Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna on the Product Manager’s Role in Cybersecurity Leadership

Introduction: Cybersecurity Is No Longer Optional

The world of digital products has never moved faster—and neither have the risks. As more companies launch cloud-native platforms, collect customer data, and scale rapidly, cyber threats have become not only more frequent but more complex. Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT problem—it’s a product problem.

At the forefront of this evolving challenge is Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna, a recognized leader in product strategy and secure innovation. Her message is simple but urgent: “Product managers need to understand that every product decision they make can either protect the user—or expose them.”

This article explores why cybersecurity belongs on the product manager’s desk, and how leaders like Alipourian-Frascogna are driving that transformation.

The PM’s Expanding Responsibilities

Historically, product managers focused on building features, understanding users, and driving growth. But with rising concerns around data privacy, regulatory compliance, and system vulnerabilities, the role has expanded to include a new core competency: cybersecurity awareness.

Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna has observed this shift firsthand. “It’s not just about delivering value anymore,” she says. “It’s about delivering value that doesn’t put customers—or the business—at risk.”

PMs now must work closely with security engineers and legal teams to:

• Evaluate how features handle sensitive data
• Assess third-party risks in integrations
• Align roadmaps with privacy and compliance goals
• Respond to security incidents with transparency and speed

Cybersecurity is no longer an afterthought—it’s a requirement for product-market fit.

Embedding Security into the Product Lifecycle

One of the most effective strategies for reducing risk is to embed cybersecurity practices throughout the product lifecycle, from ideation to launch and beyond. Rather than applying security patches post-development, teams should integrate secure practices from the very beginning.

Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna advocates for the “shift left” philosophy. “If you wait until testing to think about security, you’re already too late,” she warns. “We need to bring security to the whiteboard, not just the code review.”

Here’s how PMs can integrate cybersecurity into each phase:

• Discovery: Involve security experts when exploring new product ideas.
• Design: Include threat modeling in user journey mapping.
• Development: Prioritize secure coding and implement guardrails in CI/CD.
• Release: Include penetration testing as a release gate.
• Monitoring: Track real-time security metrics post-launch.

This full-lifecycle approach minimizes blind spots and creates a culture of shared responsibility.

Balancing User Experience with Security

A common misconception is that security and usability are opposing forces. In reality, thoughtful design can achieve both. The challenge lies in communicating security clearly and seamlessly, so users feel empowered—not frustrated.

Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna explains: “Great security doesn’t feel like security. It feels like confidence. It should work quietly in the background and earn trust without friction.”

Strategies for balancing UX and security include:

• Using biometric authentication to streamline MFA
• Providing privacy settings in plain language
• Offering users visibility into their data access logs
• Using behavior-based risk scoring to avoid over-enforcement

Products that demonstrate transparency, give users control, and protect them intuitively are more likely to be adopted and trusted.

Collaborating Across Disciplines

Security is a team sport. No single group can manage all the risks that come with building modern digital products. Product managers play a pivotal role in facilitating collaboration between engineering, design, legal, and cybersecurity.

Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna encourages PMs to act as cyber-advocates within cross-functional teams. “If you don’t bring security to the conversation, no one else might,” she notes. “But if you do, you change the outcome.”

She recommends these best practices for collaboration:

• Schedule regular syncs between product and InfoSec teams
• Include security considerations in product review meetings
• Invite security teams to user interviews when relevant
• Document security trade-offs in product specs for full transparency

By fostering strong partnerships across departments, PMs can help align technical rigor with user-centric design—and ensure no risk goes unaddressed.

Metrics That Link Security to Product Outcomes

Too often, cybersecurity success is measured in abstract technical terms that don’t resonate with business or product teams. To change this, Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna recommends connecting security KPIs to product outcomes.

Examples include:

• User Trust: Track NPS changes after security-related releases.
• Adoption: Measure opt-in rates for new privacy controls.
• Velocity Impact: Monitor time saved from preemptive security testing.
• Cost Avoidance: Calculate the risk-reduction value of closed vulnerabilities.

These metrics give product teams a clearer narrative to justify security investments and show leadership that secure products also support business growth.

Real-World Impact: A Strategic Win Through Secure Design

In one SaaS platform rollout, Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna led a team facing high scrutiny from enterprise customers. Instead of treating security as a checklist to complete after MVP, her team designed with security-first principles from day one.

They built in encryption protocols, minimized data collection, and gave users granular privacy settings—all before launch. The result? Faster security audits, shorter sales cycles, and high trust ratings during onboarding. “Our investment in security didn’t slow us down,” she recalls. “It sped up everything that mattered.”

This example highlights a broader truth: secure products are easier to sell, scale, and support.

Conclusion: Leading with Security in a Digital World

As cyber threats become more pervasive, the definition of a great product manager is changing. It’s no longer enough to deliver beautiful features and seamless experiences. Today’s PMs must also be custodians of trust.

Through her leadership and advocacy, Suzanne Alipourian-Frascogna has shown that cybersecurity can—and should—be a core part of product strategy. When PMs embrace their role in protecting users, they don’t just avoid risk. They build better, more resilient, and more valuable products.

In a world where trust is currency, product managers who understand cybersecurity aren’t just contributors—they’re leaders. And as Alipourian-Frascogna reminds us: “If you want to build something that lasts, you have to build it safe.”