Michael LaLena is a proven leader in helping companies establish cybersecurity and privacy governance programs from the ground up, specializing in risk management and regulatory compliance for healthcare, internet, and application security.

Mike has held several roles including Chief Information Security Officer, Director of Product Information Security, Software Architect, Project Manager, and User Experience Manager. He maintains his CISSP & HCISPP certifications along with a Master's Degree in Computing Security and a Master's Degree in Computer Science, both from Rochester Institute of Technology where he is currently a professor for the Computing Security department.

Mike has presented on cybersecurity and privacy to all levels of an organization. He has led discussions on medical device security & healthcare regulations to C-Suite executives and participated in contract negotiations at the largest hospitals, GPOs (Group Purchasing Organizations), and IDNs (Integrated Delivery Networks). He has also conducted week-long training programs for product development teams worldwide, focusing on secure software development, data protection & privacy, and product security regulations.

Mike has helped companies establish cybersecurity programs for risk management, incident response, continuous vulnerability & threat monitoring, worldwide regulatory compliance and reporting, and DoD ATO certification. Mike has experience with HIPAA / HITECH, ISO & NIST Frameworks, DoD RMF / ATO, HITRUST, FDA, EU MDR, and other worldwide cybersecurity regulations.

After 25 years of product development, Mike has a strong technology background with experience in product management, software architecture, user centered design, and agile development. He has a Six Sigma Black Belt for process improvement. He is a leader in innovative technologies, with expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and is a prolific inventor with dozens of technology patents.

Mike is a member of H-ISAC (Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center), the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) working group, and the Rochester chapters of InfraGard (a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector) and ISSA (Information Systems Security Association).

Mike grew up in Philadelphia and has spent the last 30+ years in Rochester, NY since starting at RIT.