Ashwin Ram launches ARC Nexus to strengthen board-level cyber governance

What made a cybersecurity expert named one of The Australian's Top 100 innovators in 2023, Ashwin Ram, pull up stumps at Check Point Software and to strike out on his own?

Particularly after 14 and a half years at the cybersecurity vendor, where he moved upstairs from a professional services consultant role, to becoming an evangelist in Check Point's Office of the chief technology officer?

One reason was, as Ram posted on LinkedIn, a Check Point restructure.

This he described was a sign that it was time to pursue his own venture.

Something wasn't right before that, Ram said.

"When I joined this team some 6 years ago, I made a deliberate decision to make my mark on the cybersecurity community in Australia," Ram wrote.

"I immersed myself in learning how to deliver compelling, impactful talks and mastered the art of winning Calls for Papers," he said.

"But over the last 3 or 4 years, I felt something was missing; speaking at conferences and running executive roundtables wasn’t enough," Ram said.

Ram wanted to make real impact, and said: "sometimes the universe lines up."

He has now launched ARC Nexus, a boutique cyber advisory practice focused on strengthening board oversight of cyber risk and resilience and talked to techpartner.news about why went down the independent route.

"Over the years, I’ve shared insights at many of Australia’s leading cybersecurity conferences, covering everything from cyber espionage and cyber warfare to nation-state activity, AI-driven threats, hacktivism, and large-scale phishing campaigns," Ram told techpartner.news.

"While there is almost always a technical root cause behind a breach, what I have consistently observed is that the underlying issue is often a failure in governance.

"This is often due to gaps in Board oversight, poor risk alignment, or ineffective assurance mechanisms," he added.

That observation led Ram to identify accountability gaps in cyber risk management, concluding that true resilience begins with the board rather than operational teams or senior management.

This what he says drove him to establish ARC Nexus, a concept that had been developing with him over several years and it now felt like an appropriate time to bring to life.

"ARC Nexus exists to support Australian boards in fulfilling their fiduciary, regulatory and statutory obligations with respect to cybersecurity," Ram said.

"The firm provides independent, unbiased insights that help directors assess whether the organisation’s cyber risk posture aligns with board-approved risk appetite and long-term strategic objectives."

"It also assists Boards in evaluating whether current governance arrangements are sufficient to address today’s dynamic threat environment," Ram said.

Ram emphasised that the practice does not sell tools or implementation services, maintaining independence from vendor relationships that could influence advice.

It also does not report to the C-suite, Ram added.

"Its role is to serve as an independent voice to the Board, ensuring that oversight is effective, accountability is clear, and governance frameworks can withstand scrutiny from stakeholders, regulators and the public."

Asked which clients ARC Nexus had in its crosshairs, Ram said that wasn't the focus currently.

"At this stage, the focus has not been on building a client pipeline, but on shaping the offering, engaging with directors, and ensuring ARC Nexus addresses real gaps in board-level cyber assurance," Ram said.