Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1546025
AUGUST 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 41 FLASHBACK ROUNDTABLE: Today's Cybersecurity Strategies As part of I-Connect007's "Real Time with… APEX EXPO 2026," we conducted a roundtable of cybersecurity experts, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Uday Ali Pabrai, and Divyash Patel, about CMMC certification. The discussion defines CMMC 2.0 and why it matters. The panel demys- tified much of the CMMC process, and while it may seem that much has changed since this con- versation was recorded, what they shared is still just as timely and important as it was then. AT THE TABLE: Hiroyuki Watanabe is the executive director, Global Security, at NEC Corporation. He chairs the IPC-1792 cybersecurity standard committee for Trusted Validated Secure Supply Chains. He is committed to assisting critical SME factories and to improving the resilience of the entire electron- ics manufacturing supply chain. Uday Ali Pabrai is the CEO of ecfirst, bringing more than two decades of experience delivering advanced AI-powered cyber defense solutions. Pabrai and ecfirst are committed to securing orga- nizations in healthcare, government, and manu- facturing, and helping clients achieve compliance with frameworks, like NIST, CMMC, and HIPAA, through tailored strategies and technologies. Divyash Patel is the founder and CEO of MX2 Technology, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based provider of managed IT, cloud, and compliance services. With over two decades of IT leadership experi- ence, he has positioned MX2 as a trusted partner for organizations in regulated industries. He led the company to achieve HITRUST Certification and CMMC Level 2 certification, helping clients strengthen cybersecurity, meet compliance re- quirements, and operate with confidence in to- day's risk-driven digital landscape.