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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...
Apr 24, 20211 min read
3,164 views
Cybersecurity : The Winner’s Game and The Loser’s Game
There is a seminal paper in finance by Charles Ellis called the The Loser’s Game which, in simple terms, foretells the move from active...
Mar 27, 20215 min read
2,349 views
Return on Investment for Security
The concept of return on investment (ROI) for security has bugged me for a long time. Not because it isn’t a laudable goal. Of course,...
Mar 13, 20214 min read
5,559 views
Research Challenges in Info/Cybersecurity - Part 2: “Carbon”
This is the second part of the post from 2 weeks ago, which explored research challenges in Info/Cybersecurity related to systems:...
Feb 13, 20214 min read
838 views
Situational Drivers of Cyber-Risk
Many years ago I wrote down a list of the drivers that create information / cyber-risk or that otherwise compel the need to mitigate this...
Jan 17, 20213 min read
2,085 views
2020 Short Review
At the risk of being too understated, 2020 was an interesting year. In this blog I’ve covered many topics across the range of strategy...
Jan 2, 20211 min read
927 views
Security Ratings: Love, Loathe or Live With Them?
Security ratings services tend to be loved or loathed. Loved if you consume them and it makes your job easier, especially if you have no...
Dec 13, 20208 min read
4,167 views
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...
Dec 6, 20206 min read
2,065 views
Scenario Planning - The Best Technique You Might Not Be Using
Scenario planning is one of the most underutilized techniques in security. Which is surprising given how effective it is in [good]...
Nov 22, 20205 min read
2,689 views
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...
Nov 15, 20206 min read
4,221 views
Principles for Cybersecurity Metrics
“For every metric, there should be another ‘paired’ metric that addresses adverse consequences of the first metric.” - Andy Grove We talk...
Nov 8, 20204 min read
3,921 views
The Uncanny Valley of Security (or Why We Might Never Finish Anything)
The uncanny value is a famous term in robotics. It is used to describe how we accept robots that don’t attempt to look too human, but,...
Nov 1, 20207 min read
3,072 views
Why Cybersecurity Budget Benchmarks are a Waste of Time
I have built up a disdain for cybersecurity budgeting benchmarks. To be fair, there are some good attempts amid a sea of haphazard...
Oct 18, 20203 min read
2,716 views
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...
Oct 10, 20204 min read
3,078 views
Security for More than Security’s Sake - The Need for Adjacent Benefits
Truly excellent security programs deliver more than security risk mitigation. I know it is kind of ridiculous to say that when doing the...
Oct 4, 20204 min read
1,276 views
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....
Sep 27, 20205 min read
2,280 views
Raise the Baseline by Reducing the Cost of Control
One of the most successful techniques for enterprise security in many organizations is to create a universal baseline of controls that...
Sep 13, 20204 min read
1,695 views
Taking Inventories to the Next Level - Reconciliation and Triangulation
We know it is important to have good inventories across all of the assets we care about in an enterprise. For security purposes this is,...
Sep 6, 20203 min read
1,281 views
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...
Aug 29, 20205 min read
2,126 views
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...
Aug 16, 20206 min read
2,718 views
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