How to manage IT security -- without a tech background
Following this advice and focusing on data protection, even a nontechnical person can be a CSO
Follow @rogeragrimesA close friend of mine just got moved from financial services executive management to the CSO role within her organization. My friend is smart and has more degrees than a thermometer. She doesn't know much about IT security, however -- except that her company isn't doing it right.
We can debate the merits of appointing a nonsecurity person to the head of a security team, but sometimes better management is exactly what is missing. As long as the key people under her handle the technical leadership roles, the combination might work out well. If she is as smart as I think she is, she'll pick up the pertinent facts and pain points pretty quickly. She's not the type to pour all her resources into the first major emergency or believe every vendor's sales pitch.
[ Need some more career advice for your IT security role? Make a top 10 security list and think strategically. ]
She asked me what she should concentrate on initially, to reduce security risk. Without knowing a single detail of what she and her company faced, I gave her the following advice.
Remember, computer security is all about the data. We don't do everything we do to protect users or computers or software. We do all it all -- including protecting users from themselves -- to protect the data. When someone mentions a security problem or remediation, think about how it affects the data involved.
Define requirements and gaps. Start by defining the broader problem. Document all relevant business, legal, and regulatory requirements. Sometimes this is led centrally, top-down, and sometimes each sub-entity in the enterprise has different requirements. More often it is a combination of the two approaches.
After defining the requirements, identify the gaps. Where can the current processes and team be improved? What's missing? What's being done right and who is involved? Often, interested parties can be entrusted to improve other processes. Bring in senior leadership, midlevel managers, IT, end-users, and the necessary ancillary departments such as legal and auditing.
Each gap should be threat-modeled and evaluated for security risk. Calculations for security risk need to include real risk, potential incidence of occurrence, and potential damage costs. Gaps with the highest security risk should be closed first. Of course, you can't forget the political layer. Sometimes you must do a project simply because someone above wants it done.
