listen to this episode

Intro

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke chairs a roundtable discussion at the intersection of risk, scenario planning and cybersecurity. His guests are Sanjay Khanna, Strategic Advisor and Foresight Expert, and Advisor to The Decision Lab; Alan Iny, Global Lead for Creativity and Scenarios at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Michael Coden, Global Lead for BCG Platinion’s Cybersecurity Practice. Together they discuss the human and systemic vulnerabilities that expose us to cybersecurity risks, and how scenario planning and creative problem solving can help mitigate such threats. Drawing from countless real-world examples of major global crises, they argue that although our best thought-out plans may never materialize, the process of planning itself is invaluable.

Some topics discussed include:

The guests’ recent thought leadership on cybersecurity, including two potential future cybersecurity scenarios – one reflecting greater multi-stakeholder cooperation, the other reflecting a more fragmented, individualistic response.
Balancing a need for individual awareness and responsibility around cybersecurity with a wider systematic approach to the challenge.
If human error is the root cause of cybersecurity breaches, how can we help people avoid such errors?
The case for scenario planning, not as a prediction tool, but as a mechanism to prepare for a range of plausible scenarios.
Real-world examples of how scenario planning has enabled international organisations to prepare for risks that bear similarities to events such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Case studies

From Insight to Impact: Our Success Stories

See Case Studies

Is there a problem we can help with?

See how we work

About the Guests

Sanjay Khanna

Sanjay Khanna is a strategic advisor and foresight expert. Previously the futurist at global law firm Baker McKenzie, today Sanjay works with leading organizations to illuminate risks and opportunities associated with the converging crises of geopolitical fragmentation, socioeconomic reordering, population health issues, technological acceleration, environmental and climate change. The Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, among other media outlets, have featured Sanjay’s wide-ranging insights on twenty-first century change in their publications.

Alan Iny

Alan Iny has the pleasure of spending his entire working life on creativity in business. With Boston Consulting Group since 2003, he has trained thousands of people on how to think creatively, and he works with a wide range of clients across industries worldwide. He also has a deep focus on navigating uncertainty, using scenarios to help clients think more expansively about the future. Alan is a member of the firm’s Corporate Finance & Strategy practice leadership team and has expertise in innovation, transformation, and organization design. With BCG's Luc de Brabandere, he co-authored ‘Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity’ in 2013. The book is available in 11 languages, and Publishers Weekly called it "A must-read for anyone in a leadership position who dares to look at the world in new ways".

Michael Coden

Michael Coden is Head of the Cybersecurity Practice at BCG Platinion, the part of Boston Consulting Group that provides deep technical expertise. Michael has over 30 years of experience in cybersecurity strategy, organization, processes, technologies, research, product design, and markets for both users and producers of cybersecurity products in all industry and public sectors. He has advised clients in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and is the North America lead for Cybersecurity at BCG.

Michael is also co-founder and Associate Director of the research consortium, Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan and was involved in the USA NIST Cybersecurity Framework process. He served as Editor of the ISA99/IEC-62443 Cybersecurity Technical Report and Standard, and has published numerous scholarly articles as well as a book. He holds 16 patents on cybersecurity hardware and software technologies.

About the Interviewer

A man in a blue suit and red tie smiles while standing indoors, surrounded by office plants.

Dr. Brooke Struck

Dr. Brooke Struck is the Research Director at The Decision Lab. He is an internationally recognized voice in applied behavioural science, representing TDL’s work in outlets such as Forbes, Vox, Huffington Post and Bloomberg, as well as Canadian venues such as the Globe & Mail, CBC and Global Media. Dr. Struck hosts TDL’s podcast “The Decision Corner” and speaks regularly to practicing professionals in industries from finance to health & wellbeing to tech & AI.

Listen to next

A man in a suit speaks into a microphone while standing indoors. He wears glasses, a nametag around his neck, and appears to be giving a presentation or speech.

Podcast

Policy And Social Behavior During A Crisis: Faisal Naru

In this podcast episode, we are joined by Faisal Naru of the OECD to discuss policy and social behavior during a crisis. Some topics include how the COVID-19 crisis has altered behavior and policy at a variety of scales and contexts, the role of trust in institutional effectiveness, and the relationship between expertise and effectiveness in policy.

A man with short dark hair and a gray beard is smiling, wearing a suit jacket, light blue shirt, and red lanyard, standing in an indoor setting with brown walls.