Late in the summer of 2015, I orchestrated an off-site workshop with one of our biggest customers. I had two objectives: One was to create an unforgettable experience that demonstrated to executives how risk translated into strategy — and action — for the cybersecurity staff.
And by scheduling this in fourth quarter of our fiscal year, the second, less obvious agenda was to make sure these same decisionmakers knew precisely what was at stake when it came time to debate my proposed security budget for the coming fiscal year.
At least for my department, what had been mostly an academic exercise could then be imbued with a deeper understanding for the board about the real-world impact of their spending decisions.
As a global CISO, I saw the end of the year as a balancing act between short-term returns to finish the year strong and strategic investments to set my organization up for a successful new year.
For many CISOs, the greatest end-of-year investment that they can make is bridging the gap between business and technology stakeholders. This is why I organized an experiential tour of one of our high profile customers, one with whom the board and CEO would be excited to visit and spend time. The tour included a presentation from our outside consulting team that discussed the risks of cutting edge technology when implemented without proper security measures.
The event paid dividends, both short- and long-term. Because the CEO and board had a richer context to work from, they increased our security budget for the following year. And because other business leaders in attendance learned more about security, the company in turn devel ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
