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Jan 1, 20227 min read
The Obvious CISO : Don’t Overlook the Simple
There is a great little book I read recently, “Obvious Adams - The Story of a Successful Businessman", it’s available on Amazon, but it’s...
1,760 views
Dec 4, 20218 min read
How is the Security Profession Doing?
I spoke on a CIISEC panel a few months ago about the state of the information security profession. This post is based on remarks I made...
2,692 views
Nov 20, 20214 min read
Security Program Tactics - Updated
When starting or reinvigorating a security program, focus on a small number of meta-objectives that can have sustained outsize effects in...
2,430 views
Nov 6, 20216 min read
Slipstreaming : Business Tactics for Security & Control Implementation
One of the most frequent cybersecurity binary thinking curses is that just because senior leadership in organizations won’t do every...
1,685 views
Oct 22, 20214 min read
Conferences and the Wider Security Eco System Culture - Toxic or Not?
This could be part of another whole series on the curse of binary thinking so please read this in that tone. In other words, I’m trying...
927 views
Aug 14, 20219 min read
Risk = Hazard + Outrage
There are four major insights that, above all others, have influenced my approach to security and risk management over the past decades....
5,027 views
Jul 16, 20218 min read
Cybersecurity - The Board's Perspective
How Boards, especially public company Boards, oversee cybersecurity is a crucial but difficult topic. This previous post discussed how...
8,745 views
Jul 3, 20216 min read
Cybersecurity and the Curse of Binary Thinking
Working in information/cybersecurity and technology risk is a fascinating and challenging career, as I’ve covered here. There is, mostly,...
23,839 views
Jun 19, 20217 min read
The Actual Cybersecurity Workforce Challenge
We continuously hear about the millions of unfilled cybersecurity roles, although I’ve yet to see a study that actually supports that...
5,610 views
Jun 5, 20216 min read
Relationship Management for the InfoSec Program
A key part of any security leader's role is relationship management. In my experience this is another one of those leadership skills that...
2,558 views
Apr 24, 20211 min read
Leadership, Business, Security and Risk Reading List
This is my list of favorite books across the various professional disciplines I’m interested in. I have a set of favorite books that are...
3,133 views
Feb 27, 20213 min read
"Hell Yes, or No" vs. "Soft Yes, and Fast Quit"
I am a big fan of the concept of saying, “Hell Yes, or No” to decide whether to do something or not. Derek Sivers has written well about...
3,783 views
Dec 6, 20206 min read
The Seat at the Table: Integrating Security into your Business
The success of a security program is largely determined by how well it is integrated into the fabric of the organization, in terms of...
2,058 views
Nov 29, 20203 min read
Simple Rules of (InfoSec) Career Success - Updated
Over the years I've noted the behaviors I’ve seen from consistently successful people. In this context I define success as a balance of...
1,646 views
Nov 15, 20206 min read
12 Step Guide on Escalating Risk and Security Issues
Escalating issues is part of the foundation of any good risk and security program. Unfortunately, human nature is such that most people...
4,173 views
Oct 10, 20204 min read
Building Balanced Security Teams: The Rule of Thirds
As an industry we spend a lot of time talking about workforce development and skills shortages. We tend not to talk about how to organize...
3,066 views
Sep 27, 20205 min read
The Most Important Mental Models for CISOs - Simple Steps for Outsize Effects
There are lots of problem solving techniques across many fields. These are often represented as mental models or behavioral short-cuts....
2,272 views
Aug 29, 20205 min read
Security Budgets - Supply and Demand Thinking
How you obtain and manage a budget to drive an adequate level of security is immensely important. Yet, it is one of the least discussed...
2,120 views
Aug 22, 20203 min read
Cybersecurity Workforce Development - Updated
It is still somewhat frustrating that most of the dialog about the skills shortage in cybersecurity focuses, perhaps inevitably, on the...
1,222 views
Aug 16, 20206 min read
Tips for Running a Risk Committee
In any sizable organization it is important to have some form of management steering group or committee to oversee your risk program. The...
2,682 views
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