You're striving to align security objectives with business goals. How can you ensure maximum impact?

First and foremost, information security is a business problem. We exist in this industry to support and protect the business. Yes, there is some wonderful depth in tech and the solutions therein. But effectiveness has to start in the business requirement and the psychology of our approach. Impact is about ensuring those business goals and objectives are reached and most importantly maintained. In the world of data, I would like to highlight is the runaway of systems that suddenly ignite through expansion. Are our data and threat models of even the near future going to meet the business needs. Are we going to be able to support? Building cyber for scale is all about foundations and having an eye to the future, but feet in the now.

To ensure maximum impact aligning security objectives with business goals, start by thoroughly understanding the organization's strategic priorities. Clearly communicate how security initiatives support these goals, emphasizing tangible benefits and ROI. Collaborate closely with non-technical stakeholders to integrate security strategies seamlessly into business operations. Promote security awareness across the organization to foster a culture of safety and responsibility. Continuously assess and adjust security strategies in response to evolving business needs.

For those wishing to apply a compliance approach, it is important to understand which conformities are applicable and why. Are they linked to a geographical presence or a particular profession? This will enable you to respond to this need by mastering the scope. In the case of certifications, they are necessarily linked to an activity. Analyzing and understanding them will enable us to better share these objectives with the members of the business.

To maximise impact, much of it unseen, we need to think openly. It is too easy to become tunnel visioned. A suggested route is; > Run a threat model that is well considered > Ensure we understand business short / mid term goals > Understand how scale can creep up > Lay foundational thinking that based in risk > Map the ROI - it is relatively easy to calculate > Make sure we align with business objectives > Share that cyber, if done well, will be transparent Cyber and information security can become all about itself sometimes and its own "being". This is made worse with compliance wagging the tail of our efforts too. We must come up for air and contextualise where we "must do, should do, would like to do" and prioritise.

Identifying risks is the first step. The next step is risk assessment. To do this, it's essential to take regular measurement points (project progress, kpi) and project them onto your risks. You'll then have a factual risk level, and the process can be automated.

Stakeholder buy-in can be awesome when achieved and it grants so many freedoms. I find it also reduces friction as we can work on what's needed rather than deal with red tape. Some of the most effective CISOs that I work and share friendships with are all about having the wholehearted support of their exec and their stakeholders. That's really smart of you think about it and generally it is earned. We need to show that robust security is an advantage not just from a protective perspective but also because it will scale well (as its well considered). Key principles are; 1. Continually educate your exec 2. Know all your stakeholders 3. Understand their concerns and invest in listening 4. Help them validate their anxieties 5. Enable them

I totally agree with this posture but it has to be a multi-lateral approach. All business systems have different stakeholders who need to buy in as you will be dependent on their support, their systems and their people. What I love about cyber is that it touches so much of the org if not all of it. We therefore need a relationship base within the org and training / awareness is key to helping us exact that. > Contextualise training - keep the tech for the tech! > Be consistent - training is not a won and done > Iterate in terms of depth - don't share all at once! > Make it interactive and engaging - it gets remembered > Make it meaningful and relevant to your audience Don't forget a little energy invested goes a long way.