Are you relying solely on compliance as a metric for security? Watch out, as it might be the fastest way to not be secure.
Compliance, while offering valuable insights into potential weaknesses, is not synonymous with true security, and we explain why. Trey Mujakporue, a seasoned Cyber Security Manager with over two decades of global experience, and Dan Haagman, CEO of Chaleit, discuss the need for a comprehensive strategy beyond mere regulatory adherence.
If you haven’t yet, check out part one of this insightful conversation to discover the surprising role of culture and creativity in cyber security.
If you've worked in the industry for long enough, the knee-jerk reaction is to deal with compliance as fast as possible. That's how it becomes a simple tick-box exercise without taking the time to review what the process is revealing.
Compliance as a starting point
In the grand scheme of things, compliance is a tick-box exercise. While compliance provides a checklist for potential vulnerabilities, it alone does not guarantee security.
The global nature of today’s businesses introduces myriad regulatory requirements spanning multiple jurisdictions. A product developed in one country may face distinct compliance demands in various regions.
Despite this complexity, many organisations lack the luxury of expanding their workforce. So, security professionals do their best to harmonise compliance requirements and find easy and automatic ways to meet escalating demands.
If you’ve worked in the industry for long enough, the knee-jerk reaction is to deal with compliance as fast as possible. That’s how it becomes a simple tick-box exercise without taking the time to review what the process is revealing.
The shift to cloud infrastructure offers a potential solution. Automation can streamline processes, ensuring the infrastructure aligns with diverse compliance frameworks. However, the real test lies in whether the business operations seamlessly integrate with this level of compliance.
A good cyber security leader navigates complexities, aligning compliance requirements with business objectives and devising controls that facilitate both compliance and efficient operations.
The challenge cyber security leaders face lies in translating these metrics into a language the board understands, ensuring an informed dialogue on cyber security spending and risk management.
Measuring security efficiency
How do you know how well you’re doing? Effectiveness in cyber security cannot rely on a single metric.
Recall the familiar report cards we received in school, providing insights into our academic strengths and areas for improvement. Cybersecurity metrics are similar, only that there are a million and one of them. Compliance, operational security, and application security can all be metrics. They serve as tools for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different areas of cyber security.
Various metrics are needed to get a comprehensive view of the organisation’s security posture.
The challenge cyber security leaders face lies in translating these metrics into a language the board understands, ensuring an informed dialogue on cyber security spending and risk management.
Boards must move beyond the notion of compliance as a pass-or-fail scenario. An ongoing commitment to learning and understanding the evolving cyber security landscape is essential for effective decision-making—and CISOs play a crucial role in leading the board on this journey.
Establish adaptable patterns for integrating diverse infrastructures, especially when dealing with cloud-first and on-premises disparities.
Growth challenges and risk mitigation
Organisations growing through acquisitions need a proactive approach.
As a cyber security leader, the most important thing is to be part of the process and ensure adequate funding is available to assess the security of the organisation that is being bought. Try to remediate issues early on in the acquisition process.
Also, be aware of the type of infrastructure you are dealing with: is it cloud-first, hybrid or on-prem? Often, the organisation you are acquiring will have a different type of environment.
Establish adaptable patterns for integrating diverse infrastructures, especially when dealing with cloud-first and on-premises disparities.
By embracing automation, fostering a metrics-driven culture, educating the board, and mitigating integration challenges, cyber security leaders can steer their organisations towards a resilient and effective security posture in an ever-changing environment.
Looking to go beyond the tick-box exercise and optimise security? Let’s talk.
Ready to take a proactive approach to your organisation's Cyber Security?
