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While certain security tools, technologies, and processes will be essential to risk mitigation, just about every veteran security manager knows they can come at the price of convenience and productivity. How should this be explained to management? Be prepared to make a convincing case when asked why certain sacrifices may be needed.
"If security controls impact the ability to realize business goals, they likely won’t be supported," Hamm says. "It’s important to tie the risk with the acceptance of some productivity hurdles. That said, if your control proposal is to 'stop all risk,' you’re going to have a bad time. Think guardrails, not roadblocks, when pitching controls to the business."
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As CISOs increasingly command time with the board and executive management, they are also expected to speak in business language and make the case for security investment in business terms. In other words, don’t enter a meeting ready to spew security jargon and expect less security-minded management to understand why certain risks matter.
"Security as a standalone concept is useless and means drastically different things to different people," says Gigamon CISO Jack Hamm."Being ready to articulate the risk, probability, and impact to the business is the only normalized way we can speak of security."
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Joan Goodchild is a veteran journalist, editor, and writer who has been covering security for more than a decade. She has written for several publications and previously served as editor-in-chief for CSO Online. View Full Bio
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