October 23, 2017 – New York, NY— Prager Metis Technology, LLC, a technology company specializing in cybersecurity, risk intelligence, and regulatory compliance welcomes Russ Safirstein, CPA as its newest Partner. In this role, Mr. Safirstin will also be the firm’s Managing Director. He will be based our of Prager Metis Technology’s Long Island office in Woodbury, NY.
“Bringing Russ on board is essential for our plans to expand our resources and further strengthen our reputation as the “go-to” expert in technology resources,” says Peter Fiorillo, President and CEO of Prager Metis Technology. “With his extensive background in Risk, Audit and Technology disciplines, Russ has unique capabilities that few possess. He is a perfect addition for us as his expertise nicely complements our existing cyber-security services.”
Mr. Safirstein has been both an entrepreneur, and Chief Audit Executive for a number of multi-billion dollar diversified organizations within the insurance, banking, and capital markets industries. He has an extensive background and experience with advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence and is a highly regarded and sought-after speaker on leading technology, audit and risk practices.
Prager Metis Technology was formed in response to the significant regulatory requirements being implemented at both a federal and state level. On December 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA) as part of the 2016 omnibus spending bill. CISA encourages businesses and the federal government to share cyber threat information in the interest of national security. On September 16, 2016, New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) raised the bar for cybersecurity programs, as the first state to release cybersecurity regulations that will go into effect on March 1, 2017. The regulations will affect all entities with a DFS “license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the banking law, the insurance law or the financial services law.” Among other things, the regulation requires each entity’s Board of Directors to file an annual certification of compliance with the Superintendent of DFS.
