How can you align IT security operations skills with organizational growth goals?

In my experience, we struggled in our business until we discovered our core values. In fact, until we uncovered them, we didn't know why very capable employees, simply were not working out. Our core values example how IT security ops can work with a company's values. For us, having a servant's heart means that IT security ops serves the business, not hinder, even if some conveniences are surrendered. For our value of continuous improvement, most frameworks allow for this: where you are and moving towards where you are going. Lastly, we solve problems smartly. There are many conflicts that arise between security, business ops, and IT. Focusing on resolving these smartly, in cooperation, is the key to success.

Ensure you actually understand your businesses needs. This helps you map SECOPS functions, projects, and processes to business objectives, and gives a higher chance for executive sponsorship for your goals. If you are unsure at all, ask. You can't support your business if you don't understand it.

In my experience defining a clearly shared organisational goal is the most important step after having defined your "why". "What is our main goal as an organisation?" The next step is to make sure everyone within the organisation understands the "why" and the wider organisational goal, and agrees with it; to be able to then contribute to said goal. Often when asking what the wider organisational goal is within an organisation, you will get many different answers. Having a shared goal is the only way to avoid everyone pursuing their own individual goals and to build towards an organisation of shared understanding and trust.

To align IT security operations skills with organizational growth goals, focus on: 1. Risk Assessment: Evaluate potential security risks that may impact organizational growth and tailor security measures accordingly. 2. Integration with Business Objectives: Align security strategies with broader business goals to ensure that security measures contribute to, rather than hinder, organizational growth. 3. Scalability: Develop security frameworks that can scale with organizational growth, accommodating increased data, users, and infrastructure. 4. Employee Training: Ensure that IT security teams are well-trained and updated on the latest threats, technologies, and compliance standards to effectively support organizational growth.

What seems to work with many of our clients is that once we understand their needs and priorities, we put all of the changes to support those targets on a roadmap. The investments are listed, ballpark, but they help the business (unit) owners get their arms around the potential costs of those priorities. A well thought out roadmap provides plenty of time to help the owner understand fully what needs to happen. Then they can better allocate the needed time and money. Usually if we can project 3 years out, it helps get the business on a consistently improving trajectory.

Organizational growth goals involves integrating security practices that support and enhance business objectives.In my opinion it is imperative to grasp organization’s growth objectives inside out. Tailoring security practices to complement these goals is key. Communication: Security is everyone’s responsibility not just an IT/security team.hence collaboration is with all stakeholder to integrate security seamlessly is key. Be Proactive: encourage the stakeholders to provide feedback and use this feedback for improvement and to tweak security measure Continuous Learning: Technology keeps evolving so does malicious characters.It is pivotal that IT teams skills gets updated Strategic Integration:Align security measures with business decisions

Don’t underestimate the importance of talking the same language as the business. You’ll have a hard time influencing without it.