ESET’s Ryan Grant on resilience in the AI era

In this episode of Cyber Risk TV, Matt Alderman speaks with Ryan Grant, Country Manager for the US and Canada at ESET, about building cyber resilience in the AI era. They discuss findings from ESET’s 2026 S&P Cyber Readiness Index, including the continued challenges organizations face with basic cyber hygiene, the growing sophistication of phishing attacks, and the impact AI is having on traditional threats.

Grant explains why organizations should focus on foundational security practices before layering AI-specific defenses on top, including multi-factor authentication, access controls, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability and patch management, and incident response planning. He also addresses the rise of shadow AI and AI agents, emphasizing the need for clear policies, governance, access controls, employee training, and continuous monitoring.

This conversation also explores the challenges facing SMBs with limited cybersecurity resources and how managed service providers and security-as-a-service offerings can help close the gap. Grant discusses ESET’s newly redesigned Protect offering, which combines security technology, 24/7 monitoring, vulnerability and patch management, multifactor authentication, premium support, and a cyber warranty into a simplified package designed to help organizations strengthen their security posture and focus on prevention.

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