ALI ALAME, NGUYEN NGUYEN, BC BUSINSS, WEB SUMMIT, PORTFOLIOYVR, HELEN SIWAK, VANCOUVER, BC

From Lebanon to Leadership: Ali Alame’s Mission to Protect Canada’s Critical Systems

Ali Alame is the Founder and Principal Security Consultant at CYBERSYSTEM, a Canadian cybersecurity and cloud consulting firm dedicated to defending high-impact organizations in both the public and private sectors. His story begins in war-torn Lebanon, where resilience was a necessity and protection a way of life. That foundation fuels his mission today: to safeguard critical systems and help organizations thrive securely in an increasingly digital world.

ALI ALAME, NGUYEN NGUYEN, BC BUSINSS, WEB SUMMIT, PORTFOLIOYVR, HELEN SIWAK, VANCOUVER, BC

With more than 15 years of hands-on IT and cybersecurity experience, Ali has led some of Canada’s most ambitious endpoint security and cloud transformation projects. As a Senior Migration Engineer, he has successfully migrated and secured nearly half a million devices to Microsoft Intune, helping enterprises embrace Zero Trust principles and modernize their endpoint protection with scalable, cloud-native solutions.

Ali’s career includes key contributions at HP, IKEA, IBM, Lululemon, UBC, and RBC, where he played integral roles in designing and deploying enterprise-grade endpoint management and security strategies. Beyond his consulting work, Ali is an educator at Vancouver Community College, where he equips future cybersecurity professionals with practical, career-focused skills in Microsoft 365 security and device management.

A sought-after speaker, Ali regularly shares his expertise at BSides Vancouver, Microsoft Tech Events, and Workplace Ninja Canada, empowering IT professionals nationwide to anticipate and address emerging threats.

If 15 years of war did not stop his grandfather from building a hospital, then what is his excuse? That spirit defines Ali’s mission: to defend, educate, and inspire in an increasingly digital—and dangerous—world.

BUILDING CYBERSECURITY IN CANADA

CYBERSYSTEM is a Canadian cybersecurity and cloud consulting firm committed to protecting organizations that cannot afford to be compromised. Serving public sector clients, government agencies, school districts, non-profits, and mission-critical enterprises, the firm delivers practical, scalable, and cost-effective solutions designed to withstand evolving cyber threats.

Founded by cybersecurity veteran Ali Alame and partner Nguyen Nguyen, CYBERSYSTEM specializes in Microsoft 365 security, Intune endpoint management, identity modernization, and cloud transformation. Its comprehensive services include vulnerability assessments, ransomware readiness, network administration, and 24/7 managed security operations—ensuring clients remain secure and resilient in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

What distinguishes CYBERSYSTEM is its unmatched frontline expertise. The team brings real-world experience in defending national infrastructure, executing large-scale Intune rollouts—approaching 500,000 Autopilot devices—and identifying vulnerabilities across some of Canada’s most complex organizations.

Whether developing multi-year digital transformation strategies or responding to active threats, CYBERSYSTEM operates as a trusted extension of its clients’ IT teams.

Combining cutting-edge tools with the mindset of a modern cyber defense unit, the firm ensures that every partnership is anchored in operational excellence and a relentless commitment to safeguarding what matters most.

ALI ALAME, NGUYEN NGUYEN, BC BUSINSS, WEB SUMMIT, PORTFOLIOYVR, HELEN SIWAK, VANCOUVER, BC

IN HIS WORDS.

[Ali] “Growing up in a Lebanese family where enterprise is woven into our DNA, I never had to look far for inspiration. My grandparents built the first hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs—during a 15-year civil war, no less—and kept its doors open to anyone in need. Their resilience set a benchmark: if they could launch a healthcare institution amid shelling, what excuse did I have not to build something of my own?

My personal spark came at 13. Money was tight, so my “tech education” happened in smoky cyber-cafés—25 cents for games, 50 cents for dial-up on MSN Chat.

One summer, while helping at our family hospital, I wandered into the dim, air-conditioned room where the “Big Blue” mainframe hummed away. In that instant, I realized those café PCs were toys; this was the engine that kept life-saving operations running. When the hospital retired its aging desktops, I retrieved them from the dumpster, rebuilt each one, and sold them to classmates. The profit was small, but the lesson was powerful: hardship breeds hustle, and value is created when you transform what others discard.

That mindset evolved when I began troubleshooting IT problems at the hospital. I noticed recurring failures in the help-desk logs, created an inventory of every workstation, dusted clogged fans, taught nurses the difference between “Save” and “Save As,” and scheduled daily walk-throughs. I had unknowingly created my own one-person managed services provider before I even knew the term existed. My reward—a princely wage of $50 a month—was enough, once I resold a few more retired PCs, to buy my first laptop and double down on learning.

Entrepreneurial side hustles came first: burning and reselling bootleg DVDs (“Buy four, get the fifth free!”), selling curated MSN contact lists by country, and salvaging dumpster-bound desktops to refurbish for classmates. None of these ventures made me rich, but they taught me invaluable lessons in hustle, pricing, and customer service—skills I still rely on when negotiating enterprise security deals today. Above all, I learned that real value comes from transforming what others discard into something useful, and that relentless hustle never goes out of style.

In 2011, I traded Beirut’s buzzing streets for what I thought was Vancouver—only to discover I was actually in Abbotsford. Culture shock hit hard, but I adapted quickly. Within two semesters, I was assisting the system administrator in our class computer lab, which led to my first IT contract: a family doctor needed help with his clinic’s systems. My reflex—never say no, figure it out—paid off.

What began as a simple support task grew into a full migration for three clinics to a new electronic medical-records system, including servers, firewalls, switches, and Wi-Fi installation. The doctor had budgeted C$10,000; I delivered a plan, he signed, and I delivered. That first C$10,000 contract was the spark, but the real shift came when I stopped billing as “Ali, the IT Guy” and incorporated CYBERSYSTEM. Suddenly, I had a business name that opened doors, attracted larger clients, and forced me to think like a company, not a freelancer.

By the time I graduated in 2017, that one “yes” had grown into nine ongoing medical-practice clients—and the realization that the kid who once sold bootleg DVDs could now close real deals and deliver enterprise-level solutions. I could troubleshoot servers in my sleep, but I did not yet speak the unwritten language of Canadian enterprises—procurement cycles, chain of command, meeting etiquette. To learn fast, I took a graveyard-shift help desk job at C$35,000. Three nights in, I found a shared file titled Salary.xlsx and placed it on the CEO’s desk with a choice: fire me for peeking or let me secure the data.

By day’s end, I had a C$30,000 raise and a Systems Administrator title—proof that spotting risks can create value. Soon after, I joined IBM “Big Blue, fulfilling a boyhood dream, and mastered Microsoft Intune, opening doors to bigger opportunities. Recruiters followed, leading to high-stakes roles at Lululemon and UBC, where I helped design endpoint-security strategies scaling from hundreds of devices to nearly half a million.

CREATING DARKARMOR

Watching clients scramble during zero-day crises inspired me to take action. While my partner Nguyen Nguyen (pictured) originally created DarkArmor, I saw the vision—and decided to join forces to help scale the brand and mission. DarkArmor is a continuous threat-hunting and compliance platform that transforms reactive firefighting into proactive defense—delivering Fortune 500-grade protection to mid-market organizations without the Fortune 500 price tag. With a seed round secured and a beta cohort live, consulting now fuels product development rather than driving the business. DarkArmor marks CyberSystem’s evolution into its 2.0 era: built to scale, adapt, and redefine cybersecurity for organizations that cannot afford compromise.

[Nguyen, above] Ali and I met on LinkedIn after he invited me to analyze 20 GB of phishing kits, info-stealer logs, and ransomware samples. Three “CyberTalks” later, we knew our skill sets were perfectly complementary. I thrive on reverse-engineering threats, while Ali brings enterprise security expertise and a drive to turn raw research into a product. We signed an NDA and shifted from hobbyists to co-founders, and our collaboration quickly reshaped DarkArmor. First, Ali challenged our research-heavy website and rebuilt it into a sharp, product-first showcase, doubling conversions within weeks. Second, we scaled our crawler network from one region to six, tripling daily captures of phishing kits, credential dumps, and mule-account ads. Third, we launched DarkArmor ProtectMe—a lightweight, affordable early-warning system for small businesses and individuals—which sold out its beta in 48 hours. These steps proved our partnership works: deep-lab threat hunting fused with enterprise execution, creating a platform almost ready for full public launch.

[Ali] Along the way, there have been sacrifices. For me, IBM was the dream—global scale, cutting-edge projects, and a clear path up the corporate ladder—but I realized my true goal was to build my own brand, not someone else’s. So, I walked away from the steady salary, bonuses, and business-class travel to put everything into CYBERSYSTEM and DarkArmor.” For Nguyen, the turning point came while threat-hunting at some of the largest US banks, where big-name intel tools left him frustrated with their sky-high prices, missing features, and slow updates. He knew we could do better, so he quit, closed his side gigs, and began coding a platform from scratch. Partnering with me gave that vision the business drive it needed to grow.

[Nguyen] How did we know we were onto something? When Ali tapped his corporate network for a few off-the-record demos. The product was rough, but it was already pulling live phishing kits, stolen credentials, and mule-account ads from forums most defenders never see. Every prospect’s first reaction was the same: “Wait—this is real data?”

[Ali] At first, that reaction sounded almost accusatory, as if we had staged it. That shock confirmed what we suspected: even seasoned teams lacked deep-web insight tailored to their brand and users. If a half-built interface could leave professionals stunned, a fully developed platform could transform their defences. Those demos flipped our mindset from “Is this ready?” to “Let’s get it in front of every client we can,” and the pipeline lit up almost overnight. When it comes to influencial persons in my life, my grandfather still guides me. He opened the first hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs during a 15-year civil war—no investors, just grit and duty. His blueprint—see a need, build the solution, and keep the doors open—inspired how I run CYBERSYSTEM: identify gaps, act quickly, and keep clients protected. That said, I have had pivotal figures along the way.

When I joined IBM, I was fortunate to work with Annabelle Lee, a mentor who never followed the conventional mould. She did not hand me answers—instead, she questioned everything, challenged me constantly, and let me grow through doing. That tough-love approach matched my upbringing and made me better. Another powerful influence is
David Nudelman, an eight-time Microsoft MVP based here in Vancouver. A simple LinkedIn message led me to attend one of his community events—and that moment ended up shaping my trajectory at Lululemon and UBC. David has been instrumental in fuelling my passion for modern endpoint management and Microsoft technologies. David’s leadership inspired me to not just consume knowledge, but to teach and contribute back to the community.

Our compass has never shifted: detect, block, prevent, then teach. We refuse vanity deals or requests that cross legal or ethical lines, prioritizing impact over revenue. Education remains central—we share free threat breakdowns because lessons outlast profit, and integrity defines our work. My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs begins with this: ship before it is perfect. If the core feature works, release it. Real users will tell you what matters, and polish can come later. Second, say “yes” first, then figure it out—my first C$10,000 deal started with that reflex and a quick search on how to deliver. Opportunities rarely arrive gift-wrapped; take them, learn on the fly, and bring in help when needed. Finally, keep widening your circle. Every project, demo, or LinkedIn post is a chance to add one more valuable connection—your next client, investor, or co-founder is likely only two handshakes away.

What it is: DarkArmor—built by CyberArmor and backed by CYBERSYSTEM—gives mid-market and mission-critical organizations deep-web visibility they have never had. We detect phishing campaigns, stolen-credential dumps, and infostealer chatter the moment they surface, then provide clear mitigation steps before threats reach inboxes. By combining consulting expertise with a cloud-native platform, we deliver Fortune-500-grade protection without the Fortune-500 price tag.

Why it matters: Phishing and infostealers remain the leading breach vectors for government, healthcare, education, and critical infrastructure. Our intelligence is tailored—mapping alerts to each client’s domains, staff, and technology stack—instead of overwhelming teams with generic threat feeds. Using a cloud-first architecture and globally distributed collection nodes, we stay agile, cost-efficient, and beyond the adversary’s reach, ensuring clients receive timely, actionable defence where it matters most.

CYBERSYSTEM has four priorities as we scale. First, we seek introductions to security leaders in government agencies, Crown corporations, public healthcare and education, critical infrastructure, and high-risk private firms to ensure our solutions reach those most in need.

Second, we are pursuing pilot opportunities for DarkArmor ProtectMe within under-resourced Security Operations Centres, demonstrating its value for teams facing critical threats without enterprise budgets.

Third, we are building alliances with Managed Service and Managed Security Service Providers serving the public sector, expanding our reach to organizations of all sizes.

Fourth and finally, we are seeking speaking and awareness opportunities—conferences, webinars, and podcasts—on phishing and stolen-data mitigation to elevate the conversation and share actionable intelligence. By 2026, we aim for DarkArmor to be the first name a CISO thinks of when “phishing kit” or “infostealer dump” flashes across their screen.

That means achieving sector-wide coverage—from municipalities and Crown corporations to credit unions and retailers—building a truly global collection presence with cloud nodes on every continent, and earning credibility on the biggest stages with live-fire demos at BSides Vancouver and Microsoft.

It also means delivering a dual-track product line: Enterprise DarkArmor for SOC teams needing API-rich feeds and ticket-ready mitigations, and ProtectMe for SMBs and small IT teams needing immediate alerts when their logo or staff credentials appear in a new phishing kit. The legacy we are aiming for draws inspiration from my grandfather, who kept a hospital open during a 15-year war because his community needed it.

That story sets our bar: no excuse is good enough for leaving people exposed. If we do this right, threat intelligence will become a utility, not a luxury.”

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Collaborator: This story is created in collaboration between Helen Siwak and the featured subject. As the founder and publisher of Portfolio.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, Helen works closely with entrepreneurs to share their paths of innovation, resilience, and growth. Each story in this series is co-developed through interviews and first-person insights, blending authentic voices with Helen’s editorial expertise to highlight the remarkable individuals shaping British Columbia’s business landscape.