From firefighting to foresight: Mahdi Abdulrazak’s vision for cybersecurity
CISOs are living under constant pressure. Overloaded with responsibilities, they spend their days fighting fires, managing endless alerts, and justifying security as a cost rather than a value driver. Too often, security has been viewed as a blocker, slowing down projects rather than enabling innovation.
But a new generation of technologies, and the people bold enough to create them, are changing that narrative. Outgoing CISO Platform board member Mahdi Abdulrazak talks about how his startup Dawnguard is doing exactly that.
With more than two decades of experience, Mahdi can be considered a veteran in the cybersecurity space. He previously served as Group Information Security & Risk Officer at SHV Energy and has worked as an ethical hacker, risk manager, and advisor. In the last couple of years, he has also been active as an angel investor in the security space.
Now, he is closing one chapter and opening another. As he steps down from the board of the CISO Platform Nederland, Mahdi is doubling down on a mission he has always championed: making life easier for CISOs. Together with business partner Kim van Lavieren, he has founded Dawnguard, a company that dares to do things differently.
Dawnguard: turning security into a business accelerator
Dawnguard.ai is a security architecture automation platform built to deliver true security by design for cloud-native environments. It addresses a longstanding problem in the industry by ensuring that systems are secure before they ever reach production.
At the core of the platform are three capabilities. Architecture validation ensures that cloud infrastructure designs meet security requirements before deployment. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) generation automatically produces production ready templates based on validated designs. Posture alignment continuously monitors deployed environments, detecting and correcting drift or misconfigurations so that systems remain consistent with their original security intent.
The platform is aimed at security architects, DevOps engineers, and cloud engineers who are responsible for secure deployments. It is equally relevant for enterprises that operate under strict regulatory regimes and for fast-moving startups that need to maintain strong security without slowing down delivery.
Dawnguard’s approach has also attracted strong investor interest. In early August, the company announced a $3 million dollar pre-seed funding round led by UK-based 9900 Capital, with the support of 38 angel investors. The round followed conversations with more than seventy interested parties, reflecting the level of excitement in the market. Investors immediately lined up for the next round, Mahdi adds, reporting ten to fifteen inbound calls each day.
Security as an enabler: the new role of the CISO
The role of the CISO is on the verge of transformation. For years, security leaders have struggled with the weight of constant firefighting, endless alerts, and the need to balance compliance obligations with scarce resources. Emerging technologies are beginning to shift that balance. Platforms like Dawnguard, combined with advances in automation, AI-driven monitoring, and next-generation compliance tools, promise to take away much of the repetitive burden that defines the job today.
Instead of devoting the majority of their time to validating configurations and responding to incidents, CISOs will increasingly be able to rely on systems that integrate security into the design of IT and cloud environments. Automated enforcement of policy and continuous alignment of infrastructure with security intent will reduce the noise that has traditionally overwhelmed teams. The CISO’s focus can move from operational firefighting to strategic guidance.
This evolution requires anticipation. CISOs who embrace these technologies early will be better positioned to reshape their role as a partner to the business, driving digital transformation instead of slowing it down. They will have the opportunity to spend more time on forward-looking activities such as risk orchestration, resilience planning, and advising leadership on new regulatory and technological shifts.
In Mahdi’s words: “We want to end the cycle of mopping with the tap open. Security should empower organizations to move faster, not hold them back.”
Lessons from the CISO community
Looking back on his time with the CISO Platform Nederland, Mahdi highlights the value of community and the importance of giving CISOs a stronger voice. He sees those experiences as instrumental in shaping his vision for Dawnguard, ensuring that the platform responds to real challenges faced by security leaders.
Although he is stepping down from the board, Mahdi is clear that this is not a farewell. Through Dawnguard and continued collaboration, he intends to remain closely connected to the community. As he puts it, this is simply the start of a new chapter in his ongoing commitment to making security an enabler and helping CISOs thrive.
We thank Mahdi for his valuable contribution to establishing and growing the CISO community. We wish him every success in his new entrepreneurial venture and look forward to welcoming him back on stage as the leader of a thriving cybersecurity company.
— Dimitri van Zantvliet, Chair, CISO Community NL
