Independently published · Second Edition
Can We Insure This?
A Business Leader's Guide to Cyber Risk, AI, Insurance, and Business Survivability
Written for business leaders rather than technologists, on what cyber risk, AI and insurance actually mean for the continued operation of a company.
Where to find it
- Amazon · Second edition, paperback and Kindle
- Bulk and executive programs · Available for board sessions and workshops
Published by Independently published.
Overview
Can We Insure This? began with a question executives ask in almost every serious risk conversation, and one that rarely has a straightforward answer. The second edition extends that discussion into AI and into Business Survivability.
The book explains how cyber risk has moved from a technology concern to an operating concern, why insurance covers less of it than most leaders assume, and how to reason about exposure that cannot be transferred to anyone else.
It assumes no technical background. The language is the language of business decisions, obligations, customers, cash and continued operation.
Who the book is for
- Business owners and CEOs accountable for continued operation
- Boards, directors, investors and private equity operating partners
- CFOs and finance leaders evaluating insurance and retained exposure
- Executive teams making AI adoption decisions under time pressure
Key ideas
Insurability is a business signal
What an insurer will and will not cover reveals how the organization's risk is understood from the outside.
Cyber risk is operating risk
The consequential question is not data loss. It is whether the business can continue functioning while the event is unresolved.
AI changes the exposure
Decisions delegated to AI systems create obligations and failure modes that existing policies were not written for.
Survivability over recovery
Transfer and recovery both assume the business remains viable in the interim. That assumption deserves testing.
Where it sits in the work
This is the most accessible entry point into Patrick's current thinking and the book where Business Survivability is discussed most directly for a general executive audience.
Continue with the book
A clear-eyed look at what cyber insurance can and cannot protect.
Related writing
- Can We Insure This?
March 24, 2026
- Denied! Why Your Company Was Refused Cyber Insurance… and What It Really Means
April 8, 2026
- Risk Management Through the Lens of Insurability
March 13, 2026
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