Edward
Ferrara

Ed joined Fortium Partners as an expert in cybersecurity with deep experience in the bio-pharmaceutical, financial services, healthcare, and chemical industries.  His forte is design and delivery of secure, cost-effective solutions to comply with stringent manufacturing standards and regulations.  He believes in rigorous IT governance, risk assessment, and compliance programs to detect and defend against digital fraud, theft of intellectual property, and data loss.  Ed is a natural builder as he develops strategy and action plans to close critical technology gaps through process improvement, technology adoption, and security awareness training for employees.  His service-based approach leverages creative-thinking and collaboration to ensure IT solutions contribute to the achievement of business goals.  He actively recruits, manages, and mentors global IT teams to solve complex problems.  A thought leader in the field of cybersecurity, Ed shares his perspective at industry convenings and as an expert witness.

As a CISO, Ed developed a comprehensive security and infrastructure strategy focused on cloud and hybrid network, server, and endpoint security.  He led the design and implementation of a robust information security management system using ISO 27001/2.  As he managed an IT budget of more than $100 million, his teams addressed global identity management, GDPR and California Privacy Act, security architecture, log management, and early detection and response initiatives, among many projects.  Ed has a deep knowledge of the current, rapidly shifting cybersecurity issues and challenges facing businesses especially multinational enterprises.  He works closely with business unit leaders, software engineers, and vendors to ensure security economics align with corporate strategy.  He is a sought-after thought leader, who speaks frequently at industry convenings and authors articles on a range of cybersecurity and sustainability topics.

Ed graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College.   He continued his studies at the University of Delaware, where he earned a Master of Arts in Computer-Based Instruction and Learning, then graduated cum laude with a Master of Science in Information Assurance (Cybersecurity) from Norwich University.  He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and he received a US patent for development of software requirements traceability using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and software patterns.  Away from his virtual office, Ed enjoys sailing, biking, and backpacking.