How To Talk To Your CEO

If you want to get your security message across to your CEOs and top managers, then you need to speak in a language they can understand, according to a new report issued today.

The report, published by RSA, suggests some methods for bridging the gap between the technically oriented security staff and the business-oriented CEO.

To survive in a difficult economy, many companies are taking steps -- like using new technologies and global business models -- to drive efficiencies, but they may be both innovative and risky, the report notes. Security pros can help companies manage this risk, but first they must gain the confidence of the CEO, RSA says.

Some of the report's key recommendations to help security pros gain CEO support are:

"You have to be able to understand risk analysis as the premise," said Michael Capellas, chairman and CEO of First Data, who contributed to the report. "That's where you start. This is about risk. The language of business is about risk. And if you sit in a CISO position, and you can't meaningfully talk about measures of risk and layers of risk, you're probably not going to be successful."

The full report is available here.

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