Before I ever held a security title, I was a software engineer implementing vertically integrated automation systems for industrial manufacturing, warehouse-scale conveyor networks, robotic material handling, physical infrastructure controlled by software on increasingly connected networks. I learned early that tightly coupled systems produce tightly coupled failures. When a single software fault could halt a distribution center, you designed for graceful degradation. You assumed components would break and built the system to absorb it. That instinct followed me into cybersecurity and eventually into CISO roles across healthcare, financial services and global manufacturing. These industries ...