What MedTech Can Learn from the Casino Industry with Melissa Aarskaug

For years, cybersecurity has been viewed as an IT responsibility. Today's threat landscape demands something very different.In this episode of the Med Device Cyber Podcast, Christian Espinosa is joined by Melissa Aarskaug, a cybersecurity executive with extensive experience protecting highly regulated industries, including banking and casino gaming. Melissa shares lessons from an industry where operations run 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and where even a few minutes of downtime can have enormous financial consequences.The conversation explores why attackers increasingly target regulated industries, how cyber resilience differs from compliance, and why cybersecurity has evolved into a leadership issue rather than simply an IT function. Melissa explains why organisations should focus less on preventing every possible attack and more on ensuring the business can continue operating when incidents occur.Christian and Melissa also discuss how medical device manufacturers can learn from the gaming industry's approach to resilience, the growing role of AI in both cyber defence and cybercrime, why cybersecurity should be integrated into quality management systems, and how leadership teams can better prioritise cyber risk across their organisations.Whether you're a MedTech founder, cybersecurity professional, healthcare leader, or product developer, this episode offers practical insights into building more resilient organisations in an increasingly connected world.Episode Breakdown00:00 Introduction01:09 Lessons from protecting the gaming industry01:58 Why attackers target regulated industries05:22 Cybersecurity is about pressure, not industries06:07 Compliance versus cyber resilience08:08 Medical devices and connected ecosystems12:29 The famous fish tank cyberattack15:03 FDA expectations versus hospital expectations16:04 AI, cyber maturity and the future of security17:25 Four priorities every leader should focus on21:24 Why penetration tests often fail to create change24:38 FDA compliance and designing security from the beginning26:48 Cyber insurance isn't a silver bullet32:21 Cybersecurity is becoming part of quality33:26 Why cybersecurity is moving beyond IT37:42 Final thoughts and key takeawaysFind Melissa Aarskaug here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-aarskaug/The Med Device Cyber Podcast is brought to you by Blue Goat Cyber, cybersecurity experts providing essential security solutions for the medical device industry. Learn more by visiting https://bluegoatcyber.com.If you're interested in our services or partnering with us, schedule a Discovery Session: https://go.bluegoatcyber.com/meetings/blue-goat-cyber/discovery-sessionChristian Espinosa is the CEO and founder of Blue Goat Cyber.Christian Espinosa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/Blue Goat Cyber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-goat-cyber/Blue Goat Cyber on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluegoatcyber/Blue Goat Cyber on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluegoatcyber/ Blue Goat Cyber on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlueGoatCyber/?sub_confirmation=1