It started with a simulation, a phishing test disguised as a routine HR email. By the time the mock payload reached its third click, the response team was already in triage mode. But the real problem wasn’t the alert. It was the delay that followed. For Mariam Sanusi, that confusion wasn’t just a workflow issue, it was a governance failure.
At the time, she had been leading cybersecurity architecture efforts, but this moment exposed a broader challenge: in most organizations, response efforts existed in technical silos, disconnected from policy and legal obligations. So instead of waiting for the next incident, she proposed something different. She initiated a cross-functional collaboration to build a centralized, actionable, and fully compliant incident response framework.
Working alongside legal counsel, compliance officers, and internal security analysts, she led the development of a unified playbook that outlined every layer of response, from threat detection and communication protocols to regulatory reporting and recovery timelines. What emerged was more than a document; it was a living system that could adapt to real-world threats and evolving compliance requirements.
One of her most impactful contributions was co-authoring the company’s official phishing and malware response framework. Prior to this, malware alerts often triggered panic but little structure. Now, there was a predefined chain of escalation, technical triage procedures, containment rules, and clear guidelines for notifying stakeholders, all mapped to legal thresholds for data exposure and disclosure timelines.
The results were immediate. By standardizing how phishing and malware incidents were handled from inbox to resolution, the team reduced average response times by 30%, while improving the accuracy of incident classification and reporting. External auditors praised the approach not just for its clarity, but for its embedded accountability, every team knew their role before a breach occurred.
Her role in this transformation wasn’t about reinventing cybersecurity; it was about re-centering it as a shared responsibility. Her approach bridged legal mandates, operational security, and human behavior, an intersection many companies struggle to navigate. The frameworks she helped develop didn’t just protect infrastructure; they protected reputation, customer trust, and regulatory standing.
Mariam Sanusi continues to shape how companies think about incident readiness. For her, the goal is to build ecosystems where clarity, compliance, and coordination become second nature.
