Security Staff Acquisition & Development

You know the saying: Bigger isn’t necessarily better. When it comes to conferences, however, knowing your audience’s interests and preferences is key to putting on a great event.

How effective is your communication? How do you fare when asked to explain security risks? What about when defending the need for investment? Are you effective? How do you know? How do you measure your communication efforts?

Are you valued as much a leader as you are a security resource (with a team)? It's the gut check question I ask of security leaders. In most cases, the answer is no. Most security leaders say they receive recognition for technical prowess, not for leadership.

U.S. Army Major General John H. Stanford was asked about how one becomes a leader. "When anyone asks me that question, I tell them I have the secret to success in life. The secret to success is to stay in love. Staying in love gives you the fire to really ignite other people."

From Amber restaurant to Jillian’s at the Metreon, The Marriott Marquee to coffee shops, Chevy's, and of course the Tonga Room at the famous Fairmont Hotel, business meetings light up the conference with a constant exchange of information between colleagues, partners, customers, and attendees.

There is no shortage of quotes to capture the importance of trust: hard to earn, easy to lose, and essential to our success as security leaders. Yet a troubling trend is emerging: the trust we need to be successful as security leaders is eroding.

Information security and the business need to be in a partnership, not a dictatorship with one party demanding the other follow certain rules and guidelines. Through a true partnership, information security risks can be mitigated and business disruptions limited, thereby creating an improved relationship and organizational efficacy. 

The security field needs more practitioners. The insanity that is our “always-connected” world necessitates more resources to manage, monitor, and maintain personal and enterprise data – from email accounts to mobile phones to chock-full-of-tech refrigerators.