One of the most rewarding parts of my job, as Editor of Security magazine, is the opportunity to speak with our readers. I recently had the pleasure to speak with Whit Chaiyabhat, staff vice president, crisis manager, for FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial and industrial property insurers.
The mysterious foreign villains striking the largest companies and political organizations from the dark corners of the Internet tend to get the splashy headlines. However, the network openings that allow outside cyber-attackers to burrow in, infect databases, and potentially take down an organization’s file servers overwhelmingly originate with trusted insiders.
The bottom line: Culture is another way of saying “This is how we do things around here.” In most cases, what is written down or hung on the wall does not align with “how we do things around here.” People will perform their roles, work within their processes and utilize technology to get things done; but the values that undergird their behavior and the ability to understand them and leverage them is one of the keys to unlocking the value of security.
Recently, Australian banks have been taking charge of their global influence to develop strong security mindsets among their employees responsible for developing software.
As a leader, you get very few opportunities to create a culture of discipline around the goals and vision for your team. Over the last few years, this core leadership trait of “engagement” has become an imperative. How can you invite your employees into your vision and mission and have them make it their own?
Risks to energy sector enterprises continue to grow, with drones, terrorism and budgetary challenges looming. Compliance requirements are tightening as well, but as Everardo Trujillo, Manager of Information Security Engineering and Operations at Sempra Energy Utilities, says: “A lot of people say ‘compliance makes you secure,’ and it’s the other way around, really.”
According to Lance Hayden, Managing Director of Berkeley Research Group, harnessing the power of people and culture is the next great frontier for information security.