Contributor: Anthony Dezonno, Chief Engineer, Boeing
In an era of escalating cyberattacks, zero-day exploits, and nation-state adversaries, the pace of technological advancement is matched only by the velocity of threats. Organizations can no longer afford to rely solely on reactive measures or static controls. Staying ahead demands insight—and intentional design.
This is where cybersecurity converges with systems integration.
Today’s critical systems are no longer built from scratch. They’re assembled from components, services, and platforms that span vendors, borders, and trust domains. Each connection point is a potential vulnerability. What matters now is not just what we build, but how we bring it together securely.
That’s the premise behind one of the core competencies in the Systems Software Integrator (SSI) content outline: “Security Risk Identification and Mitigation.” This competency reflects a fundamental truth: you can’t defend what you don’t understand, and you can’t mitigate risk without visibility into where it lives, especially during integration.
Professionals aligned with SSI practices know the principles:
The organizations making progress today aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets—they’re the ones with the best foresight. They prioritize early risk discovery, enforce boundary protections at system junctions, and use integration as an opportunity to strengthen—not dilute—security posture.
As threats evolve, so must the mindset of engineers, system architects, and cybersecurity professionals. Frameworks like SSI don’t just provide a checklist—they offer a lens for understanding where risk originates, and how robust design and integration practices can keep systems resilient and mission-ready.
Cyber threats aren’t slowing down. The question is: are your systems built to stay ahead?
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Anthony Dezonno serves as Chief Engineer for Boeing’s Open Source Program Office. He specializes in intellectual property concerns surrounding engineering. He is listed as inventor in over 100 patents worldwide, and referenced in more than 2,000 patents. He has a broad skillset that includes innovation & intellectual property management, program management, project management, open source licensing, hardware engineering, systems development, engineering & supplier management, software export & import requirements.